Isaac Guillory - Isaac Guillory

Isaac Guillory (Isaac Guillory) Atlantic SD 7307 – 1974


Nació en 1947 en la base naval americana de Guantanamo, Cuba. En su adolescencia emigró primero a Florida en donde formó parte de The Illusions, que editaron un single en 1966. Posteriormente se trasladó a Chicago y se unió allí como bajista al famoso grupo local The Cryan Shames a tiempo de participar en su segundo LP "A Scratch In The Sky". En el tercero y último, "Synthesis", habían ya cuatro canciones suyas y era parte importante de la banda.

Tras la disolución del grupo, y su activismo contra la guerra de Vietnam, dió el salto a Europa con su guitarra acústica en 1970, aterrizando en Luxemburgo. Llevando una vida en la carretera, estuvo cantando por garitos varios desde Marruecos hasta Dinamarca, y vivió un tiempo en el sur de España. Un encuentro en Holanda con Al Stewart en 1971 resultó definitivo y, amparado por Al, se trasladó a Inglaterra donde se pateó el circuito folk e hizo sesiones varias.

Al año siguiente, se le une su ex compañero en The Cryan Shames, Jim Fairs, y juntos preparan el primer disco en solitario de Isaac, que se graba en 1973 con algún ilustre sesionero de la escena inglesa como Sam Gopal. El disco lo co-produce Ian Samwell y es publicado por Atlantic en 1974. Se incian entonces las sesiones para su segundo disco, pero ante las pobres ventas del primero, Atlantic congela el proyecto.

Hace algunas grabaciones y giras con gente como Elkie Brooks o Donovan, y después sustituye a Big Jim Sullivan en el grupo de jazz rock Pacific Eardrum, quienes graban un par de discos publicados por Charisma en 1977 y 1978. Posteriormente, trabaja con el inefable productor Trevor Horn siendo su guitarra la que aparece en la famosa canción "Video Killed The Radio Star".

A partir de ahi nuestro hombre se dedicó a colaborar con gente tan dispar como Barbara Dickson, Joan Baez, Nick Heyward, o un film de Mick Jagger, además de escribir y diseñar un metodo para eseñar a tocar la guitarra, "The Guitar Hand Book". También siguió grabando esporádicamente algunos discos en ediciones minúsculas y privadas, grabados en directo en su mayoría. Murió en la nochevieja de 2000 a los 52 años de un cáncer no detectado, unas pocas semanas después de grabar su último concierto.


Su primer y único disco a nivel internacional, "Isaac Guillory", es una sorprendente grabación que tal vez desconcierta un poco en una primera escucha, y que va entrando hondo inexorablemente. Tiene un profundo calado, con toques de psico-folk, una potente y apasionada voz, y una guitarra acústica tocada de una forma muy personal y original. Una impresión melancólica y solitaria sazona un disco intemporal que sin duda merece ser rescatado y degustado sin prisas.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


He was born in 1947 at the american navy base of Guantanamo in Cuba. In his teens he moved to Florida where he joined The Illusions who released a single in 1966. Then he moved to Chicago and there he joined the popular local band The Cryan Shames as their new bass player, just in time to appear in their second album "A Scratch In The Sky". The third one "Synthesis" had four of his songs and he was already an important part of the band.

After the group split, his activism against the Vietnam war took him to Europe where he moved with his acoustic guitar in 1970. After landing in Luxembourg he lead a life on the road and sung in pubs and coffe houses from Morocco to Denmark and lived in southern Spain for a time. A 1971 chance meeting with Al Stewart in Holland was a turning point and, under Al's wing, he moved to England where he did a lot of gigs on the folk circuit and also some recording sessions.

The following year he was joined by his mate in The Cryan Shames, Jim Fairs, and they worked together in Isaac's first solo album which was recorded in 1973 with some names of the british underground scene like Sam Gopal. The record was co-produced by Ian Samwell and finally released by Atlantic in 1974. Sessions were started for a second album but with the poor sales of that first one, Atlantic shelved the project.

He made some recordings and gigs with people like Elkie Brooks or Donovan and then filled the vacancy of Big jim Sullivan in the jazz-rock band Pacific Eardrum who released a couple of albums in the Charisma label in 1977 and 1978. He worked later with the infamous producer Trevor Horn. It's his guitar the one that can be heard in the famous song "Video Killed The Radio Star".

From there on our man worked with such a different kind of people as Barbara Dickson, Joan Baez or Nick Heyward, played on the soundtrack of a Mick Jagger film, and designed and wrote a guitar tuition book called "The Guitar Hand Book". He also kept on making some records from time to time, always in small and private editions on his own label and mostly recorded live and alone. He died in new year's eve of 2000 at 52 from an undetected cancer, just a few weeks after recording his last concert.


His first and only international record, "Isaac Guillory" is a surpising recording which may be a bit uneven at a first listen, and which surelly and slowly goes getting inside of the open listener. It has a deep feeling, with some psyco-folk touches, a strong and passionate voice, and an acoustic guitar played with a quite personal and original way. With a lonely and melancholic impression, it's a record out of time that really deserves to be rescued and savoured without hurries.


http://rapidshare.com/files/206220807/Isaac_Guillory__Isaac_Guillory__1974.rar

.