Farquahr "Farquahr" 1970 US Folk Rock
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Farquahr left Verve for the promotional muscle of Elektra, and recut "My Island" in an almost identical version. Unfortunately, the songwriting isn't nearly as strong here, and the harmonies --the group's strongest asset -- are subdued. Only "Start Living" shows any of the earlier spark. Their version of "Streets of Montreal" is not the the defiant statement it could have been (and in Randy Burns' hands, was), but one of ambivalence. It's a final example of the self-sabotage that plagues the whole album....by....ochsfan ....~ Farquahr was an album from 1970 on Elektra Records featuring the Farquahr brothers, Barnswallow, Flamingo & Hummingbird. This album also features Eric Weisberg. It is making it's worldwide CD debut and will appeal to those collectors of the early Elektra Records catalog from the late 1960s and early 1970s.....~ Farquahr were mainstays on the Boston and New Haven folk scene in the 1960s and '70s; blending humor with music, they cut an album for Verve in 1968 as the Fabulous Farquahr, and shortened the name to Farquahr when they recorded their second (and last) album for Elektra in 1970. The group's deliberately silly stage names disguised the fact that three of the members of Farquahr were actually brothers -- Bobby McGowan (aka Hummingbird Farquahr), Dennis McGowan (aka Condor Farquahr) and Frank McGowan (aka Flamingo Farquahr), with Doug Lapham joining them as Barnswallow Farquahr -- and they also performed as a Celtic folk combo known as the McGowan Brothers. Unfortunately, Farquahr's comic side often gets lost in the shuffle on this album, though "Dear John Deere" and "Holy Moses" display a keen wit. With Jerry Ragovoy producing the set, the polished arrangements (often dotted with strings) are prime examples of early-'70s folk-rock (though "Dear John Deere" leans towards a ragtime flavor), with the quartet's harmonies and Lapham's songs clearly the main attraction here. While Farquahr's playful side is certainly visible, Lapham was an intelligent and perceptive lyricist when he had something to say, and the draft dodger's tale "Streets of Montreal" and the philosophical "My Island" are compelling stuff. Longtime fans looking for a reminder of Farquahr's days as the Clown Princes of New England Folk will have to wait for the Verve album to be reissued some day, but this set confirms that they were fine singers with a gifted songwriter in their ranks, and deserved wider recognition outside their home base.....~ Personnel:
Flamingo Farquahr (Frank McGowan) – guitar, vocals Hummingbird Farquahr (Bobby McGowan) – guitar, vocals Condor Farquahr (Dennis McGowan) – guitar, vocals Barnswallow Farquahr (Doug Lapham) – guitar, vocals Tracklist
A1 Hanging On By A Thread 2:42 A2 My Island 3:27 A3 Peace In Mind 3:13 A4 Holy Moses 3:10 A5 Much Too Nice A Day 2:30 A6 Just For Kings 2:45 B1 Dear John Deere 3:00 B2 Babe In The Woods 2:42 B3 Start Living 2:40 B4 Moonrider 2:45 B5 Silver Spoons 2:33 B6 Streets Of Montreal 2:37