The Seekers stretch the folk revival into 1965

Though the Seekers sound like many other American folk groups of the early ‘60s, they formed in their native Australia, relocated to London, and came to the US on the tide of the British Invasion. They outlasted both the folk revival and the first flush of UK hit-makers, crowning their U.S. chart success with 1967’s “Georgy Girl.” This 1965 album is a warm collection of folk standards, then-contemporary compositions by Bob Dylan, Ian Tyson and Bob Gibson, and original hits by the group’s manager (and former leader of the Springfields), Tom Springfield. At the time of its release, the album’s combination of double-bass, mandolin and twelve-string guitar was a throwback to the non-rock folk revivalism of a few years earlier. Springfield’s “A World of Our Own,” anchors the album with a sound akin to that of the Rooftop Singers, Kingston Trio, Limeliters and even the Weavers. Recorded and released in mono, with Judith Durham’s stirring lead vocals out front, this is a nice reminder of the optimism and sense of empowerment that preceded the darker events of the ‘60s. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]