Old forgotten altars : the 1960s demos

"Well-curated, with a smattering of vintage photos and memorabilia, it's a 19-track set of embryonic recordings Stewart made as his time with The Kingston Trio was winding down. The collection reveals much about Stewart's ascending songwriting development and his rare ability to form something extraordinary and poetic from rudimentary elements. In what seems like the lost musical woodshop of this mostly unheralded artisan, stirring romantic ballads and lonesome travel stories are strewn everywhere".

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"John Stewart's name often gets left out of discussions about L.A.'s singer/songwriter era, despite the fact that he may be its most prolific progenitor. Born in San Diego in 1936, he was a contemporary of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. Subsequent to his death in 2008 after nearly a five-decade career, Stewart left a cache of more than 600 songs and 40 albums ... His three-album solo run for Capitol -- 1968's Signals Through the Glass (co-billed to singer and future wife Buffy Ford), 1969's classic California Bloodlines, and 1970's Willard -- are strikingly rendered singer/songwriter prototypes framed in various combinations of folk, roots rock, country, and pop. Old Forgotten Altars comprises 19 unheard demos compiled by producer Ron Furmanek and overseen by Buffy Ford Stewart".

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