One Night: Live 1982 [Live]

One Night: Live 1982 [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Actually, two nights in October 1982, a time when Greg Brown was a dark horse still building a following and discovering his lyrical genius. In those lean years, Brown worked as a regular on Prarie Home Companion and gigged at coffeehouses more accustomed to hosting open mics than one of the finest singer/songwriters of the time. This long-out-of-print recording provides a window into a lovely, intimate solo show that's full of Brown's folksy wit and touching, previously unavailable ballads. "Banjo Moon" and "Ships" combine sly humor and melancholy, but the satirical set pieces are the most prescient and charming. In "Dream On," Brown raps, "We're not going to drop a bunch of bombs on everybody, blow up the whole world over some little political difficulty or border dispute / Dream on, little dreamers." On "Waiting" he offers a friendly parody of Tom Waits pilfering lines from a wino. Perhaps even more than 1995's The Live One, One Night provides perspective on just what distinguishes Brown from his contemporaries. Even at this early stage, his pacing and delivery are deft, his voice is flexible and visceral, and his songs are keen, openhearted marvels. --Roy Kasten

Tracks:

Dream On
Canned Goods
Every Street In Town
Flat Stuff
Introduction To 'Downtown'
Downtown
Heart Of My Country
Butane Lighter Blues
Banjo Moon
Waiting
Ships
You Don't Really Get Me
Introduction To 'On Records...'
On Records, The Sound Just Fades Away
Love Is A Chain
Ella Mae
All The Little Places Around The Town
Never Shine Sun

Amazon.com

Actually, two nights in October 1982, a time when Greg Brown was a dark horse still building a following and discovering his lyrical genius. In those lean years, Brown worked as a regular on Prarie Home Companion and gigged at coffeehouses more accustomed to hosting open mics than one of the finest singer/songwriters of the time. This long-out-of-print recording provides a window into a lovely, intimate solo show that's full of Brown's folksy wit and touching, previously unavailable ballads. "Banjo Moon" and "Ships" combine sly humor and melancholy, but the satirical set pieces are the most prescient and charming. In "Dream On," Brown raps, "We're not going to drop a bunch of bombs on everybody, blow up the whole world over some little political difficulty or border dispute / Dream on, little dreamers." On "Waiting" he offers a friendly parody of Tom Waits pilfering lines from a wino. Perhaps even more than 1995's The Live One, One Night provides perspective on just what distinguishes Brown from his contemporaries. Even at this early stage, his pacing and delivery are deft, his voice is flexible and visceral, and his songs are keen, openhearted marvels. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

A great live album!.......2006-07-17

I saw Greg Brown live in Cedar Falls, IA recently and have since purchased many of his CDs. He's great live, and this album gives the listener a good feel of actually being there.

Truly outstanding entertainment.......2006-07-02

This is a great piece of work from an outstanding songwriter/performer. His songs are full of wit, irony, heartbreak, and his vocalizations are unique and interesting. I've listened to this CD over and over again without it getting stale. After being introduced to his music on KPIG in Santa Cruz, we bought and listened to "The Live One" with the same enthusiasm. This collection (One Night: Live) is every bit as good!

Essential, is all.......2001-02-22

I never saw Greg Brown in 1982, but going from this record, it must have been quite an experience. His voice isn't quite the rumbling thundercloud it would later become -- in parts he sounds quite like Randy Newman -- but that wonderful Brown mix of humour (never at the expense of others) and poignancy is already in place. Sixteen songs, most of them unavailable on any other Brown release, and nearly all essential. 'Ella Mae' -- a song about Greg's grandmother that's also about the dignity of a well-lived life and how we live on in our children -- doesn't have a whiff of mawkishness or sentimentality about it, and damn near moves me to tears every time I hear it. 'Dream On' -- a beautiful example of Brown's shaggy-dog storytelling -- always provokes a grin too. That this disc was unavailable for years is a crime. Whether you're a long-time Greg Brown fan or don't know a thing about the man, you need this.

A Troubadour For Our Times.......2000-05-19

Like another reviewer, I also stumbled on to Greg Brown's music by accident. There are really only a few men and women who can integrate their musical abilities with the life-stories they have to tell SO seemlessly that the listener finds it impossible to think of one without the other. Greg Brown is one of these artists. My husband and I love this CD because there is not a "bad" song in the bunch! Greg has the ability to make us laugh "Dream On", to make us wish for another time and place "Canned Goods", and to make us sad "Banjo Moon". His voice and guitar pull these emotions out of even the most cynical listener I've exposed to Greg's music. His imitation of Mr. Waits in "Waiting" is hilarious, and his story "On Records, The Sound Just Fades Away" reminds me that when I was a child, I also wondered what REALLY was going on in those radios to make the sound come out! He can also make the gentlest songs come out of that big baritone voice as in "Never Shine Sun". He has an amazing ability to modulate his voice to whatever is called for by the storyline in each piece of music which makes him his own master, and certainly not like anyone I have ever heard before. I am in the process of buying the rest of his CDs and can't wait to hear what I already have deduced, that here indeed is an artist of the highest caliber.

great longawaited cd!.......2000-02-13

for someone who has only stumbled onto greg's music recently, this cd offers a wonderful comprehensive look at the upstart of his career. it also represents well for his live performances and his stark nakedness -- in his tales as well as his songs.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Recommended Music:

Maximum Italo 12" [Import]

Scriabin: Preludes Op. 11, 16, 22, 27

Spanish and Portuguese Keyboard Music - Volume 2

Mamet

That's What You Get [Import]

Sweet Soul Music: The Stax Groups

The Greatest Hits

Songs From Far Away

Sing The Hits Of Emmylou Harris (Karaoke)

Quimbo Quimbumbia

Stop Crying Your Heart Out [CD-single] [Import]

Salsa Conga Loca

Super Dance Party [Import]

Classical Music classical-music-15

Love in Exile