Richie Havens

ALARM CLOCK

BOTH EVANGELINE

Havens never quite made it to the top flight of American singer-songwriters, principally because his interpretation of other people’s material was always stronger than his own. These albums from 1970-71 came in the wake of his stunning Woodstock appearance, and prove the point.

Stonehenge contains seven of his own songs but, despite some lovely arrangements, only “Minstrel From Gaul” matches his magnificent version of Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”. The same is true of Alarm Clock, on which a magical “Here Comes The Sun” overshadows his own eight compositions.