Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.
But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.
Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.
We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.
TERRY CALLIER
Studio Albums: The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier (1968) | Occasional Rain (1972) | What Color Is Love (1972) | I Just Can't Help Myself (1973) | Fire on Ice (1978) | Turn You to Love (1979) | Timepeace (1998) | Lifetime (1999) | Speak Your Peace (2002) | Lookin' Out (2004) | Hidden Conversations (2009)
A native of Chicago and childhood friend of Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler, Terry Callier had two musical careers. He started life in the ‘60s enamored with John Coltrane’s work and sang folk songs in coffee shops before joining Chess Records subsidiary Cadet. There, alongside the legend Charles Stepney, he made a string of albums that mixed soul, blues, jazz and folk but were criminally unloved.
Once Cadet and Chess were sold, he signed to Elektra and released a couple of albums in the mid ‘70s before he seemingly disappeared from view. Having gained custody of his daughter, he returned to “civvy street” and a life away from music. But his material was too good to languish unheard and it wasn’t too long before his musical life took over once again. The London acid jazz scene unearthed the treasures that lay within his catalogue and he was playing festivals and gigs once more to a younger, highly appreciative audience.
The comeback was complete when he recorded new material in the shape of 1998’s Timepeace that revealed wisdom and humanity in abundance. He was a regular collaborator with plenty of younger musicians (particularly UK folk artist Beth Orton) and it always seemed that he would be a perfect companion—inspired, easy-going and kind.
Having had the pleasure of seeing him live several times during his renaissance years, each occasion was bathed in a level of adoration rarely seen at live shows. He was generous in spirit and often gazed in wonder at what his bandmates produced from center stage. His voice, particularly the second time around, resonated so powerfully with me. He was wise, warm but still capable of the pointed or barbed lyric aimed squarely at life’s injustices.
Patrick’s 3 Favorite Terry Callier Albums of All Time:
1. What Color Is Love (1972)
2. Timepeace (1998)
3. Lifetime (1999)
LISTEN & WATCH: