Askew Ed - Ask The Unicorn [VINYL]

Ask the Unicorn is an "acid folk" masterpiece and one of the most singular releases from the infamous and historic ESP-Disk catalogue. It was recorded live to tape by a 27 year-old Ed Askew in 1968. Since that time, the impossible-to-find record and the man have acquired a mythological status. This first-ever, fully-remastered reissue has been awaited internationally for over 30 years. Ed Askew never "disappeared." In the time following the recording, the Yale-educated hippie painter hitchhiked, taught at art school. And he has been working on new music in New York City for the past three decades. Following a re-discovery in the early Aughts, releases of classic recordings by De Stijl and Drag City, and tours with Bill Callahan and the Black Swans, Ed Askew is fully on the scene. In 2013, Tin Angel released his first studio album of new songs, For the World. The album was produced by Jerry David DeCicca and featured contributions from Sharon van Etten, Marc Ribot, and Mary Lattimore. Askew toured Europe in support of the record with his trio and Jordan Hunt. But Ask the Unicorn, one of the most unique and gripping records under the 1960's sun, remained a question and an item of critical and fan devotion. It is finally available on the white vinyl Askew originally requested. The cover for the UK release, reproduced here, is the positive of the US edition. It is a photo of the protests in Stamford following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was remastered from the original pressing by Jessica Thompson (Awesome Tapes from Africa, Tompkins Square) at the Magic Shop in NYC so that it sounds better than ever -- clearer, deeper, and louder. The insert features an original poster made Askew for one of this shows in New Haven, CT; and liner notes by Clifford Allen (Tiny Mix Tapes), an ESP-Disk scholar and friend of the band, who interviewed Askew over the course of several months. Ask the Unicorn is a wild album. Inspired by immersion in Lorca and Kurt Weil, Askew's live psych delivery blends "bitter and economical" with deep imagism. The tone of the Martin tiple, the 10-string ultra-resonant acoustic instrument for which Askew is known, is wiry and stark -- a true counterpoint to contemporary psychedelic music. Ask the Unicorn is also a very rare and important work by an openly gay songwriter in the 1960's. Ed will tour Europe with his trio in September in support of this release and in anticipation of Ed's forthcoming second studio album of new songs, featuring Josephine Foster, on Tin Angel Records.