For
Yes I See (1961) -- his second Elektra Records outing --
Bob Gibson (guitar/banjo/vocals) returns the subject matter to comparatively traditional folk. Another significant disparity between this long-player and his label debut
Ski Songs (1960) is the occasional shot of gospel, thanks in large part to the prominent -- but never overbearing -- vocals from
Bessie Griffin & the Gospel Pearls. On one level, their influence -- which is immediately evident in the call-and-response chorus of the opening title track "Yes I See" -- adds an immediacy, urgency, and fervor. On yet another strata, it provides an earthier texture to "Motherless Children," "Daddy Roll 'Em," the mournful "Well, Well, Well," as well as the alternately jubilant updates of "You Can Tell the World" and "By and By." The latter trio are among those overhauled by
Gibson and on-again/off-again partner
Hamilton Camp. Of course at the heart of the project is the evidence of
Gibson's abilities as a compelling storyteller. The standouts are numerous with the artist's interpretation of "Trouble in Mind," the moonshiner's anthem "Copper Kettle," as well as
Ewan MacColl and
Peggy Seeger's "Springhill Mine Disaster,." Other
Gibson/
Camp inclusions worth noting are "Gilgarry Mountain (Darlin' Sportin' Jenny)" and the slightly Caribbean-flavored "Blues Around My Head (When the Sun Comes Up in the Mornin')."
Gibson is joined throughout by an impressive support cast that includes
Herbert O. Brown (banjo/bass),
Tommy Tedesco (guitar), and legendary producer/arranger Robert "Bumps" Blackwell -- whose résumé included work with
Sam Cooke and
Little Richard among countless others. He is given special credit on the rear of the original LP jacket "for his assistance." In 2008, after several decades out of print, Collectors' Choice Music issued
Yes I See on compact disc, once again making the classic and venerable platter available to a new generations of folk music enthusiasts. ~ Lindsay Planer