Artist: Joe Probst, Album: The Lion And The Lady, Song: Lovin' You

"Once I was a beggar on a tall dapple horse.  Yes and once I was a sailor in a big ole man-o-war.  Once I was a window and once I was a door and everything that I ever did, I was lovin' you."  Joe Probst was a singer songwriter from Toronto who released his one and only album in 1973, entitled, The Lion And The Lady.  It's a hippy folk affair with narration at the beginning of each record side.  The poetry sets the theme of love and loneliness.  If you are a fan of Harry Chapin, you should definitely dig this.  There isn't much on the man or his music other than he seems to have had a minor hit with the song, Kingston, from this album.  The song, Lovin' You, follows that tune on side one and it has a psychedelic feel to it with flutes and lots of strings.  The lyrics, along with many others on the album, were written by Toronto poet, Brian Purdy.  The album was recorded in Toronto at Manta Sound in 1971, yet it wouldn't get a proper release until 1973.  The Canadian label that picked it up was Daffodil Records, who were responsible for bringing bands like Crowbar (see blog 8/19/10), A Foot In Cold Water, Fludd (see blog 12/21/10), Klaatu (see blog 11/27/10) and even a very young Tom Cochrane to the listening masses.  The owner of the label, Frank Davies, also produced this album.  While no one has heard from Joe in over thirty years, Unidisc did re-release the album and it is available on Itunes.  You can hear the song, Lovin' You, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtnmKYSICfo).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!