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When Eva Cassidy is swinging her way through "Cheek to Cheek" and getting down and bluesy on "Stormy Monday" on this live set from 1996, it's nigh impossible not to get swept up in her voice's vast, barreling force. Her full range, though, becomes most obvious--and soul-shaking--on the slower side, as with Paul Simon's "Bridge over Troubled Water," Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Tall Trees in Georgia," and "What a Wonderful World." On these latter tunes, Cassidy's mix of aching clarity and rich warmth has a melting quality, speaking through the body to some evanescent presence that she seems to know all too well. She improbably makes Sting's "Fields of Gold" an emotional powerhouse just as easily as she makes Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" an offhand declaration of feeling equal to nearly anything in the jazz vocal canon. In doing so she earns her place among the great singers--artists who could take any song and stamp it indelibly as their own. What Eva Cassidy had in her short life was an unbelievably perfect voice and a musical soul that grasped gospel, folk, blues, jazz, and all points in between as if they were mere stops on a single train ride. Alas, her ride ended in 1996, tragically early. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (109)

this cd will rarely leave your cd player, it's that good.
the first time i ever heard eva cassidy was 3 years ago, on a local dc jazz station (which, sadly, has since gone off the air). it was the song "what a wonderful world," which i normally find cloying. but eva's clear, strong, beautiful vibrato cut through my work day and made me sit back and listen. wow. when i went to buy the cd at the store i was looking for an african-american woman on the cover. i was shocked to see a blue-eyed blonde, looking folkie and meek, on the cover. but my god, the woman has the soul, depth and power reserved for the best of the best, including mahalia and 1960s aretha.

this cd, all covers, ranges from swinging jazz to traditional folk to blues. eva handles it all with incredible control and taste, with real singing and not the pyrotechno crap you hear on the radio these days. her range inspires awe, especially on "golden thread," in which she reaches a note that would give anyone else a hernia. her interpretation skills are amazing; she manages to breathe new life into songs that have been covered hundreds of times. particular standouts are "autumn leaves," "tall trees in georgia" and "fields of gold," all of which will make you cry; "golden thread," which is as spiritual as any hymn; and "fine and mellow" and "cheek to cheek," which are fun and sexy. the band is also in top form, keeping the sound tight and crisp while giving eva the spotlight.

eva's passing robbed her of what surely would have been a big, long career, and us of an enduring talent. buy this cd and you will not be disappointed.

Not the best Eva recording but still something truly special
At this stage, what is there to be said about the genius of Eva Cassidy that hasn't already been said a thousand times before?

All I can add is that you have never heard Ms Cassidy's voice before, I PROMISE that you will love it. Absolutely and completely fall in love with it. Eva's voice bypasses the head and instead goes straight to the heart. Once it is there you won't be able to remove it.

This CD was my introduction to Eva Cassidy and while I think the selection of songs could have been better, it is clear that she is a unique talent. I don't want to give the impression that this isn't a good record - quite the opposite; it is on occasion truly magnificent with Oh, Had I A Golden Thread and Tall Trees In Georgia being among Eva's best recordings and two of the most moving songs I have ever heard. It is a great place to start your Eva Cassidy collection - buy this CD, fall in love with it, then move on to Eva two crowing artistic acheivements Eva By Heart and Time After Time. That's the way to do it!

I don't joke when I say that the music of Eva Cassidy has enriched my life more that I thought any singer ever could and I am sure it will do the same for you.

If God wants you to own only one disc, THIS IS IT.
Hands down, the best music recorded ever, and i believe, eternally and a day.

The Artist/s. Eva Cassidy is so impressive and versatile on this disc. Words are not enough to describe her. She massages and caresses each and every note that would make your hairs literally stand from your skin (I call this a hairstanding ovation). But wait, unlike other Eva discs, this Blues Alley recording puts the other musicians (Chris, Lenny, Keith and Raice) right smack there in the center. A total BAND effort. And that makes it more exhilirating for me. The drums, the guitar licks, the bass, the piano . . . all were perfect.

The record. Another thing that makes this record such enjoyable is that it is recorded live in a very HOME-y set-up. You go to your house, put the disc in, you sit in and close your eyes and youll be mesmerized as the music comes alive, complete with a FEW claps from the relatively small Blues Alley (unlike in massive concerts). So, you'll get the feeling that they are REALLY performing at your house/room when you close your eyes. The recording is so great that the disc is now being used as a tester for branded speaker companies.

The songs. The songs herein would fit for almost any person. I love rock, and there's song #11. But I also love blues, so there's song #2. And man, song #3 or Bridge Over Troubled Water, now that's what I call sensuality in spirituality! You got to hear it. Then there's the songs Cheek to Cheek, Fields of Gold, What A Wonderful World and a lot lot more. Each song, perfect.

Overall, this disc WILL MOVE you in a way you've never felt before. To quote from someone, it's the "best glimpse of heaven yet." And it sells as how much? $30 was it? Nahh, this is priceless. Buy this, thank me later.

If you haven't bought any Eva disc yet, start with this, then American Tune.

Amazing
I first heard of Eva Cassidy in 1987 when I performed in the DC area... She was amazing then, and I wish to God she were with us today.

I have bought this CD for countless friends and family members, and they have all been bowled over. Everyone that I purchased this for is in the music business. Contrary to one reviewers opinion...Eva Cassidy embodies soul, and I love Ella, and Louie and many other great performers from yesteryear, but again, contrary to another reviewer, if Eva were alive today, she WOULD be at the top of the charts month after month.

Everytime I hear her rendition of a popular standard or cover tune I think..."it will never be done any better than that!"

Please order this, and as many of her other albums endorsed by her family as you can...you will NOT be disappointed. She is truly amazing.

wow.
I cannot tell you in words... how this cd moves me. There are a handful of songs on this cd that are sung with such depth and soul... you cannot help but fall in love with it.

I get a chill down my back just listening to the cd right now. If you want a cd that will touch you right there - right there on your heart - music that speaks to YOU as if she is singing directly to you.... this is the cd to have. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rare is the voice that is both as deep and as warm as Greg Brown's. Though the veteran troubadour boasts the most weather-beaten baritone this side of Johnny Cash, there's sunshine in the smile of his wry phrasing and a disarming playfulness in his work. This two-disc set includes recordings from six years of California's annual Kate Wolf Music Festival and, while it lacks the flow of a single performance, the easy intimacy that the Iowa bard enjoys with his audience offsets any disjointedness from track to track. The generous selection of material (more than two and a half hours) includes nine songs Brown has never recorded before. Highlights range from the sly sensuality of "The Way My Baby Calls My Name" and "Slow Food" to the social commentary of "I Want My Country Back" and the droll evocation of life's ironies in "Where Is Maria." The conviction he brings to Smokey Robinson's "You Really Got a Hold on Me" and the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" transforms familiar favorites into testaments of faith. --Don McLeese ... Read more

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Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt was just 29 years oldwhen he recorded Live at the Old Quarter. The result of a five-nightstand at a tiny club in Houston, what is arguably his best album was originallyreleased on vinyl as a two-album set, and later on compact disc in a slightlyabbreviated version. Tomato's reissue, however, restores the album to its fullglory, complete with remastered sound and insightful liner notes by music writerChet Flippo. Van Zandt, who died of a heart attack in 1997, sings of love andloss in a world-weary voice that begs you to pay close attention. Afterapologizing for the club's broken air conditioner, he kicks things off with astirring version of "Pancho and Lefty," perhaps his most famous song. But that'sjust one gem among many, such as the longing "If I Needed You," the fatalistic"Don't You Take It Too Bad," the bleak "Kathleen," the bitter "Tower Song," andthe touching "Tecumseh Valley." Unlike his studio albums, some of which sufferfrom overly busy arrangements, Live at the Old Quarter finds Van Zandtperforming solo and acoustic, which only makes his emotionally honest music allthe more powerful. --David Hill ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Homer, Taliesin, Robert Frost... and Townes Van Zandt
It takes a minute to understand what you're really listening to with a Townes Van Zandt album, and that's twice as true with a live disc like this one. As he speaks his songs and gets out of sync with his guitar, you wonder why he's bothering to record songs at all. And then it hits you. Van Zandt isn't a musician. He's a bard.

His songs are as loaded as any poetry you'd find at a university bookshop, and much more accessible. This is true whether you're speaking of a tongue-in-cheek piece like "Fraternity Blues," a more hermetic piece like "For the Sake of the Song," or something that's crossed over into popular music like "Pancho and Lefty." He can't sing, he's only okay at his guitar, but what really brings it home for you is the poetic structure of the song lyrics.

In addition to being an account of an interesting concert, this album also serves as an introduction to Texas music as a whole and a synopsis of Van Zandt's music in particular. It bears up to repeated listening, and the liner notes included in this most recent CD release are very readable and informative. It's no wonder, in considering this CD, that Willie Nelson and other progressive Texas musicians have so often covered Van Zandt's songs: they're simply beautiful to listen to and stimulating to consider.

Great Album
I guess that I'm one of the few that actually have the vinyl version of this great recording. Not long after my wife and I began dating (early 90's) she found it in a Goodwill thrift shop, of all places. So many of his great songs are on this album, all delivered with youthful perspective and wisdom. I first heard Townes live on a Houston public radio station in around 1974. He performed Pancho and Lefty, and single handedly turned me onto what has become a lifetime of appreciation of his music and of course his lyrics. I even saw him one night at the Hole in the Wall in Austin (1978,79?). I think I was as drunk as he was. Anyway, God bless him and his music.

Could have been a Dylan but never had the voice
During his later years Townes Van Zandt used to occasionally joke about his voice during his performances. He never really had one. And it never mattered to anyone who'd sat through his live appearances, or listened to a few of his songs on vinyl. Live at the Old Quarter is Towne's oldest recording (I'm guessing) and managed to catch him when his voice was at the prime. That's to say, it's an acquired taste. The songs make up for it. As with a lot of other of the greats, Townes' talent was in songwriting and in his method of delivery when he performed his own songs. "Pancho and Lefty" was a worthy for Willie Nelson. Listening to Townes sing it is an entirely different order of experience and magnitude. The same is true of his other songs you've heard made popular by other singers. If you've never heard Townes sing his own songs you probably won't find a better place to begin than in the Old Quarter of Houston when Townes was young. We all were.

The place to start
I'm usually wary about live albums, since it seems strange that an artist could do his greatest work on the fly, instead of when he has all the time he needs to get things exactly right. Sure enough, Townes's voice cracks a little when straining to hit a few high notes, but for some reason it doesn't matter at all. He was usually ill served by producers who slathering his songs with strings and flutes and the rest of it. His presence is so strong when he performs that additional orchestration would only dilute what makes the songs so good. After a few listens I even started to like the missed notes and the cracks in the voice, and for the same reason I like such moments in Dylan, because these moments put the singer in front of you as a human being, and what you start to love as much as the songs is their presence. You enjoy the slips in the performance as much as the little idiosyncracies of an old friend.

Gone and Not Forgotten
It has all been said. This man was inspired and inspirational. He paid to learn what he thought and how he felt. You can hear it in these songs; played live on a cool hot-summer night in Houston. Townes Van Zandt was as close to a soul as I've heard in a long long time. ... Read more

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Those who have experienced a Robert Earl Keen show in his native Texas know it can be hard to hear the artist amid all the whooping and partying of his rabidly loyal following. This 2001 taping from the Austin City Limits series gives the singer-songwriter's range the attention it deserves. An eight-minute rendition of Keen's signature anthem, "The Road Goes On Forever," shifts that epic into overdrive, as the furious interplay of guitarist Rich Brotherton and steel guitarist Marty Muse finds the band firing on all cylinders. Yet the subtler selections are every bit as impressive, with his reflective rendition of Townes Van Zandt's "Snowin' on Raton" and the brooding melancholy of Johhny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone" highlighting the performance. Though Austin City Limits typically condenses an artist's appearance into a half hour for airing, this CD (with the performance also available as a DVD) presents the full studio concert. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Album Description

Capitol's From the Hungry I/Kingston Trio combines thegroup's first two albums on this excellent single disc.Among the highlights are Bay of Mexico, Tom Dooley, FastFreight, Hard, Ain't It Hard, Scotch and Soda, Wimoweh(Mbube) and New York Girls. 27 tracks in all. Collector'sChoice / 2001 release. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Original Folksmen
When my mother was in high school she joined the record club where they automatically sent you that month's selection unless you told them not to by sending back the selection card saying 'not this month.' Because of this, when I was growing up there was a strange melange of records in our home: Elvis Presley, the Ventures, John D. Loudermilk, Bobbi Gentry, Homer and Jethro, and the Kingston Trio. I listened to every one of them, and some so much that they have left catchphrases in my vocabulary that can be traced directly to certain recordings.

The two live albums in the collection were most responsible for this, not solely for the bits where the artists chat with audience, but because they come from the era of intimate settings when you could actually experience the camaraderie of the performers (something MTV's Unplugged and VH1's Storytellers series tried to recapture). From Homer and Jethro at the Country Club I picked up sayings like, "You're blackballed! Put on your shoes and go!" long before I understood the sorry history of racism and elitism that the two, supposed, hicks were playing on in their club setting and "You don't look mad," right after badgering someone into anger and forcing them to admit their ire.

It's not too surprising that a comedy album might provide memorable lines, but the other major influence was The Kingston Trio's ...from the "Hungry i". From that album, I acquired, "You're all alone, you know," from the novelty tune "Zombie Jamboree," as well as some of the general cynicism of "Merry Minuet" best expressed in the line "...and I don't like anybody very much." Those two songs do represent the more humorous portions of the album and lend themselves to quotation, I admit.

For those not familiar with the Kingston Trio, they burst onto the music scene in the early 1950s with a coffee-house update to traditional folk music, paving the way for the folk-rock movement. (The faux trio, The Folksmen, from the recent mockumentary A Mighty Wind, is a parody of the Kingston Trio, matching their instruments, voices and musical style if not their lives.) Prior to this live album, they had released two albums and had a major radio hit ("Tom Dooley"), but those studio albums just don't do justice to their easy camaraderie onstage and their imprompto musicianship, which does come through in this recording.

Unlike modern live albums, which tend to showcase the band's hits, every song here had yet to appear on a Kingston Trio album, although some are traditional songs ("When the Saints Go Marching In"). Most of the songs are taken from the pre-Dylan folk idea, where ancient texts or melodies were updated. Songs like "Wimoweh" (aka "The Lion Sleeps Tonight") and "Gue, Gue" are modern adaptations of African and French folk songs, respectively. The songs switch between light-hearted, amusing songs such as the opener, "Tic, Tic, Tic," the up-tempo "New York Girls" and the aforementioned "Zombie Jamboree" to the morose story-song like "South Coast" and the biblically-inspired "Dorie." My favorite song on here is the haunting "They Call the Wind Maria," with its fascinating opening lyric, "Way out here they have a name / for rain and wind and fire / the rain is Tess, the fire is Joe / and they call the wind Maria."

Unlike other, more popular albums from the late 1950s, ...from the "Hungry i" doesn't sound very dated at all, although other Trio albums from the time period do due to the production. There's something timeless, however, about three guys on a stage with acoustic instruments and great harmonies, a trend that popular music has embraced in each decade since the Kingston Trio's heyday, from Crosby, Stills and Nash to last year's Thorns.

I would call it "definitive"
They are both great albums, but ...From the "Hungry i" defines this group and their broad appeal. Great rapport with the audience, great topical wit, and outstanding preformance. A very talented group indeed. Each song from this set is just pure gold.

The beginning of the folk revival.
The Kingston Trio was instrumental in making the 60's folk revival take place. Their first album "The Kingston Trio" provided enough authentic folk material to satisfy the purists and allow the Trio to begin to introduce new material. And any song sufficiently popular ("John B") to make the Beachboys cover it has to be all right. Terry Gilkerson's modern folk classic "Fast Freight" is covered better (and with improved lyrics) that the original. "Scotch and Soda" is original Trio (Dave Guard) material that should last forever.
"... from the 'Hungry i'" is a very good for a live recording from those days, though sometimes the weakness of the pick-ups on one or more of the Trio is distracting. It is hard to beleive that Lerner and Loewe's "They Call The Wind Maria" was written by a Russian emmigrant for a Broadway play; it is more authentic folk than most of the real things and while the Trio can't quite do the justice to it that John Raitt did on Broadway, they are superb.

This is where the Folk Era begins....
The debut album from The Kingston Trio is one of the best debut records ANYWHERE by any artist in any genre of music. It's that good. Not perfect (mono sound quality is okay, but not as good as later Trio albums would be), but half of the songs here are still featured in Kingston Trio concerts to this very day.
"Scotch And Soda" is folk-lounge at its very best, and possibly Bob Shane's greatest and best-loved vocal of all time. "Fast Freight" is Dave Guard's equivalent, and was a song that completely captivated me at age 6, when I inherited this album from my father. Very haunting. "Three Jolly Coachmen" is witty and rather British-sounding. "Bay of Mexico" is a tad bit shrill, but has interesting key changes and percussion. "Saro Jane" features a unique kind of banjo picking (fingers instead of picks?), "Sloop John B", while not as polished or intricate as the Beach Boys hit 1966 remake, remains an influence on the BBoys (let's not forget about the striped shirts either!). "Coplas" is.........well, a good example of what life was like in the pre-politically correct era of the late 50's, when apparently Mexican-bashing was considered hillarious, but I still like it.....

Every song is great, ending with the banjo-thumper "Little Maggie" . Then this cd continues with the 2nd K Trio record, the "Live At The Hungri I". This album, in my opion, excells at showcasing the personalities in the Trio, from Dave Guard's sarcastic, 'intellectual' leanings, to Bob Shane's good-old-boy routine, to Nick Reynolds' enthusiasm. Highlights include "They Call The Wind Maria", a worthy follow-up to 'Scotch & Soda', the calypso "Zombie Jamboree", and the pseudo-ethnic "Dorie". The material is not as strong as the debut record, but the humor and personality carry the day. Combined, this set is the blueprint for their entire career to come.

Wonderful, wonderful
...From the "Hungry i" was a favorite of mine since I found it in my mom's LP collection many years ago, but I actually had never heard the first of the two albums on this CD, "The Kingston Trio," in its entirety, just some songs on other albums. It is just as great. Scotch and Soda is a beautiful song. But the real gem, I think, is the "Hungry i" portion of the CD. Gue, Gue is eerily beautiful; The Merry Minuet continues to be funny. I still chuckle at the commentary between songs ("For those of you who speak Creole French, it's Northwestern Creole French...as spoken in perhaps Utah").

If you like the harmonies of this album, you MUST buy their "The last month of the year", the greatest Christmas album ever written (now on CD). ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The Limeliters, Another Great Memory Trip
Having been employed by The Brothers Four at one point in my life I decided that it would be nice to put together a small collection of great folk music from days gone by. In deciding who I wanted in my collection The Limeliters did not enter the thought process (it's true, brain cells were lost during the 60s)until I ran across a "Those who bought so and so also bought The Limeliters" note on one of the selections.

How could I have forgotten The Limelighters and what a blessing to see this album in particular available on CD. Nothing beats Folk Music in live concert form and this particular album while it certainly shows off individual talents, humor and creativity, is enhanced with some great audience participation. That's what folk music was all about and The Limeliters were great at their craft. So chalk up some brain cells restored by The Limeliters and some great folk music to listen to and remember.

Marvelous Music!
This CD presents music that was recorded over 4 years before I was born (the music was recorded on July 28, 29, and 31, 1960). And, although a listener can tell the recording is from this time period, the music is not dated... it's breathtakingly refreshing ... My favorites on this CD are "Molly Malone," and "Seven Daffodils," respectively.

To my mind in the Limeliters' repertoire, this album (and it is one album re-mastered into a CD) is second only to the album entitled, "The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters," which is available as part of a two-album-CD.

I recommend this CD to any folk music lover, any Limeliters fan, or any lover of beautiful vocal harmony. Gorgeous, lush harmonies !

MEMORABLE
As a child, I grew up listening to the Limelighters as my parents had seen their nightclub acts and purchased all their albums. Their songs, which are ballads from across many lands, consist of hilariously funny audience group participation as well as tender songs of love. The Kingston Trio was a fantastic group, but in my mind never held a candle to the genius of the The Limelighters. Lou Gottlieb's quick witted ad-libbing was genius in itself and Alex Hassiliev was the quiet baritone. But Glenn Yarbrough, my favorite, has a clear splendid voice that when accompanied by his beautiful whistling brought forth great tenderness to his ballads of lost loves. This album consists of some of their most memorable songs. My son, also, grew up listening to this tremendous group and now three generations of our family have loved the Limelighters!

SENSATIONAL!
In the early 60's, my Dad hated Folk groups. UNTIL the day Ed Sullivan introduced these guys. And almost overnight, he started BUYING their records. That really says something to me! The Limeliters became a big part of my early years, and I'm sure Lou Gottlieb had a huge influence on the way I think. It's probably hard for today's music listeners to comprehend, but before The Beatles, this singing group was possibly the MOST exciting thing on the American music scene! And to put them in their proper historical context: when they appeared on the same bill during the 70's, The Kingston Trio was the WARM-UP act!

TONIGHT:IN PERSON was their 1st Live album, and their 1st with RCA. There's so much I love here-- great melodies, amazing singing, sharp intelligence & humor. While I ran across this one comparatively "late" (1970!) it's been a favorite of mine for over 30 years now. So many highlights: "There's A Meetin' Here Tonight" (rousing), "Molly Malone" (romantic & tragic), "The Monks Of St. Bernard" (dramatic & hilarious at once), "Hey Li Lee Li Lee" (Lou's "audience-participation" song), "Headin' For The Hills" (one of my favorite historical ballads, about the American Revolution), "Rumania Rumania" (perhaps the most exciting-- and funniest-- on the album) "Have Some Madeira M'Dear" (would this be out of place on Monty Python?) and "Proschai" (the multi-lingual "farewell" song).

The strongest statement I can make about this-- is I feel TONIGHT: IN PERSON is one of the greatest live folk albums EVER recorded. And it's NOT even their BEST one!! (Also check out their Elektra debut, THE LIMELITERS, recently reissued in its entirety on CD by Collector's Choice Music!)

Welcome Back
Thank goodness this marvelous old LP has resurfaced via CD.Of all the folk groups of the 60's, The Limelighters are by far the best---from harmony to humor. It's almost as if I'm there in concert with them again! Glenn Yarbrough's melodic voice shines in "Molly Malone" and "The Far Side Of The Hill".A well done album which I highly recommend to folk music fans. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The accomplished Smither, after 30-odd years of performing and recording, has carved out a distinctive musicality and a close relationship with his audience. This live record makes letter-perfect use of both attributes. A far cry from 1999's excellent but instrumentally diverse Drive You Home Again, this is a spare, intimate recording featuring just guitar and voice. But what a guitar, and oh, what a voice. Gravelly, light, and tuneful, with a plaintive nasal pinch that bleeds wisdom and salvation, he rhymes his storylike lyrics around effortless guitar twangs and a simple tap meter, entertaining very lucky and appreciative live audiences with guile and an astute sense of observation. Songs like "Cave Man," from 1997's Small Revelations, find an easy soulfulness in their unadorned settings, and show off just how skilled Smither's songwriting has become. Other tunes leave an endearing impression of hopeful whimsy, as tracks like "Winsome Smile" trace a lover's almost pathological grip on his precious melancholy. Smither's deserved popularity has landed him in larger and larger venues for the last several years, but this disc reveals the musician's heart is still grounded in those intimate coffeehouses, bars, and sidewalk cafés, where acoustic songcraft has always flourished. --Matthew Cooke ... Read more

Reviews (16)

the man with the blue guitar
Chris Smither live is amazing. Just one guy with an acoustic guitar, apparently. But the way he plays that guitar! Over many years he has honed a truly accomplished folk-blues style that has more density than many bands I've heard. Plus, you notice that board under his feet? He pounds out a rhythm with both feet, adding drums! Of course his songwriting is up there with the best, and his singing is intense and affecting. And funny? He had the crowd cracking up between songs just about every time when I heard/saw him at USU in Logan last fall. This album is the next best thing to Smither live. It also brings together a great sample of his recent work, pointing the listener to his series of 90s Hightone albums (my favorite is "Up On the Lowdown," and "Happier Blue" is marred by synthesizers). What do you miss from his live show? The stories, for one. You get one, just a taste, the story of the New Orleans produce man. You also miss some of his great covers -- Lowell George's "Rock and Roll Doctor," and John Hiatt's "Memphis in the Meantime." So check out this awesome live album, and go see/hear him live the next time he's within 100 miles of you!

THE BEST LIVE SOLO ACT AROUND
You really haven't heard Chris Smither until you've heard him live. He's simply an amazing artist, and one of the best solo acts performing today. The best way to describe his music is it pretty much straddles the fence between folk and blues. All done with acoustic guitars and his two tapping feet he uses as a rhythm section. Believe me when I say, this is all this guy needs. He is a full sounding one man band. Some of my favorite songs off this album are the bluesy "LINK OF CHAIN" and "CAN'T SHAKE THESE BLUES", along with "UP ON THE LOWDOWN", and one of his best songs "I AM THE RIDE". All these songs come from his studio album "UP ON THE LOWDOWN", which I'm partial to because he had a cd release party for this album the night he came through Oklahoma City back in 1995. I got to hear all these songs for the first time in a live setting, which made it that much more special. There was a lot of electricity in the air that night, and that was a concert I will not soon forget. Smither came through the city again in 1996 for the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Concert. Although it was a sad ocassion, when Chris Smither came on that big stage with just him and his guitar, he played the most inspirational set of any of the big name acts that appeared that night. And it made everybody who walked out of the Civic Center Music Hall that night, feeling a little bit better about everything. Everyone should get to see Chris Smither live at least once in their lives. In the meantime, I highly recommend getting this new "live" cd. This guy is a great songwriter, and there isn't a bad tune on here. And it's the next best thing to seeing him live.

Live Smither...sort of
As almost any of the other reviewers will say, you haven't truly experienced the full genius of Chris Smither until you see him live, but "Live As I'll Ever Be" is very much what the title sounds like: an excellent live disc of the living, toe-tapping wonder with the blue guitar. With no intention of prejudice, one might ask in jest, "A middle-aged white guy playing the blues? It can't be!" But Chris Smither's brilliant lyricism and sturdy voice certainly extend beyond all boundaries. Song lyrics that strive for (and acheive) an ethereal sense of grounding glide between the harmonies of fingerpicking that defies comparison. Few recordings can delve as deeply into the psyche as Smither's "Cave Man" or his moving cover of Roland Salley's "Killing the Blues."
Smither himself states it best in his song "Help Me Now": A one man band to the bone.

Concert in a box
My wife introduced me to Chris Smither via his studio albums a number of years ago, but it wasn't until 2001 that I got to see him live. I was absolutely blown away! Although I disagree with the reviewer who doesn't like his studio albums, the live experience is definitely better. A man, a mike, his blue guitar, and his tapping feet - that's all you need!

As someone who grew up on rock rather than blues it really struck me how much better a musician Chris Smither is than anyone else I have seen live (which includes Rush, Primus, and AC/DC as well as Moxy Fruvous, Eddie From Ohio, and Janis Ian - all of whom I like!) He is very charismatic, but what I found most amazing is that while playing these incredible licks he totally ignores his guitar, as opposed to the stereotypical rock guitarist who looks like he is examining the grain on the neck of his guitar during a solo. It's as if C.S. is just twiddling his thumbs, so much is the guitar a part of him.

Do yourself two favors: buy this album, then go see him in person (or vice versa!)

Seems So Dumb to Get So Excited
I've been a fan of Chris Smither since his 1972 "Don't It Drag On" LP. When he blasted "Statesboro Blues" and "Friend of the Devil," it was like having an old friend I never met in my living room. I went back and picked up his "I'm A Stranger Too" from 1970, then he disappeared as a recording artist until 1984 with "It Ain't Easy." These were albums to which I continually returned. If I understand correctly, he was battling his own personal devils with alcoholism. Then he returned in 1991 with his live CD "Another Way to Find You" that covered his recordings to that point. Throughout the 90's he consistently put out excellent CDs, followed recently by the classic "Train Home" that came out this year. "Live As I'll Ever Be" was my #1 CD for the year 2000 on my "Class of 2000" list here on Amazon, but I never reviewed it. I also had never seen Chris live, until last Friday night in Chapel Hill. Chris is the quintessential live performer.

What comes across so amazingly live is the great humor in his songs. When he sings, "Seems so dumb to get so excited," on "Can't Shake These Blues," it's not that it's a comedy song, but just that you get the humor of his great spirit. His facial expressions contort to often express a humble self-effacing guy with wry wit. On Friday he related singing at prison where the inmates were a little wary of him at first. Then after a couple of songs "they figured I just hadn't been caught yet."

This disc is a great representation of his live show. All of the songs on this disc are so strong that it's hard to pick highlights. "Hold On" is a great opener. When he did "The Devil's Real," he said his friends showed up at his concert worried that he'd gotten religion. He assured then he hadn't; and they all left. His closer in Chapel Hill was "Link of Chain" which is a great song with his great penchant for lyrical twists, "Fly me like a kiteline smilin' like a goldmine, I don't need to be right." "No Love Today" with its intro about the vegetable man makes you think this will be a funny song about a street seller until the song hits its great pathos, "I could not love to save myself from lonesome desperation, everything I thought was love was worthless imitation." "Cave Man" boasts a gorgeous melody about the supreme loneliness. Chris' guitar on "Small Revelations" is about as expressive as a guitarist gets balanced by his wistful vocals, "Passion is feeling in motion, compassion is standing still." When Chris adopts a song like Robert Johnson's "Dust My Broom," he encompasses it so completely that it's hard to tell that it from his self-penned pieces. There is also a great universality and worldly wisdom that comes through in Chris' songs like, "I'm not the passenger, I am the ride." One of my favorites is "Up On the Lowdown" with its insistent beat and they great rise in melody when Chris sings "That's what's so surprising."

Chris' set "Live As I'll Ever Be" is a great recording of a man in his element. His guitar is so distinctive that just like I can recognize James Taylor's or George Harrison's guitar as individual as their vocals, so too is Chris' guitar unique. I thought this was the best recording of 2000. Enjoy! ... Read more

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In a manner that their studio albums never could, Peter, Paul & Mary's live performances indicate much of what shot the trio to fame and influence during the folk revival.They were witty, sincere, and engaging entertainers, with strong, smooth voices and a smart sense of vocal dynamics.This record, originally released in 1964, and compiled from various venues, shows the trio at the top of their stylized game, both as individual performers and as a unit.Material includes the opener "Times They Are A-Changin'" and spirituals "Rock My Soul" and "Jesus Met the Woman," as well as the familiar "500 Miles" and "If I Had a Hammer." --Roy Francis Kasten ... Read more

Reviews (9)

I was there.
I saw PP&M at the Honolulu Amphitheater in 1964. They performed most of the songs from this CD. When the concert was over, there was no encore, only applause. Like Elvis, they had already left the building, and sadly, left us wanting more.

Quintessential P, P, and M!
If you like Peter, Paul, Mary at all, you'll love this live album. This album displays their best voices, humor, and solo selections.

Alive and in concert with their audience
This recording captures the energy, diversity of talent and great vocal style of the trio which epitomized the collective folk conscience of the dynamic '60's. Peter, Paul and Mary became the popular mouthpiece of an idealistic generation which had begun to dare to question war and social injustice, spinning their message with the hearty fiber of love songs (requited and not), folk ballads and humor.

Here is a great selection from a repertoire which helped complete the connection between the labor union roots of Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, and Tom Paxton and the contemporary/traditional sounds of the Limeliters and Kingston Trio with the politically-charged lyrics of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs and others.

Variety abounds, from the magical "Puff" to the harmonic "Jesus Met the Woman." From the lonesome call of Mary's lead in "500 miles" to the far-flung wit, self-examination and low-tech special effects of "Paultalk," this collection brings you in and wraps you in the enchantment and sing-along emotion that have been the trademarks of PP and M concerts throughout their careers. And the joy and sorrow and hope translate faithfully in the recordings.

It is unfortunate that "must-have" is such an overused phrase, but it surely applies to this effort. Join in, get your feet tapping and heart-strings jumping, and, "if you do not know the words, you'd better learn them," as Peter chides.

Altogether, a fun bit of time-travel and a good workout for that slightly atrophied folk-lobe in your brain.

One of the great all time live records
Recorded during the heydey of PP&M, this album gives you a feel for why they were so popular, especially live. Hearing the songs, some deadly serious, and others funnily serious, you will know why they were the most popular folk rock band during their day. I stiil think they are the best; although Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, America, The Beatles, Arlo and Woody Guthry, Janis Joplin, King Crimson's Court of the Crimson King, and too many other bands that I can't remeber rival them, they spoke the best for the Baby-Boomer generation. My two favotite tracks are still Paul Talk, especially the golf skit, and Car-Car. Much better than the first best of album.

It's like being right there in the audience
Normally a "live" album by any performer is probably avoided by most listeners. Who wants to hear a stage version when you can have the original releases, right? And I agree, avoiding "live" albums like the plague. This album, though, is one of those rare exceptions. The songs are all clear and legible, with very little audience interuptions while they sang their serious songs. But between the songs....that's where this album really stands out! The interactions between Paul Stokey and Peter Yarrow are priceless, prompting spontaneous laughter and applause from the audience. A few of the songs, though, prompted audience response by design. "Blue", a childrens song parody turned into a rock and roll song, is one of those. In all honesty it is difficult to describe, you just have to hear it to appreciate it. "Oh, Rock My Soul" is an audience participation song. But don't be fooled, PP&M guide the audience through the song so skillfully (and with humor) that it becomes one of the highlights of the album. As for Paul's vocal interlude called "Paultalk", it is absolutely priceless and guarenteed to make you laugh along with the audience. Again, you have to hear it to appreciate it. Trust me on this one, you will not be disappointed! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Unforgettable.
No one who saw Stan Rogers perform will forget the sight of this huge man from the great north singing songs of the sea and of Canada. I saw him several times, including one enchanted summer eve in 1982 at Penn's Landing in Philly, singing "Mary Ellen Carter" while tall ships glided silently up and down the Delaware, showing only their running lights. At the time, not having heard him before, I was astounded that so many in the capacity crowd not only knew the songs but sang along with the chorus. Hear this album and learn why. I never met the man personally, but I was pained when he and many others died in an Air Canada fire (there's a reason why smoking is forbidden in airplane lavatories). IMHO, one of the best live albums, of any genre, ever recorded.

Stan Rogers Own Living Memorial
I drove my wife crazy playing The Mary Ellen Carter over and over again back in the '80s. I'm so pleased that Rogers' albums found their way to CD and can be enjoyed by future generations. His big sweet voice is unique as is the musicianship on this album. Listen to the riffs between the verses. One of the guitarists is Grit Laskin whose career is resurfacing and none to soon. This album should be in the nucleus of anyone's folk music collection along with Joan Baez's early recordings, the original Guthrie Folksay (not Folkways), early Josh White, Cisco Huston, and Logan English's interpretations of Guthrie. This one is deservedly a classic.

Still the Best Introduction to Rogers' Music
This is the Stan Rogers album I heard first, back before his death, and all things considered, I think this incredibly spirited live set is still the best introduction to Rogers' music. Included are the definitive versions of "Barrett's Privateers" and "Mary Ellen Carter," the haunting "First Christmas" (ever a contender as the saddest song ever written), and the thought-provoking lament "Harris and the Mare." And that's not all...

The songs on this album represent Rogers' songwriting talent at full flower and the band is snapping with energy. My only complaint -- gee I wish they'd used a better vocal mic. It's not awful, but fairly typical of the late 70s.

If you like Gordon Lightfoot ...
you will love Stan Rogers. His music runs along the lines of 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. Beautiful and haunting folk songs mostly about the hard life of sailors (The Flowers of Bermuda and Rolling Down to Old Maui). This CD has a unigue track on it - "The White Collar Hollar" - which is a modern 'blues' rant by computer programmers from the time of punch cards. I love it. Also, Harris and the Mare is a great tragic song about a peaceful man who's wife is attacked in a bar and none of his friends came to his aid when the attacker pulled a knife on him. I can't come up with the words to express it's eloquence.

Between the Breaks
What can I say, I love all of Stan Roger's music! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

In addition to being an activist icon, Pete Seeger is also a singularly ingratiating entertainer whose effortless charm and gentle humor give him a natural rapport with children and adults alike. This expanded edition of the much-loved Children's Concert at Town Hall adds nine songs not on the original 1962 LP, and includes such favorites as "Skip to My Lou," "I've Been Working on the Railroad," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal," and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." Seeger's easygoing charisma is in force throughout, making this refreshingly non-condescending fun for all. --Scott Schinder ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Pete Seeger is Great
A Pete Seeger concert is a special moment in time. This recording does awonderful job capturing such a moment at NYC's Town Hall 1962.Here we find Pete Seeger at his best, playing songs for children and theiradults friends. . The charm of Seeger is that he entertains and teaches atthe same time. Whether he's chopping wood on stage, singing about frogs
(Foolish Frog ) or monsters (Abiyoyo ) Pete is great .Like a child ,Seegeris honest, sincere and real. In a world that offers very little in the way of recorded music for children Pete at Town Hall is a must have recording for children of all ages.

hard to believe this is four decades old!
This is the only Pete Seeger CD we have, so I can't compare it to other ones, but I can assure you that this one is GREAT! It's got a lot of songs, some familiar, some not, some short, some long, all delightful. Pete's banter with the audience is gently humorous, very engaging and frames the songs nicely. This isn't exactly a "lullaby" CD and yet my son (almost 3) loves, loves, loves to fall asleep to this at night. I think he finds Pete's talking and singing very comforting -- perhaps because this is a live CD, the experience of listening to it is more human and intimate than it would be with a studio recording. Another thing that makes this CD appealing to children is that Pete makes funny (and not irritating) animal noises, vehicle noises (depending on the song) and other kinds of noises as well -- he uses sound like a prop, making each song vivid for his listeners.
Enjoy!

Fabulous, I grew up on this!
Pete Seeger's voice is warm and pleasing for kids. Album includes a raft of classic American folk tunes, the ones I sing to myself and also use to lull the kids to sleep. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One of the best and most timeless.
Great album. It makes you want to get up and get those happy feet going. I saw him at St. Bonaventure University in the late 70's. One of the best concerts I have ever seen.

Why only four stars? Not only did the nitwits break up a great double album, but Amazon doesn't let you sample the songs added to each of the cd's. It makes me think that I should just buy the software that allows me to copy vinyl LP's to cd instead of trying the additions.

bromberg's best !!
this is easily David Bromberg's best album
which has something on it for every musical
taste. The versatility of the musicians is
amazing and their skills are very apparent on
a great mixture of acoustic/electric country, folk,
blues and rock tunes.I have seen David Bromberg about
3 times; the first as an oppening act for Dicky Betts.
This was easily one of the BEST concerts I ever heard
and seen.... must of been true for Dicky too!! He was
so drunk (Bromberg probably scared the pants off Betts)
he couldn't play at all. As a matter of fact, he couldn't
even tune his guitar. To sum it up... GET THIS CD !!

Why did they split the album up?
How Late'll Ya Play Til? was my favorite Bromberg release on vinyl, but I'm still mystified by this particular release. Half of Bromberg's discography is now being released on CD with 2 albums combined on one disc. But here we have Bromberg's only double album, and lo...it's released as 2 discs.

Somebody SHOOT the marketing department.

Now you know why I only gave it 4 stars. That being said, tho', everyone do what you must in order to own a copy of "Will Not Be Your Fool". Worth the price of admission. Even when you have to pay twice.

Good but...
To really experience the David Bromberg Band you would have had to have seen one of his concerts in the late 1970's and early 1980's when he really put on some show. I have seen nearly every great guitarist live except for Eric Clapton and I still remember two of the four times I saw Bromberg as being two of the best concerts I ever attended.

How Late'll Ya Play 'Til?, Vol. 1, Live [LIVE]
This piece is dated by language and references but remains constant in the display of versatility and range of style that Bromberg has mastered. His rendenitions of traditional blues tunes with a Dixieland treatment or a simple slide guitar demonstrates his comfort with himself, his material, and with a variety of musicians capable of leading him or being led. The man is the master of a variety of stringed instrument and very few musicians compare to him. ... Read more

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There was a time when Dar Williams flubbed her chords, forgot herlyrics, and could only make it through a set due to the enthusiastic support ofher fans. Now she's a seasoned and poised folk-rocker and a mesmerizing liveperformer, although this recording fails to reflect it. Sadly, her magneticpersonality and energy seem lost here. Recorded during her 2000 tour behindThe Green World, OutThere Live too often falls short of both her lush studio recordings and hervibrant stage performances. Although upbeat numbers like "As Cool As I Am" and"Are You Out There?" nearly summon the patented Williams charm and verve, hermore plaintive, quiet songs, such as "February," "End of the Summer," and "WhenI Was a Boy," sound exhausted and flat. No new songs or covers are included,most arrangements vary only slightly from existing studio recordings, andWilliams frequently sounds downright bored. Her endearing stage banter iscaptured in a few song introductions, but it is not enough to carry an albumthat will please only die-hard fans. --Sally Weinbach ... Read more

Reviews (25)

excellent album
I first encountered the music of Dar Williams in college. I was flitting around looking for new music in the shared directory and ran across some Dar songs. I was very impressed. I like the folk sound to her music and I ran across some songs that became some of my favorites: "As Cool As I Am", "The Christians and the Pagans", "What Do You Hear in These Sounds," and "Are You Out There". I wanted to buy one of her cds, but the songs I loved were all on different albums. Then I found the live album that works like a greatest hits album. The songs that I love were on the album...and I also got a chance to experience some more great songs, including "The Babysitter's Here". I've never seen Dar Williams in concert, so I can't comment on the live experience compared to the live album....but I'm very glad I bought this.

For diehard Dar Williams fans
I personally really enjoyed this live album from Dar Williams. I haven't seen her live yet so this album is a real treat for me. All the songs on this album are my favorite Dar Williams songs like "After All", "Spring Street", "As Cool as I Am", and "End of the Summer". Hearing those songs live added a rawness to the songs that I just didn't hear on the studio versions. I thoroughly enjoyed the intros to "I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono", "Are You Out There", and "The Babysitter's Here". The intros almost reminded me some of the dialogue off Ani Difranco's "Living in Clip" which I found to be quite eery. I thought the intros added a nice touch to the album. Normally I don't care for live albums with the exception for "Living in Clip" and now "Out There Live". Although there isn't a song I haven't heard before by Dar on this album, I honestly enjoyed listening to it. Not a single dud on this cd.

opened my mind...
Dar Williams...beautiful strong feminine voice. This album moved me more than almost anything else that I have listened to in the past year. Hearing her live is exciting because it is raw and beautiful, not overlayed with unwanted information. It is true, honest and beautiful. This album truly brings across the idea of live performance. It is crisp, yet not overdone. I can honestly say there is not one track on this album that I do not like.

She's amazing, but...
I first discovered Dar at a concert in Snowmass Village, near Aspen Colorado. I had never heard of her in my life, being from Australia, but I went along anyway and was completely mesmerized! From "Iowa" to "What do you hear in these sounds" I couldn't believe her cool, honest lyrics and voice. I got "The end of the summer" and love it, but the live album wasn't so great--I recommend her others, as each wonderful song is given more clarity in her other albums.

just TRY not to cry!
A good friend of mine is obsessed with Dar's music, and burnt me this CD. I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but I gave it a try anyway, just to be polite. What followed was one of the most haunting and harrowing musical experiences I've ever had. Ms. Williams is perhaps the finest songwriter in modern music, and I'm not forgetting giants like Rob Thomas and Tori Amos. Her lyrics touch me so deeply, and she forms such strong melodies, that I sure that while she isn't so popular now, in a hundred years she will not be forgotten. In my opinion the standout track is "February," but "Iowa," "Are Your Out There?" and "The End of The Summer" are almost as brilliant. I will never tire of Dar's music, and tears will never fail to jump to my eyes at this lyric in "February":

"And I tried to remember,
But I said, 'What's a Flower?'
You said, 'I still love you.'"

I would give this ten thousand stars if I could. What an experience! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The passing of folk-music pillar Woody Guthrie was fresh on the minds of the participants in the first of the two concerts that make up this live tribute recording. Guthrie had died of Huntington's disease in the fall of 1967; the following January, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, and several other Woody apostles gathered to perform the folk legend's songs at Carnegie Hall. In September of 1970, a second gathering convened in the Hollywood Bowl, this one headlined by Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, and others. Originally released separately on two records, this CD brings both concert recordings together on one brimming CD. Highlights include Dylan and the Band's rowdy reinterpretations of "I Ain't Got No Home," "Dear Mrs. Roosevelt," and "The Grand Coulee Damn" as well as Jack Elliott's "1913 Massacre," Odetta's "Ramblin' Round," and Tom Paxton's "Pastures of Plenty." Readings by actors Will Geer, Robert Ryan, and Peter Fonda from Guthrie's prose link the two concerts into a cohesive whole that Guthrie aficionados will find irresistible. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (4)

In 20th Century America, folk singing meant Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie was America's troubadour, plain and simple, the man whose picture goes with the encyclopedia entry on "Folk Singer." Like the poets who recited Homer in ancient Greece, Guthrie recreated his songs as he performed then, changing then as occasion demanded and memory allowed. As performed by those who came in his formidable wake, such as Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Odetta and Joan Baez, the songs of Woody Guthrie probably sound better than they ever did before, but their authenticity still rings through and that is what makes them powerful. The concerts from which these performances were taken were intended as celebrations of Guthrie's work. The program was developed by Millard Lampell, who had been a member of the Almanac Singers with Guthrie, and who created a script from Guthrie's songs and writings (narration is provided by Will Geer, Robert Ryan and Peter Fonda). Lampell also wrote the liner notes about Guthrie, "A little guy sloping down a dusty road, looking for something he couldn't name."

Guthrie wrote so many songs that I have no doubt there will be many tracks on this album you have never heard before. My favorite is Tom Paxton's version of "Pastures of Plenty," although I also like the section on the Pacific Northwest, where Bob Dylan sings about "The Grand Coulee Dam" and Judy Collins leads the audience in "Roll on Columbia," while Robert Ryan's narration fills in the gaps. Plus, of course, there is something fundamentally enjoyable about hearing Arlo Guthrie sings his father's songs. This 2-record set on highlights from concerts at Carnegie Hall in 1968 and the Hollywood Bowl in 1970 was condensed to a single CD by eliminating three songs, all of which were written by the artists who performed them rather than Guthrie. All this means is that nothing important was lost in the transition. "A Tribute to Woody Guthrie" is a necessary part of any serious collection of American folk music.

incredible superstar gathering
Amazing! Baez, Collins, Dylan, Paxton and so many more folk rock icons, all in one fabulous concert recording. The singing and playing are uniformly impassioned and excellent, with some of the greatest performances of Woody Guthrie songs ever, in particular Judy Collins singing Deportee so movingly, Tom Paxton brilliantly performing the mock epic Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done, a great Grand Coulee Dam by Dylan himself, and the list goes on and on. The sound quality is pretty good, but the performances are in a class by themselves. Strongly recommended for all lovers of folk music.

must-own cd!
This cd is excellent and makes a wonderful gift for any music lover. I have played and bought this cd for many friends and all who heard it loved it. The cd contains songs and narrative written by Woody Guthrie but performed at two tribute concerts after his death by artists including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, and more. The background music is provided by The Band. Woody Guthrie's songs on this album, while not all happy by any means, bring out a sense of pride in the listener for our country, for the workingman, for injustices and tragedies suffered and survived. He sings and speaks of many sorrowful things such as the sufferings of migrant workers, miners, hoboes, and the "poor and downtrodden" but the overall message is one of pride and hard work, and love and compassion for your fellow man. I can put on this album when I'm sad or frustrated, or sense myself letting the petty every-day problems of life get me down, and the soul-wrenching folk music of Woody Guthrie never fails to put things back in perspective and a smile back on my face. This is one of my all-time favorite albums that I believe everyone should own!

diverse voices bring alive Woody Guthrie's dustbowl songs
One of my favorite albums. Woodie Guthrie wrote true folk songs. The diverse voices of currently-celebrated folk singers honor his impact on American music. You get a folk sampler of these many talented voices, plus a whirlwind tour of depression-era history, workingman sentiment, politics, etc. The songs are emotionally powerful, spanning a full range from joyous celebration or playful humor to righteous anger or heartbreaking pathos. ... Read more

Amazon.com

These live recordings find the seminarian-turned-new-folkie in hiselement: playing before an attentive, enthusiastic audience in his native NewJersey and New York, spinning mythic stories of fateful battlefields, hauntedtruckers, and visionary saints and lovers alike. Fronting an easygoing band ofexpert pickers, Richard Shindell turns in surprisingly solid covers ofLittle Feat andBruce Springsteen tunes.Cry, Cry, Cry partnerLucy Kaplansky wrapsShindell's nasal, sinewy delivery in subtle harmonies, pushing the best of thesesongs, including "Next Best Western" and his finest, most poignant take onrelationships, "Are You Happy Now," past previously recorded versions. As anintroduction to Shindell's spiritual lyricism and as a live document forlongtime fans, Courier is a cache of reflective, gently glowing gems.--Roy Kasten ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Nice guys finish first!
Richard Shindell is a great songwriter in style which seems to have fallen out of favor. Lately, it seems one must write ironic, sometimes mean-spirited songs to be regarded as a "sophisticated" songwriter. Richard has always written sincere, emotionally complex songs which are ultimately good-hearted. There is humor in his songs, but it's of a gentle kind. These songs are not full of misanthropy and self-loathing a la Elvis Costello.

Listening to these songs on one disc, performed by a cracker-jack band drives home the point what an amazing talent Shindell really is. Every song is A-list material. He smartly groups them: a "triology of trucker" songs, a few of his wonderfully evocative "war" songs, and of course his challenging religious material, sprinkled with some poignant and funny relationship songs. The only thing this album lacks compared to his recent studio albums is thematic coherence--- but the sheer amount of great songs still makes this the best single Richard Shindell disc available, since the songs also sound better sonically and musically than the studio cuts, thanks to an ace live band and fantastic recording.

Highlights? Well, "Are you happy now?" remains the best break up song ever written and sounds better than ever. "the next Best Western" is simply awe-inspiring in its majesty and saddness. Like the best songs, Shindell's insinuate rather than explain. As a result, they remain full of mystery, tinged with regret, and flirt with redemption. For instance, why did the narrator of "Kenworth of My Dreams" leave his old life behind? Who knows. The hint is given in how he deals with country love songs on the radio. These characters are complex creatures, full of puzzles. The narrator of "Reunion Hill", "Sea of Fleur Du Lis"... all trying to figure out how to find meaning and redemption, be it in love, war, religion. or the roar of a semi engine.

This wonderful disc makes a case for Shindell as easily one of the best songwriters of the last decade.

! ! ! Best album yet ! ! !
This is definitely Richard Shindell's best album yet even though it is a live reprise of his studio work.

I'm not normally a fan of live recordings because you end up hearing the room and the not performer. Not so here -- in fact, definitely one of the better live albums out there when it comes to sound quality.

While most of Richard's studio cd's have been fairly restrained -- just Richard and his guitar (which is something I normally gravitate toward) -- this album sports a small band. Occassionaly overly poppy (Next Best Western) and sometimes over exuberant (Arrowhead) the band really does the trick and adds just the right amount of support to Richard's songs. Courier (the first track) is just amazing -- quintessential Richard Shindell. Not leaving out Lucy's harmonies: they are just right -- really nice.

Even though there aren't any new songs on this album, it is indeed the best one yet. There's something about the presence and the delivery, filled in by the band that really wraps it all up in a nice tight little package.

This could be the only Richard Shindell album you ever own but you'll like this so much you'll buy the rest of them too.

RICHARD SHINDELL'S "COURIER" - A TRIUMPHANT TROUBADOR
Few artists can successfully translate the strength and intimacy of a live performance onto a CD, but Richard Shindell is just the sort of rare singer/songwriter who does just that. His CD, titled "COURIER" was recorded live in New York and New Jersey, and the excitement of those performances is beautifully captured on this album. The CD opens with the title track "COURIER"-a strong foksy work told in the typical Shindell style of first person narrative. With such an impressive work as the number one track, some might worry that the rest of the CD may pale in comparison.On the contrary, it continues to get better and better with each passing song. Not only is Shindell's voice rich and expressive, but his writing is so insightful that one is reminded of other greats like Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman. His themes are serious-lost love (as told in "Memory of You" and "Nora",), War (as exhibited in the magnificent "Reunion Hill") and Prejudice ( in the song "Fishing"). Yet, Shindell's keen sense of humor helps to keep the work from being too mired down in the maudlin. For instance, in his crowd-pleasing "Are You Happy Now", he speaks about his lover who abandoned him on, of all days, Halloween. He writes "What was I supposed to do/But to sit there in the dark/ I was amazed to think that you/ took the candy with you too". By laughing through his pain, Shindell's angst becomes more powerful without being overpowering. Richard Shindell is an engaging performer with a rock-solid voice that is nothing short of mesmerizing, yet his greater talent is his writing. He weaves such intricate tales in a few perfectly chosen words...a true poet, as witnessed in such Shindell classics as "The Next Best Western" and "A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress", that it is little wonder that Richard Shindell's work has become a staple on other's recordings, most notably Joan Baez, whose covers of "Reunion Hill" and "Fishing" truly bring out the genius of the work. On "COURIER", Richard Shindell is blessed with some fine back up musicians and singers, including John Putnam on guitar, Denny McDermott on drums, Lincoln Schleifer on bass, and the ethereal Lucy Kaplansky lending her lilting country folk voice as a perfect foil to Shindell's powerful tones. There are no missteps on this recording...only brilliant writing in the true folk tradition, presented in a straight-on manner that is certain to please.

Get this AFTER you get the studio versions
We grabbed this CD on our way out of a store in Ashland, thinking it to be a "greatest hits" (which in a sense it is) & were surprised to find that a) it is a "live" album & b) Shindell live sounds very different from Shindell "canned". I'm not saying its not good, but if you expect to hear things one way & then get them very differently it may put you off. It would also have been fun to have a bit more background "chat" to some of the songs -I haven't actually seen Shindell, so perhaps he doesn't do this, but I always find a bit of by-play with the audience a fun ingredient of both concerts & live albums. All that being said, there are some great songs here & the recording quality is very good indeed, SOO, if you are already a fan, you will want to grab this.

One of the better live albums I have heard in recent years
A couple of years ago I went to go hear Dar Williams in concert on a college campus, where she appeared with Richard Shindell, who both "opened" the concert and performed with her as well. This was right before both artists had the good fortune of having Joan Baez cover some of their songs on her album; in fact, Shindell left the concert tour to go open for Baez in Europe, if I remember correctly. Since both artists have live albums available I picked them both up to recreate the fun of that night (which ended with me picking up copies of Shindell's first three albums).

The album title is taken from the opening song, "The Courier," which obviously serves as a metaphor for Shindell as a singer-songwriter. Initially I was somewhat disappointed that this concert recording does not contain any of the memorable introductions Shindell gave to his songs (especially "Are You Happy Now?" and his trucker twins, "Next Best Western" and "The Kenworth of My Dreams"). The liner notes are unusual for a live album in that they include all of the lyrics for these songs, which certainly makes sense give Shindell's talents as a lyricist. But I do wish that some of the stories behind the songs had made their way into the album as well.

This is one of the better live recordings I have heard in a while, after a whole bunch of disappointments in that regard (e.g., the Dar Williams album); I am talking just about the technical aspects of capturing the artist's sound (tip of the cap to Ben Wisch). What I found most interesting about this album is that Shindell makes many of these songs sound differently from how we first heard them on the albums, not through instrumentation, but through how he sings them. The best example of this is "Reunion Hill," which he sings with a new, elegant simplicity. Lucy Kaplansky's voice is used to create some nice new harmonies on a few songs and the album closes with a nice cover of Springsteen's "Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)." Another way of thinking about this is that Shindell was in damn fine voice the night(s) he was recorded. This is not what I would call a great live album, just an incredibly solid one that should impress you whether this is your first or just your latest exposure to Richard Shindell. ... Read more