Michael Hurley - First Songs Michael Hurley - First Songs

SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS

Michael Hurley - First Songs Michael Hurley

£21.99 Pre-Order
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Genre: Folk, Singer/Songwriter, and Freak Folk.
Format

LP featuring Folkways' classic tip-on sleeve.

Condition: Brand New
Release date: Nov 06, 2026
Catalogue number: FW03581LP
Barcode: 0093070358119

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An eccentric, lifelong troubadour and a hero of the freak folk movement, Michael Hurley (1941-2025) paved an unconventional path as a musician and songwriter across his storied six-decade career

'First Songs' is Hurley's debut album and the only one where his photo is featured on the cover. In it, he introduces themes and characters that he'd revisit with delight across his dozens of albums: His werewolf trickster persona in "The Werewolf Song," the gentle "Blue Mountain," the pleasures of imbibing in "The Tea Song" and "I Like My Wine" and of rambling in "Just a Bum." Featuring Hurley alone with voice and guitar, the album sustains a moody sort of gravitas--while also laying the foundation for the visionary, freewheeling silliness that's made him one of the great folk singer-songwriters of the last century.

The debut album from the singular "godfather of freak folk" Michael Hurley, recorded for Folkways Records in 1964, that contains the seeds of his broader musical and lyrical explorations.

Hurley's cult following continues to gain steam as he is revered by generations of indie and folk artists, including Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, and Lucinda Williams. Cat Power's cover of "The Werewolf Song," which appears on First Songs, has been streamed close to 10 million times on Spotify.

Allmusic.com said, "These 12 songs suggest that Hurley's 'hippie bard' musical vision was fully formed from the start" with the Vinyl District saying, "Highly distinctive affair, at times startlingly so... I'm amazed all over again that it came out when it did."

Track List:

A1 - Blue Mountain
A2 - You Get Down by the Pool Hall Clickety-Clack (Sister Song)
A3 - I Like My Wine
A4 - No, No, No, I Won't Come (Go) Down No More
A5 - The Tea Song
A6 - Just a Bum
B1 - Raven Rock (They Took Away the Diesel)
B2 - Fat Mama
B3 - The Animal Song (If I Could Ramble Like a Hound)
B4 - Captain Kidd
B5 - Intersoular Blues
B6 - The Werewolf Song

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