Best of the Vanguard Years

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Recorded a dozen years after the Clancy Brothers made their American splash via an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, this best-of set isn't a hits retrospective in the conventional sense. Rather, it offers a generous selection of group favorites and Irish staples recorded in 1973 for a single album. That initial Greatest Hits reappears here in its 24-song entirety and is fleshed out with four previously unreleased selections. Nearly 75 minutes long, the album presents a generous sampling of robustly delivered odes to drinking, sparking, roving, and rebelling. The nature of Irish music has broadened in the wake of the Clancys, but these lads have never been bested when it comes to traditional tunes delivered with beer-spilling gusto. --Steven Stolder

Best of the Vanguard Years,Clancy Brothers,Vanguard Records,Celtic/Irish,Folk Revival,Int'l & World Music,Irish,Pop,Traditional Irish Folk,World Music

Average customer rating: Variable Hammond the epitome of a bluesman working his trade

Best of the Vanguard Years Jr. John Hammond Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: So Many Roads Got Love If You Want It Push Comes to Shove Wicked Grin John Hammond ASIN: B00004BYZK Release Date: 2000-02-22

Tracks:

1. 32-20 Blues
2. Statesborough Blues
3. Seventh Son
4. Drop Down Mama
5. Going Back To Florida
6. Ask Me Nice
7. Hellbound Blues
8. I'm Ready
9. I'm A Man
10. Keys To The Highway
11. No Money Down
12. I Live The Life I Love
13. Big Boss Man
14. So Many Roads, So Many Trains
15. Who Do You Love
16. I Want You To Love Me
17. You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover
18. O Yea!
19. Who's Been Talkin'
20. Pretty Thing
21. Last Night
22. I Wish You Would
23. Guitar King

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John Hammond's particular genius is simply this: he can take a classic blues tune and play it how it's meant to be played, whether it's Delta or Chicago, uptempo or slow. Best of the Vanguard Years provides an excellent introduction to Hammond's work, showcasing as it does much of what made him a national artist in the first place. His early work for Vanguard is some of his best, making this collection a near-perfect set of classic blues. A key moment for recognizing Hammond's talent for stylistic variety comes in the juxtaposition of tracks seven and eight, "Hellhound Blues" and "I'm Ready." Putting these Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters classics next to each other highlights the issue nicely: Hammond really is that good. He goes gut-deep on every track, too; this is probably one of the best takes of "Big Boss Man" on record, and his version of "I Want You to Love Me" is sexy enough to make your stereo sweat. Required listening all around. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews:

Variable Hammond.......2006-09-10

John Hammond Sr., the Columbia Records executive, gave his estranged 19-year-old son a test-pressing of the forthcoming Robert Johnson LP in 1961, and it was to have a marked influence on his life. Three years later he recorded his first album for Vanguard, featuring some Robert Johnson and other Mississippi blues numbers, as well as Lightnin' Hopkins' 'Going Back To Florida', included here. His second album the following year continued the solo trend, with more reworkings of songs by Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, and John Estes making up the content, as well as the more citified Chicago sound of Willie Mabon, all to be heard on the first four tracks of this CD.

As one of the few pioneering white bluesmen of the early 1960s, Hammond demonstrates a commendable command of the style, with his guitar work particularly impressive. The voice is a different matter - the liner-notes describe it as 'callow' - and when Hammond dropped his solo guitar role in favour of a bigger, electric band, the overall quality of his performances seems diminished. Listening again to these larger group sides, after many years, I'm struck by how similar Hammond's vocal phrasing was to that of Mick Jagger's. But perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised; The Stones were a major success at the time, and a role-model for many white boys on how to sing and play the blues. Whatever, it's probably no coincidence that Hammond chose to be backed by Bill Wyman's bass on a 1967 album for Atlantic.

Of particular interest is the inclusion here of six tracks from Hammond's 'So Many Roads' LP, cut in 1965 with a group comprising Robbie Robertson, guitar, Garth Hudson, organ, Levon Helm, drums, Charlie Musselwhite, harmonica, and Michael Bloomfield, piano. The first three musicians had been members of Ronnie Hawkins' backing group, The Hawks, responsible for laying down, in 1963, some memorable tracks, including a definitive version of Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love'. This track is tackled here by Hammond and the boys, but the comparison is odious. In fact, there's really no comparison at all, although it's always good to hear Robertson's guitar wailing out. Another visitor to the studio during that particular session was Bob Dylan. Although he didn't contribute, he was evidently sufficiently impressed by the ex-Hawks to begin performing with them later that year, renaming them The Band.

The final two tracks represent a return to solo work by Hammond, from a 1976 album, and find him in a more mature and acceptable form, with 'Guitar King' especially pleasing. A couple of previously unreleased tracks are also included, one of them, 'Hellhound Blues', being a fine cover of the Robert Johnson classic. So, a varied compilation of Hammond's output, with more enjoyment to be obtained from his solo work.

the epitome of a bluesman working his trade.......2005-12-24

Brilliant! There is so much acoustic blues here, one hardly knows where it starts or ends. This is Hammond as only Hammond can be. Soulfully done blues you can ease thru a rainy day with. I highy suggest this album to any Hammond fans or to any blues fans. What are you waiting for?

Average customer rating: Simply incredible - the ultimate groove music ... revealing "essences" ... A Fantastic Original One of the Best of the Sixties Acoustic bliss

Re-Inventions: Best Of The Vanguard Years Sandy Bull Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: E Pluribus Unum Still Valentine's Day 1969: Live at the Matrix, San Francisco The Legend of Blind Joe Death Venus in Cancer The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death ASIN: B00000HF5R Release Date: 1999-01-26

Tracks:

1. Blend
2. Manha De Carnival
3. Carmina Burana Fantasy
4. Gospel Tune
5. Little Maggie
6. Memphis, Tennessee
7. Triple Ballade
8. Carnival Jump

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Sandy Bull's 1965 LP Inventions remains one of those legendary albums that almost no one has heard. Its impact, however, can be scene in the title of this new compilation spotlighting a great unsung hero of "psychedelic folk." "Blend," the 22-minute opus from 1963 that opens this disc, surely fits that designation, perfectly blending folk, jazz, and Indian influences into what Bull called "new guitar raga." An eclectic virtuoso who switched from acoustic guitar to banjo to Stratocaster to oud (mostly backed solely by jazz drummer/Ornette Coleman crony Billy Higgins), Bull was all over the musical map. Thus the beautiful, soothing bossa nova of "Manha de Carnival" gives way to German classical music, which is supplanted by a cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." The cream of Bull's first three albums can be found here. When those old records were in stores, it's a good bet Leo Kottke, Mark Knopfler, Richard Thompson, George Harrison, and Jerry Garcia were taking notes. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews:

Simply incredible - the ultimate groove music.......2006-07-20

In the early 80's I was a baker at a cafe in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. I was at work by 5 am to bake the croissants and this album was the early morning treat each day. The waitress had recorded this album on a cassette and we about wore the thing out. I had just started to play oldtime clawhammer banjo and was always attracted to the Indian Raga idiom...this album merged with rockabilly, classical, etc. thrown into the mix.

Sandy Bull is a master genre-twister, and a delight to behold! This album exemplifies the genesis of his astonishing musical journey and the absolute brilliance of both his and Vanguard's vision.

... revealing "essences" ..........2000-03-14

revealing essences of classic, soul chords and riffs of the 1960s post-Shankur, post-Beatles music

A Fantastic Original.......1999-10-16

My old college roomie in New Haven had this album in the mid-sixties, and Sandy was just about the most incredible guitarist we'd ever heard (and both of us played). If you've never heard or heard of this guy, you are in for a special ride. The fabulous, magical cut of "Memphis" -- quietly ethereal, sliding back and forth like Chuck Berry off in some cloud dream -- has haunted me for over 35 years, and it alone is worth ten times the price of this album.

One of the Best of the Sixties.......1999-10-01

This is one I would choose if I could only have ten albums on a deserted isle. Bull was a true master of his instrument. It enjoyed cult status when I was in college in upstate New York in the sixties. A must have.

Acoustic bliss.......1999-04-14

Every song on this CD is very diferent from the other but there is not a bad or boring one among them. There is something very unusual about the way Sandy Bull plays every instrument he picks up. I've never heard of this guy even though he's been around forever. Some of the recordings date back to the 60's but they don't sound dated at all. Re-Inventions would be right at the top of my list of desert island disks.

Average customer rating: John Herald One of the very best groups of the 60s folk revival Alligator men strike again Long Overdue Thank you, Vanguard, thank you thank you.

Best of Vanguard Years Greenbriar Boys Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Big Apple Bluegrass The Early Years (1958-1962) Close To Home: Old Time Music From Mike Seeger's Collection 1952-1967 Old Time Music Feed Your Babies Onions: Fat City Favorites ASIN: B00006EXM3 Release Date: 2002-08-13

Tracks:

1. Katy Clyne
2. I'm Coming Back But I Don't Know When
3. Stewball
4. Rawhide
5. Banks Of The Ohio
6. Pal Of Mine
7. We Shall Not Be Moved
8. We Need A Lot More Of Jesus
9. Girl On The Greenbriar Shore
10. Life Is Like A Mountain Railway
11. Down The Road
12. Rosie's Gone Again
13. Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
14. Other Side Of Jordan

Tracks:

1. Sleepy-Eyed John
2. Ragged But Right
3. McKinley
4. Levee Breaking Blues
5. A Minor Breakdown
6. Let Me Fall
7. The Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives Me
8. At The End Of A Long, Lonely Day
9. Yellin Holler
10. I Cried Again
11. The Train That I Ride
12. I Heard The Bluebirds Sing
13. Morning Train
14. Shackles And Chains
15. Chicken
16. Alligator Man
17. Russian Around
18. Up To My Neck In High Muddy Waters
19. Little Birdie
20. Prisoner's Song
21. Different Drum

Customer Reviews:

John Herald.......2005-08-02

Recently died. (...)

I love this cd set although I would love to have original lps (along with Dian and the Greenbriar Boys). His version of the Marty Robbins song "At the End of a Long Lonely Day" is just beautifully done, and in light of his recent death, a suicide, is really painful now.

This whole album is wonderful, especially those with Rinzler, who also died much too song. For an introduction to the Greenbriar Boys, this is way to go.

One of the very best groups of the 60s folk revival.......2005-05-13

My God, how I've missed my Greenbriar Boys recording and how happy I was when I saw they had FINALLY been reissued. They had a unique combination of musical expertise, respect for the music, a sense of humor, a haunting sound, and the ability to transform the songs so that rather than playing a slavish imitation of an old 78 recording, they created a sound that was respectful, exciting, and damned good music.

Alligator men strike again.......2004-01-29

Not all the best is issued here (you'll have to buy "Big Apple Bluegrass") but a fine collection nevertheless. It's amazing how these recordings stand the test of time. There's a huge esprit, unknown to a lot of modern albums...
Even if the lyrics sometimes make you go "uh", it's a brilliant buy. Honestly, I like the last record of the boys the best. The somehow "Nashville" tunes they did on "Better late than never" are truly brilliant. "Alligator man" blows me away.
I only hope the record with Di'an will be also re-released.
"Stewball" might be the best known, and really a brill tune, but there's so much more to discover....
Love it.

Long Overdue.......2003-12-15

Maynard Solomon, of all people, should turn his prodigious writing skills to the history of the Vanguard Recording Society during the years he and his brother (the late) Seymour owned and managed it (until the mid-1980's). Superb as Vanguard's classical recordings were, the real interest would be its recordings of the many talented artists then at the center of the US folk music storm of the mid-1960's: Joan Baez, the Weavers, Erik Darling, Ian and Sylvia, John Hammond, Sandy Bull, Buffy Ste. Marie, and the Greenbriar Boys, among others. Mr. Solomon could, if he chose to, provide fascinating insights on just how his recordings were so phenomenally consistent in their high artistic quality. Most of these artists eventually went on to other labels, but with what seemed to me like notably less satisfactory artistic results. And of course, the musical Zeitgeist was evolving and artistic livelihoods adjusting accordingly.

I continue to listen to those old Vanguard recordings from time to time, but, yes, perhaps with less and less frequency. Nonetheless, forty years on, it is unmistakably clear to me that the impact of the three full recordings by the Greenbriar Boys on the Vanguard label is a lasting one. The group, whether in its Ralph Rinzler or Frank Wakefield configuration, still awes with its musicianship, vocal delivery, and sheer verve.

The Greenbriar Boys were thought of as "Bluegrass" musicians; and it is true, they did play exceedingly well the music developed by Monroe, the Stanleys, Flatt and Scruggs, Reno and Smiley, et al. They won top prizes at hypercritical Union Grove Fiddlers Convention in North Carolina in the early 1960's as well as becoming the first non-Southern band to fire real interest in this music among young urban audiences residing outside the music's own heartland. However, what the Greenbriar Boys played and how they presented it very clearly reflected their great love and knowledge of the much broader spectrum of popular music of the South: music that predated Bluegrass or was evolving collaterally with it, as well as other more contemporary elements. As I recall the impact of a typical performance of the Greenbriar Boys (and I saw them in college, coffee house and the Newport Folk Festival settings), their own enthusiasm and sense of fun never failed to win over an audience -- attending a Greenbriar Boys' concert or performance was really, first and foremost, intensely fun. But, at the same time, you could sure tell how seriously they took the music, its roots, traditions, and idioms-- and how these might be used, moving forward. Listen particularly to the selections here from their final recording, "Better Late Than Never." For years I used to think it their "messiest" work. But now I see it as probably the best thing they ever did. With new members Frank Wakefield and Jimmy Buchanan, it just exploded with creativity and new directions, but -- Bob Yellin's stunning "Russian Around" notwithstanding (and be prepared for a truly amazing guitar break by John Herald here) -- never moving all that far from the country spirit.

The Greenbriar Boys were superb showmen and convincing musical advocates who, like the older musicians they so obviously venerated, brought their immense talents into the studio, and not the other way around. Even today, listening to any of their records, I think, "This is the way moms and pops everywhere must have listened 'back then,' as they gathered around nightly live radio presentations of The Grand Old Opry or WWVA Jamboree." I know that I still pore over every word and every note, just as I did forty years ago, to my continuing unalloyed delight.

See what you think.

Thank you, Vanguard, thank you thank you........2003-09-23

I had given up all hope that Vanguard would ever release this music on CD. Long ago I wore out my vinyls of everything these guys put out. This album combines most of what was on their 3 Vanguard albums, and the other new CD release--"Big Apple Bluegrass""--has nearly everything else, including "Roll On John" and Little Birdie," the 2 songs whose omission, with good reason, other reviewers lamented. This is great old time music, brilliantly selected, played and sung with spirit and intelligence. Now, if only Elektra would put out the wonderful album they did with Dian in the mid-60s...Then there was the solo album John Herald did.

Average customer rating: Wonderful followup to the Delmark recordings GREAT COLLECTION Wells' Brings Passion to Standards and Originals Best cuts of the blues out there Best cuts of the blues out there

Best of the Vanguard Years Junior Wells Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chicago Blues | Blues | Styles | Music General | Blues | Styles | Music Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music Modern Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Harmonica Blues | Blues | Styles | Music Similar Items: Hoodoo Man Blues Come on in This House Live at Theresa's 1975 Blues Hit Big Town His Best ASIN: B000005ZB0 Release Date: 1998-03-10

Tracks:

1. Help Me (A Tribute To Sonny Boy Williamson)
2. It Hurts Me Too (When Things Go Wrong)
3. Messin' With The Kid
4. Vietcong Blues
5. All Night Long
6. It's My Life, Baby
7. It's So Sad To Be Lonely
8. Country Girl
9. Stormy Monday Blues
10. Shake It Baby
11. Checking On My Baby
12. Early In The Morning
13. (I Got A) Stomach Ache
14. Look How Baby
15. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
16. Slow, Slow
17. Shotgun Blues
18. You Know That I Know

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful followup to the Delmark recordings.......2006-08-09

If you liked Hoodoo Man Blues or Southside Jam on Delmark, buy this CD. The two Delmark recordings are among the best blues ever recorded by anyone anytime. I understand that Junior moved to Vanguard immediately after the Delmark recordings. Buddy Guy came with him on most of the cuts and this is all great music.

GREAT COLLECTION .......2006-07-23

this guy is one of my favorite blues singers, maybe just a notch below Howlin' Wolf and Rice Miller. his voice is saturated with goosebump-raising otherworldly emotion, with a weeping/laughing sound constantly bobbing around in his throat. he is endlessly playful and unpredictable, with impeccable timing. a generation younger than the Chess giants, he has some R&B flavor in his singing--maybe a bridge between the 2 styles? I don't know if there was any influence between the two singers, but his voice has a raspy percussive snap similar to James Brown's style at times... great harp player too, although there's not a lot of it on this CD-- his solos are usually pretty short and simple, but with a wonderful juicy tone. anyway, great CD, plenty of stuff, git it!

Wells' Brings Passion to Standards and Originals.......2004-03-17

"Best of the Vanguard Years" by Junior Wells is filled with personal, political and romantic tunes. Essentially a sampler album, you are treated to the best of Wells. Every original song is now a standard, and every standard he plays became his.

Upbeat in many places, but firmly rooted in soul and classic blues, Wells steers the vocals and his harp firmly through Buddy Guy's guitar. Born Amos Blackmore, you'll see that Wells wrote most of the tracks, with Guy pitching in on "Slow, Slow" and "Shake It Baby."

His tribute to John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, considered the first great blues harmonica player, is four minutes of a passionate, prayer-like call to a lover while he honors his mentor.

Wells' rendition of Willie Dixon's "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," could've been sung back in the 40s. He rips the lyrics so well that you forget Dixon isn't there. When George Thoroughgood sang "Bad to the Bone," I'm certain he used this as a template for both the riffs and words.

"(I Got A) Stomach Ache," is one of the standouts on the CD. Sung playfully, Wells has the vocal meter perfectly in line with Guy's picking.

"Rock Me Baby" will be familiar. BB King made his signature, but you can hear Wells' harp-intense original. BB does it well, but don't miss this one.

"Slow, Slow" is just that. He takes us down long, stretched notes, with a gentle drum providing the background. Turn it up to get the nuances, especially some of the guitar picked behind the song.

In his 1966 release "Vietcong Blues," Wells makes a statement against the way America was treating soldiers and their families in the early 60s.

"My landlady said you got a letter here
And I began to sing the blues
It was from my brother
Don't you know the boy's laying down in Vietnam
Lord they say, you don't have no reason to fight baby but
Lord knows you think you're right"

I fully recommend "Best of the Vanguard Years" Junior Wells.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Best cuts of the blues out there.......1999-02-26

Junior Wells was one of the greatest harp players ever and is often underrated because he had some problems with alcohol and kind of lost it near the end of his life. However, this disc displays his distinctive harp work as well as emotional vocals complemented by Buddy Guy's guitar. There are two previously unreleased cuts which I think are the best cuts on the CD. Slow, Slow is also one of the greatest chromatic harmonica minor blues I've heard.

Best cuts of the blues out there.......1999-02-26

Junior Wells was one of the greatest harp players ever and is often underrated because he had some problems with alcohol and kind of lost it near the end of his life. However, this disc displays his distinctive harp work as well as emotional vocals complemented by Buddy Guy's guitar. There are two previously unreleased cuts which I think are the best cuts on the CD. Slow, Slow is also one of the greatest chromatic harmonica minor blues I've heard.

Average customer rating: Hear it ALL! Buy this with CH's "Folkway Years," and get the whole story A highly essential folk album..... D*** close to 5, but.... Great

Best of the Vanguard Years Cisco Houston Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Cisco Houston: The Folkways Years, 1944-1961 Cisco Houston Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie Volumes 1 & 2 The Ultimate Collection Best of the Vanguard Years ASIN: B00004Z3VD Release Date: 2000-10-31

Tracks:

1. This Train
2. Roll On Columbia
3. Colorado Trail
4. Dark As A Dungeon
5. Hard Traveling
6. Old Blue
7. Nine Hundred Miles
8. Badman Ballad
9. Diamond Joe
10. John Hardy
11. Big Rock Candy Mountain
12. So Long It's Been Good
13. Buffalo Skinners
14. Pastures Of Plenty
15. Grand Coulee Dam
16. Hard, Ain't It Hard
17. Pretty Boy Floyd
18. Do Re Mi
19. Deportees
20. Tramp On The Street
21. Talking Dust Bowl
22. This Land Is Your Land
23. Way Out There
24. Chilly Winds

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If the track listing for this compilation suggests that Cisco Houston was a one-man Woody Guthrie cover band, that's because, quite simply, he was. Houston met Guthrie in California in 1938, and the two former hoboes crossed paths time and time again, frequently recording and performing together, up until Guthrie's diagnosis with Huntington's Chorea. As an interpreter, Houston's pure and easy baritone sometimes lent affecting charm to Guthrie's songs (as on the playful version of "Hard Traveling"), sometimes an eerie solemnity (as on his operatic, Gene Autry-esque interpretation of "Nine Hundred Miles"). Still, there's no escaping that Houston's refined singing shared more with Broadway musicals than with the cowboys, drifters, and workers of which he sang. His gentile, noble approach hasn't aged well, even if his voice did much to popularize these folk songs in the '50s and '60s. His music, however, while only intermittently successful, remains indispensable to understanding the folk revival as a whole. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Hear it ALL! Buy this with CH's "Folkway Years," and get the whole story.......2006-06-28

(Due to time constraints, this review is a mirror image of the one I did for Cisco Houston's "Best of the Vanguard Years." They are both great. Together they are stupendous.) I bought these 2 albums together a couple of months ago, and have been playing them constantly since then. Ranging from deep and serious, funny and ridiculous, to serene and haunting, the songs all reveal an incredibly modest soul. The baritone voice is a balsam for your battered psyche. With these two albums you not only get the best of CH, but also a "Best of the Folk Repertoire" from 1944 to 1963" excepting that of Bob Dylan and perhaps a few others. Aside from his haunting ballads, I especially love the kid's songs. Some of the best of the genre from that era. The albums complement each other perfectly, with no duplication.

A highly essential folk album............2002-05-22

I've been spending a lot of time listening to and reading about Cisco lately. I'm not sure where it started but I don't want to see this great American folk singer and folk hero forgotten. This along with the vastly different Folkways collection represent an excellent sampling of Cisco's solo recorded output (he recorded 100's of songs singing harmony for Woody Guthrie many of which have never been released). However, this collection is far from perfect. I still don't like the use of orchestral music and background singers on such songs as This Train which opens the album and Dark as a Dungeon (although it works and is necessary on Way Out There). And his version of Diamond Joe and Dark as a Dungeon on the Folkways collection are more stirring and far superior. Also it's incomprehensible that none of the 17 songs recorded on March 6, 1961, just weeks before his death, which appeared on his Vanguard "I Ain't Got No Home" lp are found here. True his voice wasn't nearly as strong at that point but it had a sweet, sad tone and his guitar playing was masterful. That album contained gems such as Trouble in Mind, Ramblin' Round, East Texas Red, Danville Girl, Tom Joad and Hobo Blues that I wish were included here. But there's plenty to like about this disc. His hilarious readings of Badman Ballad (which he wrote) and the bum's view of Big Rock Candy Mountain. A nice version of This Land; the previously unreleased So Long It's Been Good to Know You. And of course, his seminal versions of some of Woody Guthrie's best songs including Deportee, Buffalo Skinners, Hard Ain't It Hard, Grand Coulee Dam, Pretty Boy Floyd, Do Re Mi and his absolutely great reading of Pastures of Plenty with a young Eric Weissburg on banjo. Two more excellent previously unreleased songs are John Hardy and Tramp on the Street (which you'd swear was sung by a country gospel singer). Cisco had a great voice, a very good guitarist that was able to use the instrument to perfectly complement his vocals and was also extremely versatle. I agree with William Adams in his assessment that a true fan of this great music needs to hear both Woody's versions and Cisco's versions, usually very different but both great.

D*** close to 5, but...........2002-01-25

I love Cisco's voice above all other folksingers. He could carry a tune, at a time when the proper polical attitude or the proper color was more highly valued. His guitar playing was wonderful, a light and charming style that accompanied his wonderful voice. Then why not 5 stars? Well, the arrangements on some of these are awful. Why they used these lush strings, as if they were trying to copy Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle, is beyond me.

There is a great voice in here. There is great music in here. There is an awful lot to like. And yet I cringe on a few...

Buy it soon; I bet it won't stay in the catalog for long. I don't know why he isn't THE singer of the fifties and sixtes, but he's not. Died before he had a chance to impact the trendsetters I guess. But no one could sing as he did. And every good song is better than anyone else's.

Great.......2000-11-15

Cisco was one of the greatest folk singers ever and when most people were trying to be Elvis he stuck to folk which should have earned him some respect. Instead in many way he is the forgotten voice of american folk music. Buy this one now.

Average customer rating:

The Best of Country Joe McDonald: The Vanguard Years (1969-1975) Country Joe McDonald Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Classic Rock | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Collected Country Joe & the Fish Here We Are Again Electric Music for the Mind and Body Paradise with an Ocean View I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die ASIN: B000000ECU Release Date: 1990-10-17

Tracks:

1. Pastures Of Plenty
2. Roll On Columbia
3. Ring Of Fire
4. Six Days On The Road
5. Mara
6. Hold On, It's Coming
7. Air Algiers
8. Joe's Blues
9. The Man From Athabaska
10. The Call
11. Living In The Future In A Plastic Dome
12. Fantasy
13. Movin'
14. St. Tropez
15. Sweet Marie
16. Makin' Money In Chile
17. Memories
18. It's Finally Over

Average customer rating: Great and Great Fun Jack A Bit Less Than the Best "The Lost Songs Of The Ramblin' Man"

Best of the Vanguard Years Ramblin' Jack Elliott Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Revival | Folk | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Long Ride The Lost Topic Tapes: Isle of Wight 1957 Kerouac's Last Dream Ramblin' Jack Friends of Mine ASIN: B00004Z3VC Release Date: 2000-10-31

Tracks:

1. Roving Gambler
2. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
3. Diamond Joe
4. Guabi Guabi
5. Sowing On The Mountain
6. Roll On Buddy
7. 1913 Massacre
8. House Of The Rising Sun
9. Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
10. Black Snake Moan
11. Portland Town
12. More Pretty Girls
13. Danville Girl
14. John Hardy
15. Dark As A Dungeon
16. Hard Ain't It Hard
17. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
18. I Got A Woman
19. Railroad Bill
20. I Never Will Marry
21. At My Window
22. Blue Eyed Elaine
23. Wildwood Flower
24. Ranger's Command
25. Willie Moore

Amazon.com

First it was Woody Guthrie who cast a shadow over Ramblin' Jack Elliott's art. "He sounds more like me than I do," Woody once quipped. Now Elliott's own legend threatens to obscure his fine music. This 25-song set shows how forceful, even peerless (at least among the folkies), his singing and guitar playing could be. Because Elliott released only one album on Vanguard, this "best-of" includes the whole of that 1964 debut plus 13 previously unreleased tracks, making for less of a useful introduction and more of a fan's dream come true. Unreleased tracks include old folk songs such as "Danville Girl," "Diamond Joe," and "Blue Eyed Elaine." Elliott's ultratwangy, unapologetically aggressive style lends the stories a cinematic intensity--and a delightful, cutting humor. This set also reveals just how much Elliott shaped the repertoire, flatpicking, and vocal style of the young Bob Dylan (who, in the guise of Tedham Porterhouse, lends harmonica to Elliott's frenzied version of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"). As a portrait of the artist, these Vanguard recordings make clear just why Elliott remains so influential and revered. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Great and Great Fun.......2006-03-01

If you want the genuine article in folk singers, Elliott's your man, and these are some of his best. He'll also make you laugh - "I Got a Woman" is worth the price of the album if you've got a sense of humor. As you can tell from that statement, Elliott doesn't necessarily confine himself to the folk genre. When you're the best there is at what you do, you can afford the risks. Don't pass up a chance to see him perform in person if he comes your way. If you're not familiar with him, watch "The Ballad of Rambling Jack" before you go so you have an appreciation for his place in the history of folk music in this country and an understanding of the man himself.

Jack.......2003-03-28

Jack Elliott is the last American troubador and this compliation shows why. He only wrote a few songs: his artistry -- live performance by performance -- is what sets him above all others. Mr. Zimmerman is a very good song writer... Jack, on the other hand, not only gave Woody Guthrie all of the credit, but also everyone else who's work he covered. The body of his work is a treasure beyond compare. (If only he could have consistenly showed up on time, perhaps he would have been legendary.)

A Bit Less Than the Best.......2003-02-26

One disagrees only reluctantly with another reviewer, but it simply is not true, that this CD offers "a great rare look at unreleased songs that Jack wrote while rambling around with Woody Guthrie!" There are, in fact, no songs at all that Ramblin' Jack wrote on this CD. RJE claims the authorship of precisely three numbers in the more than 50 years of his career: "912 Greens," "Cup of Coffee" and "Bleeker Street Blues." None of them are songs; all three are talking pieces. What is on this CD is a collection of traditional folk songs and works by such disparate folk, country and even rock musicians as Woody Guthrie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Derroll Adams, Merle Travis, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, A.P. Carter and Ernest Tubb, all Vanguard studio recordings from 1964. The first 12 were released in the same year on vinyl on the LP Vanguard simply called "Jack Elliott." These same 12 songs also are available on Vanguard's "The Essential Ramblin' Jack Elliott," which is a better buy at a lower price. Please see my review of that album for my comments on these songs. The remaining 13 are outtakes from the same studio session, songs that Vanguard had not released until now. Of the 13, the highlights are Guthrie's "Hard, Ain't It Hard," Dylan's "Don't Think Twice," the Traditional "Railroad Bill," and Ray Charles' rock 'n' roll hit "I Got a Woman," also made famous to a certain extent by Elvis Presley. The first three of these four songs are the kind of solid music one expects from RJE, but all three are available in better performances on other RJE CDs. "I Got a Woman" is fun and interesting, but Ramblin' Jack's version is unlikely to add anything to the song's legacy or RJE's. In essence, one understands why these 13 first time releases were outtakes in 1964. They're all fine but as a whole, just a bit duller than most of his other vinyl work from these years. Of course, I wouldn't personally want to do without this CD, but then again, there are but a few RJE recordings I'm willing to have outside of my collection. If your interest is more casual, skip this CD and order "The Essential Ramblin' Jack Elliott" instead. It includes the best of this CD, and it goes one better by giving you the best of RJE's superlative April 30,1965 concert at New York City's Town Hall as well - at a better price.

"The Lost Songs Of The Ramblin' Man".......2002-07-03

Take a trip with me in 1913! For those new to RJE or looking for rare Ramblin' tunes, well look no further! This is a great rare look at unreleased songs that Jack wrote while rambling around with Woody Guthrie! This is such a great find and proud to own it! This completes my Ramblin' collection. Stay away from The Essential Ramblin' Jack Elliott CD! It only has 1/4 of what this CD offers! As Jack says, "I've got's to ramble!"

Average customer rating: Roof Top Singers

Best of the Vanguard Years Rooftop Singers Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Revival | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Very Best of the Journeymen The Journeymen Marianne/Wanderin Folk Songs Coming Attraction: Live! Golden Classics ASIN: B00012FXPY Release Date: 2004-01-27

Tracks:

1. Walk Right In
2. Dip Your Fingers
3. You Don't Know
4. I'm Just Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail [#]
5. Shoes
6. Houston Special
7. Tom Cat
8. Cool Water
9. Hail John
10. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
11. Risselty, Rosselty [#]
12. Working on the Railroad
13. Somebody Came Home
14. Eighteen, Nineteen
15. Wild Mountain Thyme [#]
16. San Francisco Bay Blues
17. Hey Boys
18. Old Joe Clark
19. R. C. Frog
20. Swing Down, Chariot [#]
21. Those Brown Eyes [#]
22. Mama Don't Allow
23. I'm on My Way
24. Ha Ha Thisaway
25. Brandy Leave Me Alone
26. Twelve String
27. Good Time!

Customer Reviews:

Roof Top Singers.......2007-03-09

I was very pleased with the Roof Top Singers Vanguard package as I have been looking for years for the Tomcat song.I have found Vanguard records to have put out a Quality product.

Average customer rating: True Collection of "their Greatest Hits" Mitch and Mickey! (A Mighty Wind) If you have ears you need some Ian and Sylvia A great folk duo music built to last

Best of the Vanguard Years Ian & Sylvia Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Revival | Folk | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ian & Sylvia - Greatest Hits Four Strong Winds Early Morning Rain Ian & Sylvia Play One More Northern Journey ASIN: B000009NLP Release Date: 1998-08-11

Tracks:

1. Early Morning Rain
2. The Circle Game
3. For Lovin' Me
4. You Were On My Mind
5. Four Strong Winds
6. Some Day Soon
7. Ninety Degrees By Ninety Degrees
8. The Mighty Quinn
9. Cutty Wren
10. Short Grass
11. Un Canadien Errant
12. When I Was A Cowboy
13. Changes
14. Gifts Are For Giving
15. Satisfied Mind
16. Keep On The Sunny Side
17. Play One More
18. Rocks And Gravel
19. Come In Stranger
20. Nancy Whiskey
21. This Wheel's On Fire
22. The Renegade
23. Mary Anne
24. Oh Katy Dear
25. The Greenwood Sidie (The Cruel Mother)

Amazon.com

Along with Gordon Lightfoot, the team of Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker represented the best that Canada had to offer during the folk boom of the early and mid- '60s. The duo's earthy voices and wraparound harmonies helped them become one of the most commercially successful '60s folk acts. And while they gained much attention for their interpretations of songs by the likes of Bob Dylan ("This Wheel's on Fire"), Joni Mitchell ("The Circle Game"), and the aforementioned Lightfoot ("Early Morning Rain"), it's their originals that remain evergreens 20-odd years after their mid-'70s split- up. To wit: Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" (covered memorably by Neil Young) and "Someday Soon" (a longtime staple of Judy Collins's repertoire), and Fricker's "You Were on My Mind" (a mid-'60s hit for the We Five). All of these, and plenty more, are found on this highly satisfying 25-song collection. --Billy Altman

Customer Reviews:

True Collection of "their Greatest Hits".......2007-05-12

This CD contains all the great sounds from Ian and Sylvia, from their earlier, acoustic work (my favorites) to later works with electrical guitars and orchestration. Ian ans Sylvia's perfectly matched harmonies, and their willingness to use songs from then "unknown" artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Leanord Cohen, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, just to mention a few, make Ian and Sylvia important leaders of the folk "revival" of the late 50's and early 60's. There is not a single "clunker" on this whole disk, and it is well worth the investment!

Mitch and Mickey! (A Mighty Wind).......2006-12-27

Not definative but pretty good throughout (except maybe the last few tracks). They were good until they tried to rock out. I'd grab a few other songs from their earlier works in place of anything they electrified. I prefer their original version of You Were on My Mind, the one hit for the We Five. I don't think Ian & Sylvia knew they had a hit on their hands. For you Mighty Wind Fans, this is Mitch and Mickey in a nutshell.

If you have ears you need some Ian and Sylvia.......2006-04-24

What distinguished Ian and Sylvia was a driving respect for music, and Ian strong roots in real Western music, and a musical integrity and ingenuity that surpassed that of most "folksingers" of their period. They never drifted off into the direction of smooth pop oriented singing. There might have been the usual attempt to take them in a "folk rock" direction in the last years they were together, something they did take seriously and made fun of from the stage of their performances in the late 1960s.

However, these recordings have a strength of their commiment to music that has the bite, the twang, the strength, and the snap of real folk music and of folk originated blues and country music. The standards of production particularly their work with the great guitarists Johnny Herald and Monte Dunn, not to mention Ian Tyson's own developing skill with the guitar, and the tastefulness of the ensembles has not been matched since in acoustic music.

Ian and Sylvia's music works now even when the pop folk sensibility that surrounded them has deservedly withered away. I spend a lot of time talking with, playing with, hanging out with people who treasure completely traditional folk music which is not at all what Ian and Sylvia ever pretended to play, although especially at the beginning it was one of their most important sources. I have found even three or four decades after the duo ended, that a tremendous respect and a lot of listening goes on to Ian and Sylvia which is not true for other folkies like Joan Baez or Bob Dylan.

Of course, Ian Tyson continued a great career of his own, longer and actually larger than what happened with Ian and Sylvia as a writer of songs rooted in his Canadian Western origins. The skills unveiled in songs like "You were on my mind" and "Four strong winds" have won Ian a bunch of Grammies and Junos (the Canadian equivalent). He is still out there performing, making great albums and being who he has always been, a straight shooter, a no bs artist.

Sometime in the 1980s, an urban legend appeared that is still strong that Sylvia Fricker had died, killed herself, or otherwise left this life. She is very much alive, still singing, and over the years has done great folk oriented shows for the CBC.

Oh, one thing I forgot.

Aside from all this analysis, Ian and Sylvia are just so darned good that anyone with ears desperately needs to have as much of their music as they can either afford or steal!

There is now a complete recordings set out on CD from Vanguard and if you can afford that, you might want to get it.

A great folk duo.......2001-12-31

I may be a minority of one but Ian and Sylvia are my favorite of the 60s folk groups. Sylvia has an earth-mother voice, Ian is a good picker and writes great songs, and they had a Canadian accent to their music which made them different from the legions of American groups. Cowboys are Ian's favorite subject and his "Four Strong Winds" is one of the greatest folk songs ever. It's about a drifter, and his girl, and goin' out to Alberta in the Fall. He also wrote the definitive rodeo song: "Some Day Soon." Judy Collins possibly did it better than Ian and Sylvia, but just barely.
One of the best songs is "The Renegade" by Ian, a defiant declaration by an American -- or rather Canadian -- Indian. Sylvia does a Dylan song, "This Wheel's on Fire," and makes it sound like a song that Dylan didn't write. "Nancy Whiskey" is a anti-drinking song, that made me want a drink. "Rocks and Gravel" is a bluesey, bass-heavy chain gang song. Ian and Sylvia's version of "Early Morning Rain" is one of the best. "Ninety Degrees by Ninety Degrees" is incomprehensible and un-folk, but the vocal harmonies are intriguing.
Ian bought a ranch in Alberta with the money he made from "Four Strong Winds." Just like in the song, Sylvia chose not to live out there where the "winds blow lonely" and there "ain't too much to do." That was the end of Ian and Sylvia. Life imitates art.

music built to last.......1999-01-09

Amazing how Ian and Sylvia's music, which some purists once foolishly dissed as too slick and commercial-sounding to pass the authenticity test, holds up more than three decades after the passing of the folk revival that brought them out of Canada and onto the international stage. Ian Tyson, once again a significant figure on the folk scene, is today the undisputed king of the new cowboy music. Probably he has fans who've never heard, or even heard of, the songs he and partner, subsequent wife, and finally ex-wife Sylvia Fricker Tyson recorded in the 1960s. This generally well-chosen set, taken from their classic Vanguard recordings, is a chance to hear the duo, depending on where you're coming from, for the first or yet one more time. There's a good mix of the couple's originals, including hits such as "You Were on My Mind," "Four Strong Winds," and "Some Day Soon," covers of Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Phil Ochs (whose "Changes" is a highlight here), and Bob Dylan, and traditional songs and ballads. Among these last are the gorgeous French-Canadian "Un Canadien Errant" and an affecting rendition of the Caribbean sailor's lament "Mary Ann," plus solid readings of Anglo-Celtic-American standards "Nancy Whiskey," "Katy Dear," and "The Greenwood Sidie." On the other hand, "Rocks and Gravel," from the African-American prison-song tradition, needs more vocal heft than the Tysons are able to bring to it. Among the newer material David Rea's pretentious "Ninety Degrees by Ninety Degrees" makes an unwelcome reappearance. Ian's "Play One More," surely his most uninspired composition (hobbled, moreover, with a clumsy arrangement), comes inexplicably out of moth balls, leaving the listener to wonder why a neglected masterpiece like "Four Rode by" was left hanging in the closet. On the other hand, another overlooked jewel, "The Renegade," among the finest of the many splendid songs Ian has composed, is here in all its tragic glory. All in all, with the exceptions noted, this is music built to last.

Average customer rating: Not that bad folks.... Good and Bad Bruce from San Antonio A real disappointment.

Best of the Vanguard Years Jerry Jeff Walker Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Too Old to Change/Jerry Jeff Driftin' Way of Life Mr. Bojangles Ultimate Collection Gypsy Songman ASIN: B00000I8ZI Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

1. Driftin' Way Of Life
2. Mr. Bojangles
3. Louise
4. Morning Song To Sally
5. Come Outside, Believe In It
6. People Play Games
7. Hansel And Gretel
8. Fading Lady
9. Mixtures
10. Shell Game
11. North Cumberland Blues
12. Let It Ride
13. Dust On My Boots
14. Old Road
15. Gertrude
16. Ramblin', Scramblin'
17. No Roots In Ramblin'
18. Trying To Live Right
19. Lost Sea Shanty
20. Oops I Can Dance

Amazon.com

At its best, Jerry Jeff Walker's '60s work mined a rich country-rock vein that would later be identified with Gram Parsons's work with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and as a solo artist. At its worst (with his psyche-folkin'-delic band Circus Maximus), he tapped a tepid psychedelia one associates with the Association. The contrast between the two musical approaches is startling, but it demonstrates the timelessness of Walker's solo material. This collection brings together all of his seminal 1969 album Driftin' Way of Life, from the Dylanesque comedy of "Ramblin', Scramblin'" to the quiet beauty of "Morning Song to Sally." Best of also includes a previously unreleased demo version of "Mr. Bojangles" (Walker's most famous composition, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band made it a hit several years later) and a smattering of Walker's work with Circus Maximus. Not only is this a fairly thorough look at Walker's early work, it's also a testament to his tremendous artistic growth. --Percy Keegan

Customer Reviews:

Not that bad folks...........2002-01-05

...however, because it includes several Circus Maximus tracks arranged AROUND the more familiar country/folk offerings from Driftin..., it tends to move the disc in 2 distinct directions and upsets the natural laid back flow.The more I listen the more I enjoy both.I do wish the tracks frm Circus Maximus were sequenced first,then Driftin...,but hey,that's what cd programers are for. Yeah,there's a few demos...and demos are demos.Despite what some have suggested though,Circus Maximus did some really unique stuff...and the track "Games People Play"(included here) really shines through for me.

Good and Bad.......2001-07-12

This CD collects the two sides of early Jerry Jeff Walker, Walker with the group Circus Maximus, and his first solo release.

The music from Circus Maximus is uneven at best and much of it has not aged well. The only memorable song from Circus Maximus was "The Wind" but that was not a Jerry Jeff song and it is not included here. What is included is, quite frankly, pretty bad.

The great stuff is from his only solo Vanguard Album, "Drifting Way of Life". Instead of purchasing this collection, you are better off owning "Drifting Way of Life".

Bruce from San Antonio.......2001-03-24

I agree with "John from Houston." I was not pleasantly surprised when I first played this CD. However, the more I play it, the more I enjoy it. But you probably have to be a real JJ Walker fan or an eclectic music fan to really enjoy it. "Bojangles" is certainly not what you would expect, but, again, after several times listening to it, I have grown to like this one -- again, remember, it was a "demo." "Louise" is also a "demo" -- I can't remember, but I think Linda Ronstadt also did "Louise." A couple really bad songs on this CD but no more than you would find on any other CD. Although I was disappointed at first, I have to admit, I would buy it again, now that I have heard it several times. (The liner notes inside are pretty lousy -- unfortunately.)

A real disappointment........2000-04-11

I was surprised and disappointed with this over-priced CD. Not only is the album devoid of the Texas flavor I had come to know and love, but it seems to be a mish-mash of disparate melodies. Perhaps the die-hard fan will be happy with this album just because it completes the collection. But anyone purchasing it for listening enjoyment will likely be let down.

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