The mournful 'Windy Child''s downcast sing-along weds flute, cello, and Higgins' minor chords to 'You were the sun/ And I was the morning dew. In 'I Can't Sleep at Night' he's afraid of shut-eye because it might mean death (he smells it everywhere). 'Telegraph Towers' finds the protagonist 'sailin' for home' only the blowing wind makes him feel like he's not alone. Higgins' major themes are travel and lonesomeness.

Beginning with the queries, 'What do you intend to do young man? Where do you intend to go?,' he delves out homespun advice ('If you travel with a spider/ In your duffle bag/ With you good weather goes') and personal anecdote ('It's often that I wish to leave myself/ Buy some fancy clothes.') in a way that connotes something cyclical or unending. Like many of Higgins songs, 'Thicker' deals with a journey. The sounds are melancholy but never unaccessible: This is folk both your uncle and WFMU will (and do) love.Ĭoming first, 'Thicker Than a Smokey''s the strongest composition, a perfect blend of wanderer sadness, transcendent vocals, jangling instrumentation, dour melodies, and a libretto that feels like a Beatnik 'Advice to the Graduate'. On Red Hash, his guitar and soulsick (but often uplifting) voice are accented with rich cello, piano, organ, mandolin, flute, and bass. His work could, more or less, be compared to Skip Spence's Oar dressed up like David Crosby. Comparing Higgins to other formative players in the midst of rebirth, he's darker than Vashti Bunyan or Incredible String Band, less outer-realms and more melodic than Simon Finn.

It's been a good couple of years for once-lost folkies. Mastered from the original tapes with new photos and artwork from Higgins' archives as well as a lyric sheet and two bonus tracks, Red Hash is now available to a wider audience. In his absence, the album sank into oblivion. Around that time, he was busted for possession of marijuana and spent two years in prison.

( School of the Flower issued a missing person request in the liner notes, requesting that anyone with knowledge of Higgins' whereabouts please let Chasny know.) Red Hash was originally released on Higgins' Connecticut-based Nufusmoon Records. Chasny's acquiescence was a touching gesture, especially when considering that it's the Six Organs maestro, along with Drag City's Zach Cowie, who's largely responsible for the reissue of the lost 1973 album, Red Hash, and Higgins' subsequent tour.

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