Beach House has released cover of “April Suzanne” by Robert Lester Folsom alongside the remastered original. Originally recorded and self-released in 1976, Robert Lester Folsom is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Music and Dreams, which was catapulted to legend status after its 2010 re-release. Anthology Recordings will release Music and Dreams: 50th Anniversary Edition on October 16, 2026, with the collection pairing a remastered treatment of the album alongside the original reel-to-reel demos and contemporary covers by Beach House and Hannah Cohen, revealing new contour and color to music that continues to find an audience in its own time. Beach House’s rendition of “April Suzanne” brings a haunting, expansive and hymnal approach to the lovesick and aching spare original. When discussing their cover, Beach House stated, “We love so many Robert Lester Folsom songs and are very pleased to be included on the 50th anniversary edition of Music and Dreams. We had a lot of fun trying to bring such a classic as ‘April Suzanne’ into our world.” An official visualizer was released alongside the cover, which depicts a soft sketch of the faces of a man and a woman set against a pale blue background.
In the early 70s, the rural Georgia-born artist started laying down his original songs on a beloved Sears reel-to-reel, with this reservoir of recordings eventually becoming the foundation of Music and Dreams. The songs on the album were selected for a full studio treatment together with Stan Dacus, the head engineer at Atlanta’s LeFevre Studios. Folsom eventually pressed 1,000 copies of the LP, 500 45s pairing “My Stove’s On Fire” with “Show Me to the Window,” and a run of eight-track tapes. However, without the means to promote the album at a national scale, and with the band members moving on to other things, Folsom gradually turned his attention toward building a family and making a living in Jacksonville, FL, still playing but living in a void outside his dream of being a musician. Since the album’s 2010 reissue by Anthology Recordings, it has been planted in a timeless space and rediscovered countless times by various generations, including those whose age reflects Folsom’s own when he wrote these songs. The demo material for Music and Dreams: 50th Anniversary Edition was miraculously sourced by Folsom’s longtime collaborator Don Fleming, with all material being mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Jessica Thompson.
Folsom is currently on his first extensive U.S. tour, earning praise from Music Connection as “exceptional…magic [and] commanding.” He will perform at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on October 11 ahead of the 23-date tour’s conclusion in Richmond, VA on October 1.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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