Before Their Time, Volume I

Before Their Time, Volume I

Track Listings

1. The Water Lily (Priscilla Herdman)

2. Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar)

3. No Time To Say Goodbye (Tom Paxton)

4. Unité (Christina Tourin )

5. No Man's Land (Eric Bogle )

6. Patchwork Quilt (Sweet Honey In The Rock)

7. Breck's Song (Sydney Long & Liz Kalter-Long)

8. Angle of the Light (Anne Hills)

9. Turning Toward the Morning (Gordon Bok)

10. Jane's Whistle (Anne Dodson)

11. Time To Learn (Tim O'Brien)

12. Language of the Heart (Jim Stewart & Bernie Houlahan)

13. For JL (Russ Barenberg)

14. Lux Aeterna (The Cambridge Singers)

Editorial Reviews
Scott Alarik, Boston Globe, 12/31/99
Tender, thoughtful songs and instrumentals - not so much about death as about how we cope with loss.

Product Description
BEFORE THEIR TIME is a collection of songs and music written in memory of people who died young. Featuring original performances by the singer-songwriters and composers, this benefit album was produced by the father of a young man who took his own life. A music resource for people mourning the death of someone close, the music on BEFORE THEIR TIME brings comfort, healing and hope, wrapped in a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from classics by internationally known artists to a début song and performance. BEFORE THEIR TIME was produced with grants and donations from foundations and individuals, and all sales of the album benefit suicide prevention and Hospice organizations. Extensive liner notes include song lyrics and notes on each selection - many by the artists themselves - plus essays about surviving suicide, music's powerful role in the healing process, SOS and Hospice bereavement support groups, and Web links to related sites.

Before Their Time, Volume I

Tracks:

The Water Lily (Priscilla Herdman)
Ashokan Farewell (Jay Ungar)
No Time To Say Goodbye (Tom Paxton)
UnitChristina Tourin )
No Mans Land (Eric Bogle )
Patchwork Quilt (Sweet Honey In The Rock)
Brecks Song (Sydney Long & Liz Kalter-Long)
Angle of the Light (Anne Hills)
Turning Toward the Morning (Gordon Bok)
Janes Whistle (Anne Dodson)
Time To Learn (Tim OBrien)
Language of the Heart (Jim Stewart & Bernie Houlahan)
For JL (Russ Barenberg)
Lux Aeterna (The Cambridge Singers)

Album Description

BEFORE THEIR TIME is a collection of songs and music written in memory of people who died young. Featuring original performances by the singer-songwriters and composers, this benefit album was produced by the father of a young man who took his own life. A music resource for people mourning the death of someone close, the music on BEFORE THEIR TIME brings comfort, healing and hope, wrapped in a wide variety of musical styles, ranging from classics by internationally known artists to a début song and performance. BEFORE THEIR TIME was produced with grants and donations from foundations and individuals, and all sales of the album benefit suicide prevention and Hospice organizations. Extensive liner notes include song lyrics and notes on each selection - many by the artists themselves - plus essays about surviving suicide, music's powerful role in the healing process, SOS and Hospice bereavement support groups, and Web links to related sites.

Customer Reviews:

Music to touch the soul.......2002-05-25

This album is wonderful...I lost my son to suicide and this album was recommended to me! It contains some very moving and passionate work from these wonderful artists. Music to touch the soul. KingWs6MOM FOREVER!!!

Powerful Stuff - Needs a Warning Label!.......2001-07-04

I first heard about this album (on National Public Radio) in 1999, while I was driving home through Vermont, having just scattered my little sister's ashes from the top of Mt. Monadnock, New Hampshire. It's kind of sad to listen to but the music is wonderful and sometimes feeling sad is entirely appropriate.

It's made more personal by the fact that I live a stone's throw from the Ashokan Reservoir (of "Ashokan Farewell" fame) but I can't help but think that that tune can speak to anyone's sense of loss and remembrance.

Very helpful in the grieving process.......2001-04-25

I bought the cd after I lost my son to suicide. It was recommended to me by my grief counselor. It has been a huge source of comfort to me, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one especially at a young age.

Sweet Surprise!.......2001-04-14

While I liked the idea of this CD, and certainly respected and supported its intent, I was a bit skeptical that it would actually feel "soothing or healing" for me personally. I have lost literally hundreds of friends to AIDS since about 1981, my older brother and one of my closest friends to suicide in 1978, and lost other family members and close friends "before their time" from cancer, murder, and sudden accidents. At any given moment, I carry a serious weight of sadness and loss, accumulated over the last 20 years, but have found my own ways of bearing it and remaining functional and didn't think some nice, well-intended songs were going to have much of an emotional impact on a "grief-hardened veteran" like myself. I was wrong. There is nothing maudlin or morose about "Before Their Time," and the songs are hopeful, loving, and just a real delight to hear. The songs on the CD are not ones I had ever heard before, and I was not personally familiar with most of the songwriters and performers, but found myself instantly drawn to the words, and very happy that the CD included a printed insert with the words to all the songs. Read simply as poetry, these are poignant, loving, inspiring words. Combined with the wonderfully diverse voices and music, it is just exactly what I need when I am being sad about the loss of a loved one and helps me to come up out of a spell of serious grief and regain my emotional footing a bit and re-focus on the living, the present, and my hopes for the future. It's a good reminder for people like me who sometimes forget the true power of music to influence the heart and mind. I would recommend this CD to people regardless of their personal and emotional stake in the loss of loved ones prematurely or otherwise, as the songs are upbeat, and in many different musical styles so that there is almost certainly a song or two that would appeal to nearly every musical taste. But to also know that the proceeds from the CD will go to support the work of Hospice In Vermont and New Hampshire and the NH Youth Suicide Prevention Association makes this a complete win-win deal. I treasure this CD unlike any other in my collection.

Mark A. Hetts, aka Mr. HandyPerson, Universal Press Syndicate San Francisco, CA

Music Review: