Jade Stone and Luv: Mosaics: Pieces of Stone

Although Ronnie Patton cut his first single in Nashville at the tender age of 17 with, no less, Elvis Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore and the Jordanaires on backing vocals, it wasn’t until 14 years and one name change later that the singer from Austin, Texas, finally recorded his first and, as it happened, only album. Self-released, composed and produced by Jade Stone, 1977’s Mosaics: Pieces of Stone is one of those rare records that perfectly capture the singular musical vision of one man. And what a vision. Part lounge-lizard country, part feral psych-rock with a ’50s teen-beat chaser, Mosaics is a swinging gigolo strut to the wrong side of the tracks. With his then partner Debbie Luv Stone providing cooing, sultry backing vocals, Stone’s bruised, almost Orbison-like quaver launches into a heartfelt ode to his life with Luv (“Working at the Business of Living”), time spent on the street (“Take a Look”) and a couple of “lost” psych-nuggets, “Man” and the excellent groovy wah-wah carousel “Reality”. Lovers of the obscure, take note.