Arlo [Live]

Arlo [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This is a live album, recorded at the famous Bitter End Cafe in New York City. The music's great and the stories hilarious. A '60s classic. "The Pause of Mr. Claus" is a holiday hit!

Arlo is backed by Bob Arkin on bass, Stan Free on piano and harpsichord, and Ed Shaughnessy on tabla and drums. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Alice's Restaurant Massacre
Chilling Of The Evening
Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag
Now And Then
I'm Going Home
The Motorcyle Song
Highway In The Wind

Amazon.com

While the title track may seem, by now, a rather obvious and nostalgic relic, we'd do well to remember that an entire post-baby boom generation has likely never heard it. At 18 minutes, the song remains one of the most hysterical things ever recorded, and many of its politcal barbs can still sting. But the record also contained two far more lyrical pieces: "Chillin' of the Evening" and the gorgeous, sweeping "Highway in the Wind." Some will turn to this countercultural classic for side one's epic, but it's the exceptional songs on side two that will offer finer rewards. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Arlo is bigger than a rock star.......2007-07-12

I have seen Arlo in concert a number of times. This CD is totally brilliant, but to get the full experience you must see him on stage doing these songs.

This CD is a gem. It is funny, insightful, and a just plain joy to listen to. I suggest that the next spaceship we send out of the solar system have this CD on it to show how good Humanity can be.

Did you come to get what they really want at Alice's restaurant?.......2007-03-20

You can get anything you want at
Alice's Restaurant,

You can get anything you want at
Alice's Restaurant

Just walk right in
It's around the back, just a half-mile from the
Railroad track.

You can get anything you want at
Alice's Restaurant

One day in school, when I was in eighth grade, we had some free time and one of our teachers sat us down in a hallway, Indian style, and played us his record album entitled Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie. Some of the more "street-smart" children comprehended the complete message of the song; I did not. However, now that I am old and foolish instead of being young and foolish, I think I finally get Arlo's message.

The title track for this CD is a whopping 18 plus minutes; but please don't let that scare you away. The melody is infectiously catchy the very first time you hear it; Arlo plays the guitar so beautifully as he recites the lyrics by speaking them except for the main chorus which he does sing.

Arlo tells the true story of how he got caught for littering; and he then goes on to tell his audience the unexpected ramifications of his littering when he went to enlist in the armed forces. Arlo tells his story with a folksy style that you will find to be thoroughly endearing and engaging; most people won't have any trouble paying attention to his story. Arlo uses this number to poke fun at authority; and the audience enjoys it very much. People have written that this number is extremely funny; and they are right! And yes, Arlo delivers the message that he is opposed to the Vietnam War in an exceptionally artistic, creative way through this song. Arlo must be very gifted; he crafted this excellent song in such a way that you enjoy his song even if you don't agree with him!

This is a live recording; the crowd laughs at every joke Arlo cracks as he tells his story. The laughter appears to have been edited in that the ending of the laughter is slightly abrupt--but, then again, who cares? Arlo delivers "Alice's Restaurant" so flawlessly you won't mind this very minor flaw one bit.

Other tracks on this CD deserve attention, too. Some people fall so much in love with the song "Alice's Restaurant" that they never listen to the other tracks on this album. "Chilling Of The Evening" allows Arlo to express his horror at the events of the Vietnam War; the melody shines with a solid musical arrangement. Arlo sings this very well; and the guitar carries the melody beautifully.

"Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag" tells the story about a friend of Arlo's who almost gets arrested in a park, presumably for using drugs although the reason is never clearly given. The melody sounds distinctly like the music from the pop music of the 1920s and 1930s; I predict you will at least love the melody of this number. Love that piano playing! SMILE

"The Motorcycle Song" reflects much forethought as Arlo rhymes "pickle" with "cycle" which here is pronounced "cicle" as in the word "icicle." Once again Arlo expresses his anti-war sentiment as he also says that he merely wants to be free, enjoying life by riding on his motorcycle to see America and his friends.

Overall, Alice's Restaurant is a vehicle for Arlo Guthrie to express his anti-Vietnam war sentiment; and so many people cherished this album when it first came out on LP that it still sells well today. I recommend this CD for Arlo's fans, fans of folk music and anyone who wants to experience the creative force of a genius who used the power of words and music for self-expression.

Alice's Restaurant.......2007-03-13

I bought it for the title song for a nostalgic expereince (still makes me laugh out loud) and then was surprised how much I liked the music that followed as well.

Alice's Restaurant.......2006-11-10

I purchase it for one song, Alice's Restaurant. It is well worth the money and is great for laughs. I highly recommend it for anyone that remembers the song.

Still a classic.......2006-10-18

This classic album has a little of everything - a ragtime in Ring-Around-the-Rosy-Rag, a fun silly tune in the Motorcycle song, a lot of great ballads, and of course the legendary title track. Though a bit dated, the message remains the same and will never grow old.

"I'm sittin here on the group-dubbya bench because you want to know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and villages after being a litterbug!"

Average customer rating:

Wonderful new Arlo!
Arlo's Birthday Present
jazz/folk/blues idiom masterpiece
Arlo Knocks This One Outta The Park!!!!!
Like a Dream in the Night

In Times Like These
Arlo Guthrie
Manufacturer: Rising Son Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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Live In Sydney
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ASIN: B000S6BMZS
Release Date: 2007-07-10

Tracks:

Concert begins
Darkest Hour
Last Trail
St. James Infirmary
If You Would Just Drop By
Last to Leave
Epilogue
In Times Like These
Patriots' Dream
City of New Orleans
You Are the Song
Good Night Irene
Can't Help Falling In Love (Bonus Track)

Product Description

Arlo Guthrie's latest release, In Times Like These finds him sharing the stage with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. The CD was recorded live March 10, 2006 at the Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky. The cd features the newly written single, In Times Like These. "Arlo is an American classic, and the album shows off his gift as a singer. The orchestral arrangements are lush and beautifully played, and add so much to the testure. This is a wonderful album." Keith Lockhart

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful new Arlo!.......2007-07-31

Absolutely wonderful album, even if you are not a super Arlo fan. If you like good music well sung in a heartfelt fashion, get this album.

Arlo's Birthday Present.......2007-07-30

Arlo Guthrie turned 60 on July 10. To celebrate that milestone, the former poster child for happy-go-lucky hippiedom released In Times Like These, a live disc recorded with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. It's also the 40th anniversary of his first album, the iconic Alice's Restaurant. In fact, Arlo was in the studio making Alice as the "Summer of Love" commenced 40 years ago with the release of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper.

So it's somewhat ironic that the archetypal folk troubadour is adding orchestrations to his tunes at this particular time. With some exceptions--his 1979 masterpiece Outlasting the Blues comes to mind--Arlo's music has generally been at its best when least adorned. Interestingly enough, his music here comes across the same way--with a full size orchestra, yes, but wrapped in arrangements that enhance and serve the music rather than overwhelm or undermine it.

Give credit to James Burton for that. His scores for this batch of mostly well-worn classics from Arlo's back catalog conjure up Copland-esque images of the great American expanse and Ives-ian panoramas of 19th-century New England. Longtime Arlophiles will revel in the resplendent re-creations.

"My Darkest Hour" sounds like a Grant Wood painting looks. "Last Train" pulls into a mythical town square where the community band fills the warm summer air with a Sunday afternoon concert of patriotic favorites. "Patriot's Dream," on the other hand, gets a melancholy, almost mournful treatment, aurally capturing the sadness of the times in which we live for those whose hopes and dreams were once filled with high ideals.

The sole new song, the album's title track, sung softly with only acoustic guitar accompaniment, is one of the singer's most affecting compositions, recalling his daddy's lines ("I walk with friends from every nation/on freedom's highway") while offering hope in the midst of increasing "storm clouds:" "In times like these, it's good to remember/These times will go in times to come."

"City of New Orleans" is bathed in rich Americana, rolling through countryside filled with family farms and rural small towns, while Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" takes a turn on a county fair carousel. The beautiful ballad, "Epilogue," becomes even prettier and more powerful in this sympathetic symphonic setting, and Arlo and the orchestra offer up a surprising encore, a tasteful take on Elvis Presley's late `50s hit, "I Can't Help Falling in Love."

Arlo Guthrie's voice has dropped about an octave since his debut 40 years ago, and it's now filled with the weathered cracks and crags of that many years on the road. His is now the weary voice of experience, still filtered through that flower-powered optimism he's somehow managed to hold on to. This CD is his birthday present back to us, a gently flowing reminder of who we were, where we've been and who we still can be...even in times like these.

copyright © 2007 Port Folio Weekly and Jim Newsom. Used by Permission.

Originally published in Port Folio Weekly, 7/31/07

jazz/folk/blues idiom masterpiece.......2007-07-22

Keith Lockhart said it best in the editorial. Beyond that the expressive quality of Arlo's singing on the classic and new songs supported by arrangements that are artistic, not just "quimbly" strings is outstanding. Cab Calloway and Leadbelly applaude...history is carried forward while made new again, mingled with new classsics that reflect the tradition from which Arlo draws his inspriation. Bravo maestro !

Arlo Knocks This One Outta The Park!!!!!.......2007-07-17

I was in Lexington KY, March 10th 2006, 3rd row center. We sat in amazement as we witnessed the recording of this live CD! It was truly a magical night, to be unequaled, or so I thought! Today I listened for the first time, to Arlo's new CD "In Times Like These".
It was as if I was transported back in time to that magical night! This recording is well worth the wait. Now everyone can experience the magic that is "Arlo", focused, well oiled, sleeves rolled up (literally!) & on a mission!! And friends, I'm most happy to say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! This CD exceeds all expectations. The intensity Arlo performed with that night comes through with chrystal clairity!
The "University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra" under the direction of John Nardolillo, is the perfect frame for the masterpiece they created with Arlo that night. At first, I missed the familiar "ramblings" of Arlo between songs on this CD. But I soon realized that this CD was to stand alone, souly on musical mastery that came togeather that night.....And friends, it does...Mr. Guthrie, for that, we thank you.......Michael K. Frazier

Like a Dream in the Night.......2007-07-16

About a year ago I had the pleasure of seeing Arlo perform with a local symphony orchestra in Springfield, MA. Since then I have been eagerly looking forward to the release of this CD. It has lived up to all my expectations and then some.
The more I listen to the CD the more difficult it becomes to choose a particular favorite(s). St. James Infirmiry and In Times Like These were both songs I was looking forward to and they have lived up to all my expectations. The more I listen to the CD the more songs I find myself adding to "my favorites among favorites."
Anyone who has heard Arlo perform with a symphony orchestra will already know why they want this CD. Those who haven't will soon find out what they have been missing.

Average customer rating:

Needs discography
You Can Get Anything You Want.......
Arlo's BEST stuff!
The Best Of Arlo Guthrie
I love Arlo, wished I liked the album better...

The Best of Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Alice's Restaurant
Alice's Restaurant
The Greatest Songs of Woody Guthrie
Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits
This Land Is Your Land: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000002KI3
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Alice's Restaurant Massacree
Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues
Cooper's Lament
Motorcycle (Significance Of The Pickle) Song
Coming Into Los Angeles
Last Train
City Of New Orleans
Darkest Hour
Last To Leave

Amazon.com

Though several of Guthrie's records contain hidden gems well worth seeking out, his best-known songs are fairly obvious and easy to assemble on a single greatest-hits package. A hefty chunk of this record is taken up by the epic "Alice's Restaurant," which clocks in at 18-and-a-half minutes. Yet--while it's a definitive element of late 1960s counterculture--it's not his best song, either as writer or as performer. For the latter, his version of Steve Goodman's classic "City of New Orleans" remains the pinnacle of his career; among his own songs, it's hard to surpass the somewhat lesser-known but equally beautiful "Darkest Hour." Other highlights here include the rockin' "Comin' into Los Angeles" and the comedic "Motorcycle Song." --Peter Blackstock

Customer Reviews:

Needs discography.......2006-09-23

This album is a good collection of the best of his early work. However, I do have one big complaint about this album - it provides almost no discography. At the very least it should list the recording date for each song (or at least the release date), along with which album it is on.

You Can Get Anything You Want..............2006-08-15

Years in the wilderness looking for the Best of Arlo Guthrie. Education is incomplete without "Alice's Restaurant" and "City of New Orleans". Those, and many more, delivered with expedition and forensic professionalism by the good Amazon. A brilliant album, especially for those embarking on a mid life crisis, or a la recherche des temps perdu........

Arlo's BEST stuff!.......2006-02-02

Brings back memories, Boomers! Received this CD in perfect condition, thanks to seller. Music crisp & clear,10 times better than the old LP's we used to depend on. Good selection of Guthrie classics. Best track is CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. Guthrie fans won't be disappointed by this recording.

The Best Of Arlo Guthrie.......2005-08-31

The best of Arlo works and enjoyed it throughly !

I love Arlo, wished I liked the album better..........2004-12-22

but the truth is, "Alice's Restaurant" is only fun to hear once or twice at 18 minutes long, even though I have a special relationship with the saga (explained down below.) This 1977 release should be called "Arlo's most popular songs from the first decade of his career." Several of his albums are more satisfying overall than this one, including "Amigo" and "Washington County" and "Mystic Journey." Other than "Alice" the most enduring track here is "City of New Orleans." I've always thought Arlo's version of this Steve Goodman lyric was just about as good as Willie Nelson's and ahead of anyone else's cover. I like "Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad" but never cared for "Coming into Los Angeles" or "Cooper's Lament" at all. The remaining tracks are just OK.
Now about "Alice's Restaurant." No one who came of age after the military draft was not a threat can possibly like this story song as much as the men my age, who were drafted. I heard this on the radio, of all places, on a cold winter's day early in '68 while walking to the service men's club at Fort Bragg. A drafted U.S. Army private, #51979411, (I had to say the number once or more each day for 719 days. I'll have to die to forget it) I had received my orders for Vietnam only a week earlier. I was riveted by Arlo's tale of his own Selective Service physical and his details are mighty close to the truth. I had to go to Fayetteville the next weekend on the bus and buy the damn record, even though I did not own a turntable, and play it for my friends, some of whom lived off base and thus had a speck of privacy in their lives. It seemed delightfully subversive and gave me great pleasure during a lonely and scary time. But it is now dated badly, although many of the 18 minutes still make me laugh. I just purchased this CD, and I doubt I'll play it much at all, but to be true to my younger self and my history, I had to own a copy again, the LP having disappeared from my collection 25 years ago or so. If you are a long-time Arlo fan you may want this disc, but for newcomers to the life work of Woody's son, I think you should sample and buy some of his later albums instead. He is still making good music, more than 35 years farther on than his "Alice" days.

Average customer rating:

Hobo's Lullaby is Great!
Love the folk
Never gonna stop listening
A really good record
like father, like son

Hobo's Lullaby

Manufacturer: Rising Son Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0006GD0W8
Release Date: 2004-11-01

Tracks:

Anytime
City of New Orleans
Lightning Bar Blues
Shackles and Chains
1913 Massacre
Ukulele Lady
When the Ship Comes In
Mapleview (20%) Rag
Days Are Short
Hobo's Lullaby

Album Description

This is the brand new re-mastered release of the Arlo classic. Digitally remastered in 2004 with state-of-the-art technololgy, the sound quality on this release it the best available today. The new packaging includes artwork missing from previous CD versions.

Arlo is backed by extremely talented musicians including Doug Dillard, Clarence White, Hoyt Axton, Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner.

The songs range from the whimsical "Ukulele Lady" to Woody Guthrie's heartbreaking "1913 Massacre". Arlo's version of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" was a hit with the album's original 1972 release.

Customer Reviews:

Hobo's Lullaby is Great!.......2007-08-01

I love this music. Arlo Guthrie is a great musician and his songs are so down to earth. Hobo's Lullaby captures the great folk music of depression era America. And the 1913 Massacre is a wonderful telling of the Calumet, Michigan disaster. A must for anyone who loves folk music.

Love the folk.......2007-05-30

When my older brothers left home for college, they gave me some of their music. One was a cassette tape of "Hobo's lullaby". I missed them, so I played it allot.
When my kids were born I rocked them to sleep and sang them "Hobo's lullaby", and "1913 massacre". They were the only songs I reliably knew all the words to. I also wallowed my way through the rest of these songs for them, just not nearly as well. My daughter had a roommate who knew "Alice's Restaurant" from one end to another, and that's how she knew he was OK. (He was). Brought up right, he was. . My daughter saw Arlo in Jacksonville, Fl and gifted me with a poster SIGNED from that performance. It's all come full circle. I love that we all have these common threads running through our lives.

Never gonna stop listening.......2007-02-05

I bought this first on vinyl back in the late 70's while attending Michigan State. I fell in love with it then, playing it over and over (much to the dismay of my roommate I'm sure). It is one of the few LPs I purposely purchased on CD, and one of my most favorites.

A really good record.......2006-02-18

I have grown up listening to Arlo thanks to my father, and i have had a copy of this on tape for about fifteen years so i finally decided to updated. I really like this cd the music is great there is not a bad song on the whole cd.

like father, like son.......2005-10-30

Looking over the setlist for Arlo Guthrie's 'Hobo's Lullaby', most people would not recognize more than two or perhaps three songs, but nearly everybody would recognize one. One of Arlo's few charting songs was his rendition of Steve Goodman's 'The City of New Orleans', which peaked out at number 11 in September of 1968. The first recording Guthrie made of the track (which may still be in existance, and would be a nice alternate track if the disc is ever reissued... hint, hint) was a rock and roll version that never made it to vinyl. Producer Lenny Waronker convinced Guthrie to approach the song as the folk artist he was known as, but when Waronker decided the version to be released was itself too subdued, he artificially sped up the finished product.

It's ironic that Guthrie was hopeful the hit song would distance him from his folk roots as 'Hobo's Lullaby' does much to reinforce that connection. Only two tracks (one an instrumental) are penned by Guthrie, and his selection of covers are drawn from composers such as his own father ('1913 Massacre'), and troubadors Hoyt Axton ('Lightning Bar Blues' and 'Somebody Turn On the Light') and Bob Dylan ('When the Ship Comes In' being lifted from 1964's 'The Times They Are A-Changin'). The title track was a standard in his father's stable of performance tunes, and the opening track, 'Anytime', a Herbert 'Happy' Lawson composition, has been recorded by the likes of Pat Boone, Patsy Cline, Bill Haley, and Leon Redbone. For some reason Guthrie only offers the first two verses of this vibrant country song, yet printing the two unperformed verses in the liner. At 1:46 it's the shortest track, while 'The City of New Orleans' is the longest at 4:30.

As with every Arlo Guthrie album I've heard, every track is entertaining in its own right. The highlights on 'Hobo's Lullaby' would be (aside from the classic title track, written and first recorded by a true vagabond, Goebel 'The Texas Drifter' Reeves), 'The City of New Orleans', the ode to alcoholics everywhere 'Lightning Bar Blues' (which isn't very bluesy), the haunting '1913 Massacre', telling the tragic and true story of 73 children killed during a copper strike in Calumet, Michigan, and the light and lively 'Ukelele Lady', with its wonderful plays on phonics. Guthrie's compositions include the upbeat country charmer 'Mapleview (20%) Rag', and 'Days Are Short'.

While 'Hobo's Lullaby' may not possess the unparalleled beauty of 'Washington County', or the charm of 'Amigo', which may have been Guthrie's best composed work, it is probably the artist's most diverse and polished effort. The cast of prominent contributors is long, featuring among others Flying Burrito Brothers bassist Chris Ethridge, Byrds lead guitarist Clarence White, Hoyt Axton as himself, guitarist Ry Cooder, drummer Jim Keltner, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, singer Linda Ronstadt, and fiddle player Byron Berline. The recording is lush, especially by Arlo Guthrie standards. The digipak version comes complete with lyrics printed on recycled board with soybean ink. Perfect.

Average customer rating:

Live is always great.
If you haven't seen him live ...
Arlo is great.

Live In Sydney

Manufacturer: Rising Son Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000BGQVME
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Tracks:

Disk One - Chillin of the Evening
Oklahoma Hills
Intro To St. James Infirmary
St. James Infirmary
40 Years of Songs
When The Ship Comes In
The motorcycle Song- An Education
Derroll Adams
Portland Town
Byrds of Paradise
Haleiwa Farewell (Haleiwa Blues)
Technologyo/LA Story
Coming In To Los Angeles
Disk 2 - Green Green Rocky Road
Intro to Darkest Hour
Darkest Hour
The Last To Leave
Steve Goodman
City Of New Orleans
A Poster With Janis Joplin
Me and Bobby McGee
My Old Friend
This Land Is Your Land
Remembering Alice
Highway In The Wind

Product Description

NATIONAL RELEASE: August 9, 2005 A new LIVE IN CONCERT double CD from ARLO!! Live in Sydney captures Arlo at his very best. Recorded in Sydney, Australia, June 2004 at The Seymour Center, Arlo is joined by son, Abe, on keyboard and multi-instrumentalist, Gordon Titcomb. This double CD intertwines the music and stories that have endeared Arlo to his audiences for more than 40 years. New originals are the crowd pleasing, heart touching song, My Old Friend and the haunting, melodic tribute to Hawaii, Haleiwa Farewell (Haleiwa Blues). Some people think a folksinger is someone who just sings their own songs. That's a shame. It's like being of the tradition, rather than in it. I've taught myself to make any song I like, my own." - Arlo Guthrie Arlos versions of his long-time favorites, St. James Infirmary, Me and Bobby McGee, and Green Green Rocky Road will stick in your head long after the music has stopped. Stories include old favorites and new ones too. This is Arlo's first solo release in almost 10 years. Well worth the wait!!!

Customer Reviews:

Live is always great........2007-01-12

Arlo is at his best in the double disk CD. There is a good mix his father's songs, his own songs and classics. He has a couple of his kids playing with him and there is joy, almost a celebration in the performances. If you like Arlo, you will like, even love this CD

If you haven't seen him live ..........2006-01-16

... (and even if you have) get this collection. Arlo is just great live, both musically and in between songs and this Australian recording keeps all the between song patter in there. That's a good thing because it gives a sense of what a real Arlo show is with his rambling and funny and insightful observations. It is like listening to an old friend. Not that the between song commentary dominates the album, because the music really does. Abe Guthrie & Gordon Ticomb do a admirable job backing him up, but listen closely for Arlo on guitar and piano. He really is a very fine instrumentalist, something that not everyone may have noticed over the years. Great covers of some of his older songs as well as some of the old standards of the folk scare.

This is a very enjoyable collection and is one of my favorite live recordings of anyone. It would be nice, though, if he'd follow this up with an album of new material to mine. We can always use more Arlo.

Arlo is great........2005-10-11

I think Arlo is a great person. I also think he'd never boast about it or even realizes his greatness. His songs are insightful and some of them are down right silly. I myself have been listening to Arlo for 30 years. I have been to two live shows and one of them was with Pete Seeger. Right now at this moment I could put on any one of his albums and when it's over I will have felt many emotions. I will also feel like I have learned something new about humanity.

Average customer rating:

A great folk album from the 1980's....yes, from the 1980's...
PRECIOUS FRIEND
They gave me hope--not just the ol' soft soap...
As it was in concert.... captured.
Great Folk Disc

Precious Friend
Arlo Guthrie , and Pete Seeger
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Live In Sydney
Hobo's Lullaby
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ASIN: B000002KNA
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Wabash Cannonball - Pete Seeger
Circles - Pete Seeger
Hills Of Glenshee - Pete Seeger
Ocean Crossing - Pete Seeger
Celery-Time - Pete Seeger
Run, Come See Jerusalem - Pete Seeger
Sailin' Up, Sailin' Down - Pete Seeger
How Can I Keep From Singing - Pete Seeger
Old Time Religion - Pete Seeger
Pretty Boy Floyd - Pete Seeger
Ladies Auxiliary - Pete Seeger
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone - Pete Seeger
Precious Friend You Will Be There - Pete Seeger

Tracks:

Do Re Mi - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Tarentella - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
The Neutron Bomb - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
I'm Changing My Name To Chrysler - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
St. Louis Tickle - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Wimoweh (Mbube) - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Garden Song - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Raggedy Raggedy - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
In Dead Earnest - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Amazing Grace - Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger

Customer Reviews:

A great folk album from the 1980's....yes, from the 1980's..........2007-03-30

I bought this album when it came out. It came out in 1982, during the height of New Wave music and MTV videos. It was not running up the charts when it was made, but I didn't care. It is an absolutely wonderful album, with not one false song in the batch. It is amazingly eclectic. Arlo, Pete, and their superb band do ragtime, folk, blues, gospel, and back to folk. There are so many damn highlights it's impossible to pick just a few. The album starts off with the best rendition of Wabash Cannonball I've ever heard. The rendition of Harry Chapin's Circles (Harry had just died the previous year) is really beautiful and precious. I love Arlo's passion on Run, Come, See Jerusalem. How Can I Keep from Singing? is very powerful, and the title track is rousing as hell. It goes on for 7 minutes or so, and it has a chilling finish to it with the crowd fully totally into it. Do Re Mi (a tune by Arlo's dad, Woody) is better than the original, I'm Changing My Name to Chrysler is a great dig at corporate welfare (before the term corporate welfare really came into being). Garden Song is absolutely hilarious (especially the way Arlo "teaches" it), and the rendition of If I Had a Hammer is the most rousing I've ever heard (and I've heard at least 10 versions of the song). Hard to believe that a great folk album like this got released in the 1980's (and on a major label too), but we should be grateful. It shows that occasionally major labels get some things right....

PRECIOUS FRIEND.......2007-02-04

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED, TOE TAPPING, SING ALONG, (FOLK) MUSIC THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT. IT EVEN HAS A SONG SHEET. YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL GOOD AFTER VISITING WITH PETE AND ARLO.

They gave me hope--not just the ol' soft soap..........2006-02-19

Just when I thought all was lost
You changed my mind
You gave me hope not just the
old soft soap
You showed that we could learn to
share in time
You and me and Rockefeller
I'll keep plugging on
Your face will shine
Through all our tears
And when we sing another little
victory song
Precious friend you will be there
Singing in harmony
Precious friend you will be there
(Copyright 1974, Stormking Music BMI)

Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger teamed up in the summer of 1981 to give a blessed crowd an incredible opportunity to enjoy a SUPERB outdoor concert performance. The songs on the two CD set are mostly folk music about the working class and the everyday common man. We hear songs about the "raggedy raggedy" workers who need empowerment in the form of a union to stay alive; and there's a great song entitled "I'm changing my name to Chrysler" sung by Arlo to demonstrate how fat corporate America gets much more social welfare in the form of government bail-outs than the poor ever will. Arlo's sarcasm of the necessity for money for impoverished people to merely exist is evident in his social commentary song "Do Re Mi." (Arlo uses the word "Do" as a synonym for money.) Arlo also dreams of a world where guns disintegrate and flowers grow; the crowd becomes ecstatic. However, there's more than just social commentary and opinions here. There's also the beautiful love song sung by Pete, "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine;" and the song "Circles" about the twists and turns of life. We are treated to the bittersweet yet somewhat amusingly performed classic "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" sung by Arlo with the musicians accompanying him. The electricity throughout the concert is amazing but this last song is especially powerful because of the way it is so beautifully performed with just the right amount of improvisation. Yet the most powerful moments are at the very end of the concert when Arlo sings the infamous "Amazing Grace." Arlo explains that the song was written by the captain of a slave ship who realized the error of his ways and turns his boat around to return the would-be slaves back to Africa.

All throughout, both Arlo and Pete enjoy a masterful ability to lead their audience exactly where they want to take them while keeping them entertained all the way!!! Pete often helps the audience participate by singing along with his songs; Pete has often called himself a "sing-along leader" on many occasions during his career. Even at the end of a fairly long concert; the electric atmosphere is so powerful that the audience is truly screaming for still more. A tour de force for Arlo and Pete!

The CD set is well produced and of course being a professional recording it is recorded from the soundboard on stage and certainly not from the audience. Arlo and Pete have ample musicians to help them along, introduced by Arlo by their first names only during the song "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." The musicians make this classic into a great jam session with a lot of fun for the audience and any CD listener.

In addition, the two CD set comes with a booklet giving you all the words and credits for each song. In addition, most of Arlo's spoken words to the audience are carefully written out for you here.

If you are a folk music fan but you don't have this two CD set in your collection, get it now and set aside a LOT of time because you will not be able to listen to this set only once before putting it away. I have listened to it countless times over the years and it has never lost a shred of freshness nor power. If you want a primer on folk music laced with some spiritual accents and social commentary, then this is also a great CD set for you. We are truly lucky to have these two ingenious men amongst us all these years. Their compassion, intelligence and wit abound in every song so carefully performed for their audience. If you can, I would also recommend any other CD set that showcases the talents of Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger performing together live. This would include the two CD set of their 1975 live concert entitled Together in Concert, and possibly also More Together Again IN Concert which was recorded in the early 1990s.

A BUY! SMILE

As it was in concert.... captured........2005-04-29

My tape copy has been worn out, my CD replaced twice, once because my friend's daughter was going overseas and she wanted it and the next because my own original had a skip or two.

If you listen to Pete Seeger singing the Walbash Cannonball the melody will haunt you and Wehomaweh will amaze you with the range of his voice and the Tarantella will have your toe tapping. Smiles will come every time you hear The Garden Song, with Pete & Arlo singing. And in this troubled time I'm Changing My Name to Chrysler and The Neutron Bomb sung by Arlo makes one shake thier head, and sort of smile.

The musical quality is superb for a live recording, the choices of songs for this CD were at the time topical and are still. This is a CD or tape or album that is timeless and amazing to listen to and will become a favorite of the whole family...tiny ones love The Garden Song and my teen just refered to the Chrysler song as a political ballad that she needed to hear again since it had been a year or 2 since she had listened to it.

Great Folk Disc.......2004-11-17

Every fan of Pete or Arlo should have this cd. It's got some great tunes and classic Arlo comedy. There's not a bad song on the two discs. This is my second favorite live recording by these two.

My favorite record of theirs is finally available on cd, and you can even buy it at Amazon now. It's called Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger Together in Concert. It came out in 1975 and the concert was shown on PBS.

So my advice is to buy this one, and if you like it go get the other one too.

Average customer rating:

A back to the garden, laid back beauty...
razor sharp
A Priceless Gem
Pleasure for the ears & mind
From hippie to responsible adult this has stood the test of time!

Washington County

Manufacturer: Rising Son Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Hobo's Lullaby
Running Down The Road
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys
Amigo
Arlo Guthrie

ASIN: B000AHU8MS
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

Introduction
Fence Post Blues
Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues
Washington County
Valley To Pray
Lay Down Little Doggies
I Could Be Singing
If You Would Just Drop By
Percy's Song
I Want To Be Around

Product Description

Almost 35 years to the day from it's original release, it is our extreme pleasure to re-release this favorite Arlo album. This is the first time Rising Son Records has released it on CD. We have digitally re-mastered every song to give them the highest quality sound available. Seven of these songs are Arlo originals. Doug Dillard, one of our favorite banjo players, joins him on a couple of tracks, notably, "Washington County". These songs are truly timeless. Make a new old friend.

Customer Reviews:

A back to the garden, laid back beauty..........2006-12-13

This was a favorite album for many "hippies" in the early 70's. Still basking in the idealistic, post Woodstock belief that simplifying life can solve all of man's problems, Arlo released this album of uplifting, well played, almost spiritual songs. Listen to this album a few times and you'll be scanning the real-estate ads for some country acreage. This is a feel good album that was released during a time of social turmoil. It was a salve for the spirit at the time and even now soothes the nerves and offers simple rest and some cool shade. Just looking at the album makes me want to grab my overalls and hoe and head for the country. Great memories of a way of life that promised escape from what was perceived as a corrupt, materialistic society. Too bad the majority of the people of that time now live the same lives they rebelled against 35 years ago. Want a break from the complexities of life? Next sunny day, grab this CD; jump in the car; and take a drive in the country.

razor sharp.......2005-11-16

1970's 'Washington County' is easily Arlo Guthrie's finest collection of songs, and so exists as one of the finest albums in one of the most accomplished years of rock and roll history. In the same year Rod Stewart released 'Gasoline Alley', Neil Young, 'After the Goldrush' (at number 18 this was Rolling Stone Magazine's highest rated album of 1970 in their Top 200 albums of the 1970's; 'Washington County' doesn't make the list), and Tim Buckley, 'Starsailor'. But for my money none of these fine works approximates what Arlo Guthrie accomplished on 'Washington County'.

Arlo Guthrie has always been something of a spiritual explorer, and on this release, it seems Christianity was on Arlo's mind, in his heart, and just a bit on his sleeve. Several songs feature direct, intimate allusions to a faith awakening, including 'Gabriel Mother's Highway Ballad #16 Blues' ("Come on children, all come home, Jesus gonna make you well"), 'Valley To Pray' ("I went down to the valley to pray, learnin' about the good old way", and "who will wear the starry crown, Oh, Lord, show me the way"), and on 'I Could Be Singing' ("You and your friends have a party, Welcome your heavenly Dad"). That last song also stands as the strongest protest song on the disc, illustrating how the Guthrie tradition continued to meld morality and social consciousness. The lyrics swipe at Spiro Agnew, the '68 police riots in Chicago, and the shootings at Kent State (which took place only months prior to the recording of 'Washington County'). Despite the drab storyline, 'I Could Be Singing' chimes with an upbeat tempo and melody, as do many of the other tracks Arlo offers. Similarly, 'Percy's Song' (written and recorded by Bob Dylan in 1963, but not released until his 'Biograph' box set appeared in 1985) begins with the lyric "Sad news, sad news..." and proceeds to tell a tale of judicial injustice, yet with a light and airy acoustic atmosphere. The only songs even hinting at 'the blues' are the eighth track, the yearning 'If You Would Just Drop By', and Arlo's cover of his father's 'Lay Down Little Doggies', which comes off warm and tender until, in the final verse, we find the 'doggies' are cattle being carted to the stockyards. Again, despite the sad conclusion, one cannot help but to crack a wry smile.

The first seven songs on 'Washington County' will whisk you off to a country and folk dreamland. 'Introduction' caresses us with a promise, "Come closer to me babe, and hear what I say, lay down beside me, listen to my song, it's something other than it's right or it's wrong", before blending into 'Fence Post Blues', carrying a guarantee of "Stand on the good land, children, you know it won't do you in". Of the seven tracks, only the slick and jumping, banjo driven instrumental title track has not yet been mentioned. The album concludes with 'I Want To Be Around', another upbeat track emulating the 'love and peace' values the era idealized with lyrics like "I want to be around, when the stars fall on the ground, walking hand in hand with everyman, sleeping in the sun with everyone". Appropriately, the cover photograph shows Arlo hand sharpening an axe. It was razor sharp by the time he was ready to cut each of these tunes.

'Washington County' was remastered in 2004 and reissued on Arlo's own label in 2005, so there has been ample opportunity to pad the 10 original vinyl tracks with live or alternate takes, or perhaps an unreleased recording from the 'Washington County' sessions. Unfortunately that hasn't happened. Nevertheless, the disc is nothing less than a gift from above (thank God, because it includes printed lyrics), with Arlo and friends (including Hoyt Axton, Clarence White, and Ry Cooder) lovingly tracing out these special compositions. It truly represents the epitome of folk and country rock from an era not easily forgotten. I don't hand out five stars easily, but this is an easy call.

A Priceless Gem.......2005-11-09

Heard this album so long ago and I played it out. "Down in the Valley to Pray"-- you have to feel good after you listen. "Gabriel's Fence Post Blues" is an incredibly complicated guitar accompaniment that Arlo plays effortlessly-- the lyrics are some of the most moving I've ever heard. And "I'll see you in a tin can when you get shipped around"-- his goodbye to the dogies-- is priceless. If you happen to find your way to this CD, buy it.

Pleasure for the ears & mind.......2005-11-01

I was 11 years old when my older sisters boyfriend brought this shiny and new from the record store. I remember listening to it and thinking that it was really cool. The title track, "Washington County" is a smoking hot bluegrass instrumental that you can't help tapping your feet and any other loose appendedge to.

From the roots of his father, Arlo Gutherie has been aming increadably timeless music, this was released over 35 years ago and it still is relevent and speaks to the concious human inside you.

The words of the music on this record still echo in my mind. They provoke thoughts about who we are as a people, who I am as an individual.

Get it, listen to it, enjoy it.

From hippie to responsible adult this has stood the test of time!.......2005-10-14

I first heard this album when I was a hippie. Now that I'm a responsible adult I get up and make coffee instead of rolling something in paper. But, somehow this is still in my music player some 30 to 40 years latter. I probly bought it 3 or 4 times over the years as it was lost, stolen, and went from LP to 8-track to CD. It is an astonishing record - deep, melodic, intelligent and oh so pretty. For anyone who enjoys Dylan, or Sheryl Crow, or anyone in between, the lyrics are profound, the instrumentation complex and powerful, the joy unavoidable.

Average customer rating:

A gift
I like Arlo...
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys

Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys

Manufacturer: Rising Son Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Hobo's Lullaby
Washington County
Running Down The Road
Amigo
Arlo Guthrie

ASIN: B000AHU8NW
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Tracks:

Farrell O'Gara
Gypsy Davy
This Troubled Mind O' Mine
Week On The Rag
Miss The Mississippi & You
Lovesick Blues
Uncle Jeff
Gates Of Eden
Last Train
Cowboy Song
Sailor's Bonnett
Cooper's Lament
Ramblin' Round

Product Description

Digitally remasterd in 2004, we are pleased to re-release this classic album. Arlo is joined by several exceptional musicians including Ry Cooder, Doug Dillard, John Pilla, Clarence White and Irish fiddler, Kevin Burke. One of our favorites.

Customer Reviews:

A gift.......2007-03-28

I got this for my dad because Don Rich(Buck Owens guitar player) plays on 2 or 3 tracks. He loves the cd.

I like Arlo..........2005-10-12

I like Arlo. After first hearing him 30 years ago I still put him on in the morning with my coffee. He is one of those artists that I buy over again when a new format comes in style (such as LP verses CD). I have never listened to any of his albums (no matter how many times) without either laughing, crying, singing along, dancing, or feeling that I have learned something new about humanity. I like him just as much and more than most artists I listen to. That includes Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Wilco, Modest Mouse, Neal Young, Ben Harper, Nine Inch Nails, The wallflowers, Radio Head, Ten Years After, The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash, Kieth Urban, and so on. This album is a great one -- I cannot put this on my player without singing along from the beginning to the end. If you like folk music Arlo is the modern master. He's a humble man and a great artist.

Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys.......2005-09-05

I first heard this album in the 70's, and thought it was great then, now I think it's even better.

Average customer rating:

The indications of growth are there...
A Truly Great Album
Wonderful CD.

Amigo
Arlo Guthrie
Manufacturer: Rising Son
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hobo's Lullaby
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys
Running Down The Road
Washington County
Outlasting the Blues

ASIN: B0000030NA
Release Date: 1994-02-28

Tracks:

Guabi, Guabi
Darkest Hour
Massachusetts
Victor Jara
Patriot's Dream
Grocery Blues
Walking Song
My Love
Manzanillo Bay
Ocean Crossing
Connection

Album Description

"Amigo" was recorded in North Hollywood in July of 1976. Amigo was the name of the recording studio and the record was named to honor the great musicians and talented crew who worked on the project. Arlo and family along with producer John Pilla moved into a house nearby and spent about 2 months recording and mixing the tracks. It was a very happy time, as Annie, Arlo & Jackie's third child was born during the recording. Arlo, John and co-producer, Lenny Waronker had worked together on all the recordings starting with "Running Down The Road" each record improving and evolving - With "Amigo" they really hit their stride.

Great musicians, great engineering, great songs, all converging at a good and happy time make this recording what it is.

Customer Reviews:

The indications of growth are there..........2005-10-12

...in his earlier '70s albums, but with Amigo, Arlo Guthrie entered the songwriting pantheon with the big boys. His songs here are as good as anything his big influence, Bob Dylan, had written up to that point (listen to "Victor Jara" and tell me that it's not better than Dylan's "Hurricane" from the same time period), his political sensibilities would have made his father proud, his sense of humor is still delightfully intact and his choice of cover tunes shows some real imagination.

Hard to say which songs I like best here--"Guabi Guabi" is unbelievably stupid but I love it! "Darkest Hour," "Massachusetts," "Ocean Crossing" and "Grocery Blues" are all wonderful. So too, is his cover of the Rolling Stones' "Connection," with Linda Ronstadt singing background on it.

A Truly Great Album.......2005-10-03

I found this album at the Roseville Library (MN) in the mid 80's and found it to be a quite remarkable creation of true excellence in terms of creativity, depth of feeling, thoughtfulness and content. There are fun songs (Guabi Guabi), and some very poignant moments, especially the sequence from Darkest HOur to Patriot's Dream. Lyrics are great throughout... but this album has that "something more" that elevates it. Don't know why it's so overlooked and forgoten. It deserves a very high place in the panoply of music for/from our generation. (Disclaimer: I am from the Boomer gen)

Enjoy!

Wonderful CD. .......2005-08-25

Many 60s-refugee types (such as myself) may not be aware of the heartfelt, progressive folk music recorded by Guthrie after Alice's Restaurant. More's the pity. The songs on Amigo demonstrate a humanity sorely needed in 2005.

Average customer rating:

Pops Goes the 4th!
TOP NOTCH!

America

Manufacturer: Boston Pops Rec.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sleigh Ride
Salute to America
I Love a Parade John Williams
Holiday Pops
My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration

ASIN: B0009ML1X4
Release Date: 2005-06-21

Tracks:

The Pledge Of Allegiance
Star Spangled Banner
Liberty Fanfare
America
This Is My Country
City Of New Orleans
Doodletown Fifers
God Bless America
Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy
This Land Is Your Land
The Gettysburg Address
America, We're Proud To Serve
America The Beautiful
1812 Overture
The Stars And Stripes Forever

Customer Reviews:

Pops Goes the 4th!.......2006-12-02

This is a great CD for any fan of the Boston Pops - especially those who have seen or been to their annual 4th of July performance - or for those who appreciate patriotic music. Many of the pieces they play at the Pops Goes the 4th concert are on the CD. My personal favorite is the 1812 Overture for its live cannons.

TOP NOTCH!.......2005-08-27

This is a top notch collection of music. These represent the american spirit. I highly recomend it to everyone.

Music Review: