Tim Hardin - Tim Hardin 4 (Japan 2008)

This collection of Tim Hardin's demos, recorded in 1964 as an audition for Columbia Records, was released in early 1969 by Verve/Forecast as though it were a newly recorded album. This did not amuse Hardin at the time, and the recording did nothing to enlarge his audience. However, the album holds some interest as a historical document. It's a batch of blues songs, highlighted by John Sebastian's harmonica playing, mixing covers of Chess blues classics with Hardin's original, though derivative, blues songs. "Airmobile" sounds like a direct rewrite of Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me," and "I Can't Slow Down" borrows from Robert Johnson's "Crossroad Blues." The arrangements employ an understated, low-key folky mix as opposed to a more overt Chicago electric blues sound. Still, there's more drive to the music than on a typical early-'60s folk album. This is not essential listening by any means, but it's pleasant enough to hear on a lazy, cloud-covered afternoon.