Laura Allan – reflections
Here’s one of my favorite new age lp’s. Laura is featured on celtic harp like customized zither, wordless vocals and lyrical song poems. One of those mellow records to sip tea to on a sunday morning and zone out to. One dollar well spent.
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Makes me wish I still had my pooka shells from junior high school…
heyhey
is this going to be uploaded?
thanks
My copy contains enough imperfections to detract from the ethereal quality of the music. Has “Reflections” been digitally remastered?
Is this album (or cassette) commercially available at all? We lost our copy 15 years ago–only have the cover left.
THIS ONE DESERVES TO BE REMASTERED! If someone already has, I would love to be able to buy a copy. Thanks —Linda Corson
Gracias, estupendo blog
I found a copy of this one recently. It is one of those albums you will feel deeply. More, the album often conjured a number of emotions and past experiences I thought I’d forgotten and wanted to rexperience. Definitely, this lp is a favorite of mine already.
ps: Did Steve Halpern work with any other female vocalist besides Allan and Georgia Kelley? Warmly-Jason
Laura Allan just passed away on May 19th, 2008 from a six month battle with cancer. You can find her memorial here virtual-memorials.com/
I played with Laura in the 1970’s in a group called the Fairfax Street Choir http://www.fairfaxstreetchoir.com the great show, looking for your long lost mind review and many other groups. I am fortunate to still have rehearsal taPES of us singing duets from that time. You can also go to http://www.mooreamusicpele.com to the audio files page and find Laura singing there also.
Laura Allan was a true talent, could pick up any instrument and play it and had a voice that only an angel would dare to have. I will miss her now that I know I won’t be able to see her again in this life anyway. Enjoy her music and reflections you can get sometimes on amazon. aloha
I was acquainted with Laura for a while in recent years. I heard her play several times in the LA area. As a musician, I admired her playing.
I am very saddened to learn of her death. I was hoping to renew the acquaintanceship at her next LA gig.
Ron Javorsky
I moved away from California in 2004 and lost touch with Laura. I always loved her talent and at one point we were playing her Christmas Angel song on the Westwood One Radio Network’s adult contemporary format during the holidays and I featured one of her songs on one of my Laydio Radio Show demos. I am very saddened by this news about her death and so sorry. I have all her cd’s and she was a true talent. Her name is mentioned in the new book about Carole King, Carly Simon and Joni Mitchell. The author says Joni was influenced by Laura’s style of playing! I was trying to contact Laura to tell her about this when I found out she had passed. I’m very sad. np
oops….put down wrong email address….the station I work at in Lexington KY is this email:
nancy@your1063.com
Laura Allan was in and out of my life for many years. The most memorable visit we had was when she and my brother came to my daughter’s wedding. They unexpectedly joined the band, making for a lively reception. Then, Laura made a generous toast to the bride and groom. We were outdoors, on a sunny day and in total silence Laura held her triangle in front of her and sang “where is love…” She knew how to play to her audience. That beautiful, clear, sweet voice was the loveliest gift of all. I will cherish that moment always. The next day all of the family went to the beach and Laura showed a granddaughter how to play the Dulcimer. (I actually painted that poignant scene.) We were lucky to have two special moments in one weekend to last a lifetime. Laura was a generous, talented, loving woman.
I bought the cassette in 1984 and very moving tunes and vocals, whenever I play it, I tend to well up from within, tears of joy though. Sorry to learn of her death, a great loss to all. Still, her spirit lives on.
Getting ready for our 40th high school reunion. I saw Laura’s name on the list. I remembered in an instant her mesmerizing face as she played her Kalimba out on the grass where we all hung out at lunch. Inspired, I went out and bought one which I have treasured and still sits on my bookcase. We became friends and she took a bamboo flute which I had with holes punched in some of the strangest places (no wonder it wouldn’t play) and she taped up the ones that shouldn’t be there until it found its voice. Laura was a very different and enchantingly beautiful friend who made a lasting impression on me. I was excited when I saw her name on the list and I am saddened that she has passed and won’t be there with us.
I will not tell Robby that Laura has passed the way. We got to know from Mark that she was sick but could not get in touch with her since a while, and we hoped she could make it. Robby is an Italian guitar payer and has payed with her for a while in LA. Laura and Mark came to visit us in Italy some years ago. She was very beautiful and we had so much fun together. It’s thanks to her and wanted to play it. I will wait a little bit before telling Robby
I am so very sorry and my heart aches to hear Laura has passed on. She was indeed a special soul. We had lost touch over the years, back from the days when she and others lived in the ‘Giggle House’ up on the hill in Forestville. Her dear friend Robbie made me my first dulcimer and we all would have such a good time with one another singing and playing down at the The Good Earth in Fairfax. Laura, I will miss you, you were an angel on Earth…I am so thankful to have known you well…Please contact me if anyone remembers those by gone days…
Laura, Caroline, and I believe Joellen Lapidus all lived in Forest Knolls up on a hill with a winding set of steps that led to the cottage. Robbie Long lived close by as well. What amazing talent and wonder as well as Love residing in a small sleepy community. My old brain kept thinking of Forestville, but indeed it was Forest Knolls.
Miss your dear angel spirit…Laura
Loren (edmundvenella@embarqmail.com )
I think Laura’s Reflections album is a masterpiece that deserves to be rediscovered and popularized like Linda Perhacs’ Parallelograms or the music of Nick Drake. Does anyone know if the master tape still exists? For that matter, does anyone know how to obtain a good copy of the album. My copy is – as others have mentioned – distractingly noisy on side 1 due to low quality pressing, but I’ve heard that a limited number of audiophile quality pressings were also made.
Reply to Bob Olsen:
I agree with you about Laura’s Reflections album…it is a masterpiece and most definitely should be remastered and put out on either CD or MP3’s for purchasing. The album is available as MP3 downloads from various sites but probably lacks good sound quality.
It seems the powers to be whoever they may be, either have no interest or other reasons for not releasing this album into the current music stream. Laura’s first album ‘Laura Allan’ also suffers the same fate…it is only available from the import from 2002 re-released CD from Japan for $51 dollars.
This must be because of artist or producer’s rights issues, which is valid and understandable…but I believe there is a large buying audience that needs to be given the opportunity to hear Laura’s music again or for the first time and have the opportunity to purchase it.
The fact that this isn’t happening is a shame!
There is the availability of her other albums like ‘Hold on to your Dream’ and ‘Telegraph’, and the ‘StarCrossed’ album release, but nothing reasonable from her earlier efforts.
I hope this changes! The angelic voice of dear and beloved Laura needs to be heard more widely…
Hello I am Roberto Ruvinetti I was Laura Allan guitar player I am looking for Mark Gould if You know about em please let me know I hope to get in touch with you
angelic singer who could play a harmonic on dulcimer or guitar and vocally harmonize with it…..incredible
she sang with such Joy!
Myself and a friend bought this lp just by the cover alone. When played we were blown away by her voice and playing style.
I listen to it in the field of our mtn property high up overlooking deep into the mountains of the Catskills on a hot summer day, wind pushing the yellow field grass in waves. I am sad that my friend and her are now gone.
But they both live in in that moment.
I sure would like to have a recording of Reflections. Years ago it helped save my life. A child of God – learning how to Love on this earth.
I already submitted a comment. What is this? Goodbye
Somebody copied their vinyl copy of the full album on YouTube. Maybe not perfect-there’s a bit of vinyl noise, but it’s really not bad and one can still appreciate the music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jAhcA-24xM