Scott Fagan – South Atlantic Blues (reissue, 1968)
Tales of contenders who never fulfilled their early promise are plentiful in the music game, but Scott Fagan’s comes with intriguing details – including having sired Stephin Merritt – and an idiosyncratic soundtrack. Raised in the US Virgin Islands, he moved to New York in 1964 and there started co-writing songs with the heavyweight Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman team. Over the next three years, he also penned the songs that were to form his debut album. The “bigger than Presley” success predicted by Fagan’s high-profile manager, Herb Gart, never came to be, while a deal with Atlantic subsidiary ATCO saw him stuck in a contract with no label advocate. South Atlantic Blues disappeared, leaving only a trace. PINK FLOYD ARE ON THE COVER OF THE NEW UNCUT – ORDER YOUR COPY HERE It’s clearly not through lack of ability or youthful appeal, as this vinyl reissue – which reinstates the original artwork (replacing the 1970 Jasper Johns lithograph, Scott Fagan’s Record, that appeared on 2015’s repressing) – attests. The singer-songwriter was a photogenic 22-year-old when he recorded it with producer Elmer Jared Gordon and the 10 tracks are as accomplished as they are immediately likeable. They’re also diverse, combining folk, country,… Read More →
