Reviews (44)

Living Under Jann
Jann Arden's LIVING UNDER JUNE was one of her many artistic triumphs. This one fueled some of her biggest hits in her entire career, the song "Insensitive" became an anthem of sorts with its tongue in cheek lyrics and the self-reliazation that it was over before it started. "Could I Be Your Girl" is both catchy and captivating. Perhaps the most poignant and beautiful song on the album is "Good Mother". Jann describes it as a silly song, but it invoken many beautiful things inside her heart. However this song became an anthem for mother's everywhere, with its simple message, and became one of her most known songs as well. The duet with Jackson Browne on "Unloved" is such a beautiful inspired song. Other highlights on here include "Demolition Love", "Looking For It", "Living Under June" and "It Looks Like Rain". Jann has a unique voice both musically and lyrically, she has a pure voice which so full of emotion, and her lyrics are so abstract and beautiful. I think that she's a very deep artist who expresses herself very strongly, melodically, and plays incredibly well with great emotion.

Living Speechless!
Jann Arden has created a masterpiece with this CD! I, like many who bought this CD, was reeled in after falling in love with "Insenstive." Is is a great song, but I couldn't have guessed that the rest of the CD would be as good. From start to finish, Jann weaves passion into every lyric and her melodies are gorgeous. Others have compared her to many of the "alterna-femme-lilith cult" types, but I believe she deserves a place all to herself. The duet with Jackson Browne, "Unloved," is a beautiful word of hope to all who've had loss and made mistakes, and "Good Mother," with its anthmic chorus is a song that praises the works of a wonderful perosn as well as proclaims that there is always something to be thakful for. I wish Jann had more success in the US-- we're definitely missing out!!! Buy this disc and you won't be disappointed!!

"What A Gift She Has For You, And Me!"
Jann Arden' "Living Under June" just may be the closest thing to musical perfection that can be achieved here on this earthly world.

Boy, I'd hate to think that I'd have to actually go to the "great beyond" to find out for sure. Thank Goodness I don't have to, I can stay right here and listen to her terrific music right here on earth.

She (Ms. Arden) grabs your attention from the very first song, "Can I Be Your Girl", and she then proceeds to take you for a total musical experience that you soon won't forget.

Her melodic haunting vocal phrasing, and the deep heartfelt emotional delivery on her other songs like "Demolition Love", "Insensitive", "Gasoline", and "Wonderdrug" left me speechless, but clearly humming her songs for days.

The pure musical enjoyment that I got from this album ("Living Under June") has lead me to purchase several more of Ms. Arden' CD's.

For the record, she has had me "in her grasp" as a big fan ever since I first heard her music seven years ago, and I know that you'll enjoy this CD just as much as I did. Be prepared to be a loyal Jann Arden devotee.

jann Arden albums
I have purchased all of Jann Ardens albums & I have loved every one of them. I would recommend her to anyone who likes Tara MacLean & Sarah Maclachlan.
Worth every cent
BB Chrissy

Surprisingly Good Country/Folk CD
If Jann Arden's "Living Under June" hadn't been on sale, I doubt I would have given it a second look at the record store where I bought it awhile back. Although I was vaguely familiar with her music--namely "Could I Be Your Girl," "Insensitive," and "Good Mother," which played on the radio quite a bit about a decade ago, and are among my favorite picks on here--I never really considered purchasing any of her music, mainly because I'm not much of a country/folk fan. This CD is as close to country/folk as I like to get, but I have to admit this a surprisingly good CD. It's great to unwind to. Jann has a wonderfully soothing, mellow voice and is a natural songwriter. If you like such music, then this CD is definitely worth a listen. Lyrics are included in the booklet of all the songs, except for the bonus track, #11: "I Would Die For You." ... Read more

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On his second Philo release, singer-songwriter Slaid Cleaves builds a bridge between New England, where he grew up, and Texas, where he now lives. Cleaves's voice often affects a yearning quality reminiscent of traditional Irish music, and his songs are populated by the sort of tragic characters familiar to old folk ballads. In "Cold and Lonely," a poor farmer grieves for his dead wife and children, while the narrative "Breakfast in Hell" is a Canadian logger's answer to "John Henry."The suffering takes a more personal turn in "One Good Year," where Cleaves laments, "It's a bitter wind, in your face every day / It's the little sins, that wear your soul away." But just when the downcast mood begins to grow oppressive, Cleaves comes back with the defiant "Bring It On" and the redemptive "This Morning I Am Born Again," featuring Woody Guthrie's amazing lyrics set to new music. Austin-based producer Gurf Morlix , known for his long association with Lucinda Williams, contributes spare and evocative instrumental textures. --Rick Mitchell ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Cleaving to Slaid
This album sneaks up on you. You're taken in by the melodies of "Broke Down," "One Good Year," and "Horseshoe Lounge," but you soon find yourself (after repeated playings) longing to hear "Lydia," "Bring It On," and the witty, humorous "Key Chain" (a necessary addition to the CD given the dark atmosphere of the other songs). Then, when you've enjoyed those tunes repeatedly, you get hooked on "Breakfast in Hell," a great epic verse, and "This Morning I Was Born Again," a superb Woody Guthrie lyric that Cleaves writes great music for. Add to the mix a Del McCoury remake (excellent harmonies), and all of a sudden it hits you that you're listening to ONE GREAT CD! I haven't tired of playing it yet. The only cut I could do without is "Cold and Lonely," which is so utterly without hope that I wonder why Cleaves was intent on placing the song on a CD full of characters who still retain some hope. I do find the melody appealing (in a dark sort of way), but "Cold and Lonely" is the one cut (the ONLY cut!) I don't mind skipping over. All in all, this is a first-rate CD. I'd highly recommend it to any country, folk or bluegrass fans!

Truly Excellent
Slaid Cleaves' Broke Down is the finest album I've heard in some time. It's a combination of strong melodies, haunting lyrics and simplicity that recalls Freedy Johnston, a more tuneful approach to themes on Springsteen's 'Nebraska' and Steve Earle's work on Guitar Town. The title cut and 'One Good Year' are so strong that they could carry the record alone, but there's more. The lament of 'Horseshoe Lounge,' the despair of 'Cold and Lonely', and the confidence of 'Bring it On,' bear multiple listnings. 'Lydia' sounds like it could've been lifted off a Freedy Johnston record and Slaid's version of Woody Guthrie's 'This morning I was Born Again' offers hope among some of the tougher tunes. "Key Chain" brings to mind Carl Perkins -all in all great listening. My only reason for not giving the CD five stars is that I find after one or two listenings I skip over the story-in-a-song Breakfast in Hell. Still, my advice is run don't walk to get this CD.

One of the best around
This album is astonshingly good. The more I listen to it the more I am blown away.

McCabe's #6 - Slaid Cleaves 05-23-2004
This is a review of Slaid's concert at McCabe's in Santa Monica on Sunday 05-23-2004. He was simply incredible, playing his signature blend of Folk-rock & Alt/Country with his touring band (His fellow guitarist Michael O'Conner ROCKED!) He played most of this album along with songs from his latest album "Wishbone". My favorites of the night were the title track (Lots of airplay on Sirius Disorder // 24 satellite channel) and 'Bring It On' - also a staple of Sirius' and NPR radio. The encore brought Slaid alone with his guitar, playing a unplugged piece from his new album called 'New Year's Day'. After the concert - he signed my copy of "Broke Down" with his inscription "For Joe, Slaid Cleaves 2004". I told him he was the first artist that I heard over Sirius Satellite Radio, and he was happy to hear that. He told me he was 'thinking' of satellite radio, I told him to go "Sirius". He said he would look into it. Thanks Slaid!! JG

Would be songwriter in search of a melody...none found.
At first I thought the lyrics were promising, then realized they only seem much better than they are because of the god-awful, mindless, endlessly repetitive naryl,naryl,naryl,nothingness of anything resembling a memorable musical phrase. How this collection got wasted onto perfectly good plastic boggles the mind. Whatever happened to the kind of music that Webb Pierce, Hank Williams,Johny Cash,etc. produced? I'll have to send these bowl floaters back to Rounder for a refund. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

She began her career as a folk formalist. Her clear, clean diction and perfect pitch wedded to both age-old folk songs and modern upstarts (Dylan, Eric Andersen) cast her as an immediate authority. With In My Life and Wildflowers she began to shift away from pure folk and into art song. Arranged and conducted by Joshua Rifkin, the disc's orchestration adds a suitable grace to Collins's high seriousness. Joni Mitchell's two compositions are further softened, while Leonard Cohen's three songs sound positively biblical. Toss in a Jacques Brel piece and a 14th-century Italian ballad, and you have the perfect formation of Collins's aesthetic before it congealed in the middle of the road. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Judy Collins becomes more of a vocal artist, emphasis on art
For starters, the shot of Judy Collins on "Wildflowers" is probably my favorite album cover and the music inside matches the tranquil field of yellow flowers it displays. Collins started out as one of the premier interpretive folksingers of her generation, along with Joan Baez, but by the time this 1967 album was released she was becoming much more of a vocal artist. Given her gloriously pure soprano voice, this certainly made sense. There are still traditional folk songs, although "A Ballata of Francesco Landini Lasso!" presents the broadest definition of traditional possible, but there are more contemporary songs as well. Listen to Collins' soaring voice on a pair of Joni Mitchell songs, "Michael From Mountains" and "Both Sides Now." There are also a trio of songs by Leonard Cohen along with an equal number of original compositions by Collins. The latter evince a sense of meditation and spirituality that defined her music during this period of her career. The only substantial complaint against "Wildflowers" is that the album is just a little more than a half-hour long, which means you could have combined it with either the album that came before it, "In My Life," or after it, "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," to come up a more substantial CD. But that is a minor complaint all things considered.

Wildflowers
Correction on your track list #8 should be SKY fell, not SHY.

Essential Judy Collins
Judy Collins is by now one of America's most enduring popular singers. "Wildflowers," along with "In My Life," "Whales and Nightingales" and one or two other albums, represents her particular sensibility in its best light. She started as a strong-voiced folk performer of a distinctly challenging bent. By "Wildflowers" her voice had become higher and lighter in timbre, and her repertory had broadened to include songwriters as diverse as Brel, Mitchell, Cohen and herself. One appreciates after thirty-plus years the quality of the material she chose, and the intricacy and intelligence of the lyrics, even if at times they seem somewhat precious. The beautiful orchestrations by Joshua Rifkin also still give much pleasure. In general the songs on this album do not cover as wide an emotional range as on some of her other discs, tending uniformly toward the gentle and contemplative. On the other hand, they play better to her particular vocal and interpretive strengths. For me, this remains my favorite Collins album.

Classic Collins!
What can one say about an album that so closely approaches perfection? There are no weak links in these recordings. For those who would purchase this album for the hits included, the rest of the songs will be a revelation. My favorite on here was always "La Chanson Des Vieux Amants".

For me, this is 'transportation' music. It can carry me back to the time of its release in an instant. This music is so very, very far from what is done today; the reproduction on CD lends a sonic immediacy that truly wasn't present even on the original LP.

I have yet to hear the younger generation of performers approach the honesty, the clarity, or the emotion of this era.

AN Amazing Album By The Rising Judy Collins!
I remember seeing Judy in concert in the quite informal setting of Avaloch, a wonderful sylvan natural amphitheater that all the folk stars from Collins to Joan Baez to Kris Kristoferson to Tom Rush to James Taylor performed at in Lenox Massachusetts in the summers of 1970. Sadly, it is now the site of a ritzy set of summer condominiums for the New York summertime Berkshires crowd. Yet I can still recall hearing Judy with that magical soaring voice of hers warming up on stage with "Amazing Grace" as we filed onto the grass, and the song so echoed and reverberated over the warm humid airwaves that he older folks at Tanglewood, some six or seven miles way, complained about the noisome interruption. It became an inside joke that Collins, Baez and others would playfully aggravate when performing for the very mellow crowd of counterculture fans. I recall a certain sweet aroma wafting through the air, too, and it wasn't the smell of cotton candy.

Of course, it probably goes without saying that I love most of the songs on this album, from the opening cover of "Michael From Mountains" to her own beautifully and lyric "Since You've Asked" to two back to back Leonard Cohen classics, "Sisters Of Mercy and "Priests". Cohen's haunting and evocative lyrics are masterfully interpreted by Collins, an early champion of his amazingly poetic folk songs. Of course, the song propelling the sales of the album was her number one hit song, "Both Sides Now", a song that literally dominated the charts for months. I love her amazing vocal work in "Albatross", and one can almost feel the rush of emotion in the song as she advances through it. Finally, I still think her interpretation of Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Good-bye" is one of the best songs she ever recorded. This is an early snapshot of a one of the titans of modern American folk music, taken just as she reached the peak of her awesome vocal and collaborative talents. It is one sure to please the most discriminating of well-trained folk ears, and one I am sure you will come to treasure as much as I do. Enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Breakthrough Album - One Of The Best!
If You Could Read My Mind was the breakthrough album (and single) for Gordon Lightfoot as a singer. This was his first album since switching from United Artists to Warner Brothers and what is today the title song was his first US chart single (reached #5 on Billboard).

The mix of If You Could Read My Mind on this album is actually different from the version on Gord's Gold. The latter is the mix used on the single that was released after the album, and as a result of the song's radio popularity. The single and the version on Gord's Gold have harmony vocals (by Lightfoot) which are not on this original album cut.

The original title song, Sit Down Young Stranger, remains one of Lightfoot's most compelling topical ballads, and one of a handful of "anti-war" songs that he wrote back in the 60s and early 70s. If you've never heard this one - or especially if you have - the album is worth buying for just this one magificent song!

Other outstanding songs on the ! album include Minstrel Of The Dawn, Lightfoot's cover of Kris Kristofferson's Me And Bobby McGee, and The Pony Man, a favorite of children of all ages.

My review title says it all: this album is one of the best!

His first Reprise album is definitely one of his best albums
This album, originally released in 1970 under the title "Sit Down Young Stranger," is one of Gordon's best albums overall. The instrumentation is very sparse in that it has no drums and has very few electric instruments overall, in other words, it is a mostly acoustic album with a few songs with well arranged strings. Besides the original title track and the current title track, If You Could Read My Mind, which was his first top 40 hit here in the US, other highlights on the album include a cover of Me & Bobby McGee, Minstrel of the Dawn, Saturday Clothes, Your Love's Return, Approaching Lavender, The Pony Man but the whole album is great. Like many of his WB albums from his heyday, it was produced by Lenny Waronker and Joe Wissert. During its run on the charts, due to the popularity of "If You Could Read My Mind, the album would later go on and sell over 1 million copies under the new title of the album, If You Could Read My Mind. Notable guest appearances include Ry Cooder playing the bottleneck guitar on Me & Bobby McGee and the Mandolin on another great song on the album, Cobwebs & Dust, John Sebastian, of Lovin' Spoonful fame playing the electric guitar on Baby It's Allright, the autoharp on Saturday Clothes, and the Harmonica on The Pony Man, Randy Newman arranging the strings on Minstrel of The Dawn and Approaching Lavender and frequent Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks playing the Harmonium on Cobwebs & Dust. For someone who hasn't yet heard his music and for longtime fans, this is a must have.

Great Album!!!
Gorden Lightfoot is awesome!!! My dad convinced me years ago to buy this album (on cassette tape), and it instantly became my favorite. Since the age of CD's I haven't listened to it much, since it was a tape. However I just bought a car that only had a cassette player and I started listening to it again. Obviosly I listened to it too much since the tape just broke off the reels and its driving me crazy not to be able to listen to it now!!!! Anyways, I'm about to buy it on CD now, and you should too. You won't regrete it.

Timeless
Released in 1970, Gordon Lightfoot's first album after signing with Reprise remains one of his most enduring. Retitled from Sit Down Young Stranger after "If You Could Read My Mind" became a hit, the album reveals a songwriter of increasing depth and maturity. The title track, which to me remains the most powerful "breakup song" I've ever heard, is a showpiece, of course--but this is an album filled with showpieces. Featuring the beautiful ensemble playing of Red Shea on lead guitar and Rick Haynes on bass, the album also features guest appearances by Ry Cooder and John Sebastian, and some very tasteful, unobtrusive string arrangements (on "Minstrel of the Dawn," for example, the strings are scored by Randy Newman). The album is beautifully produced by Lenny Waronker and Joe Wissert--guitars are crisp and rich, the vocals have presence and depth. You'll find a terrific cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" on this CD: Lightfoot doesn't do many covers, but, when he does, he sings them like he wrote them. Other highlights include "Minstrel of the Dawn," "Sit Down Young Stranger," "The Pony Man," and...oh heck--the whole album is just one long highlight! Buy it!

Lightfoot's Breakthrough
If You Could Read My Mind was originally released in 1970 under the title of Sit Down Young Stranger. The album generated little action as Canadian Gordon Lightfoot's previous albums had. Then in 1971, the hauntingly beautiful ballad "If You Could Read My Mind" became a top ten hit, the album was re-released with the new title to capitalize on the popularity of the song. This started a good run of chart success for Mr. Lightfoot. The rest of the album is equally as strong as the title track. "Minstrel Of The Dawn" is a great track as is "Cobwebs & Dust". ... Read more

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With his songwriting muse on pause, Bob Dylan spent the mid-'90s recording old folk and blues standards with just himself, a harmonica, and an acoustic guitar. Good As I Been to You was the first effort. For the follow-up, World Gone Wrong, he went even further into the dark night of the soul. His voice aged by road-weary experience and informed by lifelong insight delivers just the right pathos to these tales of lost love and existential blight. Tom Paley, one of the original New Lost City Ramblers, popularized "Love Henry," a symbolic tale of a businessman who loses his soul traveling through the halls of corruption. Dylan delivers it as a funeral march and surrounds it with songs of similar sentiment. A modern acoustic blues classic. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Blues Gone Right
Aside from the astonishing cover art and photography adorning the liner notes, the power of Dylan's performance here cannot be overstated. Wholly deserving of the 1993 Grammy Award it garnered for Best Traditional Folk Album, the album's austere minimalism makes for as vulnerable an album as Dylan has allowed since Blood on the Tracks (listen for the tapping of Bob's shoe on track 3, for instance). Some critics pan "World Gone Wrong" as yet another morbid example of Dylan's inability to catch up with the times. Yet an attempt at updating his sound is exactly what nearly destroyed his career as he released one unfocused album after another throughout the late '70s and '80s. He's damned if he tries and damned if he doesn't. It seems that Dylan's enormous reputation and many musical masks have polarized his audience, groups of which subscribe to specific and stultifying expectations of what kind of sound Dylan ought to deliver. Yet "World Gone Wrong" further illustrates that the best Dylan records are the ones he records for himself. It is a lonely, paranoid, occasionally brooding and sincere recording, fraught with masterful finger-picking (Ragged & Dirty, Broke Down Engine), some rollicking harmonica (Stackalee) and an absolutely heart-wrenching interpretation of the traditional classic, "Two Soldiers," a rendition that has accompanied me during some of my loneliest hours for years now. In fact, the solitude articulated with these gritty performances is so real and honest that it actually keeps you company. And that, I think, is what good art does: it makes you feel less lonely, less misunderstood. Dylan does that with this release. I can think of no higher praise.

A somber and reflective album of folk songs
World Gone Wrong was Bob Dylan's follow-up to the equally folk/blues-oriented album Good As I Been To You. Like its predecessor, World Gone Wrong consists exclusively of cover songs. While the lack of Dylan originals is always a little disappointing, rest assured that these 10 songs have all been pretty thoroughly Dylan-ized. The words may not be his own, but he brings each song to life with subtly passionate and natural vocals, the raspy overtones of which seem to reflect and magnify the feelings behind the lyrics. These songs are noticeably darker in tone that those found on Good As I Been To You, making it a similar yet very different album, more quiet and reflective. At times, particularly in the haunting final track Lone Pilgrim, Dylan's voice softens to little more than a whisper. It's hard to speak about individual songs, though, because to me World Gone Wrong is to be judged and appreciated as a whole.

There is more than a hint of nostalgia in these songs; in fact, in their own quiet way they seem to represent a rebellion again modern society; this falls far short of becoming the sort of protest music Dylan produced in his early years, but nostalgia for a world that can never be regained is unmistakably present. Fame and fortune are given a thorough analysis herein and are declared wanting; as Dylan says in the very interesting if sometimes cryptic liner notes, when opining upon the meaning of the song Stack A Lee, "no man gains immortality thru public acclaim." I don't think Dylan really even cares how many people appreciate this album; as always, he records the music that speaks to him, not what he thinks audiences want to hear. Sometimes the short-term results of an album such as this are criticism and less than stellar sales, but eventually, the music is recognized for the greatness that lies within it. It is quite possible that many Dylan enthusiasts will listen to World Gone Wrong, then put it away and forget about it for years, but that's okay. I did that, but now that I have given these ten somber folk songs a second chance to impress me, I am pleasantly surprised at the power this unassuming little album possesses.

Sheeez!
I love Bob, but this album is like listening to him sing in the shower while the water is running, the dog is barking, someone's knocking at the door, and a dozen little kids are running around the house yelling and screaming while you also endure the sound of the siren from a police car that is parked outside your neighbor's home (crackheads).

It's just not good, and the problem isn't necessarily Dylan's performance, but the technical quality of the recording. It sounds like he used the cheapest possible tape - a cassette probably purchased at the corner drug store - and an equally cheap tape player acquired at the same place. Hell, Dylan's performance can't even be properly assessed under these conditions. Obviously, some people like this record, but to me, this is for the Dylan equivalent of the Elvis fan whose devotion is so extreme that he'll waste good money on a bottle of what is alleged to be the King's perspiration.

Dylan is a great artist, but that doesn't mean that everything he does is great art. Some of what he's done isn't good on any level, and, in my humble but honest opinion, "World Gone Wrong" is exhibit A.

Like Dylan? You'll like this
Don't start your Dylan collection here. No worries though 'cause you'll eventually end up here. Dylan turns these old dark folk and blues tunes into his own. A must have.

Again Mr. D Makes the Old Songs Fresh
This is the second album in a row that Mr. D has record of old songs in the public domain. I was only fifteen when this one came out and like with the last album "Good As I Been to You," I was completely taken by surprise. This time Dylan and his amazing guitar work attack not only old folk songs, but blues songs as well. I could sit and listen to this album for hours. I have and each and every time I hear it, it's as fresh as when I tore off the shrink wrap back in 1985. If you like Bob Dylan, like folks songs, like the blues, than this is the CD for you. Five stars.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane ... Read more

Album Description

Dan is back with special guests Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Gibby Haynes, Van Dyke Parks, and Thomas Dolby, lending their talents to Hicks' first studio effort since his critically acclaimed 2000 comeback release, "Beatin' The Heat". ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Peter, Paul & Mary were viewed as a legendary folk act in 1967--but everything pop ruled in '67 (this was, after all, the year of Sgt. Pepper's and the Summer Of Love), so the trio decided to do a "pop" album. And it mostly works. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was a huge hit single--their only No. 1--and it probably gave its composer John Denver his first Colorado Rocky Mountain high, at least from a financial standpoint. Peter, Paul & Mary, of course, draw on their initial connection with Bob Dylan, this being '67 and all, even covering "Bob Dylan's Dream" here, and utilizing sometimes "electric" Dylan cronies like Paul Butterfield and Harvey Brooks. Originals like "Weep for Jamie" and "No Other Name" shine, but it's "I Dig Rock 'n' Roll Music" that takes PP&M into the pantheon of popdom, as they name check and imitate some of the biggest popsters of the day--the Mamas & the Papas, Donovan, and the Beatles--in a song that is the very definition of cultural ambivalence. --Bill Holdship ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Patchy
As with most of PP&M's original albums, save their debut album, this is an extremely uneven release. Album 1700 feels that way even moreso than some of their previous albums, if one takes into account that this was released in 1967 and was therefore almost entirely out of step with the musical trends of that time.

The good songs recall earlier PP&M: The smash hit version of John Denver's "Leavin' On A Jet Plane" is, of course, a simple, melodic folk tune with guitar accompaniment, in the vein of their earlier songs. "Bob Dylan's Dream" is a great version of that song from Dylan's Freewheelin' album, and again it sounds like it could have fit on PP&M's debut album.

Most of the other songs sit uncomfortably between PP&M's seeming desire to hold onto old styles while gaining a grudging recognition that the times, indeed, *were* changing. So, you have pseudo-hippie-philosophy clinkers like "The Great Mandala" in the mix. Maudlin downers like "Weep for Jamie" don't help much either.

The grudging recognition of changing times is also represented in a petty attack on rock and roll, "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," which has lyrics that lash out at what they perceived as rock's shallowness, and the way that the rock lyrics of the time sometimes coyly couched their meanings in elliptical or mystical language -- "laying it between the lines." It was presented as almost a parody of the Mamas and the Papas, and now especially in hindsight, it feels like a very misguided move by people that were being dragged kicking and screaming into the new age, and just didn't "get it."

Finally...there is what PP&M must have felt was an obligatory gesture to children, the absolutely embarrassing "I'm In Love With A Big Blue Frog." Puh-leeeeze!

In short: As with other PP&M albums, there are a few classics mixed in with a lot of filler. But even compared with their other albums, Album 1700 has more than its share of dated, embarrassing filler. The good songs are really good, but overall the album is about a 2.5-star effort.

Making a Statement
This is my favorite Peter, Paul & Mary album; it's one I've listened to my whole life, many, many times. I want to respond to those reviewers who classified Big Blue Frog as a "silly children's song." I hear it as a very clear commentary on inter-racial marriage. "The neighbors are against it and it's clear to me, and it's probably clear to you -- they think value on their property will go right down, if the family next door is blue." As in The Great Mandela (an anti-war song), and I Dig Rock & Roll Music (a parody), PP&M are making a statement, as they did with many of their songs. Another reviewer said they were pop more than folk. While folk music became popular music when the album first came out, they certainly carry on the folk tradition of telling it like it is and taking a stand on issues.

Peter, Paul & Mary go Pop and finall hit #1 in the charts
It is strange in retrospect to think that Peter, Paul & Mary felt the need to turn from folk to pop in 1967. But if you look at the history of the Sixties that was the year before the country exploded in the assassinations and political upheaval that ushered in the Nixon years with the escalation of the war in Vietnam and the road to Watergate. So perhaps of any year in that decade 1967 was a time for folk singers to take a break. In retrospect there is also the great irony that PP&M finally get a #1 hit with "Leaving on a Jet Plane," which is by no means a traditional folk song, but not exactly representative of the pop music of the time either (Note also that it took more than a few years for Denver to really break out on his own after this point). I am one of those people who is totally content to listen to Peter, Paul & Mary sing anything their hearts desire because three-part harmonies are hard to come by let along three-part harmonies this sublime. But I must admit I do not consider this one of their better albums even if "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is as good as anything they ever did together. I have a slight smile for "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," but nothing all in all this is really one of their lesser collections. I guess in the end I might be more of a folk singer purist than I thought. How interesting.

My favorite PP&M album
"The House Song" is my all time favotite song by them, yes they wrote it. What makes it great is the complete lack of any frivoluos songs. This is the second must have album, along with "Live", in the entire PP&M catalogue. 'I Dig Rock and Roll' and 'Big Blue Frog' are probably the best "pop" songs they sang, but this album is as close as you are going to get to their best studio album.

The greatest PPM album
At one point in time, American folk music crossed over from the time-frozen traditional--then sold mass-market by Burl Ives--to the more iconoclastic as represented by icon-in-his-own-right Bob Dylan. After awhile, given America's 20th century social upheaval, it was no longer as easy as it once was to care whether or not Jimmy cracked any corn. Peter Paul and Mary lived during both eras and managed to survive in both. This album more than any other represents their "border crossing"--and it contained two of their most popular songs: a faithful rendition of John Denver's "Leaving On a Jet Plane" which I heard years before Denver's own version and "I Dig Rock & Roll Music", a tribute to the Mamas and the Papas, the most successful mixed-gender folk rock group of all time. Despite these two powerful radio hits, however, the most powerful song in here is the antiwar anthem "The Great Mandella", a simple yet dynamic tune about the head-on collision between the World War II generation and the Boomer generation over the Vietnam issue. The beauty of this song is that none of the three verses is "in the voice" of the protester himself as was usually the case with an antiwar song. Verse one is from the viewpoint of his infuriated father, the other two are quasi-journalistic views by society in general of his imprisonment and hunger strike. As Tom Brokaw rhapsodises over "The Greatest Generation", it is easy to forget that this particular generation saw no other practical use for their male issue than as cannon fodder. Very practical--neither we nor the Vietnamese they had sent us over to fight were seen as being worth the powder to blow us to Kingdom Come. And thanks to sound recording (invented well before the birth of either generation), this album with this song on it are still available to set the record straight, Brokaw's efforts notwithstanding. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This (possibly) final installment in the Garcia/Grisman series leans heavily on a country music repertoire, as the pair tackles tracks by Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Travis (a jazzed-up "Nine Pound Hammer"), George Jones, Mel Tillis (a bluesy, gently shuffling "I Ain't Never"), and Freddie Hart. They also make detours into the realms of traditional folk, reggae (Jimmy Cliff's "Sittin' Here in Limbo"), soul (Garcia's passionate run through James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy" gets an E for effort), and Bob Dylan (a delightfully understated "Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest"). Sure, Garcia's vocal cords might have seen better days, but you can never find fault with his heartfelt, emotionally captivating singing. The picking here is tasteful and low-key, and the overall result is a warm, relaxed stroll through the duo's many musical influences. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Good Garcia/Grisman, but other releases are better
I bought this the day it came out without having heard a single track and, I must say, it's another in the series of nice-quality Garcia/Grisman releases. We owe David Grisman a world of thanks for having the foresight to record his casual jams with Jerry in the early 90s. Some of the releases have been stunning, such as Shady Grove and The Pizza Tapes. (And, yes, Not for Kids Only...) Those are ESSENTIAL owning for any Garcia fan. Grisman hints in the liner notes that this may be the final Garcia/Grisman release, and it's a bit sad to say that in some ways it's evident that he's scraping the bottom of the barrel. While nothing is BAD, nothing quite reaches the level of enjoyment of Shady Grove or The Pizza Tapes. Yeah, it's fun hearing Jerry strain to do a James Brown (he doesn't pull it off, IMHO), and the covers of Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Travis, and George Jones classics are sublime. I guess that's what strikes me about this CD. It's uneven in quality, whereas previous CDs have been consistently good. I recommend this (I mean, 4 stars doesn't mean this stinks!), but I just can't give it 5 stars. The cover is a nice water color of Garcia and Grisman walking away down the road. Yeah, it was a nice, long, strange trip and having the Garcia/Grisman material was an unexpected surprise. But it's time to let Jerry go and just enjoy the music that's left behind... Thanks, guys. (And thanks again to Dawg!)

Moments of passion and personality but disappointing
The Dead meets Dawg on this acoustic collection of folk, old-time, Celtic, jazz, pop, blues, soul and country songs compiled from over 40 recording sessions in the early 1990s (prior to Garcia's passing on August 9, 1995). After opening the album on a traditional note with the title cut, the boys launch into covers of songs from James Brown, George Jones, Bob Dylan, Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Travis, Mel Tillis and others. Garcia's lead vocals are a bit gravely in this context, but they have a certain charm that provides nostalgic recollections for those of us who are children of the sixties. He's at his best with a 7-minute story like Dylan's "Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest," but their rawboned arrangement does tend to drag and get a bit tedious. Some of the same monotony is especially noticeable in their other 6-7 minute offerings, "Dark as a Dungeon" and "Sittin' Here in Limbo." It wasn't a wise programming decision to put these two songs back to back near the closing of the album. Yawn....

Only three songs (I'm Troubled, I Ain't Never, and Drink Up and Go Home) include some vocal harmony. I wish they would have really torn up some old Delmore or Bailes Brother tunes! About the closest they come is with a leisurely "I'm Troubled," but give me the versions done by Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, or Blue Sky Boys any day. "Handsome Cabin Boy Waltz" gives us a familiar melody and has some nice flute in the mix, but it suffers from their arrangement eliminating the lyrics from this beautiful traditional song. Similarly unique and perhaps downright risky is their decision to incorporate Eakle's flute into a jazzy arrangement of "Nine Pound Hammer," which stanch traditionalists will give cool reception. Like much of the project, the song epitomizes their musical approach with meandering playful spirit.

The overall presentation is lean with minimal accompaniment by Joe Craven (percussion on 6 tracks, fiddle on 2 tracks), Matt Eakle (flute, 1 track), Jim Kerwin (bass, 8 tracks), John Kahn (bass, 1 track), George Marsh (drums, 1 track), and Sally Van Meter (dobro, 1 track). Craven can always be counted on for some tasteful contributions. Kahn, Marsh and Van Meter join in on "Blue Yodel #9" from Garcia's last recording session.

The album's strengths revolve around Garcia's robust vocals, as well as Grisman's expert breaks and fills. The album has its moments of passion and personality, but it's ultimately disappointing due to its cumulative lack of energy and inspiration. Devoted fans of Garcia and Grisman many find more of redeeming value here than I did. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

The Best Yet
This is very simple the best Garcia & Grisman release to date. If your at all a fan of these two, buy this, you won't be disappointed! Disregard the naysayer, he obvious has horrible taste since he gave only 3 stars to Doc Watson's "Southbound" cd and 5 to "Untold Treasure's". Enough said, buy this, David saved the best for last! Greg

Happy with the Bottom of the Barrel
If this release is indeed the bottom of Dawg's barrel, I hope he scrapes a little more off for us. I don't have much to add, but I did want to defend the version of "The Ballad of Frankie Lee & Judas Priest." I loved Jerry's delivery of it; his storytelling tone of voice makes the ballad come to life in a way that equals Dylan's original. Jerry 'got' Bob in a way most who cover Dylan songs don't. This one might not be as truly great as the first Garcia/Grisman or "Shady Grove," but it's still a great listen. Thanks, Dawg!

Wildly uneven, but a handful of must-haves
With this, the final studio installment of the Garcia/Grisman recordings, we get a mixed bag, both in styles and quality. On the one hand, after listening to this about eight times now, I can hear why this is the final installment. Some of the tracks here are certainly scraping the bottom of the barrel...such as I'll Go Crazy and Ballad of Frankie and Judas. I cannot help but think that if there were even a few more decent tracks in the can at Grisman's house, these two certainly never would have made it onto an official release.

Harping on the bad stuff isn't what I want to do, though. I'd rather talk about the tracks that do indeed make this release worth purchasing... Been All Around This World, I'm Troubled, and most importantly, Dark As a Dungeon and Handsome Cabin Boy Waltz. These are the core of this release. I'm Troubled being one of the fun sing-a-long types of songs from the concert Garcia/Grisman repertoire, and Been All Around This World being one of the better acoustic tunes that the Grateful Dead used to do. Beyond everything else though, it's all about Handsome Cabin Boy and Dark As a Dungeon. The Handsome Cabin Boy melody is a perfect fit for this band, and they play a lovely version of it. Dark As a Dungeon is the standout "song with vocals" performance here. It's really the only tune on the entire disc that features Garcia stepping back into that haggard storyteller role he became so good at in the final six or seven years of his life. For all intents and purposes, Dark As a Dungeon is the Off To Sea Once More of this disc. If the trained perfection of an opera singer is your thing then of course Garcia will make you cringe all day long, but if you want that emotional spirit of a broke-down coal miner to cry through lyrics, then this is for you.

With as often as hidden tracks are tacked onto the end of Acoustic Disc releases, I was really expecting a few minutes of funny banter to show up at the end of this disc...sort of a time-capsule of Jerry hanging out, joking around with the guys. A fun farewell to the series, him, and a bonus for us. But no such luck. To sum it up, this is absolutely not one of the best discs in this series, but the moments that work...well, they really work.

Jerry and David... thanks for the memories. =) ... Read more

Album Description

For a performer who never dreamt of being a "folksinger," Dave Van Ronk left a deep mark on the entire folksong revival. His jazz-trained voice, masterful guitar technique, and sharp wit endeared him to audiences everywhere; his generosity of spirit earned him friendship with artists such as Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mississippi John Hurt, and Christine Lavin. This October 2001 recording of his last concert features the incomparable "Mayor of MacDougal Street" at his lively best. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

just before the curtain fell
This is one of those rare perfect recordings which feel like something larger than a mere compact disc.It is the last concert Dave Van Ronk ever gave, shortly after he received the diagnosis that he had cancer.Within five months he was dead.But Van Ronk does not sound like a sick man on this sparkling night in Takoma Park, Maryland.In his singing he is a pro in top form.The songs will be familiar to those who have followed Van Ronk's career, mostly blues, vintage African-American jazz and pop songs, and relatively more recent folk-based material by Van Ronk friends Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell (whose "Urge for Going" closes the set). If I'm not mistaken, only Dylan's "Buckets of Rain" is new to the recorded repertoire.Still, Van Ronk was always expert at finding fresh depths of meaning in songs he had long been singing, and every time he did "Sportin' Life Blues" or "Green, Green Rocky Road" or "St. James Infirmary," it sounded newly alive and somehow different.

It's the stories that give one the sense that Van Ronk knew his past was what was left to him, and that it would sustain him in the short, hard future that awaited.Van Ronk, whom I knew slightly and who read a couple of my books, was the greatest storyteller I have ever heard.When I saw him, I would ask him questions I liked to think he hadn't been asked before, and he always had a riveting, hilarious, sometimes bawdy anecdote in store.This CD preserves not just the tales -- of old, long-gone musicians, of songs, of days of his life -- but the telling.

Van Ronk's memoirs will be published in May, and they will be well worth reading, but you will not hear, at least with your ears, his voice speaking to you.For that, we have thismagnificent recording.

The Man Speaks!
This CD of Van Ronk's last concert, given right after he was diagnosed with cancer, captures the essence of a true national treasure.14 Songs take up alot of the 79 plus minutes and they are wonderful.Nearly half the cd, though, are the amazing anecdotes he offers up to give depth to the music as well as a peek into an incredible life.If I could come back as any musician, living or dead, it would be as Dave Van Ronk at this concert.

AReflection more than a Review
This is not a crass plug to get you to buy this recording. I was the producer of this concert,I was the F.O.H.engineer,and I was the recording engineer.(And in many ways, I was the blind squirrel finding the acorn)I am completely humbled by the astonishing number of people who worked on this recording package out of a sense of love and compassion and honor to give back to Dave Van Ronk the same qualities he so graciously gave to others. Dave was the lynchpin between the jazz,blues,and early folk music emerging from the 1920's-1940's that went hurtling into the first folk scare of the 1960's! My God, I am honored to be a part of this. And thank you to NYC for naming a street in the Village for Dave. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Considering the bluegrass renaissance we've gladly witnessed at the end of the 1990s, it's not surprising that banjo wizard Alison Brown would move away from her more progressive jazz-based endeavors and return to more traditional-sounding bluegrass. High-profile, all-star affairs such as Béla Fleck's Bluegrass Sessions, Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band's The Mountain, and Dolly Parton's The Grass Is Blue helped the genre rise to new heights in popularity in 1999. Who knows what spurred Brown to make Fair Weather, but the end result is a stunning, appealing, broad-ranging, star-studded record. In the company of acoustic-music royalty--Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, David Grier, Matt Flinner, Darol Anger, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Tim O'Brien, and Todd Phillips--Brown plows through hard-charging breakdowns, minor-keyed newgrass, solo-banjo lullabies, and everything in between. Vince Gill sings the bright title track and Claire Lynch handles vocals on the delightful "Hummingbird." The two famous cover songs--Elvis Costello's "Everyday I Write the Book" (sung by Bush) and Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" (sung by O'Brien)--are pleasant enough diversions, though they pale in comparison to the likes of "Shake and Howdy," an intricate, classically tinged trio with Anger and Marshall. And, lest we forget, the compositional skills and mesmerizing banjo work of Ms. Brown, a woman who is acutely aware of the vast melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic possibilities of her instrument and always takes full advantage of them. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Don't love it because she's smart or pretty....
Love it because it's GOOD! Alison Brown must be the only Big Name Banjo player educated at Harvard with an MBA from UCLA and her own record label. What's important on THIS recording, however, is that she is also on the VERY short list of the best banjo players(or musicians) - period. She also plays guitar so well that on "Deep Gap" (named after Doc Watson's home town) you can't tell which track is Alison and which is IBMA guitar player of the year David Grier. Her compositions are steller, the arrangements sparkle, and she gets the most out of her band and guest stars. Great vocals from Vince Gill, Claire Lynch and fellow NewGranger Tim O'Brien. Blistering hot instrumental work from Rice, Bush, Fleck, Duncan, Marshall, Grier and the woman herself. This grammy-winning album joins the cannon of "classic" bluegrass recordings. I had to "edit" my Amazon list to include it!

Alison's Answer to Bela's Bluegrass Sessions
Does Alison Brown ever tire of comparisons to banjo master Bela Fleck? Surely she must. W this CD, she returns to her BG roots, with a truly star studded lineup. The outstanding "The Devil went down to Berkley" features the old DGQ band (Anger, Marshall, Phillips & the incomparable Tony Rice). Another track features the Flinner/Phillips/Grier trio (okay, so maybe David Grier is comparable to Tony Rice). THE highlight on the disk is a remarkable cover of Elvis Costello's (that's right, Elvis Costello) "Everyday I Write the Book" featuring Sam Bush on vocals. Another highlight is "Leaving Cottondale" featuring the aforementioned Mr. Fleck. The liner notes say she's on one side, he on the other, but I can't tell one from the other. This disk will surely bring to mind Bela's Bluegrass SEssions, although it doesn't have the couple of oddities Bela threw in on his (eg, "Polka on the Banjo" & "Do You Have Room" - shouldve been no room for THAT dog on that otherwise flawless disk). Get it.

A Welcome Departure
Whether it due to the passing of Bill Monroe or the unexpected success of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", many mainstream country (Patty Lovelace, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill) and new acoustic (Bela Fleck) artists have released work that either pay homage to their bluegrass roots or at least have some sort of "retro-grass" sound. And while a cover version of Elvis Costello's "Every Day I Write the Book" ain't exactly "Uncle Pen," it's interesting and refreshing to hear Alison Brown's evocative banjo picking in a more traditional setting. Alison lined up many of the bluegrass world's usual suspects (Fleck, Mike Marshall, Daryl Anger, Tim O'Brien, Stuart Duncan) to deliver an effort that's both accessible ("Book," "Everybody's Talkin'", and the title song - great vocal by Gill!) and exciting ("Shake and Howdy" and her signature breakdown, "Leaving Cottondale" - worthy of re-recording here because of the great banjo interplay between Alison and Bela).

Alison will undoubtedly continue to record with her jazz-oriented band (not that there's anything wrong with that), but for those of us who enjoy the acoustic string sound, this one will have to do for awhile. Fortunately, it's a very enjoyable ride.

Alison Brown is my name too
My name is Alison
I typed my name into the ask jeeves question box and this site came up
I want to listen to this cd cuz the lady has my name
buy this cd and think of me

Superb Music Just Beyond Bluegrass
I'm not a fan of jazzy bluegrass. I'm not a great admirer of Bela Fleck or even Psychograss. This isn't a philosophical issue or political issue with me, it's just a musical one. I don't think the music sounds good.

So I was wary of Alison Brown, who is clearly of the opposite opinion. But with this record, she has won me over. This is her "bluegrass record", as compared to some other more experimental or jazz-related records. And for me it hits just the right mix. I feel like baby bear on this one -- it's not too jazzy, not to traditional. It's JUST RIGHT.

While "Leaving Cottondale" won an award for best bluegrass instrumental, my favorite cut is one called Poe's Picking Party. I never get tired of it. Twin mandos in a kind of baroque ensemble.

The musicanship is great all around. The mandolin work is outstanding. I never knew Sam Bush could play like that. And of course the banjo playing is great. Alsion uses a lot of the melodic style that I associate with Bill Keith, but she can also do straight ahead Scruggs with the best of them. The material provides lots of variety, with guest vocals by Claire Lynch and Tim O'Brien, to name a couple. Blistering and soothing, it's all here.

All in all, this is a record I go back to again and again. And now I even listen to and enjoy Alison's other records, like Simple Pleasures and Look Left. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Sailors of old music
If you like the sailing music of the clipper ships of old, then this music brings you on board today. You feel as if you are actually sailing with the old sailors lugging heavy ropes, etc.
Thanks for a great CD.

Awesome Songs
Music: 5 stars.
Packaging: Not so much.

I was disappointed when the CD insert didn't have the lyrics to the songs. The lyrics and an explanation of some of the sailing terms would have been ideal (raise your hand if you know what "jubeju" means). Even looking them up online is tricky since there seems to be a lot of variations on these songs.

But the songs are great. I especially like the fact that there is no musical accompaniment, it really gives it a feel of sailors singing as it would have been. I've bought some other CD's similar to this and they all use instruments that makes them sound less like sailing songs and more like folk music.

This type of thing is totally out of character for the types of stuff I normally like, but it's hard NOT to like Blow the Man Down as sung here. I confess to singing some of these songs myself when nobody is looking and I'm doing the dishes or something else noisy. :)

So it's a shame about the missed opportunity to turn this into something special by giving us a good CD insert, but the CD itself is fantastic.

A fan of work songs
This is one of the best I've purchased. It's a fun listen. I especially enjoy Shanties performed as work songs and am constantly looking for more.

If you like Sea Shanties
Okay here's what's up. I love pirate movies and themes and I bought this because of that flavor. I was a little disappointed because the songs were accapello (spelling?) but then my dad pointed out that those songs would've been sung without music anyway because they were work songs to make sailors' jobs pass easier. It's really more authentic. I just thought anyone considering buying this might consider that.

One of the Best
I have well over a dozen CDs of sea shanties, and this is my hands-down favorite. Containing numerous shanties and songs of all types, they are delivered with a rough gusto and an edgy harmony that could scrape the barnacles off a copper bottom. Two principal singers lead the songs, one in an irresistible, robust voice that snaps right into your nerves and muscles, the other in a lyrical Celtic tenor evoking the wistful, more gentle side of things. The selection is just unbeatable, and each shanty is sung with attention to detail, nuance, and flavor -- you can hear each song touched with the appropriate amount of urgency, melancholy, bitterness, cheer, weariness, mockery, pride, and so on. While no recordings of sea shanties may be truly considered "authentic," Johnny Collins and the lads seem displaced from another time, tumbled up from the forecastle and into the studio with the salt still in their beards. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Deeply Spiritual
A superb "sampler" that combines deeply spiritual celtic music with modern sounds.

Exquisite, Etherial, Spiritual, and Mesmerizingly Beautiful!
This collection contains music which takes one to another time and place. It is a top-notch collection of music which is unforgetable, and listening to it is a spiritual experience which leaves one breathless and deeply touched. The exquisite voice of Connie Dover begins this collection, and each song thereafter is the same calibre as the first. Lilting melodies, haunting performances and exquisite voices all make this a must-have addition for anyone who loves Celtic music, and for anyone who likes Enigma, Loreena McKennitt, and Enya. Get a magic carpet and listen to the soundbites. Highly, highly recommended!

Uplifting, to say the least...
This CD is one of the CDs that makes me glad that we are now in a digital age as opposed to vinyl, for if this had been a vinyl album, it would have been worn flat by now. I play it constantly, in my office, in the car, at home. It has a great, spiritually-uplifting tone that is both inspiring and meditative. It has a great combination of voices, in solos and ensembles, that bring real life and dimension to the music. As the commentator for the introductory essay to these pieces says, the Celts seem to have a real feeling for the presence of the divine, and that can often be heard in these melodies, harmonies, and voices. There is beauty and there is grace in these pieces.

--Music--
Many of the pieces, such as the Ubi Caritas, the Kyrie Eleison, and the Puer Natus are very traditional liturgical lyrics, but here they are given a unique Celtic flavour that is both modern and original as well as traditional and ancient. Other songs such as Be Thou My Vision are more traditional hymn texts, here given arrangement and performance that would seem both refreshing and reassuring. Many of the songs, when they are not utilising Latin for the ancient liturgical pieces, use traditional Gaelic texts, that give an air of mystery and contemplative distance to the songs, such as Seacht Sauãilcena Maighdine Muire (Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary), Noelenn Brehed, Mo Ghrá Thú (I Love Thee), and Bí, a Íosa, Im Chroí-Se (Jesus Be in My Heart).

--Performers--
All of the performers here are stunning. Connie Dover and Aiofe Ni Fhearraigh, both women of astonishing voice. Aine Minogue combines talent on the harp with high-calibre singing, and her double talents shine with distinctive Celtic flair. Sheena Wellington and Theresa Schroeder-Sheker lend their incredible talents to finish the disc with strength and beauty that reach emotional climaxes befitting a spiritual ecstasy.

William Jackson displays both vocal and instrumental talents, which include performances the bamboo flute and the gut-strung clarsach (Scottish harp) for a stunning performance on Salve Splendour, and William Coulter brings his acoutic guitar talents to an old Irish hymn.

Also performing on this disc are three groups: the Anjali Quartet, the Groupe Vocal Jef Le Penven, and the Baltimore Consort, each renowned and experienced in the musical styles that incorporate ancient and Celtic influences.

--Liner Notes--
The CD comes with a small booklet that includes biographical information on each of the major performers and groups, as well as listings of back-up and harmony contributors. There is an introductory essay on the Celtic Spirit by Fr. John O'Donohue. Like many Narada collections, these pieces have appeared on previous Narada recordings, and details for finding the prior releases can be found here. This is an excellent guide, for many of these pieces inspired me to want more, both of the artists and of the types of music.

--Overall Impressions--
I cannot speak too highly of this collection. While not the most intricate or sophisticated of music, it is nonetheless a favourite of mine for both background and forefront listening. It makes a good companion for prayer and contemplative times, for waking or falling asleep, for reading or for working.

If angels sing...
If angels sing, this is how they surely must sound. Of all the music I have ever heard I find this to be the purest most transporting experience of pure feminine energy. Never syrupy or pedantic, the female vocals here seem to literally plumb the listener's deepest regions and stir those subtle quiet spaces gently to life. The gaelic lyrics, rather than being an obstacle to enjoyment, serve rather to enhance the entire musical experience by side-stepping the issue of literal meaning, at least to we who speak only English, and thereby freeing us to appreciate the words as sounds whose meaning transcends spoken language. I own other celtic albums, all of which I love for their own particular strengths, but this is the one I save to listen to at those special quiet times when I'm alone and just want to put on the headphones and be carried in the arms of the angels.

Beautiful!
This is great! Each song is very well done, and all of the songs flow nicely together. Whether you are a fan of celtic music or not, this album is for you. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

yarbrough at his best
sinply a great twosome cd

For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her
My husband and I had the LP of this album 30 years ago. We loaned it to a friend, and we never got it back. Especially after seeing Yarbrough in concert, we have always regretted it, but that night, he said, "This song, I will sing as long as I can draw breath." As I'd hoped, he spoke of Phil Ochs' magnificent, "Crucifixion," a song about all martyrs. Ochs, perhaps a better poet than Bob Dylan, made my hair stand on end then, as he does now. It is heaven to have this magnificent CD coming back to me.

TWO GREAT GLEN ALBUMS
There's one song on this 2-CD set that's worth the price alone: the achingly beautiful "I've Been To Town". When you add the other 23 songs, all prime Glen in their own right, you've got a real bargain. Anybody who's familiar with Glen's music, knows what I'm saying. Glen has a way of expressing himself musically that brings out the deepest emotions of the human heart. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Well, the title is misleading, as this collection showcases only her MCAera; a more accurate designation would be From a Distance: The Best StuffNanci Griffith Did After She Left Philo and Before She Went to Elektra, butmaybe that's not catchy enough. What is compelling is the music itself.During the period of 1987 to 1991, Griffith wrote some of her best material. Shealso discovered Julie Gold's classic title song, but found herself flounderingcommercially in her transition from folkabilly queen to arch chanteuse.Griffith's Philo records are still the most memorable--loose and full of Texasranginess and sawdust memories. But this compilation is surprisingly satisfying,as it ends just before she began to take herself too seriously. You can hear atinkling banjo driving "Lone Star State of Mind" and a pedal steel guitar ashillbilly as the Grand Ole Opry on "Ford Econoline." Her little-girl voicemodulates to fetching reediness when necessary and even dips into deep Texas inthe spoken intros to several live performances. But what stands out is theoverall quality of the writing, which turns stunning on the wistful "Gulf CoastHighway" and on "Trouble in the Fields." If the reason for Griffith's status asa cult artist has eluded you, this anthology should go a long way towardclearing up the mystery. --Alanna Nash ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Somethin's Missin'
A Nanci Griffith compilation without "Spin on a Red Brick Floor"? Without "Workin' in Corners"? Sorry. This smacks of another record company attempt to further line their pockets. I'm sure if you ask Nanci, she'd give you a whole different list of songs for this album.

Fantastic Collection!
This CD is fantastic for fans looking for a good Nanci compilation. You get all her greatest songs, including my favorite track, which is a live version of her masterpiece "Love At The Five & Dime." In addition to this live gem, you get all of Nanci's classics, such as "Outbound Plane" and "Gulf Coast Highway," and you can hear how the Bette Midler standard "From A Distance" is supposed to sound!

A terrific, remastered version of an old favorite!
Yes, this collection is basically an updated, repackaged version of her early '90s "Retrospective," CD, but this collection has two things going for it over the previous "Best Of" release: it includes more songs, and the music has been digitally remastered. All the songs sound great and are indicative of Griffith's work during her brief stint at MCA Records. (One question: why was "Listen To the Radio" not included in this collection?)

This is a great CD to give to a friend who you want to introduce to Nanci Griffith and it is a great replacement disc for your old, worn-out "Retrospective" CD. After all, you cannot go wrong, this is Nanci Griffith, for Pete's sake!

Wow! What a Treasure
I was turned on to Nancy Griffith back in 1988 by a young country western singer attending Manhattan's American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Music. Knowing my interest in music, he convinced me buy "One Fair Summer Evening," which immediately became a seminal part of my music collection.

Now, on one CD you get some of the best songs from that album as well as many other favorites - all beautifully remastered. I compare this lady's musical progression (bear with me here) to Woody Allen's growth as a filmmaker. She is never satisfied to stick with what made her popular. She's always expanding her music to reflect her own personal interests and causes. Sometimes that has led to less than perfect albums. But you have to admire someone who wants to grow as a person and as an artist.

I finally had the privilege of seeing her in concert last December here in NYC (rescheduled from 9/14/01, for obvious reasons). And I repaid a longstanding debt to the guy who connected me with her music so many years ago - I took a lady to the concert who had never heard Nanci's music. In one evening she became a devoted fan.

Do yourself a favor and buy this CD. I'd have to highly recommend "One Fair Summer Evening" also. It includes the song "Red Brick Floor," which is just beautiful. My view is that Ms. Grifffith should be a lot more famous than she is. Her voice and talent are huge. But I have the impression that isn't as important to her as making little pieces of art with her Blue Moon Band.

Why another compilation?
I give the album 5 stars because any of Nanci's songs are worth 5 stars and if you've never heard Nanci Griffith, this gives the new listener a taste of Nanci's extraordinary work. However, having been a fan since 1987, I have every album, every video and every compilation and cannot understand the need for another "compilation" - if this latest album becomes available on DVD that would definately stir up a new interest. ... Read more

Amazon.com

On Sea Music, former Del Fuegos frontman turned kid's music songster Dan Zanes performs a set of old sea shanties in a rough-hewn but charming manner. He takes songs that have been worn smooth from constant use, artfully scuffs them up, and restores them to their former "ragged but right" glory. His performance of "Shenandoah," for example, features some fine Leadbelly-style 12-string guitar picking and an anguished vocal that almost erases the memory of the polite, formal choral arrangements that usually smother the song. And his "Sloop John B" sails along on jaunty banjos and mandolins rather than the slick harmonies of the Beach Boys' version. These shanties were originally created by sailors as work songs, and consequently they have choruses that are perfect for singing along. Zanes is joined on many tracks by an enthusiastic chorus of kids who are obviously having a wonderful time belting out the sometimes salty lyrics. As with all of Zanes's recordings for children, adults are likely to find themselves listening to this wonderful music even when the kids aren't underfoot. --Michael John Simmons ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Brilliant ode to sea songs -- altogether wonderful
This has become a favorite CD around the home -- the kids love it as do the parents. Zanes is a great musician, playing old sea songs the way they should be played -- with hear