Vashti Bunyan – Just Another Diamond Day (Philips 1970)

A much beloved folk album this one, and with good reason too. According to the legendary Joe Boyd, who produced this fantastic album, ‘Just Another Diamond Day’ is a documentary of a pilgrimage lasting a year and a half. Vashti Bunyan, Robert Lewis and a couple of animals (a dog and a horse, if you must know) took a trip from London to the Outer Hebrides, and these songs give a glimpse of what it was like to be living there for a while. The album is very quiet and often melancholic, but at the same time strangely uplifting. One could even say it has a healing effect, at least that’s my experience with it. It’s also obviously a very personal record. ‘I have never known anyone whose music is so completely a reflection of their life and spirit’, Joe Boyd points out in the liner notes on the brilliant reissue by Dicristina (the album was originally released on Philips, but got next to no attention back then). These words ring true. There’s no need for me to point out specific songs on this special album – this is certainly an album you listen to all the way through. Which doesn’t take long by the way, as it’s a very short album, but then you can just play it again. I find it that addicting. Even though this is a very low key album, the instrumentation is actually quite rich. Besides Vashtis fragile and heartwrenching voice, you’ll hear acoustic guitars, piano, organ, fiddle, whistle, Irish Harp, banjo and mandolin – as well as very tasteful string and recorder arrangements by Robert Kirby. Vashti was also joined by folk legends like Dave Swarbrick and Robin Williamson. It should also be noted that this album is the absolute antidote to anything urban, and that’s of course how we folk fans like it, right? This is truly music for both hearts and minds. If I was to be stranded on a deserted island for the rest of my life, and could only bring with me three records (and a turntable, which could be used on this island), then ‘Just Another Diamond Day’ would probably be one of them. Essential!