Bridget St. John – "Ask Me No Questions" (Dandelion Records – S 63750) 1969

She sounded like an upbeat Nico with an upper middle class British accent,but unlike Dave and Toni Arthur, this posh but dark chanteuse actually got to do a few Peel Sessions;mainly because she wasn't sewn to the hip of a husband,rather attractive, and Peel fancied his chances of getting her in the sack. This sexual bribery continued with Peel actually signing her to his label,Dandelion, and even producing her debut album!? The birdsong and church bells collage towards the end of the title track was all his work apparently.He wasn't just a pretty face after all...in fact he wasn't a pretty face at all,but did well here.Peel was also savvy enough not to employ one of those awful string sections so beloved by Joe Boyd in ruining Nick Drake,leaving just Bridget with a few bongo's and guest guitarist John Martyn to flesh it out a tad.

Obviously Bridget had an eye on the US singer songwriter market,but, like most things British and European,ended up being too dark for those sensitive yanks. The Brits never quite got that thing right....thank christ.....even Elton John was far from those sensitive self-analysing bores,with their earnest tunes and ,yes, string sections. Judee Sill,who wrote her own baroque string arrangements very excepted, and the odd Neil Young solo LP or Leonard Cohen record,who were both Canadian anyway,as are most famous Americans.

The Title track remains to this day a droning classic of depressed melancholia with that Peel provided birdsong section for you to slash your wrists,or reaffirm life to at the end.

Tracklist:

A1 To B Without A Hitch
A2 Autumn Lullaby
A3 Curl Your Toes
A4 Like Never Before
A5 The Curious Crystals Of Unusual Purity
A6 Barefeet And Hot Pavements
B1 I Like To Be With You In The Sun
B2 Lizard-Long-Tongue Boy
B3 Hello Again (Of Course)
B4 Many Happy Returns
B5 Broken Faith
B6 Ask Me No Questions

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