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Product Description
Previously unreleased Woody Guthrie lyrics set to music by members of Son Volt, My Morning Jacket etc. (12 tracks)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Firstly a gripe- when I pre ordered this album only this edition was available, the deluxe version wasn't even mentioned, now is this possibly ameans of trying to extract more cash from me....?
Anyway, the music, the lyrics, yes the lyrics, the ones left behind by the great revolutionary folk meister Mr W. Guthrie.Because Jay et al have drawn inspiration from Mr Guthrie, same was done by Jays old mate, Jeff Tweedy along with Billy Bragg on the album 'Mermaid Avenue'. A bunch of words, written in the 1930s, that had never previously been put to music.This album being released 100 years since Guthrie was born, it is clearly intended to be a devotional album in every sense and part of Jays lifelong love of Guthries work.
Jay Farrars musical career is littered with Guthrie references, such as naming a Son Volt album after Guthries birthtown.
But the addition of music is done without any attempt to engender these lyrics with that traditional folksy lilt that Guthrie always had. These songs have a very modern, alt americana feel (what else!). Yim Yames vocals are superb, Jay adds the inevitable twang, with Will Johnson and Anders Parker each adding an authentic alt country element to the album. Each artiste gets three songs each to sing, with the others adding harmonies along with instrumental accompaniment.
I have little doubt that the music is quite far removed from what Guthrie would have envisaged, but thats not really the point, its the timelessness of Guthries words that are the highpoint of this album.
This album doesn't push any boundaries, in fact it plays it fairly safe , some of the arrangements being fairly basic, is this possibly deliberate? Possibly so, with the likelihood being the four contributors wanting to give respect where its due? Farrar, when asked how did they arrive at the music replied "A connection would jump out with a certain set of lyrics or notes and the music would just be there", this after the four had spent some time sifting through the archives and imbuing themselves with Guthries politics and philosophy. So we have four musicians who have taken the project very seriously and conjured up a fine album, thats heartfelt and imbued with integrity.
It will not blow you away, well not musically anyway, but if it introduces a new generation to Guthries work, or maybe re-affirms its importance to an older generation then this album has done its job.
But do yourself a favour- get the de-luxe edition, its got an additional 11 tracks for just a few quid more
Anyway, the music, the lyrics, yes the lyrics, the ones left behind by the great revolutionary folk meister Mr W. Guthrie.Because Jay et al have drawn inspiration from Mr Guthrie, same was done by Jays old mate, Jeff Tweedy along with Billy Bragg on the album 'Mermaid Avenue'. A bunch of words, written in the 1930s, that had never previously been put to music.This album being released 100 years since Guthrie was born, it is clearly intended to be a devotional album in every sense and part of Jays lifelong love of Guthries work.
Jay Farrars musical career is littered with Guthrie references, such as naming a Son Volt album after Guthries birthtown.
But the addition of music is done without any attempt to engender these lyrics with that traditional folksy lilt that Guthrie always had. These songs have a very modern, alt americana feel (what else!). Yim Yames vocals are superb, Jay adds the inevitable twang, with Will Johnson and Anders Parker each adding an authentic alt country element to the album. Each artiste gets three songs each to sing, with the others adding harmonies along with instrumental accompaniment.
I have little doubt that the music is quite far removed from what Guthrie would have envisaged, but thats not really the point, its the timelessness of Guthries words that are the highpoint of this album.
This album doesn't push any boundaries, in fact it plays it fairly safe , some of the arrangements being fairly basic, is this possibly deliberate? Possibly so, with the likelihood being the four contributors wanting to give respect where its due? Farrar, when asked how did they arrive at the music replied "A connection would jump out with a certain set of lyrics or notes and the music would just be there", this after the four had spent some time sifting through the archives and imbuing themselves with Guthries politics and philosophy. So we have four musicians who have taken the project very seriously and conjured up a fine album, thats heartfelt and imbued with integrity.
It will not blow you away, well not musically anyway, but if it introduces a new generation to Guthries work, or maybe re-affirms its importance to an older generation then this album has done its job.
But do yourself a favour- get the de-luxe edition, its got an additional 11 tracks for just a few quid more
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
great job all
3 Mar 2012
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thanks for the group as a whole for capturing the perfect essence of old time Guthrie and where we are now. Everyone nailed it. i'm sure this was a labor of love for all.
As a long time Centro fan i have to rave about Will's contributions. VD City supplies the perfect amount of grit to the collection, Chorine is surrealistically beautiful (and sad) while No Fear brings back memories of the early Centro clapping songs (fans will know what i mean, its a huge compliment).
Of course, Jay is Jay. The modern day Guthrie. Careless Reckless Love is probably arranged just as Guthrie would have done it himself. Have to admit I wasn't familiar with Andes Parker and Varnaline before but I sure am now. Fly High is very pretty and Old LA and Angel's Blue are the sort of songs that stick in your mind the rest of the day.
The most creative song is Yim Yames My Revolutionary Mind. Outstanding. An amazing gathering of today's best song writers who could feel the heart of Guthrie's music. It's wonderful when such creative people, including Woody, get together.
As a long time Centro fan i have to rave about Will's contributions. VD City supplies the perfect amount of grit to the collection, Chorine is surrealistically beautiful (and sad) while No Fear brings back memories of the early Centro clapping songs (fans will know what i mean, its a huge compliment).
Of course, Jay is Jay. The modern day Guthrie. Careless Reckless Love is probably arranged just as Guthrie would have done it himself. Have to admit I wasn't familiar with Andes Parker and Varnaline before but I sure am now. Fly High is very pretty and Old LA and Angel's Blue are the sort of songs that stick in your mind the rest of the day.
The most creative song is Yim Yames My Revolutionary Mind. Outstanding. An amazing gathering of today's best song writers who could feel the heart of Guthrie's music. It's wonderful when such creative people, including Woody, get together.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Listen twice thru and be amazed!!
7 Mar 2012
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
First of all, let me say Woody Guthrie rocks and it is a daunting task trying to find the right lyrics, then set music to a legend's words. This is an all-star cast of musicians who took real care of preserving the right tone/intent of the writer while creating some great music. From "Hoping Machine" to "New Multitudes", the tracks are solid to superb. Lastly, I just saw the first live show of their tour and the songs are even better live. Thanks to Yames (My Morning Jacket), Parker (Varnaline), Johnson (Centro-Matic) and Farrar (Son Volt/Uncle Tupelo) for delivering something with real depth and character.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Deluxe Edition
2 April 2012
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The 12 tracks on disc 2 are just as good as the 12 tracks on disc 1 which is the single cd release-----which makes for 24 tracks of the best music I have heard in 2012. If you can find the deluxe edition get it. Otherwise, the single cd is fairly priced and is a generous representation of these excellent recording sessions.
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