Music and Dreams

Who the hell is Robert Lester Folsom, anyway? Even in this so-called “information age” when private-press mega-rarities like his 1976 album Music and Dreams are reissued for mass consumption, there doesn’t seem to be any info about Folsom’s activities before or after its initial release. But instead of troubling ourselves with unsolvable mysteries, we should simply be grateful that Folsom’s almost-lost masterpiece has been given digital salvation. Previously, only hardcore collector geeks willing to fork out hundreds of dollars on eBay have been able to absorb its charms. Now everyone can discover the secret soft-rock hero of the ‘70s, whose masterful melodic knack and pop-perfect production skills will bring to mind the best of Todd Rundgren, Wings, America, et al. A dreamy, post-psychedelic orchestral-pop haze hangs over tracks like the ethereal “April Suzanne” and the title tune, but hearing perky cuts like “My Stove’s on Fire,” it seems like only a capricious turn of fate could have kept Folsom out of mid-‘70s AM radio rotation alongside the aforementioned bellbottom-era icons. Still, we’re lucky to have Music and Dreams back in active duty, even on a cult level. Now if somebody could just get around to reissuing those Michael Gateley albums…