Released in 1971,
Beautiful Lies You Could Live In
was the final release of
Tom Rapp
(guitar/vocals) and
Pearls Before Swine
. This discounts the 1972 LP
Familiar Songs
, which was compiled from scraps by
Reprise Records
and put out as a solo
Rapp
effort despite protests from
, who has all but disowned it. Unlike the previous pair of
PBS
Nashville outings, the band -- whose core had been condensed to only
and wife
Elisabeth
(vocals) -- had returned to New York and a new set of backing musicians, notably former
Mothers of Invention
member
Billy Mundi
(drums),
Stu Scharf
(guitar),
Bob Dorough
(piano),
Grady Tate
(drums), and
Amos Garrett
(guitar), among others.
's originals continue to reflect his distinctively personal and poignant
folk-rock
style, apparent on the starkly introverted and haunting
"She's Gone"
and the
Baroque
-tinged opener,
"Snow Queen."
This is contrasted by the laid-back rural
"A Life,"
highlighting
and
's tight harmonies, as well as the midtempo narrative
"Simple Things."
However, it is the cover of
Leonard Cohen
's
"Bird on a Wire"
that may garner the most spins. The plaintive lyrics are swaddled in a homey
waltz
arrangement, capturing the spirit of the piece like few readings have done. The succinct
"Epitaph"
concludes the album, and is marked by a rare lead vocal from
, who set
A.E. Housman
's "
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries
" to a beautifully mysterious melody that lingers long after the tune has stopped. It is likewise a fitting way to have ended
, as
retired the moniker prior to recording
Stardancer
for
Blue Thumb
the following year. In 2003,
was included as part of the four-volume
Jewels Were the Stars
compendium, anthologizing their final era and output. ~ Lindsay Planer