Violets of Dawn

As a summary of Eric Andersen’s years with Vanguard Records, Violets of Dawn is a solid collection. It features superior remastered sound, two rarities (“Boots of Blues” and “Rambler’s Lament” from the 1964 compilation New Folks, Vol. 2), and the extended version of “Thirsty Boots,” alongside “Violets of Dawn,” “Close the Door Lightly When You Go," and the electric version of “Hey Babe, Have You Been Cheatin’.” As one of the last folk singers to emerge from the '60s Greenwich Village scene, Andersen was often slightly late in getting where the music was rapidly going in the '60s. He flirted with Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville, baroque pop, and other trends of the era, but he was always at his best when playing it straight from the heart. Songs such as “Song to J.C.B.,” “Come to My Bedside," and “Eyes Gently Rolling” show this romantic side of Andersen; it would become his artistic strength in the next decade, with the 1972 Blue River album and the unfortunately mislaid follow-up album, released decades later as Stages—The Lost Album.