Dancing Girl (Live)/Love Theme From Spartacus

VINYL FORMAT. No artist ridicules the absurdities of genre-fetish in American music quite like the great Terry Callier. A demolisher of classification and master of introspective musical self-expression, Callier has lead a relatively under-the-radar existence despite being one the most talented singer/songwriters of the late 20th Century, bridging the gap between American folk, blues, jazz & soul without really pledging loyalty to any of these classifications, content to let his music and its meticulously crafted lyrical narrative speak for itself - and in so doing effortlessly validating the common root of all these great musical traditions. To Callier, music was never a matter of labor, social capital or an obvious transition to more money & prestige, but primarily a vehicle of poetic release. It was this attitude that bore Callier's need to play in virtually every style of his era. While his 1960s & 1970s recordings are revered with cultish enthusiasm by his many followers today, his music received little popular acclaim at the time and passed through the cracks of obscurity until later interest resurrected them. But then, Callier always preferred to use music as medium & message over music as social signifier, content to express himself through his raw, natural talent in poetry, voice & composition. The uncorrupted and thoroughly inspired energy poured into his material eventually paid off as more and more took notice, but by this time Callier had already abandoned 'professional' music in search of more steady means to support his family, never leaving behind his chosen aesthetic, though forced through material necessity to focus elsewhere. Of course, his art never went wholly neglected, as Callier has continued to release full-lengths periodically up to the present. In many ways his craft has sharpened with age, as his imprint continues to be felt: the astounding Roy Davis Jr. remix of 'Love Theme From Spartacus' has solidified its place in the deep house cannon as one of the best examples of dance music with exceptional lyrical whit (proving that, far from incompatible, these two are in fact deeply complimentary) Indeed, the version featured on this 12" release is Callier's best rendition of his 'Dancing Girl,' performed not more than 10 years ago. Still, he remains a half-figure in the history of 20th century music, a shadow of a ghost whose presence is always felt but whose full revealing is still yet to come.