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Cleveland Francis- Beyond The Willow Tree

SKU: 652401574316
Regular price $74.00
Unit price
per
Cleveland Francis- Beyond The Willow Tree
Cleveland Francis- Beyond The Willow Tree

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

Track List

  1. The Willow Tree
  2. Little Green Apples
  3. Early Morning Rain
  4. When I'm Sixty Four
  5. Hot Sun
  6. Hey Jude
  7. Just Think About It for a While
  8. Both Sides Now
  9. Rain
  10. Time
  11. Getting Ready for Tomorrow
  12. With God on Our Side
  13. What's Wrong with the World
  14. Ballad of Martin Luther King
  15. Change
  16. It's Got to Get Better
  17. Hot Sun (Demo)
  18. Early Morning Rain (Demo)
  19. Summertime
  20. Just Think About It for a While (Demo)
  21. The Willow Tree (Demo)

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Format: New Vinyl/Country

Cleveland Francis- Beyond The Willow Tree

SKU: 652401574316
Regular price $74.00
Unit price
per

Release Date: 6.15.22

Shipping calculated at checkout.

> Due to the current limited nature of music titles, ALL CD & Vinyl purchases are limited to three copies per customer, per item. If you place multiple orders for multiples the same title, your subsequent orders will be cancelled.

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

Track List

  1. The Willow Tree
  2. Little Green Apples
  3. Early Morning Rain
  4. When I'm Sixty Four
  5. Hot Sun
  6. Hey Jude
  7. Just Think About It for a While
  8. Both Sides Now
  9. Rain
  10. Time
  11. Getting Ready for Tomorrow
  12. With God on Our Side
  13. What's Wrong with the World
  14. Ballad of Martin Luther King
  15. Change
  16. It's Got to Get Better
  17. Hot Sun (Demo)
  18. Early Morning Rain (Demo)
  19. Summertime
  20. Just Think About It for a While (Demo)
  21. The Willow Tree (Demo)

Shop online 24/7 at Darkside Records.

Follow us on Instagram.