Ed Askew

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Ed Askew cut one of the best and most obscure LPs in the original ESP Disk’s vague rock/folk/freak series, issued eponymously and since reissued as Ask the Unicorn, before apparently dropping off the edge of his world. Years later, thanks to detective work by - naturally - Mr Clint Simonson of the De Stijl Records imprint, it turned out that not only was Askew still breathing but he had actually recorded a follow-up to his ESP Disk in 1970 that had lain in the can for decades. Originally released as a limited vinyl edition by Simonson himself, Little Eyes blew even his revered ESP side to ribbons and stands as one of the most magical outsider/freak artefacts to ever escape the prodigious gravity of the decade in which it was birthed. Askew has a highly idiosyncratic vocal style that is equal parts quizzical bubble-gum chewing kind on shrooms and doe-eyed real people Richard Brautigan character. Perhaps the closest comparison would be to Tom Rapp or Judee Sill’s old buddy Tommy Peltier. His instrumental conceptions certainly owe a massive debt to Bob Dylan circa 64/65 - who the fuck didn’t - especially his spine-tingling harmonica work but it’s the beautiful arc of the songs that will keep you coming back, the way he combines rough, fluffed performances with eye-watering lyrical sentiments, heartbreaking phrasing and weird, clunky chords played on a ‘Martin tiple’.

Tagged as:

folk, psychedelic folk, psychedelic, experimental, singer-songwriter
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Ask the Unicorn
Ed Askew
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Little Eyes
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WHAT I KNOW
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Ed Askew
Ed Askew
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Top Tracks

1	Love Is Everyone full track	19
2	The Garden full track	13
2	Fancy That full track	13
4	Little Eyes full track	12
5	Mr. Dream full track	9
6	Marigolds full track	7
6	Waiting in the Station	7
8	Ask the Unicorn full track	6
9	Songs for Pilots	5
9	Little Infinite Love Song full track	5
9	Beds of Soft Silk full track	5
9	Peter and David	5
13	City of Glass	4
13	Oh, All the Gold and Green Eyes full track	4
15	The Face of Fire	3

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thestr8sounds wrote:
Tuesday evening

I downloaded & burned to CD about 78 minutes worth of your music here on Last.fm and it is astonishing, as usual. You sound just like you did when I was a teenager listening to "Ask the Unicorn" on the ESP Disk sampler then your first album that I bought. Thanks for the mysticism!!!

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battleaxed wrote:
23 days ago

Smashing I say.

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ecaskew wrote:
November 2009

new video up here http://www.last.fm/music/Ed+Askew/MY+LIFE/IF+FISH+CAN+FLY

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Degarmo wrote:
November 2009

everyone listen to the latest collection

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sarahead wrote:
November 2009

Great pathos indeed and a wistful charm. Lovely

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ecaskew wrote:
November 2009

new collection: PAPER HORSES if you want it. (new tiple songs mostly) see my albums. Ed

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FakeActuality wrote:
October 2009

this is REALLY good..

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heknows-santos wrote:
September 2009

fancy that

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ecaskew wrote:
August 2009

i have put a list of all the videos i have posted so far, on various sites ..with URLs here: http://www.last.fm/user/ecaskew/journal

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MilesBachman wrote:
August 2009

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/spinning/episodes/2008/06/01 Ed on WNYC

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espdisk wrote:
July 2009

The phoning it in episode was great! Thanks Ed

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ecaskew wrote:
July 2009

if anybody is interested i just did a little show on PHONEING IT IN radio in California. i sang on the phone. and except for my having one of Radio Shack's low-end phones it sounds great ..a bit outsider actually. you can get a free podcast of the show here: http://phoningitin.net/shows/436-Ed-Askew

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imbuteria wrote:
April 2009

pay for radio http://blog.last.fm/2009/04/22/radio-subscriptions please come tell us you will do in: http://www.last.fm/group/supermetapataphysical+group/forum/116513/_/527140 .!.

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GunClubbing wrote:
March 2009

The acid dropping, paranoia hunted, obscure literature reading man's Bob Dylan.

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djwithoutaneye wrote:
February 2009

ed made some amazing music, there are moments that touch the parts that other songwriters can never reach

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David-Law wrote:
February 2009

amazing...

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HealeyIsland wrote:
January 2009

I'm glad Jakob Virgil told me about this guy

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wildwoodflwr wrote:
December 2008

cool music!

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MorrisTheFucker wrote:
December 2008

The new album is great! Go download it people!

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Ciacchi wrote:
December 2008

Fancy That is easily one of the best tracks ever in folk history

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