Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
By A. E. Housman

These, in the days when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.

Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and the earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34uaUUx3Als&list=RD34uaUUx3Als&start_radio=1

#AEHousman #Poetry #PearlsBeforeSwine #TomRapp #Music #FolkRock

... Beautiful Lies You Could Live In was the sixth album credited to American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their fourth on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971.

The album has a more orthodox folk rock (or country rock) sound than earlier Pearls Before Swine records, with electric guitars and drums more prominent. It also contains several of Tom Rapp's most beautiful and evocative songs, such as "Snow Queen", "Island Lady", and "Freedom", together with a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire". The album concludes with a brief setting of A. E. Housman's poem, "Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries", sung by Elisabeth.

Reverting to the group's practice of using classic art images on their album covers, the sleeve design shows the 19th century Pre-Raphaelite painting "Ophelia" by John Everett Millais. - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7HKpFjXMtE&list=RDB7HKpFjXMtE&start_radio=1

#PearlsBeforeSwine #TomRapp #FolkRock #JohnEverettMillais #LeonardCohen #Music #AEHousman

City of Gold was the fifth album made by American psychedelic folk group Pearls Before Swine, and their third on Reprise Records. It was released in 1971.

The album was the first to be credited to "Thos." (Tom) Rapp and Pearls Before Swine, rather than solely in the group's name. In fact, the group, which had been formed by Rapp and his friends in Florida in the mid-1960s, and which in its original incarnation had never performed live, had effectively ceased to exist by the time of their third album These Things Too, and subsequent albums had been recorded by Rapp with his wife Elisabeth and session musicians. - Wikipedia

Love the opening adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnet #65. 41 seconds of bliss!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLv60LLwCUo&list=OLAK5uy_mPGv4yr5QEZOIZweqfZ3hVNDnHQD1m9oE

#PearlsBeforeSwine #TomRapp #FolkRock #FolkPsyche #Shakespeare #Music #CountryRock

New post from A Head Full of Wishes
My record collection: [235] Various artists - For The Dead in Space (CD)
Released around the same time as Tom Rapp’s first release in 26 years this was a tribute album to Tom... #TomRapp #PearlsBeforeSwine #MyRecordCollection #DamonAndNaomi

https://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/2025/03/27/my-record-collection-for-the-dead-in-space/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ifttt

New post from A Head Full of Wishes
My record collection: [231] Tom Rapp - A Journal of the Plague Year (CD)
A Journal of the Plague Year was Tom Rapp’s first new album in over a quarter of a century and... #TomRapp #AJournalOfThePlagueYear #MyRecordCollection #DamonAndNaomi

https://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/2025/03/13/my-record-collection-tom-rapp-a-journal-of-the-plague-year/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ifttt

EDIT: I HAVE FOUND THE SONG! See thread for link.

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Help, I cannot remember and cannot find online the name of a song from the band Pearls Before Swine (and/or Tom Rapp) that (I think) begins, "Since you've been gone," and includes the line, "Oh how I long for December 21st, the easiest of days to sleep." Those are the only damn things I can remember about it and it's driving me nuts! Do you know the name of this song?

#Music #PsychedelicFolk #PearlsBeforeSwine #TomRapp #60sMusic #70sMusic

New post from A Head Full of Wishes
My record collection: #178: Damon & Naomi - Terrastock 1997
This is a recording of the Damon & Naomi’s set at the first Terrastock festival in Providence, RI in April 1997. The tape was made by, and sent to me shortly after the show, by the much missed Tom Rapp....
#TomRapp #Terrastock #Cassette #Bootleg #DamonAndNaomi #MyRecordCollection

https://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/2024/10/10/my-record-collection-178-damon-naomi-terrastock-1997/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ifttt

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE
Balaklava
1968 U.S. pressing

One of the most hauntingly beautiful albums ever recorded, and in my opinion, the late great Tom Rapp’s greatest gift to the world.

Just as dark as it is peaceful, it is an astonishing work of art; a philosophy of anti-war set to shimmering and soulful psychedelic folk music.
I’m not sure I could ever get rid of this record, because I’m not sure if I’d ever come across it again.
#vinyl #vinylrecords #60smusic #folk #tomrapp