Category: Jim Sullivan

It was 1972, and Jim Sullivan needed a hit. The 32–year–old singer– songwriter had played around Southern California in any pub or bar that would have him, filling venues with an outsize presence limited to not only his tall stature but also his massive voice. He’d released U.F.O., a privately–pressed, spectral masterpiece in 1969, but the record’s psychedelic folk sound had failed to find an audience, even with a seasoned cast of Wrecking Crew players providing credible backing.

On October 25th, Light in the Attic will release two follow-ups to the label’s reissue of Jim Sullivan’s mythic U.F.O.: a collection of solo acoustic performances titled If Evening Were Dawn, and a reissue of Sullivan’s self-titled 1972 lp, originally released by Playboy Records. Taken together, these three records represent the entirety of Sullivan’s recorded work, all leading up to his vanishing—a rock & roll mystery that endures to this day. The new edition of Jim Sullivan features liner notes by Aquarium Drunkard editor Jason P. Woodbury and art by our own D.Norsen. Presented here is an excerpt from those notes.

Last June, over a round of drinks, my friend Matt excitedly told me the tale of his label Light In The Attic’s upcoming release; that of the reissue of Jim Sullivan’s U.F.O. Light In The […]