The McGarrigle Hour

The McGarrigle Hour

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 1998
It's a family affair. The harmonizing sisters gather round the old piano with kids (Rufus and Martha Wainwright), friends (Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt), and even Kate's ex-hubby, Loudon Wainwright III. Kate and Anna have been performing together for decades, somehow managing to avoid pitfalls along the way. The McGarrigle Hour shows they're not in a race to overtake anyone, but they're not coasting, either. --Steven Stolder

Amazon.com essential recording
To say the least, the eighth album by these French Canadian folksinging sisters is decidedly a family affair. Like one of those old Osmond family TV specials that the album's title parodies, the McGarrigles rally their kinfolk (Kate's ex-husband Loudon Wainwright III, their exceptionally talented kids Rufus and Martha) along with some high-profile pals (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt) for a glorified after-supper sing-along. Serving up everything from Stephen Foster and Irving Berlin standards to such Kate and Anna classics as the exquisite "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino," the McGarrigles and company prove more than worthy of the title First Extended Family of Folk. --Michael Evans

The McGarrigle Hour

Tracks:

Schooldays
Skip Rope Song
Gentle Annie
Alice Blue Gown
Porte En Arriere
What'll I Do
Dig My Grave
Cool River
Cool River
NaCl (Sodium Chloride)
Bon Voyage
Allez-Vous-En
Green Green Rocky Road
Young Love
Year Of The Dragon
Forever And The Same
Talk To Me Of Mendoncino
Baltimore Fire
Johnny's Gone To Hilo
Time On My Hands
Goodnight Sweetheart

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

It's a family affair. The harmonizing sisters gather round the old piano with kids (Rufus and Martha Wainwright), friends (Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt), and even Kate's ex-hubby, Loudon Wainwright III. Kate and Anna have been performing together for decades, somehow managing to avoid pitfalls along the way. The McGarrigle Hour shows they're not in a race to overtake anyone, but they're not coasting, either. --Steven Stolder

Amazon.com essential recording

To say the least, the eighth album by these French Canadian folksinging sisters is decidedly a family affair. Like one of those old Osmond family TV specials that the album's title parodies, the McGarrigles rally their kinfolk (Kate's ex-husband Loudon Wainwright III, their exceptionally talented kids Rufus and Martha) along with some high-profile pals (Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt) for a glorified after-supper sing-along. Serving up everything from Stephen Foster and Irving Berlin standards to such Kate and Anna classics as the exquisite "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino," the McGarrigles and company prove more than worthy of the title First Extended Family of Folk. --Michael Evans

Customer Reviews:

Talent IS a genetic feature..........2006-11-12

The best encouragement to buy this CD, aside from the scads of talented people involved, is the inclusion of the whimsical song "NACL." Recorded thirty years ago on an album liked only by me apparently because it has never been released in CD format, the song is a clever description of how love works using chemical metaphors.

That aside, the CD is a tremendous chance to hear a family of talented musicans blend their voices and instruments together with outstanding results. Of particular interest is the lovely tribute sung at the funeral of the McGarrigle's mother, the Irving Berlin classic "What'll I Do?" This single track would be worth the price of the CD alone...the plaintive sadness in the voice of Rufus Wainwright, the son of Kate McGarrigle and ex-husband Loudon Wainwright III accompanied by the rest of the family is a poignant goodbye to the one apparently responsible for encouraging the musical output of the French Canadian clan. The CD will give listeners the chance to hear great music from talented artists who serve it up as a class act.

Superb WINTER disc, handy year round/////////////////////////.......2005-12-10

produced with near perfection...harmonies fit like a flawless piece of old clothing...instruments highly professional...voice a solid 9...go and dig my grave long and narrow make my coffin neat and strong...folk-POP masterpiece...add it to your collection, Soon, very soon.

Good but not Great.......2004-01-08

Got this album today, and all in all a very well sung(as you would expect) piece of work. Nice to hear the family members, especially the girls have such good voices. I was first turned on to the McGarrigles by hearing Kate I think singing a track called "House in the Country" on the Albion Band record of the 80's "Rise Up Like The Sun" and was struck by the sweetness and kinda vulnerability in her voice.
I then didn't hear a lot more of the sisters until the T.V. programme Transatlantic Sessions, when their version of "Talk to me of Mendecino" was just about the greatest bit of harmony singing (and a great song)that I had heard in a long time. The version on this CD did not move me in the same way, so I was a little disappointed, but good singing just the same. All the tracks are well worth a listen, and this is undoubtedly a very good album, which will reward listening for many years to come.

Come Back Kate and Anna.......2003-07-30

Life is a misery without a new McGarrigle to help lube the rough spots. Come back, Kate and Anna, even if it's just to do a CD with nothing but Stephen Foster songs.

Great songs, great singing.......2003-07-16

What more could you ask for? Kate and Anna alone are worth the price of admission. But add Loudon, Rufus and Martha Wainwright as well as Rondstadt and Emmylou and you've got a folk/pop summit that succeeds on every level. Its low-key without being tedious or repetitious. Old songs, new songs: they all sound absolutely perfect. As far as having issues behind the music, Fleetwood Mac has nothing on this clan. Not only is Loudon Kate's ex, but Rufus and Martha have issues with Loudon for being not only absent but(in their young eyes) abusive as well.
I most enjoy the new songs by Rufus and Martha but the performance that most transports one to folk singing nirvana is the traditional 'Johnny Has Gone to Hilo' a gorgeous song sung here in a fantastic arrangement. A recording to be cherished.

Average customer rating:

FA LA LA LA LA...
inspired
Wonderful. . .mostly
Incorrect sound clips/titles
Uneven

The McGarrigle Christmas Hour
Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music
Similar Items:

Kate & Anna McGarrigle
The McGarrigle Hour
Adieu False Heart
La Vache Qui Pleure
Christmas Songs

ASIN: B000B9EYD4
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Tracks:

Port Starboard Sox
God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman
Old Waits Carol
Camel Bells
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
Vinnie's Stars
Seven Joys of Mary
O Little Town of Bethleham
Some Children See Him
Rebel Jesus
Spotlight on Christmas
IL Est Ne/Ca Berger
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Blue Christmas

Amazon.com

Kate and Anna McGarrgile have a storied recording career that spans a slate of five-star albums that includes original music and songs from the French Canadian world, American ragtime and other "old world" genres. They would appear to be quaint to most ears if they weren't so damn good at blending the past and their modern sensibilities in memorable verse and song. Enter their Christmas record into that same framework, as the sisters and a few friends (Emmylou Harris) and family members (Rufus and Martha Wainwright are the children of Kate)mix up the old and new. The French song "Il Est Ne" is rounded out with a shimmering round of vocal backing harmonies while Rufus' "Spotlight on Christmas" (penned a couple years ago) and his wonderfully fey reading of "What Are Your Doing Christmas Eve?" prove to be just three highlights of another five-star effort. Although it will be an acquired taste to some, the McGarrigle Christmas Hour is like spending quality time in Kate and Anna's parlor. There the piano, fiddles, other instruments and friendly voices are ready to satisfy with old world charm that could never be mistaken for old school insignificance. --Martin Keller

Album Description

For acclaimed singer-songwriters Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Christmas is about home and hearth and so too is Christmas music. Taking their cue from The McGarrigle Hour, their award-winning 1998 album of folk favorites, the sisters and their extended musical family renew the warm and intimate spirit of the holiday season with The McGarrigle Christmas Hour, an eclectic and glorious album of fresh originals, timelss classics, and contemporary favorites.

Customer Reviews:

FA LA LA LA LA..........2007-07-01

The McGarrigle sisters are so listenable but difficult to find recordings for. This one is a perfect companion piece to the holidays with an assortment of artists contributing. Garrison Keillor would be proud.

inspired.......2007-02-09

Love this album. It's beautiful holiday music for discerning music fans. Songs are original, traditional, moving, humourous and in all, very satisfying.

Wonderful. . .mostly.......2006-12-01

I love Kate and Anna McGarrigle. They are simply the best songwriters and musicians around--always original, offbeat but traditional at the same time, and songwriters of amazingly good songs. There are no singers like them.

This album starts out great. The first five tracks are terrific. . .the first two--The Seven Joys of Mary and Old Waits Carol are very religious and Catholic. Emmylou Harris's song is good (I would rather hear Kate and Anna sing it, though) and Il est ne is pure Kate and Anna, wonderful. Rufus sings the fifth song, and he is a terrific musician and singer.

Then the album careens off track. Rebel Jesus sounds great but doesn't feel very much like Christmas. The song's lyrics are that of a Che Guevera type Jesus and comes across as a dinosaur 1960's song--out of place on a Christmas album.

Then comes the song Counting Stars. It is narrated by a guy complaining he got drunk and got into a fight with a jock. I'm with the other reviewer: this narrating of songs is a bad trend. It was tried in La Vache Qui Pleure and was out of place. Here it is completely out of place. The song is funny, I must admit, and reminds me for some reason of Star Cab Company in Love Over and Over, but it just doesn't work on a Christmas album.

The album finally gets back on track with the last five songs, a nice song by Rufus called Spotlight on Christmas through Blue Christmas sung by the great Chaim Tannenbaum, who has sung on most of the McGarrigle albums going back to the 1970's. Overall, I really like the album, and if you are a Kate and Anna fan, definitely get it. One final note: Some people complained about the sound quality; to me the quality is fine. Final plus: Great visual design for the album. Lots of skiing and sleighing pictures of various members of the family. It really does put you in the mood for Christmas.

Incorrect sound clips/titles.......2005-12-28

Simply a wonderful Christmas CD and quite interesting, especially Rufus and Martha. If you can get past the mish mash of incorrect sound clips/titles in this Amazon listing, buy the CD. You'll be happy you did.

Uneven.......2005-12-27

I bought this based on sampling Rebel Jesus and Il Est Ne. Both are lovely, moving pieces. But they don't justify the price of the CD. Some cuts are so poorly recorded the words are unintelligible. Rufus shows off his adenoidal whine way too often. Emmylou Harris, whose voice I normally love, sings O Little Town of Bethlehem entirely through her nose. And why o why did they think we wanted to hear a spoken ramble about getting drunk and fighting on Christmas? I think they phoned this in.

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