As a long time fan of classical guitarist Liona Boyd, I thought it might be of value to present an overview of her original vinyl LP releases. Some of her early albums have never been reissued on Compact Disc, some have been reissued and are already out-of-print, and some have been reissued with different cover photos and graphics. The last matter is of no small importance, in my hopefully not too sexist opinion. I like looking at Liona's LP covers almost as much as I like listening to her play!

Seriously, I've always greatly admired Liona's playing style, which I would characterize as a delicate precision. I think it's fair to say her style is very feminine, as she gently coaxes the beautiful music from the guitar with her loving caress.

For those readers who may have come across this article and are not familiar with Liona's biography, I suggest you take a quick look at her listing on Wikipedia, and her official web site.

So, compiled here is a mostly complete discography of Liona Boyd's vinyl LP releases (notes on current CD availability as of 10/07):

Miniatures for Guitar - Boot BOS-7181 (Canadian release), 1977.
Works by Tarrega, Carcassi, Sor, Galilei, de Logy, Roncalli, Milan, de Visee, Aguado and traditional pieces.

[This is the quintessential Liona Boyd album, and is highly recommended as an introduction to her work. As the liner notes state, this is not a virtuoso showoff performance, just simple, beautiful guitar pieces played simply and beautifully.]

From this point albums were presumably released in Canada and U.S. with same label, catalog numbers and cover graphics. U.K. pressings may have different catalog numbers.

The First Lady of the Guitar - Columbia Masterworks M 35137, 1979.
Not currently available on CD.
Works by Barrios, Payet, Debussy, Satie, Barnes, Sor, Tarrega and Albeniz.

Spanish Fantasy - CBS Masterworks M 36675, 1980.
Not currently available on CD.
Works by Tarrega, Pujol, de Mudarra, Albeniz and Sor.

The Best of Liona Boyd - CBS FM 37788, 1982.
Released on CD, not currently in print?
Compilation from previous CBS albums.

[Well, what can I say about the cover? Another good introduction to Liona's music.]

Liona Live in Tokyo - CBS Masterworks IM 39031, 1984.
Released on CD, not currently in print?
Works by Dowland, Soler, Panin, Ponce, Grenet, Albeniz, de Falla and Lara.

[Another serious work. You can hear Liona speak on this album. A very nice, spacious digital recording.]

The Romantic Guitar of Liona Boyd - Silver Eagle FM 42016, 1985.
Currently available on CD with different cover graphics.
Original arrangements of pop songs and some Boyd originals.

[The Romantic Guitar is NOT a serious classical work, but she reached a bigger audience and it sold well.]

Persona - CBS FM 42120, 1986.
Released on CD, not currently in print?
Originals by Boyd, Michael Kamen and Richard Fortin, with works by Tarrega, Hadjidakis and Brahms.

[Another stab at making more of a pop record, this time with lots of studio production and help from the likes of Michael Kamen (who arranged and produced), David Gilmour and (on one song each) Eric Clapton and Yo-Yo Ma. Mixed results, but a spirited effort.]

Encore! (not pictured) - A&M 9509, 1989.
Currently available on CD.

Christmas Dreams (with guests Roger Whittaker & Georges Zamfir) (not pictured) - A&M SP 9513, ?
Released on CD, not currently in print?

For completists, Ms. Boyd is also featured on:

Chet Atkins - The First Nashville Guitar Quartet (with John Knowles and John Pell) - RCA AHL1-3302, 1979.
Apparently this will be released 11/07 on CD as an Australian import coupled with the Atkins album The Night Atlanta Burned.

Andre Gagnon - Comme dans un film (Like a Movie) (as guitar soloist) - Columbia PFC 80116, 1986.
Canadian only LP release?
Released on CD in early 2007.

The Canadian Brass and Friends - Unexplored Territory - MMG 1119, ?
Canadian only LP release?

For later CD only releases, please refer to the official Liona Boyd web site. Available CD releases of her early albums can be purchased there, as well.