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The Basement Tapes can be heard as a manifesto for the '90s' underlying Americana agenda or as the greatest album never intended for commercial release. Homegrown 1967 recordings taped in the Band's fabled Big Pink hermitage in Saugerties, New York, many of the 24 songs resonated across American and English rock and folk long before their belated 1975 release through studio interpretations by the Byrds, Fairport Convention, Manfred Mann, Peter, Paul & Mary, and numerous other acolytes, as well as through myriad unauthorized bootlegs. Good as the covers were, Dylan and the Band rolled their own with an extraordinary coherence that sounds only more authentic in these rough-hewn, intimate, always musical performances, which dovetail with Dylan's stark John Wesley Harding and the Band's stunning debut, Music from Big Pink as well as the presciently lo-fi The Band. At a time when most rock culture was entranced with its post-atomic origins, these songs sounded timeless, plunging into pre-industrial folk, turn of the (20th) century barrelhouse and blues, and crackling, vintage rock & roll excursions with offhand verve and a thrilling disregard for what was hip. Time has only reinforced their visionary power. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (50)

Historical criteria murders this otherwise flawless album.
THE BASEMENT TAPES' central problem, and here I speak of the official, double disc 1975 album is presentation. If the reader will read very many of these reviews he/she will keep coming to those who talk about the historical inaccuracy of this record and why, with so much (still unreleased) music in the vaults, it only makes this album all the more flawed. I will not go into detail on the historical inaccuracies other than what is immediately relevant to my own review as other reviewers have covered this topic quite thoroughly (given the review word limit). Alexander G. Lynn's review (7-1-01) is an excellent introduction into the various historical inaccuracies.

Essentially, the eight Band songs present are not legitimate but recorded later by The Band. The commonly agreed reason (well backed with evidence) is Robbie Robertson's ego. Historically this release paints The Band as being nearly as active during as Dylan, which simply isn't true. Dylan was the clear domineering force in the sessions, although that should not alone be reason enough to discount the worthwhile contributions that The Band brings to these recordings. Dylan and The Band fed off each other's energy.

My main gripe with the presentation of THE BASEMENT TAPES is this blatant deception by Robertson, for the unimportant reason of feeding his own ego, totally throws this otherwise flawless album into the gutter simply because it entails all the wrong criteria to judge this work. From a historical viewpoint, this record needs an incredible amount of work. Eight tracks passing for THE BASEMENT TAPES when they were not even recorded at the sessions do indeed have no business here (from the historical standpoint, that is, though not necessarily a musical, ascetic standpoint). Not only that, these eight tracks were made to sound lo-fi to fit more into the official release. It is bad enough to include tracks not recorded at the sessions, but to tamper with them makes it even worst.

We now come to the crux of the matter: the wrong criteria (from an ascetic point of view) is used (and must be, because of the method of presentation) in judging this work. With the release of THE BASEMENT TAPES, everyone came at this work from a historical vantage point. This is still prevalent, and it is not unreasonable. Because this criteria is used, THE BASEMENT TAPES are often viewed as deceptive and a botched opportunity (which, again, this release is indeed guilty of historically). To be fair, it would have been unprecedented for Columbia to release the complete Basement Tapes recordings. The five CD-set, with the extended time length unavailable to vinyl records, would be a massive set unparalleled with anything else in 1975. Box sets were not established as commercially viable until the mid to late 1980s with the publication of Dylan's BIOGRAPH and Clapton's CROSSROADS. This is important facet for my view of this album, because without this facet the view I am about to state would be damnably undermined.

If you strip this album away from the mindset of "This is the Basement Tapes," and instead approach it with "This is Dylan and The Band reinventing Americana," suddenly the problems with this album just melt away. All of the music here is brilliant, including the eight Band songs.

What would make this album a success would be had it been released not as THE BASEMENT TAPES, but a double album utilizing parts of THE BASEMENT TAPES and Band songs that had not been officially released to give us a chronicle of their reinvention of Americana. From that standpoint, this album becomes an absolutely smashing success. Had this approach been adopted, the historical inaccuracy would not exist for the fact there were songs included that were not Basement Tapes would simply not be an issue because they were not being presented as Basement Tape tracks.

The reason why the establishment of Box Sets had not been included was because there would be the very reasonable question of WHY didn't they just release all of them? My answer, had it been presented properly, would be they found an official reason to release the songs. As it stands, the entire body of recorded Basement Tapes songs give us the same feeling: this is Americana at it's wildest, weirdest, and, oddly, most modern, yet because of the fact that had not been established, instead they give us this double album.

If this was presented as a study in Americana, this would be fully appreciated as the wonderful album it is. In his 2001 release LOVE AND THEFT*, Dylan does much the same with taking old musical traditions, letting them retain their traditional feel to it, yet giving us uniquely modern music based on traditional song structures and breathing new life into them. The reason THE BASEMENT TAPES are so famous is because Dylan does the same here*. In a time when psychedelic was at its most prominent, Dylan and The Band was recording music that were at great odds with the musical community. CCR is the only comparable band during this time frame that engaged in the same sort of musical rebellion, and although they have a string of must-have albums, they do not reach the brilliance here. Their music was recorded for release whilst this was not.

Another thing this ascetic way of approaching this album has going for it, while historically a travesty, the eight Band tracks provides a context for Dylan's wild and extremely loose approach to these sessions, as AMG points out.

Bottom line: From a historical viewpoint, a botched opportunity. From the viewpoint of a study in Americana, this stands as one of the best albums ever issued. ...Dylan synthesized older traditions into music for our day and age. ... Dylan could not have accomplished this without burying himself in traditional songs and the older music of an era long ago. THE BASEMENT TAPES of the 1960s and LOVE AND THEFT of 2001 have so much resonance because of Dylan's presentation of the older style of music in a distinctly modern approach, creating a tension that would not otherwise be there.

5 star music, 2 deducted for deceptive presentation
A few thoughts on the official Columbia Records Basement Tapes album:

The informal sessions recorded during the summer of 1967 mostly at Big Pink in West Saugerties, New York, are one of the essential bodies of work in the history of American music, as rich in their manner as the Louis Armstrong Hot Fives and Sevens, Robert Johnson's 1936 - 37 recordings, or Hank Williams' MGM recordings. Their beauty is such that even this dodgily compiled and inferior sounding official release from 1975 cannot diminish their importance and their influence on an entire generation of musicians.

As a few reviewers have noted on this page and elsewhere, the album as released is a bit of sleight-of-hand. The vast majority of tracks by The Band included here were not in fact recorded at the same time, or even in the same place (the legendary "Big Pink") as the Dylan tracks here. Partly, this is attributable to Robbie Robertson's disturbing tendency to obfuscate his own role i!n the formation of The Band's signature sound, and his de-emphasis of the collaborative nature of this wonderful group. In 1975, Robertson and Rob Fraboni compiled the official Basements album, and Robertson included a group of Band tracks on the official album, presumably to allege that he was writing songs along with Dylan at Big Pink. Unfortunately, there's little evidence to support this inference. The Band's earliest self-penned songs often came from Richard Manuel, who unfortunately is not alive to attest to his role in the Band's early years. Rick Danko is also no longer with us, while Garth Hudson and Levon Helm are generally disinclined to speak about the matter, leaving Robertson to parlay his falsehoods unchecked. In the wake of the Capitol reissues, most of The Band recordings supposedly from the Basement sessions have now been restored to their rightful chronology, and with mostly correct recording information, and much-improved sound quality. "Yazoo Street Scanda!l" (recorded January 10th, 1968), "Orange Juice Blues," "Katie's Been Gone" (both likely recorded in September 1967), "Long Distance Operator" (written by Dylan, recorded in Los Angeles, February 21st, 1968), and "Bessie Smith" (recorded sometime between 1969 and 71) all postdate the actual Big Pink sessions. All of these tracks were subjected to manipulations in the studio, most likely in 1975, to make them more 'lo-fi' and to make them better fit in with the true Big Pink recordings of summer 1967. For the lowdown on this, see also Dave Hopkins' article "The Band Remasters," on The Band's website, and Barney Hoskyns' rejected (by Robertson, for reasons that become clear once the two sets of liner notes are compared) liner notes to the first four Band reissues.

It seems that Robertson was introduced to the practice of taking credit for things he did not do quite early on: Several of the tracks recorded with Ronnie Hawkins in the early 1960's bore writing credits that !listed Robertson as writer or co-writer of songs he definitely did not write. Roulette Records label boss Morris Levy seems to have left an impression on Robertson in this respect, assigning writing credits to his girlfriend and Robertson, as well as Levon Helm, presumably for the purposes of personal gain. The disturbing aspect of this is that it underscores what has been, for Robertson, a career-long tendency to obscure the facts surrounding his recorded output.

Recently, bootleg albums of the proper Big Pink material have featured much better sound quality than even the legendary 5 CD bootleg The Genuine Basement Tapes. Whether these new, official release quality mixes of these recordings were prepared by bootleggers or by Columbia/Sony in preparation for a future and much needed official release of the complete Basement Tapes (possibly as further volumes of the Bootleg Series) is open to debate. What is important at this point in time is the knowledge that the ster!eo recordings made at Big Pink, given proper treatment, can be released in excellent stereo sound quality, almost on par with recordings made in a 'proper' recording studio. When will the world at large be able to easily obtain recordings of important Dylan works such as "The All American Boy," "Sign on the Cross," "I'm Not There," the superior alternate take of "Too Much of Nothing," the hilarious and entirely different alternate of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," plus fine alternates of "Nothing Was Delivered," "Odds and Ends" and much more? What of the many, many wonderful cover songs recorded during the Big Pink Sessions: "Bonnie Ship the Diamond," "The Banks of the Royal Canal," "Four Strong Winds," "(Now and Then) There's a Fool Such as I," and many, many more? How about the wonderful-sounding undubbed stereo versions of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" "This Wheel's On Fire"? Columbia Records, when are these recordings going to available to those who don't care to wander through th!e numerous and varying bootlegs of this material?

An interesting if highly conjectural account of these recordings and their role in American Culture can be found in Greil Marcus' sometimes-brilliant, sometimes-aggravating book-length study, Invisible Republic. A more concise, fact oriented and sometimes-vitriolic account of the official album's deceptive nature can be found in Dylan scholar Clinton Heylin's book Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions, pages 54 - 68.

I do recommend this album as an inexpensive and readily available introduction to the still mostly hidden glories of the Basements. Until Sony/Columbia or Dylan decides to grace this world with an official proper release of this material, The Basement Tapes double album will have to suffice. It's a great listen, really. Nothing at all like Blonde on Blonde, which preceded it, or John Wesley Harding, which followed it. The Basement music is timeless, deathless, often beautiful, sometimes humorously beaut!iful, sometimes poignant, and occasionally absolutely ravishing in its' exploration of what lies at the heart of what Greil Marcus termed the "weird, old America." Robertson's terse, economical guitar solo at the end of "Goin' to Acapulco" is a gem all by itself. Don't miss it.

An idea for Dylan fanatics
The Band were a pretty fine, er, band...and even better when Bob brought out their talent like he did. But here's something I finally did for myself (besides obtaining the "Genuine BTs"). From this commercial release, I put all the songs where Dylan sings onto one disc. The result is so pleasing: 46+ minutes worth of fun I call "The Only-Bob Basement Tapes." It's way better than often skipping to his stuff track-to-track anyway -- Bob Dylan's "stuff" being just too magical to always sit alongside The Band's studio takes.

A Travesty-why did Dylan OK this fraud?
The Complete Basement Tapes, on five CDs, is the real deal. An essential recording for Dylan fanatics to be sure.

This poorly mastered, poorly packaged double CD is another matter. The fraudulent Band tracks really do dilute this collection. Substituting Band recordings made AFTER "Music from Big Pink" for indisputable "real" basement tapes classics like "I Shall Be Released" and "Quinn the Eskimo" is truly unforgivable. I admit that the 5-CD set may STILL not be a commericially viable proposition but why not release just the so-called "Basement Tapes Acetate". This fourteen song "LP", rumoured to be recorded by Dylan to fulfill his expiring Columbia Records contract, purportedly consisted of the following tracks:

1. Million Dollar Bash
2. Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread
3. Please Mrs. Henry
4. Down in The Flood
5. Lo and Behold!
6. Tiny Montgomery
7. This Wheel's On Fire
8. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
9. I Shall Be Released
10. Tears of Rage
11. Too Much of Nothing
12. Quinn the Eskimo
13. Open the Door, Homer
14. Nothing Was Delivered

Throw in "Going to Acapulco", "Odds and Ends", "Clothesline Saga", and "Apple Suckling Tree" (all Dylan tunes) and you have a potential blockbuster. I really wish Columbia would delete this two volume bulky monstrosity with its dopey circus pictures and treat these recordings with the respect it deserves. Especially now since The Band numbers have been released properly on THEIR "remastered" series.

Amazing recordings!
When I first listened to this album, I already had most of Dylan's albums. I prefer "Freewheelin" to his others, but I also really like some of "Bringing it all Back Home" alot. I bought this album thinking that it would be another Dylan like experience. Well, it turned out to be better than that. I think this album is better than any Dylan album except Freewheelin. "The Basement Tapes" also changed my expectations for good music. I like experimental music, and this music is experimental in the sense that you will hear so many stylistically different songs arranged together where they all are so good. The emotional effect of this album is amazing, and if that is the point of good music than just take my word for it, you will be stunned. This is probably among the best albums that I have ever heard. Another suprizingly great album that I have just experienced is Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska." ... Read more

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Heaven knows, the Scotsman born Donovan Leitch was ripe for ridicule, even when he was hitting the charts with regularity. He was the ultimate flower child, and his airier pronouncements made cynics want to tighten up those love beads around his neck. Listening to Troubadour, however, it's striking how versatile, melodic, and agreeable most of his material sounds decades after "Mellow Yellow" has faded into a jaundiced yellow. Clearly under the sway of Bob Dylan early on in his career, Donovan nevertheless was capable of directing his reverence into something as enchanting as "Catch the Wind." Amping up as the '60s progressed, he assembled a series of psychedelic-pop classics, including "Season of the Witch," the "Hey Jude"-like sing-along "Atlantis," and the uncharacteristically driving "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (the latter features three-quarters of what was to become Led Zeppelin providing stellar support). This two-disc anthology may be more Donovan than some desire, but the booklet, seven previously unreleased tracks, and expansive perspective it provides makes it a more-than-worthy overview for those who take their paisley folk-rock with a beatific smile. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (19)

You'll be shocked at how many of these songs youknow!
Donovan is an enigma. You can't pigeon-hole him. Folk? Pop? Psychedelic? Truth is, it's all of those plus much much more.

Donovan is one of the more overlooked stars of the sixties and seventies- but his music lives on and is testimony to his talent.

What really surprised me about this set was how many of the songs I knew! And loved. The titles don't always make you say "Hey! I know that song!"- but ten seconds into the song will have you singing along- and smiling!

Standouts are "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Season Of The Witch"- most impressive is that Donovan wrote most of this music himself.

I highly, highly reccomend this set- it's impressive, electic and a wonderful addition to anyone's collection.

Wonderful compilation, a must-have
This is a fabulous 2 CD set of selections from all over his 60s and some of his 70s work. If you're a big Donovan fan, then you need this set, the unreleased tracks are great, and some of the 70's tracks aren't avaible at all on CD besides from this set. This is a perfect start for new collectors. After this, go for 'Sunshine Superman', 'Mellow Yellow', 'A Gift From a Flower To a Garden', 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man' and 'Anthology: Summerday Reflection Songs'. Overall, a real musical treat.

The Beat Generation . . . With A Beat! :)
Steve Vrana's review on this page, "Epistle To The Flower Power Era" says it all! Donovan is a poet . . . his poetry can be heard on this cd collection in melodies which will sing and play in your mind, heart and soul forever.

All i can add is: buy this album! Buy this collection! Don't pass up this opportunity to experience so much for so little. You may never see the chance again. :)

Thank you Donovan, for being "the troubadour" of our times . . .and for times yet to come. You make the soul smile! :)

Definitely worth owning
This is one of my wife's favorite CDs, and I must say that Donovan has worn exceptionally well. Back in the sixties, I was one of those who dismissed him as a minor Dylan wanna-be with an occasional Top 40 hit. Thirty-five years later, Dylan himself has turned into a Dylan imitator while Donovan is revealed as the Real Deal. Listening to this, I'm amazed at what a diverse and high-quality body of work he generated. This will take you back to the Peace, Love and Flower Power era, but in a way that's still completely enjoyable and won't have you wincing with embarrassment like your Strawberry Alarm Clock albums might do. The songs all have a gentle, mystical quality that's enhanced by Donovan's odd phrasing and Scottish brogue. Even his commentary on the Vietnam War ("To Susan On the West Coast Waiting") is gentle -- and delivers its message far more effectively and timelessly than a Country Joe rant ("Gimme an F!"). There are perhaps four songs on here that I could've done without, but the rest are all keepers. As with Dylan, you gotta love some of the quirky lyrics ("Elevator in the brain hotel, broken down but just as well") -- and, hey, anyone who can have you singing "My antedeluvian BAY-BEE!" without feeling like a complete fool has got to be a rare talent. All in all, I guess this is one of my favorite CDs too.

a reluctant pioneer
donovan is too often dismissed as a flower-child dylan imitator by those who haven't actually taken the time to listen to his music. every artist has their influences just as every artist is of their time. these are inescapable facts. to hear this music is to experience the essence of pure and free artistic expression unmarred by the current trend of cynicism and irony. while not every song is brilliant there are moments as good as anything ever commited to tape. i.e. sunshine superman,season of the witch,the trip, superlungs, mello yello, epistle to dippy, hurdy gurdy man,barabajagal, clara clairvoyant etc...
fun-loving, witty and beautiful music. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Better Than Vol 1?
This box set is a continuation of the Carter Family Saga, and shows this group at the peak of musical power for this trio. This is essential music for understanding what Country music was in the 1930s. The harmony vocals and driving rhythm of guitar and autoharp stand in sharp contrast with what is called Country music today. The sound quality is superb (at times, it sounds like a modern recording).

wonderful
anyone who loves the carter family will be extremely happy owning this 5 cd set! this is vol. 2, but that doesn't mean it's any less wonderful than vol. 1! my only complaint is that A.P. doesn't sing enough songs! ... Read more

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One may never be able to go home again, but that hasn't kept Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel from trying every other decade or so. This two-CD plus DVD live set (recorded in December 2003 at the Meadowlands and Madison Square Garden) shows their musical chemistry has transcended the years--and no small amount of acrimony. But while their '80s live reunion was marked by an aura of celebration, this one floats on an undercurrent of bittersweet resolve. There's no mistaking the elegiac tone of the title track, while stark readings of "Hazy Shade of Winter" and "Sounds of Silence" can't help but evoke the scars of 9/11. A musical circle is completed as the Everly Brothers step in for a joyous "Bye Bye Love," while elsewhere Simon's musical restlessness inspires a subtly jazzy reworking of "Slip Slidin' Away" and Garfunkel adds his stately grace to his partner's "American Tune." The album concludes with S&G's first new studio recording in 30 years, the plaintive, irony-studded plea, "Citizen of the Planet." --Jerry McCulley

Recommended Simon & Garfunkel Discography

Bridge Over Troubled Water	Sounds Of Silence	Bookends
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme	Wednesday Morning, 3am	The Columbia Studio Recordings

... Read more

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On their debut CD, three young Canadian songbirds (Frazey Ford, SamanthaParton, and Trish Klein) join the neo-trad movement that has given us suchnotable voices asIris DeMent andGillian Welch. But whereWelch finds inspiration in the dark hollows and tragic tales of Appalachianmusic, the Be Good Tanyas seek out sweetness and light, reveling in theinterplay of their beautifully trilling voices. Blue Horse is deeplyrooted but is not an exercise in old-time purism; originals outnumbertraditional songs, and the core accompaniment of guitar and banjo is oftensupplemented by bass and drums, creating aRickie Lee Jones-esquelilt in "The Littlest Birds" and a reggae-tinged groove on the haunting oldballad "Rain and Snow." The band name may be a bit tough to get your lipsaround, but the music of this talented trio is a refreshing drink from a clearmountain stream. --Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Happy music
I bought this CD a year ago after seeing an ad for the Tanyas in "No Depression" magazine and then hearing to "The Littlest Birds" on their Web site. I played the album every day for weeks, and still listen to it regularly.

The CD would be worth it just for "Birds" and the trio's beautiful rendition of "Oh Susanna," but it turns out the rest of the music is good too. There's "Dogsong," a soothing, whimsical lullaby for a canine, and the gently lilting "Rain and Snow." Primary vocalist Frazey Ford sometimes mangles the words with odd pronunciations, but that's part of what makes the album so fresh and endearing. It's truly original.

These songs never fail to make me happy, and they're a great change of pace from the formulaic and insipid tunes that dominate popular music these days.

The best Americana comes from Canada
There's something innocent and rough around the edges, almost tomboyish about this excellent CD. Where else can you find the childlike sense of wonder at singing a dog lullaby; a naivette that produces lines like "the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs," and the pure joy of a banjo playing a reggae beat (Rain and Snow)? The lyrics are sweet, the instrumentation pure and raw. Campfire harmonies make the cover of O Susanna a natural choice. I can almost smell the woodsmoke and smores, and see the glint of the strings from three great musicians just plain making music they love, and loving it. This album puts the folk back in folk music while managing to stay fresh and new. It is an incredible work of neo-traditional North American folk art -- trust your instincts and buy this disk!

Just Excellent
One of my very best cds in my collection. I never get sick of listening to the Be Good Tanyas.

Something new and wonderful
This is the best CD of any genre I've heard this year, even though I'm not sure what genre it is. I suppose they've created a new one. If you like the sound clips here, you'll like the entire CD, which is remarkably consistent.

I am absolutely delighted to have discovered such a unique sound. In a broad sense, it reminds me of discovering the Band 30-some years ago, with the loose homey feeling of their music, but these sweet little songs make the Band sound pretentious by comparison. Yes, there are other folk singers, bluegrass singers, alt-country singers with girlish voices who make beautiful music. But none of them makes music like this, and this CD has become an indispensable part of my collection.

It isn't that there is a remarkable voice here, or an amazing instrumentalist. It's the creation of a sound that's truly their own. I'm not sure I'd go as far as those below who call it angelic, but it's surely a sweet, if light, pleasure.

needed this
I have to give 5 stars to women who put themselves out there and do what they want. Their music is familiar, yet different enough to keep my interest. I can't help but take the less than esctatic reviewers (those that gave less than 4 stars) personally, but all I can say, is if you like what you hear on the snipets that amazon.com offers, you will like the CD even more (the snipets don't do the songs justice). If you hate it, you hate it. I can't convert you. For those who tend towards torch-and-twang/folk music, this cd and this trio is for you. I love them like I've known them for years, and I just bought both their cds 2.5 hours ago at the suggestion of an in-law. She knows me better than I thought... ... Read more

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Court and Spark had earned Joni Mitchell mainstream pop acceptance, but its underlying spirit of discovery pushed her to risk new-found success with this edgier, experimental sequel released in 1975. Although the session crew is largely the same, and sleek jazz elements again abound, these songs find her introducing Burundi drums (on "The Jungle Line"), layering magisterial but forbidding vocal harmonies ("Shadows and Light"), and casting rueful shadows across the sun-dazed Southern California of the title song. Her daring promptly earned critical scorn and halted her commercial expansion, but the album's confident eclecticism and dark beauty have outlived that reception: from the safety of hindsight, Hissing was a promise to stay hungry and creatively adventurous, a promise kept then and now. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Elegant, Sensuous Folk-Jazz-Pop Stylings
Having released four definitive albums in a row ("Ladies Of The Canyon", "Blue", "For The Roses", "Court And Spark"), with each outstripping the next in lyrical and musical sophistication, song-poetess Joni Mitchell once again outdid herself on 1975's stunning "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns". As stated in the other reviews here, the album was a seamless blend of folk, jazz, pop and world music stylings, which created something altogether more trippy and sensuous. "Court And Spark"'s savvy adult-pop sensibilities were expanded here to become wildly imaginative blends of words and music; her music was never more experimental, and her lyrics were never more vividly descriptive as they are here. Although her lyrical point of view had shifted from first to third person in keeping with the album's main concept, her surreal character sketches evoked emotions just as powerful. And outside of a few in the prog-rock field, almost nobody--male or female--was attempting the ambitious yet still accessible musical fusion found here, which possibly accounts for the unsurprisingly poor critical reception it received on its release. Mitchell's jazz sensibilities never sounded sharper, and she would never again attain the same heights of greatness: along with "Court And Spark", "Hissing" remains the high point of her career.

Joni firmly announces "I DON'T WANT TO BE A STAR!"
COURT AND SPARK won Joni Mitchell the commercial acclaim her songs had won courtesy of other artists. But she's always had a cynical attitude towards the music business, as "Free Man In Paris" off COURT AND SPARK indicated. And while this album made the top 5 on its release, it was her very effective raspberry to the powers that be that run the industry. Except for the opening "In France They Kiss On Main Street", THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS is the epitome of anti-commercial. Joni reaches new emotional heights with songs like "Shades Of Scarlett Conquering", "Don't Interrupt The Sorrow", and "Shadows & Light". "Scarlett" is probably Joni's best-written song ever, while "Shadows" manages to encompass all the majestic sounds of an orchestra with just a chorus of female voices and a synthesizer. If that wasn't enough, there's the African drum sound of "The Jungle Line" which didn't exactly prove to be anti-commercial, but in fact inspired the world music dabblings that Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, and Sting would base much of their careers on. When released in late 1975, THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS was called by ROLLING STONE magazine as one of the worst albums of the year. For the time, it probably was a unanimous sentiment, but now that time has passed, and Joni Mitchell's career is looked at as a whole, it ranks as one of her most ambitious (and, to the uninitiated, impenetrable) works. As a first album to buy, this is not a wise move. But when you get deeper into her music, you'll find THE HISSING OF SUMMER LAWNS to be quite rewarding.

In limbo between greats
Like Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," this is one of those albums people either get or they don't, and thus they tend to love it or hate it. I like much of Joni Mitchell's work, but I have to confess that I'm not particularly fond of this album, though I certainly don't hate it. The jazzy pop Mitchell had delved into with "Court and Spark" is here taken a step further, with an accent more on the jazz than the pop. The result features some beautiful moments and moods, but precious few memorable melodies. Even "Hejira," the next step in the experimental process, seemed to feature better songwriting to my ears. Mitchell's lyrics are good as always, and vaguely thematic in their approach to urban life. I'm glad she chose to get experimental, though I don't care for some of the results, especially "The Jungle Line," a clunker full of some annoying moog synthesizer programs that might have sounded better if somebody had even just mixed it differently to emphasize different sounds in it. Some of her "contemporary" (yuck) jazzy sounding basses and guitars sound rather cloying and lack bite, but Joni's voice is wonderful as usual and "In Paris They Kiss on Main Street" is a genuinely exciting track.

One of my "deserted island" choices
Other reviewers waxed eloquent about this jewel, and rightly so. I can't add much add other than that this is one of the handful of albums I'd want on that deserted island, along with these:

Pink Floyd / Dark Side of the Moon
Pat Metheny Group / Path Metheney Group
Miles Davis / Kind of Blue
Weather Report / Heavy Weather
Bruce Springsteen / Born to Run
Steely Dan / Aja
James Taylor / Greatest Hits

It's the kind of album that still sounds fresh and relevant after 25 or 30 years. Albums that have stayed at arm's reach the entire time, never forgotten or falling into disfavor.

If you liked "Help Me" and "Free Man in Paris" from Court and Spark, or "Last Time I Saw Richard" from Miles of Aisles, chances are you'll like this album too. The folksy Joni has been put on the back burner but the jazz Joni hasn't quite emerged yet. What you get instead is the sophisticated pop Joni at her very best. If you're looking for folk style or very jazzy stuff, this isn't it. Also, there's less of her floaty guitar style on this album than on subsequent ones like Hejira.

This album is also ideal for people who thrive on searching for various levels of meaning in the lyrics. As Joni states in the liner notes, the album was conceived as a whole, and all the pieces fit together conceptually as well as musically.

Great backup work by Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, Robbenn Ford, Jeff Baxter, Max Bennett, Victor Feldman, John Guerin, and Chuck Findley, and including backing vox and other instruments by James Taylor, Graham Nash, and David Crosby.

Joni's most ambitious one
Joni Mitchell is one of the best female vocalist in the popular music. Her earlier works were anchored in folk-music, she then turned to a more jazz/pop-oriented music. THoSL is a hybrid, blending pop songs, balads, jazz and an african influence on 'the jungle line'. Not only is Joni a gifted vocalist, but she is also a great drawer (she is under most of her albums' covers artwork). Returning to the review, THoSL is IMHO a true masterpiece and shows Joni's ability to play different kinds of music. Joni's voice is beautiful, and not less is the music that accompanies it. She played with the biggest jazz artists after this recording : Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Jaco Pastorius and her music was still pleasant, although exploring other horizons. If you want to discover Joni's best works, begin with THoSL and follow with her other 70's recordings, from 'Court and Spark' to 'Mingus'. ... Read more

Album Description

Digitally mastered 1997 retrospective on the Recall label featuring 39 tracks, including the original versions of all his top 40 hits: the #1 smashes 'Time In A Bottle' & 'Bad, Bady Leroy Brown', plus 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim', 'Operator', 'One Less Set Of Footsteps', 'I Got A Name', 'Working At The Car Wash Blues' & 'I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song'. Double slimline jewel case. The full title is'Bad Boy Leroy Brown: The Definitive Collection'. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Great Collection Of Jim Croce Favorites!
For those of us who watched the incredible rise of pop folk and country singer Jim Croce, this album of all his greatest hits, helps to summarize his brilliant, if foreshortened career, and encapsulates his all too brief living of the life of his dreams. Sadly, he was cut down just as his career was reaching its pinnacle, and he left us to sing and perform in other, more ethereal venues. I'm sure he has the angels snapping their fingers and tapping their toes. With the songs that are included here Jim sang his way into our living rooms, automobiles, and our hearts. He was a true original, another of the incredible group of singer songwriters who not only performed so brilliantly, but also wrote the lyrics and composed the music as well.

Here we have every thing from "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" to "Photographs and Memories", from "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" to "You Don't Mess Around With Jim", from "One Less Set Of Footsteps" to "Operator". This is a wonderful album, one filled with all the thoughts and ideas and emotions he evoked so well in his lyrics and his songs. Those of us who came to appreciate his talent and his art were saddened by his death, but are yet thankful he left behind such wonderful photographs and memories, such priceless and timeless reminders of the good times he gave us. That why I wanted to weigh in with this review; I just had to say I loved him in a song... Enjoy!

30 Years Later, Croce's music is still a masterpiece
The words touch your soul and the simple but effective music is wonderful. Croce can be sweet, he can be extremely funny (roller derby queen), ironic (working at the car music) and romantic. (Had to say I love you in a song.) There is no such thing as a bad Jim Croce song and I am surprised more artists have not recorded his albums.

This has most of what you need to understand why Croce was a master.

Don McNay...

A Must Have
One can only imagine the Jim Croce legacy had his life not been tragically cut short in 1973. As it is, he left an amazing body of work, and it's represented exceptionally well on this collection. Like Gordon Lightfoot, Croce was a powerful interpreter as well as a gifted songwriter, and his warm tone, way with an acoustic guitar and emotional commitment to all of his songs make him every bit as appealing today as he was in his brief heyday. The half dozen big hits are here, but virtually every song on this set is strong. The remastering does these fine songs lots of justice, and the price for this generous helping of timeless music is unbeatable. Best enjoyed in its entirety...and quite often.

timeless music
This album is amazing. I grew up hearing a little Jim Croce because that's what my parents liked. They just recently bought this cd and after listening, I had to go buy one for myself. I think my being from a different generation and loving this cd really says something about how good the music is.

Croce captures Time (and place) in a Bottle
Jim told stories that made you feel like you were on the road with him.This compilation of songs seems to be his life in a boxed set.His music can be both melodic and driving ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Track for track, this is Simon & Garfunkel's best album. By1968, Simon had shed his more precious tendencies as a songsmith.Meanwhile, the duo and coproducer/engineer Roy Halee had become adeptstudio technicians. "America" and "Mrs. Robinson" displayed the kind ofsonic breadth that would flower even more fully two years later with"The Boxer" and "Bridge over Troubled Water." Bits of whimsy ("Punky'sDilemma," "At the Zoo") and melancholy ("Old Friends," "A Hazy Shade ofWinter") complete this autumnal album. (The 2001 reissue adds two bonustracks, including a demo of "Old Friends.") --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Here's to You, Bookends
My favorite S & G would be "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which would put this album at #2. That said, it's better than almost anything else ever written. The fantastic, sarcastic lyrics of "Mrs. Robinson" and the overpoweringly beautiful "America" make those two the standouts, but the rest of the CD keeps up. "Save the Life of my Child" is definitely the '60's at it's best, whil "Overs" presents a tuneless but oddly touching view on life in general. The Latin beats of "A Hazy Shade of Winter" make it immensely entertaining, and "At The Zoo" gives a Beatles-ish, childlike musical experience. "Punky's Dilemma," though not a masterpiece, is sweetly enjoyable nonetheless. I'm not crazy about "Fakin' It," and I honestly dislike "Old Friends" and the whiny screeching that it is filled with. The repulsive bonus track "You Don't Know" is fascinating to see what Simon wisely discarded. "Mrs. R" and "America" keep this album at five stars.

Simon and Garfunkel's # 1
Well, to me Paul Simon is the best songwriter of all times, and together with its singin' friend Artie Garfunkel, he created the most beautiful songs and albums in popular music ever.
The special brilliance of "Bookends" is its exciting atmosphere.
Listening to the mostly subdued and melancholic arrangements makes you imagine a cold, grey and rainy autumn- or winter-morning, the perfect image of melancholy and deep thoughts.
The wonderful softly played guitar pickings of Paul Simon paired with Garfunkel's choirboy-voice and the magnificent tunes just make you feel fine whenever you hear them.
Even though "Mrs Robinson" is definitely the most successful Bookends-song, I think it's not the best one.
Silent tunes such as "America", "Old friends/Bookends" or the almost completely unknown, but beautiful songs "Overs" and "Punky's dilemma" charakterize this melancholic CD, but there are also some livelier melodies, for example "Fakin' it" or "Hazy shade of winter".
All in all "Bookends" is to me the perfect folk-album.
A masterpiece that must be heared more than once or twice to unfold completely. A close listen is neccessary.

A classic sixties folk-rock album
The first half of this mainly mellow album (originally one side of a vinyl album) is based around life experiences from childhood to old age. Beginning and ending with the bookends theme, the outstanding song in this half is the reflective America. Save the life of my child, Overs and Old friends are all great songs though I'm not too keen on Voices of old people.

The second half of the album has no obvious theme but is stronger overall, containing Mrs Robinson (the biggest hit here), Hazy shade of winter (revived in the eighties to good effect by the Bangles), Faking it (a minor American hit), Punky's dilemma (an excellent philosophical song) and At the zoo (a great song with which to close the original album). Some say that Mrs Robinson (which originally appeared in the soundtrack of The Graduate) doesn't really blend in with the rest of the album. Maybe not, but I'm glad it's here.

Two bonus tracks are nothing to get excited about, but the re-mastering gives a far superior sound quality. There are also some informative liner notes.

If you only want the famous songs, you can find them on any number of hits compilations - some double CD's, some single CD's. However, if you wish to explore further, this album should be a high priority.

WAKE UP.
Paul Simon said in an interview in the early seventies that each of the five Simon and Garfunkel albums was better than the one that preceeded it, and I think this assessment accurate, so much so, in fact, that I can't conceive of a reasonable person disputing it. The original "Bookends" had some very good songs, "America", for example, some so-so songs, "Faking It", and some sludge, "Save the Life of My Child", for example. It was superior to "Parsely, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme" (less pretentious, pseudo-poetic, and precious), and inferior to the truly inspired "Bridge Over Troubled Waters".

But that was the original version. This thing here includes two superfluous tracks. If you don't want your listening experience ruined, you have either to run over to your CD player just before it gets to them or else laboriously program them out every time you listen.

"You Don't Where Your Interest Lies" is worth hearing for Simon and Garfunkel historians once and only once. It's a throw-away, but it's interesting that it sounds like the period. I can't imagine, on the other hand, who would want to hear the unfinished demo-tape version of "Old Friends" even once. What's it doing here? Presumably, it's here to trick you into thinking you're getting more for your money, but is anyone really that stupid? You're getting LESS for your money; you're getting a greatly compromised version of "Bookends".

How do I explain?
Well, the first time I ever heard Simon and Garfunkel I must have been about eleven years old. At the time, I was a total NSYNC fanatic (woe is me hehe), but I can recall being totally captivated by their voices, melodies, and genius (especially to an NSYNC fan) lyrics.
Well, time has passed and now I'm into much better music (don't worry, I'm cured). I've heard it all, from Bob Dylan to The Beatles, Tom Petty to Pearl Jam, tons of bands. And this album still fascinates me. It's words and music are full of nostalgia (yup, even for a fourteen year old) and memories.
"Bookends" is about life...from adolescent dreams and frustrations to falling in love as a young adult, to growing old and realizing you're aging and not as you used to be. "Bookends" is impossible to not make an emotional attachment to. It was meant to be digested and taken in as not music, but an album of a reflection of life.
BUY IT. You won't regret it, I promise. Simon and Garfunkel made some truly beautiful music here, and you can't deny it's not one of their bests. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I bought it for my grandma too!!!
She thinks it's a five star rating!!! I am the favorite grandkid too!

Daniel O'Donnell-Greatest Hits
We discovered Daniel O'Donnell while watching PBS and both my husband and I fell in love with his voice. All the songs are wonderful and romantic. We can't stop listening to it and want to eventually buy all of his CD'S. Don't hestitate to buy, you won't regret this purchase.

Grandma Loves it!
I bought this for my grandmother, after she watched the special on PBS. She loves this CD. Every song she wanted is on it - the standards and the love songs. I'm the favorite grandkid now ;-)

Can't Help But Love This Singer
I first saw Daniel on PBS and was immediately attracted to his heavenly voice, charm, and clean-cut, well-dressed appearance. He is my very favorite entertainer, and I listen to his CD's and watch his videos/DVD's whenever I can. I have collected just about all of them. He dances very well, also. I truly love this man and his music! He is a nice person, too, and I can personally say he appreciates and cares about his fans.

He hails from County Donegal, Ireland, and has been a respected and honored musician in Ireland and the United Kingdom for many years. His albums and videos are consistently on the charts there. His growing popularity in the United States is resulting in rapidly sold-out shows and CD sales. I just wish I could have been enjoying his music since he began recording in the mid 1980's. Besides PBS Specials, he does shows in Branson each year, and is now doing tours in America. Don't miss him - you may be missing out on one of the best things that will ever happen to you! Irish or not, you will love his music!

This particular album of 2 disks has a variety of the beautiful songs he chooses to sing. From Irish songs (DANNY BOY and MY DONEGAL SHORE), to inspirational (FOOTSTEPS and HOW GREAT THOU ART), from pop (I JUST WANT TO DANCE WITH YOU and SINGING THE BLUES), to country (MY SHOES KEEP WALKING BACK TO YOU and THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING), you will like them all. I absolutely love FOUR IN THE MORNING and WHEN HOPE DAWNS AT SUNRISE and always repeat them. His band and accompanists all make for easy listening and the desire to sing and dance along or just tap your toe. Two beautiful duets with Mary Duff (SECRET LOVE and TIMELESS)will also thrill your soul. Mary, with her exceptionally beautiful voice, is a top female vocalist and appears with him in many of his shows.

If you like to hear a fantastic voice sing meaningful lyrics with enjoyable accompaniment, this man and his music will bring peace and comfort to your ruffled soul. You can not go wrong purchasing this album or any of his other CD's, videos, or DVD's. That is, if you dislike as I do, the current 'noisy' music with words you can not hear or understand. Daniel will provide a welcome alternative. ... Read more

Album Details

21 Digitally Remastered Tracks from the Genious Troubadour. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The story of Elliott Smith is well known now: Shy and reclusive indie rocker soars to a Hollywood soundstage and major-label contract. His fans gasped in collective horror when he took a bow at the 1998 Oscars, his hand clasped by Celine Dion. He seemed far too fragile to survive among the sharks and vultures on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. But as his subsequent albums XO and now Figure 8 show, Smith has weathered the spotlight successfully and is moving ahead with self-assured grace. The beauty of Figure 8 is that it encompasses Smith's musical virtues, from the stark and wispy tunes of his lo-fi beginnings on Roman Candle to the orchestrated, Beatlesesque pomp and circumstance of later work to the intimate and sometimes painful nature of his live shows. Figure 8's opener, "Son of Sam," is as good as anything Smith has ever crafted, its soaring melody buoyed with lush instrumentation and a tin-pan-alley piano romp. "Happiness" is vintage Smith, its lyrics belying the title. But best of all are "Everything Reminds Me of Her" and "Everything Means Nothing to Me," which capture the dichotomies of Smith's music. The first is a lovely, delicate little tune--just Smith's wavering voice, a plucked guitar, and the plaintive lyrics of unabashed longing. The second is a layered soundscape, heavily produced, with washes of music covering a repeated lyrical line. One is direct, naked, and honest; the other is slippery, distant, and rational. These are the yin and yang of Smith's music, and it's the friction between the two--or, more accurately, the wreckage from one obdurate truth bashing up against the other--that makes Figure 8 resonate with such devastating power. --Tod Nelson ... Read more

Reviews (125)

Giving Us Another Little Peek At His Growing Musical Arsenal
After a couple of listens, you get the feeling that Elliott Smith is still exploring the studio space, carefully mulling over his musical arsenal and pondering what he's going to spring on us next. FIGURE 8's sound is much fuller and much richer than on his previous efforts but before you read "fuller" as "overproduced" (which seems to be the growing complaint about FIGURE 8...), you'll be happy to know there's still plenty of quiet intimacy on FIGURE 8. After all, it's still what Elliott does best. Besides, Elliott's voice is so sweet sounding it gives even the more upbeat pop songs a delicate, fragile quality. And his lyrics are so introspective, you become convinced Smith became a musician solely for his own theraputic benefit. That is, until you realize everything he says applies to your life, too. It's a gift too many musicians THINK they have and few actually have.

Although I think a few songs here could have been trimmed ("Everything Means Nothing To Me," "Pretty Mary K," and the saloon-plinking piano of "In The Lost And Found" don't really grab me...), there's just a lot of great stuff here. Start with three genuinely great pop offerings: "Son Of Sam," "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud?," and my personal favorite song on the album, "Junk Bond Trader." Then there's "Stupidity Tries," which builds with such melodrama, you'd think it's a sweeping epic twice its actual length. For those of you who prefer a more contemplative Elliott Smith, there's "Easy Way Out," "I Better Be Quiet Now," and (another one of my favorites from FIGURE 8) the simple yet beautiful "Everything Reminds Me Of Her." It's just a sweeping, beautiful album that'll have you tapping your foot one moment and crying the next. Fantastic.

Brilliant - Very Elliottesque...
Elliott does it again. But boy, the people who hated XO are gonna be bummed. This makes XO look like Either/Or. I have to admit, the first few spins were a little strange - this album is very produced. Son of Sam sounds nothing like either the one on the Happiness single nor the one he's been doing live with the band for the last couple of years. This is like a ragtime-shuffle version. It took a while to get used to some of these sounds, but ultimately these are all great songs. A great song is a great song. This album is loaded with instant classics. Apparently, Elliott's gone as far as wants to go with the solo acoustic thing (although a lot of these songs sounded great solo acoustic on his latest tour) but the embellishments don't ruin the songs. This is not your typical I-don't-have-any-real-songs-so-I'll-cover-it-up-with-heavy-production scams. And forget all the critics spouting about this being Beatlesque or Big Staresque. Listening to this album reminds me of listening to, well, Elliott Smith. The melodies and harmonies are very reminiscent of .. Elliott Smith. In fact, this album is very Elliottesque. And very excellent.

brilliant and beautiful
Figure 8 is a soundscape of its own. Lushly and crisply produced, each song resonates in its own way. Many Elliott Smith fans feel that the sound encompassed by Figure 8 is of a lower integrity or quality than Elliott's earlier music, such as the famously "lo-fi" Roman Candle. Figure 8 shows Elliott crafting rich arrangements eerily reminiscent of the Beatles--especially the soaring penultimate track, "Can't Make A Sound". Elliott's voice is lush and startling on this album; I do miss his certain qualities of it that were present on his earlier, starker albums. Figure 8 is addictive.

A Tortured Genius
Elliot Smith is a pure musical genius. His music is as pure and honest as music can be. This album is one to be treasured. You will not be disappointed.

Fine pop
An impressive suite of perfect gestures, 15 remarkably meticulous and dazzling aerian ballets of 3 minutes each. 15 songs straight from heaven. Elliott Smith was simply the best songwriter of his generation in the US. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Elizabeth Mitchell is a smidge less locked into the no-frills folkie formula on You Are My Sunshine than on her debut, You Are My Flower. In fact, if you subtract the A-list collaborators (and, OK, the dulcimers, mandolins, and human beat boxes), Mitchell starts to look a lot like the female Dan Zanes. The same rootsy sensibility rules both artists’ recordings, as does a reverence for tried-and-true folk tunes ("Good Night Irene," "Skip to My Lou") and clean production. More significantly, slivers of Zane-like adventurousness shine through here: "Alphabet Dub" set the ABCs to a reggae beat; "Hey Bo Diddley" tips its hat to the rock & roll pioneer; and the kids are called in to spice up "Crawdad." Counting kids' artists who are genuinely cool still requires fewer than 10 fingers, but with Flower and Sunshine, Mitchell proves she's among the elite. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Reviews (9)

terrific!
my son is only 9 months old but i swear this cd keeps him happy while playing with his toys & in the car (never has been a car-baby). it has a nice variety of upbeat & slower tunes. elizabeth has a beautiful voice & the accompanying music is great too. i purchased the cd since it had such positive reviews & i wasn't disappointed.

Wow
What a marvelous treat! Elizabeth Mitchell's voice is soothing and casts a spell on grown ups and children alike. Such quality in children's music is hard to find, as parents know these days. This is a real treasure.

Parents, keep your street cred and enchant your home
This might be the best children's album I've ever heard. Mitchell's soothing voice and folky instrumentation (toy pianos, acoustic guitars, sing-alongs) evoke memories of my own childhood, sitting around campfires, wide-eyed and transfixed at the magical stories spun by a guitarist through her music. The songs range from sad to charming to silly (the ABC's in reggae?). The set covers almost all the bases of children's folk music, with some well chosen standards ("Skip To My Lou," including some silly new verses) and covers (Schoolhouse Rock's "3 is the Magic Number" and "Goodnight Irene" by Leadbelly). The standout track is the traditional piece "Froggy Went a Courtin" (which has also been covered by the venerable Bob Dylan, to give you an idea of Mitchell's skill in song selection). It's the irreverent story of Mr. Frog and Miss. Mouse's wedding...but only after her uncle rat gives his blessing! Finally, the added bonus of owning this disc is that since Mitchell is from the indie band Ida, you can still keep your street cred among your hip but non-child-having buddies.

Fun and relaxing
I am a nanny who first heard this cd at one on my family's home. The child enjoyed it and I enjoyed it. I get tired of hearing Thomas the Train and Raffi, and so I bought this CD for the two other families I work for. They thought it was a great gift, and I finally found some music both the children and I could enjoy.

Sweet singalong tunes
While the anti-Barney "music we can all enjoy" for hipster parents is starting to become a bit of a cliche, this CD is a keeper. Very simple, very sweet, very singalong-able. It even got Dad warbling (Skip to My Lou). One particular favorite is "Ladybug Picnic" which parents may remember from their Sesame Street days. The music is great for anytime of day...getting up in the morning, dinner time, night time. Buy it and you'll find yourself remembering words to songs you used to know. ... Read more

Amazon.com

By 1958 "Tom Dooley" was already in circulation in the growing folk movement, but it was the Kingston Trio's hit that ignited the boom. These three clean-cut Hawaii residents may not have looked like accomplished musicians, but they were.David Guard first learned the open-G Hawaiian guitar and took up the banjo after a Weaver's concert; lead singer Bob Shane was much influenced by Harry Belefonte, and he sang with studied clarity; and Nick Reynolds contributed steady, old-timey guitar and signature harmony.Most of what the neophyte needs is here:"Tom Dooley," "Greenback Dollar," and the Carter Family tune, "Worried Man." --Roy Francis Kasten ... Read more

Reviews (14)

SOME of the very best of the Kingston Trio
In 1959 the Kington Trio's recording of "Tom Dooley" became only the fifth song in history to sell a million copies in the United States. This collection of the group's greatest hits clearly has the group's five biggest hits (add "Greenback Dollar," "Reverend Mr. Black," "M.T.A." and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" to the list with "Tom Dooley"). Between the time of the Weavers and Peter, Paul & Mary, it is the Kingston Trio that defines the joy of folk songs sung in harmony. My only caveat regarding this particular album is that it only has 12 tracks and there are competing efforts from the lads with more (and arguably better) songs to add to the biggies. Still, this one certainly introduces you to the heart of their repetoire.

Merely an OK CD
I was very surprised when I found that I didn't much like this CD. Since I love the Brothers Four Greatest Hits CD, and I figured this music would be similar, I though I'd love this CD, too. I was wrong. The closest I can come to explaining it is that these songs go TOO far back to the folk era. Perhaps they're too rough or primitive. Regardless, of the 10 tracks on this CD, I rated only one of them even Good (3 Stars). Of the remaining nine tracks, five of them get merely OK ratings, while the rest get Bad ratings. My specific ratings are:

1. Tom Dooley -- 2 Stars
2. Worried Man -- 2 Stars
3. Tijuana Jail -- 1 Star
4. Reverend Mr. Black -- 1 Star
5. M.T.A. -- 3 Stars
6. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? -- 2 Stars
7. Greenback Dollar -- 1 Star
8. Matador -- 1 Star
9. Bad Man's Blunder -- 2 Stars
10. Desert Pete -- 2 Stars

A Nice one to have
Excellent Sound Quality. Great Music.
I never get tired of listening to these.
A Nice one to have in your collection.

nobody to post my bail !!
True classics, all original songs and no freaky overdubs!!
Again a classic!

Get this CD!!

Great Collection Of All Their Best!
One of the most stellar groups rising out of the pop woof and warp of the late 1950s was the counter-intuitive group, the Kingston Trio, who, singing traditional folk songs, popularized it to the point of creating a cottage industry with imitators by the score. Yet it was with their singular hit of "The Legend Of Tom Dooley', recounting the sad last moments of a condemned man that they caught the public imagination and lit a fire under contemporary folk music. They were sophisticated, mainly urban, and yet quite down to earth and folksy in their approach, and showed that they had a sense of humor with another hit, "M.T.A.", recounting the dilemma of a Boston commuter caught on board the "T" without sufficient money to get off.

Yet they recorded and released quite serious songs too, such as the traditional "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", an early anti-war song, "Rueben James", and "Reverend Mr. Black". Also included here are hits such as "Greenback Dollar" and a rather interesting diversion in the way of "Tijuana Jail". They also had a minor hit with "Scotch And Soda", which was mainly aimed at the late fifties-early sixties college crowd. So was one of their final hits, "Worried Man". They blazed the way for a number of other, more mainstream vocal groups like the Limelighters, the Brothers Four, and Peter, Paul and Mary. The original Kingston Trio toured for years, and in the decades since have had a number of revivals since with different group members than the originals. This is a great album including most of their best-known songs. Enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

Nineteen ninety-eight: The same year he dances with Soy Bomb at the Grammys, his record label finally issues Bob Dylan's ultimate live document. A classic case of not giving the audience what they want but what they need, Mr. Dylan's oft-bootlegged 1966 gig begins with lovely and supple folk that foreshadows folk music's turn from protest song to introspection. The album's true highlight is the legendarily ill received and rocked-out electric set, with Dylan backed by members of the Band. There are too many perfect, on-fire guitar solos by Robbie Robertson to count, and Dylan himself responds to the audience's angry bewilderment with equal parts menace, grace, and brilliance. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (145)

Hailed for years by critics as a bootleg, now official
This is a copy of a review found in a newspaper of this album when it was available only as a bootleg:

Beginning of article>Get this classic Dylan album -- any way you can (Quoted from Daily Record (of Morristown NJ) 1/5/97) --Knight-Ridder Tribune News "GUITARS KISSING & THE CONTEMPORARY FIX" Bob Dylan and the Hawks Various bootleg labels

On this album, a young Bob Dylan blows through an epic two-hour set in May 1966 -- half acoustic, half with the Hawks, later renamed The Band. It's perhaps the best two hours of his career, distilling everything tender, raging, touching and rocking in his work into one potent show. The performance has been available for years in collectors' circles in muddy mono. But this two-CD set is in glorious stereo, clean enough to sound great yet low-tech enough to sound authenic. The electric set is just as revealing, with Robbie Robertson's sharp guitar punctuating Dylan's words. It ends with one of rock music's greatest moments, where an audience member yells, "Judas!" at Dylan for going electric, and Dylan replies with a screaming, angry "Like A Rolling Stone". "Guitars Kissing" technically is a bootleg, legal in some countries overseas, but a copyright violation in the United States.

It's difficult to track down but worth the search; it's been repressed by six labels overseas, and copies are popping up all over. A good place to start searching is on the Internet -- fans of the disc have started their own web site tribute to it. For the computer impaired, check out the ads in record-collecting magazines such as Goldmine, ICE or Discoveries. But it's one of those discs where the rights and wrongs of copyright law become obscured by the purity, importance and force of the performance. This is an indispensable performance -- one of the few truly great lost albums of rock 'n' roll and easily one of Dylan's best.Of course now that it's available officially, you won't have to search for it and pay a premium price (usually $50). The point of this review is that if a bootleg which is illegal can draw this much attention then, ...well,..... if you haven't got it through your thick skull yet you won't ever get it........

My 26 year wait was worth it.
I missed Bob Dylan and the Band when they played Seattle in 1966, but just a few years later I heard about this amazing concert he had done in May of that year in London. Bootlegs were available but I never had the money or resources to search this one out, though I did have the original GWW that later became the Basement Tapes. so I waited for this and just this evening played it for the first time. Pure bliss. Dylan has never sounded so young, tender, angry, and knowing all at once. Other reviewers have remarked mostly on the rock disc and they all got it right, but I am nearly as impressed with the solo disc. His phrasing and timing were never better, especially on Desolation Row and Mr. Tambourine Man, and the harp playing! My God; we have forgotten just how good he was when he concentrated. I can almost understand why the audience didn't like the full band sound after hearing that voice and harp so clearly in the first half of the show. Still, the rock half truly does capture the pure American style of the music Dylan was making: a wondrous stew of blues, rock and roll, and surrealistic poetry. Walt Whitman plugged in, or something. It's tough to even adequately describe it. Anyway, the 26 year wait was worth it, and I look forward to listening more closely in the weeks to come. Bill Compton

one, if not, THE best live album i've ever heard
i really don't know what to say to make you buy this. one of my favourite albums ever. period.

The most entertaining electric live set I've ever heard...
I'm only 22 years old, which means I haven't even been thought of yet when Dylan took the stage in Manchester, but I'm pretty aware of what was going on at the time this event took place. Folk lovers considered the kind of stuff Hendrix was putting out "devil music," so some of the people in this audience weren't exactly thrilled when Dylan finished his acoustic set and began to rock out. It's definitely a legendary concert. This well-priced, handy-dandy souvenier represents one of the most important voices of the 20th century at the crossroads. Some liked it; some didn't. It's the ones who didn't that make this "Royal Albert Hall" concert the essential live document of Bob Dylan at the apex of his career.

Throughout the electric portion of the concert, Bob is greeted with boos, unwarranted clapping and cursing from his audience. At one point, when the audience tries to annoy Dylan by clappinig ferociously as he's tuning up, he leans into the microphone and begins to ramble about a bunch of nonsense. He does so until the crowd finally shuts up, at which he says, "If only you wouldn't clap so hard." Sure enough, they clap harder and yell louder. One guy in the audience even yells out "SELL OUT!"

But the real biggie here is when someone screams out "JUDAS!" after Bob plays "Ballad Of A Thin Man." I guess at this point, Bob was done being polite. "I don't believe you," he sneers. "You're a liar!" He turns to his band and yells indistinctly, "Play it f---ing loud!"

"Like A Rolling Stone" is then thrown into the audience's face with audacity and contempt. The song finally ends, Dylan sarcastically says, "Thank you," and walks offstage.

Cool, huh? The electric set is certainly the stand-out here, but the acoustic songs are nothing to shy away from either. In fact, I think "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" is better here than on the album version (ASOBD).

Another suprise you'll find with this release is how well Columbia packaged it. It comes with a fat booklet filled with glossy pages of pictures and notes of the concert and other appearances. This is truly worth your money. HIGHLY recommended.

Where's The Riot?
Hype is a funny thing. Sometimes one gets caught up in it, sometimes it turns you off. It generally turns me off, but in the case of this "historic" release, I got caught up in it.
I have been a sometimey lukewarm Bob Dylan fan over the years. His heyday was a little bit before my adolescence but his musical maturity began its development about the time I started high school. I am quite familiar with the music of those days, but was curious to go back and try to feel a little bit of the magic and expectation that earlier fans of Dylan experienced.
When I bought this, I expected to feel some of the excitement and tension in the air as the old clashed with the new. I wanted to hear the catcalls and Dylan's sarcastic retorts. I wanted to hear the riot!. But there was none. "One of the great confrontational performances of the 20th century" turns out to have been mostly the creation of the media myth machine. If there was any rioting to be heard, Columbia sure did a good job of screening out its sounds.
The liner notes mention the opening of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring as another great confrontational performance. Yes, it was great theater, but it was all orchestrated by Stravinsky, Diaghilev and a claque of concert-goers who were given free tickets to the premier with the understanding that they would foment a riot thus generating press attention for Stravinsky and Diaghilev. The notes should have instead mentioned some of Astor Piazzolla's performances where fisticuffs between Piazzolla supporters and old-guard tango purists (sometimes involving Piazzolla himself) were regular occurences and death threats were a daily fact of life.
If the CD package does not live up to its hype, then why own it? The main reason is to experience the budding transition of Bob Dylan from folk legend to rock and roll hero. The first disc features a fine acoustic set of which my favorites are Its All Over Now, Baby Blue and Just Like A Woman.
The second CD features an electric set that showcases the talents of his sidemen that were later to gel into The Band.
I like Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, the bluesy Ballad of a Thin Man, and the driving Like A Rolling Stone the best. There is a lot of musical tension and energy that makes the entire set memorable. Much of what the liner notes refers to as catcalling and slow clapping can be heard at any concert between songs. What people are usually calling out is a request. Only after Ballad of a Thin Man can you hear a real "insult" when someone shouts "Judas!" at which a few audience members applaud.
Despite the lack of any real riot, I recommend this album to any Dylan fan precisely because of its historic nature as the marking of a pivotal point in Dylan's long and storied career. ... Read more