Parallelograms (album)

Parallelograms
Studio album by Linda Perhacs
Released	1970
Recorded	1969-1970
Genre	Psychedelic folk[1]
Length	41:02
Label	Kapp (original) Wild Places (2005 reissue) Sunbeam Records (2008 reissue)
Producer	Leonard Rosenman
Linda Perhacs chronology
Parallelograms (1970) The Soul of All Natural Things (2014)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork Media	8.6/10[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald	(favorable)[4]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[5]
Uncut	5/5[6]

Parallelograms is an album by American psychedelic folk singer Linda Perhacs. Her first and, until the release of The Soul of All Natural Things in 2014, only album, it was all but completely ignored when originally released on Kapp Records in 1970. Discouraged by the lack of commercial attention and the label's reluctance to promote the album, Perhacs returned to her career as a dental technician. In the 30 or so years that followed, the album gradually developed a cult following.

Folk label Wild Places spent two years attempting to find Perhacs before contacting her in 2003, leading to a reissue of Parallelograms on CD and 2-LP in 2005. The reissue was sourced from tapes in Perhacs' personal collection, vastly improving on the sound quality of the original pressing, and added 6 bonus tracks of various demos and session outtakes. Sunbeam Records again reissued the album in 2008, adding 2 bonus tracks, including an excerpt of an interview with the BBC.

The song "Hey, Who Really Cares" was written as the theme song for the short-lived 1970 ABC drama Matt Lincoln, starring Vince Edwards, which ran for a half-season. Perhacs shares writing credit with composer Oliver Nelson, who had been making music for numerous television shows at the time. The song was covered by R&B group The Whispers on their 1971 debut album The Whispers Love Story, and that version would be later sampled by U.S. rap artist The Notorious B.I.G. in his song "Niggas Bleed". Linda's recording was itself sampled by UK rap artist Lowkey in his song "Who Really Cares."

The song "If You Were My Man" was featured in the 2007 film Daft Punk's Electroma.

Track listing

All tracks composed and written by Linda Perhacs, except where noted.

1. "Chimacum Rain" - 3:33
2. "Paper Mountain Man" - 3:13
3. "Dolphin" - 2:56
4. "Call of the River" - 3:51
5. "Sandy Toes" - 3:00
6. "Parallelograms" - 4:36
7. "Hey, Who Really Cares?" (Perhacs/Nelson) - 2:44
8. "Moons and Cattails" - 4:09
9. "Morning Colors" - 4:48
10. "Porcelain Baked-Over Cast-Iron Wedding" - 4:01
11. "Delicious" - 4:08

Bonus tracks (reissue):

1. "If You Were My Man" (demo) - 3:30
2. "If You Were My Man" (alt. take) - 2:59
3. "Hey, Who Really Cares?" (with intro) - 3:01
4. "Chimacum Rain" (demo) - 3:45
5. "Spoken Intro to Leonard Rosenman" - 2:19
6. "Chimacum Rain" (demo with sounds) - 4:13

2008 Sunbeam Records reissue only:

1. "BBC Interview" - 5:52
2. "I Would Rather Love" - 3:06

Personnel

• Linda Perhacs - vocals, guitar, electronic effects, arranger
• Leonard Rosenman - electronic effects, arranger, producer
• Steve Cohn - lead guitar (6-string, 12-string, electric), arranger
• John Neufield - flute, saxophone
• Milt Holland, Shelley Mann - percussion
• Reinie Press - electric bass, Fender guitar
• "Tommy" - harmonica
• Brian Ingoldsby - amplified shower hose for horn effects (01)
• "Fleetfoot" of Laurel Canyon - guitar (19)

References