Fortuitously #9

Richie Havens’ recording of ‘I Can’t Make It Anymore’ is, I believe, one of the wonders of this mad old world. It is possible some know the song as a rare single or some from Richie’s 1966 LP Mixed Bag. Some may have heard it on Paul Weller’s recent Ace compilation That Sweet Sweet Music which, to me, makes perfect sense as the song has got a similar feel to ‘My Ever Changing Moods’. I have to confess that while I admire Richie’s frantic strumming and the rhythmic intensity of some of his most famous recordings, it’s the ballads I really rate, like 'I Can't Make It', like ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’ on that debut LP and ‘Sandy’ too which perfectly complements the later Wolfhounds song of the same name. The gorgeous ‘I Can’t Make It Anymore’ is a Gordon Lightfoot song, and as far as I know he never released it himself. There’s a demo version floating around, but that’s about it which is odd as it is such a beautiful song. It would fit perfectly alongside ‘Early Mornin’ Rain’ on his debut…