The Wind Harp – Song From The Hill

This is why I love records - this is a double album of wind noises that came out on a major label AND my copy came with a poster!

If there is an obscure avant-garde LP begging for a lavish CD reissue, then this is a prime candidate for such.

So to start, the Wind Harp wasn't built by hippies on a commune in California. Instead, with a stiff drink, a handshake and a promise the structure wouldn't hurt land owner Warren Mattoon's cow's, 22 year old Thomas Ward McCain built a 40 foot Aeolian Harp on a hillside pasture in rural Chelsea, Vermont.
The structure was completed in 1971 and these here recordings made soon thereafter.
Within the year of completion, the main beam was cracked from kids climbing on it and had to be reinforced by a steel beam.
You can find testimony all over the web as to the people who made the trek to see the harp and hear her beautiful song. Animals on the farm were allegedly mystified by the sounds the Harp produced. There is also an excerpt from this album that appears on [Invalid Release].
Eventually, too many visitors caused the land owner duress and the Wind Harp was disassembled and moved to a place in Maine, and then from that place moved once again. Rumor has it that in the 80's, tuneless and in a fairly windless location, the harp was disassembled again and lay sitting in a barn somewhere in pieces. Soon after building this, McCain became a Buddhist monk and never had with his creation again.
Now living in Japan, he has plans to build yet another Wind Harp.

From Ward McCain:
The only thing I thought I might add to the conversation
is that at peoples' request, I had the original UA vinyl
remastered in 2006 and recently redid it with
a lovely photo only my mother had and printed it
on the CD cover. The recording is the same,
well engineered.
If anyone wants a CD, rather than the original
vinyl which is much more colorful with photos etc...
they may order the CD from me at:
[email protected]