A lonely Westerner in Nashville, Marty Robbins salved his soul by cutting an album (in one afternoon) of mostly self-composed cowboy ballads. One of them was a four-and-a-half-minute epic, "El Paso," that broke every rule of Top 40 programming to become a No. 1 pop and country hit in 1960. Robbins was arguably the most surefooted and accomplished singer in all country music, and that was never more obvious than on these Western ballads performed to often breathtaking perfection with a very small group and a vocal trio. Other titles include "Big Iron" (also a Top 30 hit), "Running Gun," and Western classics like "Cool Water," "Billy the Kid," and "The Strawberry Roan." Three extra tracks flesh out the 1999 release, including "Saddle Tramp" (the B-side of "Big Iron") and "The Hanging Tree" (title song from the 1959 Gary Cooper Western). --Colin Escott ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Asin: B0000296J9
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Pop   

Though easily as popular as Bing Crosby, Gene Autry was not as versatile and perhaps not as talented as his fellow multimedia star. But to his credit, Autry was better able to capture the imagination of a young, ever-expanding American consciousness with songs that helped create the myth of a West where "you sleep out every night and the only law is right." The songs on this collection span from 1929 (with a wonderful yodeling blues called "Blue Yodel No. 5") to his signature tunes "Back in the Saddle Again" and "You Are My Sunshine," recorded in the early 1940s. What's remarkable about this collection (arranged roughly in chronological order) is how closely many of the early songs are tied to African-American blues. As the collection progresses into the mid-30s, the elements we've come to recognize as "Western" begin to emerge in the music. Through it all, Autry's performances are sturdy and plainspoken, unfolding with an unexpected ease and grace. Generally excellent sound makes this CD a perfect starting place for those interested in one of America's most important early pop icons. --S. Duda ... Read more

Asin: B000001HJA
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Cowboy    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Though not among Johnny Cash's strongest overall efforts, True West is not a completely failed experiment, either. Originally released in 1965 as a double album, it weaves Cash's narrations and original compositions with traditional songs and interpretations of other writers' material to draw one man's portrait of the Old West. Cash turns in some of his sturdiest vocals, virtually inhabiting the likes of "I Ride an Old Paint" and Carl Perkins's morbid "Ballad of Boot Hill." And he gets points for not scrubbing up some of the more raggedy old traditional lyrics. But there's often too much extraneous stuff--background singers, strings, sound effects--and while they are clearly to Cash's specifications and executed seamlessly, his own weather-beaten voice alone would usually have been more effective; for all the drama in his vocals, too much of this exasperating set sounds like background music. By the way, this album's mythmaking "Hardin Wouldn't Run" provided the basis for Bob Dylan's mythmaking "John Wesley Harding." The 2002 reissue adds a pair of bonus tracks. --John Morthland ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Asin: B00006GO9E
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country-Pop    3. Cowboy    4. Pop    5. Traditional Country    6. United States of America   

Country Music Hall of Fame
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 May, 1991)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

The Sons of the Pioneers set the standard for cowboy music that remains in place more than a half-century after their heyday. The group (which Roy Rogers helped form) combined vocal and instrumental expertise with a sure-shootin' flair for finding matchless material, whether that meant adopting a traditional tune such as "Rye Whiskey" or generating original compositions. Early member Bob Nolan penned "Way Out West," which helped launch the outfit in the early '30s. It's on this sterling 16-song greatest-hits collection along with the enchanting "Hills of Old Wyomin'" and, of course, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." Now that's white-hat Western music! Indeed, there may not be a better CD for finding out how the West was won ... with song. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Now, let's try to clean our language up a little bit here
No offense to James, but I would strongly suggest that you maybe clean up your language just a little bit when you are writing a review especially if you are a true Christian. The Sons Of The Pioneers are truly one of country music's finest duos of all time and I am so honoured to have every recording they ever did on 15 CD's and many of them were taken from old scratchy 78's and not put out on CD. A very dear friend of mine compiled all of the Pioneers's recordings in cronological order and put together 15 CD's of all their recorded output including the Bear releases. This CD features their very first single they ever recorded in 1934 Way Out There and I especially love the original version of Tumbling Tumble Weeds which is on this CD. I totally agree with James that Somebody Bigger Than You And I is probably the most beautiful gospel song I have ever heard in my whole life and Elvis of course did a beautiful version of it on his How Great Thou Art album in 1966. In my opinion the original members of the Sons Of The Pioneers will always be the greatest ever and nobody can come close to these great early recordings of Lenerd Sly AKA Roy Rodgers, Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer. Buy this CD! You won't be disappointed!

I Wanted To Sing These!
When I found this CD, my heart took a hitch! These songs, ones I've heard for too many years because my father told me about the Sons of the Pioneers, and never mind Roy Rogers! Dad loved this group, and I learned to love them too, sitting with dad on the back porch, the smoke from Dad's cigarettere curling up into the empty "up there," as we listened to the radio, or his old Sears-Robuck 33 & 1/3 stereo record-player. Dad's hoarse cigarette-roughened almost-tenor would chime in. And I'd sing with him, trying to sing harmony, and we would sing these songs. . .

When I got this CD, the old harmonies were there! One could see one's self sitting there, about the campfire, singing these old ballads, remembering friends gone and trails to be ridden yet. . .and something more! Track 16, "Somebody Bigger Than You and I" was my father's favorite song. . .a Baptist church quartet discovered they had to become a quintent to sing it properly .

I listen to this CD to relax. . .those harmonies, those simple guitar/fiddle melodies and harmonies/and those voices. . .

Good god, I can't remember the last time when "voices," meaning the plural, not the singular, meant something in recorded music.

Oh hell, buy this CD. . .sit back. Listen. Sing along.

--
There will soon be a time when there's nobody left in the world who listened to the Sons of the Pioneers' output when it was released during their peak in the '30s and '40s.When that happens, the Sons will still have a place in our music consciousness, though a slightly different one.The music of the Sons will then become some of the weirdest music ever recorded, not just some of the best.

Being only 25 years old, I can assure you with some credibility that if you play this compilation in the company of those under the age of 30, of any musical persuasion, you'll get more blank stares than if you played them the most avant-garde piece of contemporary music you can find.This is no criticism of the Sons - it's a credit.They were SO good at what they did that they cannot be successfully replicated anymore, and the subject matter they dealt with in their songs simply no longer exists in the American consciousness, which makes them a relic of a wonderful kind.

What the world doesn't know is that it NEEDS the Sons.It needs them to be this (three-part) voice of simultaneous gonzo weirdness and integrity to show modern musicians and regular citizens alike how the two can be balanced.Contemporary weirdness is almost always accompanied by the requisite real-life weirdness the artist feels they must achieve to validate their art.This pose has been old for some time now.Although the content of the Sons' songs is more or less lost on younger generations, the quality and eerieness of their music and singing will never age and cannot be ignored by those who understand music.

Two things to consider about the Sons: 1)The frontier themes in their lyrics were a thing of the past even when they were written.Nolan and company were looking back even then, which gives them an even greater depth of history and nostalgia than their age would suggest.They were romantics - providing a hopeful, non-industrial and more utopian alternative to a war-time era.2)They were one of a handful of country artists from their era not to champion, or even discuss, chemical indulgence in their songs.It may seem stupid and humorous, but it's true.They maintained a high level of integrity throughout their career.

The monotony and worn-out cliches of modern country (and just about any other) music only serves to strengthen the legend of the Sons and make them more unique.The sad thing is that it takes people like me to turn young people on, one at a time, to the Sons because even country radio doesn't play 'em anymore.And you know why?Because they're TOO WEIRD.

*This review was written in memory of country music. ... Read more

Asin: B000002OEQ
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Cowboy    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Cool Water (& 17 Timeless Favorites)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 March, 1999)
list price: $20.99 -- our price: $20.99
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Features

• Import
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (10)

It's your misfortune and none of my own.
There isn't quite enough space in the title box to write the entire title I had in mind: If you don't like this music, it's your misfortune . . . etc. How lucky we are this wonderful music has made the trip through the generations and through the technologies from 78s to LPs to 8-tracks, etc. right down to the current CD.

Other reviewers have noted that the recording of Riders in the Sky on this collection is the exemplar by which others might be judged; I agree. In fact, this cut alone makes the purchase worthwhile in my view, but all songs here are good, and the up-tempo songs: Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, and Timber Trail are songs of which I never tire. The yodeling in three-part harmony of Way Out There is the inimitable trademark of the Sons of the Pioneers.

As I recall, Riders in the Sky was written by a Forest Ranger (Stan Jones). With or without the lyrics, this minor-key song is one for the ages. My other favorite rendition of it is by Fiedler and the Boston Pops on a CD called Pops Roundup -- if you can find it, buy it, and play "Riders" LOUDLY! and often.

Cow-Punching Crooners at their Best
If you like your western music the way I like my whiskey (straight), then look elsewhere. Let's face it, how many times have you seen a full orchestra sitting around the campfire? One normally envisions a guitar or two, and maybe a harmonica. That being said, this CD is remarkable on several fronts.

The original recording dates to 1959, using RCA's (then) new "Living Stereo" technology, the beginning of "hi-fidelity stereo" sound as we know it today. I can remember listening to the original LP in my dad's record collection during the mid '60s. I loved every minute of it then, and now. It was a very clean studio recording featuring tight harmonies, and the orchestral back-up added a "full" sound without overwhelming the vocals or the "mood."The frequency response of the original recording is impressive as well when you consider its 45 year age; nice string bass and crisp tambourine. This import CD can brag about its quality transfer to digital.

All of the Sons of the Pioneers favorites are here, including "the Last Roundup," "Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Red River Valley," "Empty Saddles," "Wagon Wheels," and perhaps the best recording ever of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky." Enjoy!

Just as I remembered
I had this recording on 8-track tape back in the 70's.Until I found it here I had no idea how much I missed it.This CD takes me back to those years, listening with my Pappy to the Sons of the Pioneers, Jimmie Rodgers, Vaughn Monroe, and Homer and Jethro, and watching Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Lone Ranger in black and white.It reminds me of folks that I wish were still here, and it inspires me to write about them and the stories they told.Marvelous! ... Read more

Asin: B0000073YV
Sales Rank: 2603
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Cowboy    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Country Music Hall of Fame Series
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 April, 1992)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Before his rise as a film and television star, Roy Rogers had a significant impact on country music, first as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers, then as a solo act. This 16-song set chronicles his recordings for Decca in the 1930s and '40s. Rogers's delightful voice rings out high above the music on these classics, displaying a beautiful tone and depth of emotion. Two early hits with the Sons kick off the collection: "I'm an Old Cowhand," a swinging romp complete with perfect harmonies, group yodels, and Hugh Farr's sprite fiddle; and "Moonlight on the Prairie," a soft ballad of the plains on which Farr's somber fiddle work adds to the lonesome mood. Rogers's solo work focuses attention on his own considerable vocal talents through a range of material: songs from the books of Gene Autry and Bob Wills, cowboy love songs, World War II-era laments, and most significantly, tributes to the open spaces of the Old West. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great, romantic tribute to the Old West
This is the first time I listen to Roy Rogers' songs, and I must say that I feel very emotional to do so. It seems like time stopped at the cowboy era, especially in Moonlight on the Prairie. I hope to be able to listenmore music like that; it's so romantic. ... Read more

Asin: B000002OKE
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Cowboy    3. Pop    4. Traditional Country   

Cowboy's Sweetheart
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (10 November, 1992)
list price: $5.98
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Reviews (3)

The singing equestrian in her element
Many people remember Lynn for Rose garden, a major international pop hit of the early seventies, but Lynn, an accomplished rider, has also made her mark in the equestrian world, particularly with quarter horses. This album of songs about horses, ponies and cowboys was ideal for Lynn to record and the results are perfect too - the finest album Lynn ever recorded.

The songs are all covers, including two (Even cowgirls get the blues and Desperado) that Lynn had previously recorded for Columbia. Note that these are re-recordings, but extremely well done although I slightly prefer her first recording of Even cowgirls get the blues.

I wanna be a cowboy's sweetheart was a million-seller for Patsy Montana in the thirties and was revived by Suzy Bogguss on her debut album. Lynn shows her ability to yodel on this track. Ponies, a song about winning the confidence of wild ponies, was a country hit in the eighties for Michael Johnson and has also been covered by that other singing horse lover, Michael Martin Murphey. Great as their versions are, Lynn's version is magical.

Desperado is the Eagles song that you are surely familiar with. Even cowgirls get the blues was written by Rodney Crowell and had been recorded by La Costa (Tanya Tucker's sister) and Emmylou (with backing by Dolly and Linda) before Lynn recorded it for the first time. Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings recorded a male duet version.

Run for the roses is a cover of a Dan Fogelberg song about a horse bred for the Kentucky Derby - a race that is sometimes known as the run for the roses, hence the title. Someday soon was an American pop hit for Judy Collins but there have been other great versions of this song too, including by Suzy Bogguss and Crystal Gayle.

Don't fence me in was written by Cole Porter and was first recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters. Their version is magical - the Andrews sisters are second to nobody when it comes to up-tempo, good-time music - but so is Lynn's, therefore I'm not going to say that one is better than the other. Obviously, the two versions are different and you may have your own preference according to your own musical tastes.

The wayward wind was an American pop hit for Gogi Grant in the fifties and a British pop hit for Frank Ifield in the sixties - both going all the way to number one. This is yet another song well suited to Lynn, with Emmylou providing harmony vocals.

Best of the lot is Lynn's sensational version of Red river valley, which features Marty Stuart on guitar and mandolin solo. Perhaps it is Marty's contribution as much as Lynn's that makes this track stand out. Even if you've heard Red river valley sung far too often, Lynn and Marty will make you sit up and take notice. The album ends with a fine version of Happy trails, the Roy Rogers classic.

If you enjoy music about cowboys and horses, it doesn't get better than this.

Wow!
For those who know Lynn only from songs like "Rose Garden," takea listen to this CD! The gal wails and yodels with the best of 'em. Thetitle track, a cover of Patsy Montana's classic, "I Want To Be ACowboy's Sweetheart" comes sliding in on a cloud of pedal steel andthe momentum continues throughout the entire collection. There is, quitesimply, not a bad track in the lot. Great sound and production (gratifyingto find on a budget label). Well, well worth the very modest price!!

Best Western Album ever by A Female Vocalist!!
Here's something you don't find every day, an album of western music by a woman.And not just any woman but the great Lynn Anderson, who has won ever award given for Country music female singers!! I loved her performance of the folk classic RED RIVER VALLEY best of all but these are all great cuts.This is an incredible bargain -a must!! ... Read more

Asin: B000001V2T
Sales Rank: 194272
Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country-Pop    3. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    4. Pop   

Ian & Sylvia - Greatest Hits
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 January, 1987)
list price: $16.97 -- our price: $16.97
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Reviews (3)

The real sweethearts of the early 60's folk music revival
I have to admit that I had never really listened to Ian & Sylvia until after "A Mighty Wind" came out.Since there were only four songs on the soundtrack album by Mitch & Mickey, the faux "sweethearts" of the Folk Music scene, I was inspired to go track down the obvious real world counterparts, Ian and Sylvia Tyson; he played guitar, she played autoharp.The Canadian duo were popular during the early part of the Sixties folk revival, producing a series of solid albums featuring their beautiful harmonies on both traditional and contemporary songs.It was the latter that made the bigger impression as the duo covered songs by Bob Dylan ("Tomorrow Is a Long Time," "The Might Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)," "The Wheels on Fire"), Johnny Cash ("Come in Stranger"), Gordon Lightfoot ("Early Morning Rain"), Tommy Makem ("Little Beggarman"), and Joni Mitchell ("Circle Game").

As was often the case with the more earnest members of the folk movement, the commercial success came to others.Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" was covered by the Searchers while Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind" became a big hit for We Five.Ironically, each song was not only the composer's best effort but also their first to be recorded.Eventually the legacy of Ian & Sylvia would be their style more than their songs as male and female harmonies made groups like the Mamas and the Papas, the Jefferson Airplane, and Fairport Convention successful.When the folk movement moved on to folk-rock and country rock at the end of the decades, Ian & Sylvia followed suit, but with considerably less success.

Just make sure that if you pick up Ian & Sylvia's "Greatest Hits" that you get this 1987 release that has over an hour's worth of music and not the 1968 Vanguard release that has only a dozen tracks (some of which are different from this album).However, keep in mind that Ian & Sylvia were more album oriented that most artists, so enjoying what you hear on this collection should be taken as a nudge in the direction of their other albums, especially the work from the early Sixties.

Good CD
I was alive during the folk song era, but somehow I never discovered this group.After purchasing this CD, I found it one of the best fold CD's in my collection.My favorite track is "Four Strong Winds", but there are many others that are not far behind in listening pleasure -- "Your Were On My Mind", "The Circle Game","The Renegade".If you like Folk music, you will love this CD

I adore this CD
My father introduced me to folk music (including Ian and Sylvia) at an early age. I have enjoyed this CD for years and have finally found it available for purchase! ... Read more

Asin: B00000IJPS
Sales Rank: 28472
Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Folk Revival    3. Folk-Pop    4. Folk-Rock   

Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits [2002]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 April, 2002)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

Pete Seeger's recording career covers more than 60 years, so a single-CDcollection is bound to leave out more than a few worthy songs. But the 16selections on Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits include indispensableSeeger-composed classics like "Turn! Turn! Turn!," "Bells of Rhymney," and anabbreviated a cappella version of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Alsoincluded are songs Seeger popularized, such as "Wimoweh," which he learned fromSolomon Linda's original South African recording in the 1940s, and"Guantanamera," which he picked up from some children at a Catskills summer campwhere he was singing. All of the performances are drawn from his 1960s tenure atColumbia Records--only the first 12 tracks were included on the original 1967package--and include both studio and live recordings. This CD features only asmall fraction of the songs that could legitimately be called Seeger's greatesthits, but because most of these selections are so important to his career, thisset can be thought of as the greatest of his greatest hits. --MichaelSimmons ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (5)

Very Talented Songwriter
I wanted to explore His Work having heard alot about Him.I liked "We Shall Overcome" from Him but the Main Song I wanted to hear was "Where have all the FLowers Gone"? Being a Huge Earth,Wind&Fire Fan I had to hear the Original&His Version is nice.I like His Arrangements&Overall Concepts to Music Making.a really Good Set.

a 'Very Nice' collection !
If you are willing to try just 1 CD of Pete Seeger to know his music, listen to this. It has almost all his hits.
I especially loved -
Guantanamera
Little Boxes,
Where have all the flowers gone,
We shall overcome

Listen carefully to the words.

Pete Seeger is a National Treasure
There hasn't been another that's walked among us that has been quite like Pete Seeger.Pete's 83rd birthday was in the last week, and I thought I would write this note of thanks to him for all that he has given us.

My Mom used to sing me "Little Boxes" (originally Malvina Reynolds) when I was quite young--a memory I realized when this CD began to play for the first time in my player.I now sing this song to my children.It's great to hear these songs sung by the source..."Turn Turn Turn" and "Guantanamera" are wonderful.There isn't a bad song on the disc.

This man has led a folksinger's life, and his voice is warm like a Pendleton blanket in the Fall.Don't stop with this CD...get some by The Weavers, too.Pete sounds awfully good with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman.There's a VHS tape out there, too, about The Weavers and is quite good.

Thank you, Pete Seeger. ... Read more

Asin: B000063WD4
Subjects:  1. Children's Folk    2. Folk    3. Folk & Traditional    4. Folk Revival    5. Folksongs    6. Novelty    7. Political Folk    8. Pop    9. Traditional Folk   

The Best of the Decca Years
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 October, 1996)
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Editorial Review

The Weavers--comprised of Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman, and Ronnie Gilbert--were the most important group of the folk revival. They helped invent hootenany culture, and charged it with a political urgency. They sang everything: Maoist anthems, civil rights hymns, even children's songs like "If I Had a Hammer." The Decca recordings are historic but not always indicative of the Weavers art. "Tzena, Tzena" and "Goodnight Irene" are given more production than suited the quartet's ethos, even if those songs would help change America forever.--Roy Francis Kasten ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (6)

Bait and switch
Think of this album as The Weavers meet Mitch Miller and Lawrence Welk. I love The Weavers as a folk group.This recording,complete with its chorus,violins and big band backup is to folk music what Brittany Spears is to Joan Baez.

Sixties pop-folk, only ten years earlier!
Prior to purchasing this CD, I had heard one or two Weavers sides and hadn't formed any impression of the group.Now I can hear that they were remarkably ahead of their time when these sides were made (1950-1953), at least insomuch as 1960s groups like The Seekers were presenting almost exactly the same sound years later, with or without an orchestra and chorus.And the songs themselves are not out of keeping with other tunes of the early 1950s--for example, Terry Gilkyson's "Christopher Columbus," recorded by Guy Mitchell, or the novelty songs of Bob Merrill.It's true that The Weavers were rather rough-cut compared to the smooth pop sound listeners were used to hearing right after World War II.However, they were Vegas-smooth compared to quartets like The Chuck Wagon Gang, even if Pete Seeger, vocally, makes Wayne Newton sound like Placido Domingo.In a mass-mediated world, authenticity is one of the most relative of concepts.

At any rate, these are tremendously enjoyable sides made no less enjoyable by the Lawrence Welk feel provided on several sides by arranger Gordon Jenkins, whose Basie-style introduction to "Wimoweh" is both anachronistic and quite effective.(Listen for Pete Seeger's favorite chord throughout, the dominant 11th.)The Jenkins orchestra and chorus also greatly enhance the CD's best track, "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena," one of the shortest songs ever created, and here featuring a delightful mid-arrangement round."(The Wreck of the) John B." predates The Beach Boys' "Sloop John B." by many years and is typical of pre-"Pet Sounds" renderings of the tune.All of the tracks are exceptional, and the sound is astonishing.The Weavers may not have started pop-folk (think Burl Ives, for example), but they appear to have established its conventions for a number of years to come.

Best of the Decca Years
For the Weavers lover, this is a must have. For someone wanting to discover the Weavers, the concert recordings are much better. On this album 1950s production met a small folk group and the result is very much a 50s sound. Big orchestra backing, instrumental choices that reflected the taste of the day rather than a folk approach. I prefer the Weavers as they stood on stage with their voices, their instruments, and their hearts out there for everyone to enjoy. ... Read more

Asin: B000002P1S
Subjects:  1. Folk    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Folk Revival    4. Folksongs    5. Pop    6. Traditional Folk    7. United States of America   

United Artists Collection [2 CD Set]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 October, 1993)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
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Editorial Review

This two-disc, 49-song collection combines Lightfoot's firstfour albums into one specially priced package and offers acomprehensive look at the Canadian singer-songwriter before he achievedpop stardom. These late-1960s recordings are more pared down than hisbetter-known 1970s work, showing Lightfoot to be a thoughtfulsongwriter who was equally comfortable with personal love songs andmore political fare. A much stronger folkie sensibility is on displayhere, which may be a revelation to those only familiar to his glossierfolk-pop work, but a boon to his longtime followers. --MarcGreilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (27)

the best songsmith ever
My musical tastes have changed alot over the years but I have always apreciated great songs. You could spend a fortune and not have a better compilation of songs than this two cd set.This is early Lightfoot,with bare recording techniques that strip away the layers of pop overproduction and leave just a Man and his wonderful music. Lightfoot was obviously younger here and his songs reflect that. from lost loves to social injustice, boredom and restlessness, Lightfoots songwriting skills combined with beautiful guitar work and his rich baritone create a listening experience I have never equalled on any cd. Just listen. What a treasure, and what an underappreciated musical talent.

the best work ever recorded by Gordon Lightfoot
This is a terrific collection of Gordon Lightfoot. To me, the wonderful guitar work and songs make this the best work of his career (along with "If You Could Read My Mind"). These early recordings have a very special, almost magical quality about them.

There are a few songs (mainly on the second CD) that are a little weaker than the others; so it is not totally consistent. But there is a lot of music here (4 albums) and overall it is very, very good.

All...
If ever I read a better song-writer, it has long escaped me. Mr. Lightfoot, you carried me through many a tough year and I do walk the high silent places you sing of. More?
Richard Charles Doucette. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DQO2
Subjects:  1. Folk & Traditional    2. Pop