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Cleveland Francis

Beyond The Willow Tree |

Beyond The Willow Tree |

$ 38.99 USD
$ 38.99 USD $ 38.99 USD
Sale Sold out
652401574316 | 403LFD-T1A3-Q4

Description

Beyond The Willow Tree is a hauntingly beautiful anthology of folk songs chronicling the experience of a young black man growing up in the segregated south. A balanced mix of covers and originals, Cleveland Francis’ body of work seamlessly blends deep, soulful vocals with the stripped down acoustic instrumentation of folk. In the late 60’s Francis coined the term “soulfolk”, playing his genre bending music across college campuses and coffee shops while earning a medical degree at William & Mary.

These songs serve as a missing link between soul and folk music, suppressed by the harsh political landscape of a music industry heavily influenced by racial stereotypes. “If you were black, you played blues or soul music … I wanted to play folk music,” Cleveland professed.

Included in this double LP set is Cleveland Francis’ entire 1970 self released album Follow Me, featuring the original artwork and liner notes printed inside the gatefold. The second LP takes you Beyond The Willow Tree with unreleased demos recorded in 1968 along with one 45 only single recorded in 1970.

“These recordings are a look into my soul through a long and lonely journey to understand feelings of my childhood, poverty, racial segregation, bigotry, war, love and hope. It represents my attempt to express and come to terms with all that I have seen and felt as a Black man growing up in America.” – Cleveland Francis

  • 21 track double LP anthology, restored and remastered from the original master tapes by grammy award winning mastering engineer Michael Graves
  • Includes Francis’ debut release “Follow Me”, as well as a second record featuring unreleased and never before heard covers and demos.
  • Made with a deluxe tip-on gatefold sleeve
  • Liner notes written by Cleveland Francis and Forager Records
  • Artwork based on the original Follow Me record featuring photos of Francis from the late 60s and early 70s"
FORLP005 -Artist-Cleveland Francis
  • Genre: FOLK
  • Format Detail: 2LP Black
  • Handling Note: **Please allow an additional 5 business days for this item's shipment.**
  • Format: Vinyl
  • Released: 1/18/22
  • Internal ID: JIT

Condition Ratings & Details

NOTE: Every title includes condition ratings. The first rating pertains to the physical media, and the second grade pertains to the sleeve.

NOTE: Images may not be exact. Please refer to the description to determine whether the images are Actual Photos or Photos Not Actual. New records will likely use generic web photos to represent the product.

Condition Ratings

  • MINT (M): Perfect, brand new, unplayed.
  • Near Mint (NM): Like new, barely played, will play perfectly.
  • Excellent (EX): Very close to near mint, with minor cosmetic wear. Will play perfectly.
  • Very Good Plus (VG+): Light cosmetic blemishes that do not affect play. Close to perfect playback.
  • Very Good (VG): Some light marks that may cause minor noise during playback. Still enjoyable and plays well.
  • Good Plus (G+): Noticeable noise during playback. Only listed if of collector value. Not ideal for listening.

Sleeve Details

  • PHOTOS ACTUAL: The photo is an original image of the exact item you will receive.
  • PHOTOS NOT ACTUAL: The photo is sourced from the web and may differ slightly from the actual item.
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