Before & After

Description

Before & After is the debut album by the American singer and songwriter Ed Drake, independently released on Aletheia Records in 1972. All songs written and arranged by Ed Drake.

Ed Drake led Marne, Michigan’s Masters of Stonehouse, who waxed with the Dylan-esque single “Please” / “If You Treat Me Bad Again” in July ’66 on the obscure label Discotheque.

Ed Drake impresses me as the kind of artist that would fit right in with Danny Taylor and Mike Johnson. Before & After is a nice homemade album of acoustic rock with lyrics that speak to his life before and after Jesus. Several of the songs are done in a pure acoustic fashion, some with just guitar («I’ve Traveled That Road»), others add in bass («What An Answer»), flute («Since He Found Me») or organ (the Dylan-esque «All I Need Is Jesus»). No electric guitar from what I can tell, though songs like «Same Ol’ Song» strum along with bass and percussion for a crisp rural folkrock beat. The final song is the fourteen-minute «After» which begins as a piano-led rock ballad in the «Hey Jude» tradition, then shifting mid-way to spirited country folk. Interesting b&w cover photo of Ed posed next to an open casket. [Ken Scott, The Archivist, 4th edition]

LP tracklist:

Side One
A1. “Before”
A2. “Same Ol’ Song”
A3. “Holding Back”
A4. “I’ve Traveled That Road”
A5. “What an Answer”

Side Two
B1. “All I Need Is Jesus”
B2. “Since He Found Me”
B3. “After”

[youtube_sc url=”WttfFj9hhMM” title=”Ed Drake – Ive Traveled That Road” autohide=”1″ rel=”0″]