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Joan Baez How Sweet The Sound (Soundtrack)
Unreleased performances galore! Including versions of 'Diamonds and Rust; With God on Our Side; I Pity the Poor Immigrant' (with Bob Dylan); 'Carry It On; A Song for David; The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; Jerusalem; Love Song to a Stranger', and more.

ON SALE! $ 15.98 $ 13.98 buy

Joan Baez How Sweet The Sound (cd/dvd)
The first comprehensive documentary to chronicle the private life and public career of one of the truly iconic figures in American music and politics, 'How Sweet the Sound' not only examines the life of Joan Baez but also captures the struggles, dreams and disappointments of an entire generation. The film is replete with riveting, historic material, including footage of Baez’s controversial visit to North Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vigil outside the California prison where Joan was jailed for protesting the draft, and never-before-seen film of Joan performing as a teenager at Club 47 in Cambridge, where she launched her career in 1958. In addition, there are interviews with Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and many others, including a candid conversation between Joan and ex-husband David Harris. But for music fans, the clincher will probably be the numerous unreleased performances on the soundtrack, which includes versions of 'Diamonds and Rust; With God on Our Side; I Pity the Poor Immigrant' (with Bob Dylan); 'Carry It On; A Song for David; The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; Jerusalem; Love Song to a Stranger', and more. The soundtrack’s on the CD; the DVD offers the 82-minute documentary recently shown on PBS with about 40 minutes of bonus content (including conversations with Dar Williams, Vaclav Havel and Steve Earle). And the deluxe package offers both the CD and a DVD with even more bonus content, including interview outtakes with Joan and a never-before-seen 1958 performance. A must-see for anyone interested in the ‘60s.
CD/DVD

ON SALE! $ 23.98 $ 22.98 buy

Joan Baez How Sweet The Sound (dvd)
The first comprehensive documentary to chronicle the private life and public career of one of the truly iconic figures in American music and politics, 'How Sweet the Sound' not only examines the life of Joan Baez but also captures the struggles, dreams and disappointments of an entire generation. The film is replete with riveting, historic material, including footage of Baez’s controversial visit to North Vietnam, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vigil outside the California prison where Joan was jailed for protesting the draft, and never-before-seen film of Joan performing as a teenager at Club 47 in Cambridge, where she launched her career in 1958. In addition, there are interviews with Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and many others, including a candid conversation between Joan and ex-husband David Harris. But for music fans, the clincher will probably be the numerous unreleased performances on the soundtrack, which includes versions of 'Diamonds and Rust; With God on Our Side; I Pity the Poor Immigrant' (with Bob Dylan); 'Carry It On; A Song for David; The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down; Jerusalem; Love Song to a Stranger', and more.
DVD

ON SALE! $ 17.98 $ 15.98 buy

Kingston Trio Flashback! 1963
The Kingston Trio at their loosest and liveliest! This unreleased October 3, 1963 performance at the University of Kentucky has won kudos from none other than original Trio member Bob Shane, who calls it “A great walk down memory lane,” and for fans of the dear departed John Stewart, it’s especially priceless and poignant (his Kennedy imitation, done just a couple of months before his assassination, is one for the ages). Includes five songs they not available on any other live recording: 'Big Ball in Boston; One More Town; Blowin’ in the Wind; Two Ten, Six Eighteen', and 'Ballad of the Quiet Fighter', plus 'This Little Light of Mine; The Wagoner Lad; Reverend Mr. Black; M.T.A.; They Call the Wind Mariah; The Shape of Things; Greenback Dollar; Hard Ain’t It Hard; Getaway John; The Sinking of the Reuben James; The Tijuana Jail; The Merry Minuet; Tom Dooley; Wmoweh; Scotch and Soda; Where Have All the Flowers Gone', and 'When the Saints Go Marching In'. And the between-song patter is some of the Trio’s best on record!
2 CD SET

ON SALE! $ 29.98 $ 21.98 buy

Bob Dylan Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 (Deluxe Edition)
Personnel: Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar, harp, harmonica, piano, organ); Ralph Stanley (vocals, banjo); Donnie Herron (guitar, steel guitar); Daniel Lanois (guitar, dobro, organ); Glen Lowe, Robert Britt, Tommy Morrongiello, David Bromberg, Denny Freeman, Duke Robillard, Freddy Koella, James Alan Shelton, John Jackson, Mason Ruffner, Ralph Stanley II, Stuart Kimball, Brian Stoltz, Charlie Sexton (guitar); Cindy Cashdollar (slide guitar, dobro); Bucky Baxter (electric slide guitar, steel guitar, pedal steel guitar); Steve Sparkman (banjo); Jeff Wisor, Dick Fegy (mandolin, fiddle); John Rigsby (mandolin); Elena Fremerman (violin); James Price (fiddle); Augie Meyers (accordion, organ); John Firmin (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Peter Ecklund (trumpet); Curtis Linberg (trombone); Tony Mangurian (piano, drums, percussion); Jim Dickinson, Benmont Tench (organ); Christopher Cameron (keyboards); Robert Amiot, Tony Hall, Tony Garnier (bass instrument); Jack Cooke (upright bass); David Kemper, Winston Watson (drums, percussion); Jim Keltner, Willie Green , Richard Crooks, George Recile, Brian Blade (drums); Malcolm Burn (tambourine); Cyril Neville, Darryl Johnson (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Chris Shaw ; Malcolm Burn; Mark Wilder.
This eighth chapter in Dylan's epic Bootleg Series covers the era bookended by 1989's OH MERCY and 2006's MODERN TIMES. As the only installment with its own unique title, TELL TALE SIGNS acts in some ways as its own original record and the fourth salvo in the renaissance kicked off by 1997's TIME OUT OF MIND. A deeply satisfying two-disc set, TELL TALE SIGNS argues emphatically that these albums were no fluke, but rooted in a significantly broader, deeper wellspring of creativity. Unconcerned with the contemporary zeitgeist, Dylan synthesizes old forms--from rockabilly to jump blues; from Jimmie Rodgers-esque parlor balladry to country gospel--into his millieu with extraordinary ease, and rides various ace line-ups (which feature such stalwarts as guitarist/fiddler Larry Campbell, guitarist Charlie Sexton, and organist Augie Meyers) into an isolated dreamland soaked with spring reverb and pulsating tremolo. The stranger in these songs may be familiar, but now his visions thrum with nostalgia and regret.
The highlights are many. A devastating acoustic demo of the OH MERCY stand-out "Most of the Time" rescues the song from Daniel Lanois's overweaning production on the original. "Red River Shore" and "Marchin' to the City"--cut from the final sequence of TIME OUT OF MIND--smolder. Two vastly different alternate versions of both the OH MERCY-era single "Dignity" and LOVE AND THEFT's "Mississippi" reveal the degree to which Dylan plumbs a song's performative possibilities. Still restless, still aching, still remarkable, TELL TALE SIGNS is yet another revelation in a career already crowded with them.
Tell Tale Signs is perhaps the most appropriately titled of all the volumes in Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series thus far. Containing 27 tracks, the material here dates from the albums Oh Mercy through to 2006's Modern Times. It presents a carefully prepared sonic treat of a genuine enigma's musical world-view. Dylan may be an icon, but if it wasn't already obvious, he seems to perceive the modern world as a strange place that he no longer understands, nor wishes to. The music here is startling in its depth and presentation. It begins with one of the two versions of "Mississippi" included; the song first appeared on Love and Theft, but was written for the Time Out of Mind sessions five years earlier. This one, with only Daniel Lanois' electric guitar as backing, shows Dylan in full voice, and performing it as a midtempo blues. It's jauntier in tempo, but harder, leaner, and wearier than the released version. Even more shocking is "Most of the Time," which has become a signature of Lanois' production style with its warm, thickly padded guitars and muffled drums. This one features Dylan solo with harmonica and guitar. It comes off as a statement of actuality about strengths and weaknesses rather than as a treatise of denial in the aftermath of lost love. It feels like a back-porch country song here, with different lyrics that underscore the singer's steely determination. There are some truly amazing stops along the way. The unreleased "Red River Shore" would have shifted some of the darkness on Time Out of Mind to some declaration of empathy and even tenderness had it been released. Likewise, "Marchin' to the City," one of the best slow blues Dylan has ever written, offers a respite from the desolation on that album. Soundtracks get represented, too: the alternate take of "Tell Ol' Bill," from North Country, is a semi-rag tune with rambling honky tonk piano, and "Huck's Tune," from Lucky You, creates a more complex look at the male lead in the film with a Celtic undertow in the melody. Disc one closes with a burning live reading of "High Water (For Charley Patton)," with overdriven electric guitars replacing the banjo.
A real surprise on disc two is a dynamite reading of Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" that was originally recorded for the covers-only World Gone Wrong, but left in the can. A completely unreleased tune, "Can't Escape from You" portrays Dylan the folksinger as a lover of early rock & roll ballads. In his own wrecked way, he pays homage (in waltz time) to the Platters, Doc Pomus, Leiber & Stoller, and Cisco Houston with a lonely B-3 and trebly guitars. There are two takes of "Dignity" here as well (one on each disc), the first a prophetic gospel solo piano version and the second a full-band roots rock rave-up. The version of "Ring Them Bells" recorded live at New York's Supper Club is so utterly moving that it raises goosebumps and leaves the studio version in the dust. The disc closes with the greatest moment on the whole set: "'Cross the Green Mountain," from the Gods and Generals soundtrack. Veteran Dylanologist Larry Sloman claims in his truly brilliant and incisive liner notes that this "might be his finest hour as a songwriter." The amazing thing? It's not just hyperbole. In all, even in some of its familiarities, Tell Tale Signs feels like a new Bob Dylan record, not only for the astonishing freshness of the material, but also for the incredible sound quality and organic feeling of everything here. It's a carefully presented set, but it's full of life and crackling energy and offers yet more proof -- as if any were needed -- that Dylan remains as cagey, unpredictable, and yes, profound and relevant as he ever was. ~ Thom Jurek
3 CD / BOOK

ON SALE! $ 159.98 $ 127.98 buy

Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006 [pa]
Personnel: Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar, harp, harmonica, piano, organ); Ralph Stanley (vocals, guitar, banjo); Donnie Herron (guitar, steel guitar); Daniel Lanois (guitar, dobro, organ); Glen Lowe, Robert Britt, Tommy Morrongiello, David Bromberg, Denny Freeman, Duke Robillard, Freddy Koella, James Alan Shelton, John Jackson, Larry Campbell, Mason Ruffner, Ralph Stanley II, Stuart Kimball, Brian Stoltz, Charlie Sexton (guitar); Cindy Cashdollar (slide guitar, dobro); Bucky Baxter (electric slide guitar, steel guitar, pedal steel guitar); Steve Sparkman (banjo); Jeff Wisor, Dick Fegy (mandolin, fiddle); John Rigsby (mandolin); Elena Fremerman (violin); James Price (fiddle); Augie Meyers (accordion, organ); John Firmin (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Peter Ecklund (trumpet); Curtis Linberg (trombone); Tony Mangurian (piano, drums, percussion); Jim Dickinson, Benmont Tench (organ); Christopher Cameron (keyboards); Robert Amiot, Tony Hall, Tony Garnier (bass instrument, bass guitar); Jack Cooke (upright bass); Winston Johnson, David Kemper, Winston Watson (drums, percussion); Jim Keltner, Willie Green , Richard Crooks, George Recile, Brian Blade (drums); Malcolm Burn (tambourine); Cyril Neville, Darryl Johnson (percussion).
Audio Mixers: Chris Shaw ; Malcolm Burn; Mark Wilder.
This eighth chapter in Dylan's epic Bootleg Series covers the era bookended by 1989's OH MERCY and 2006's MODERN TIMES. As the only installment with its own unique title, TELL TALE SIGNS acts in some ways as its own original record and the fourth salvo in the renaissance kicked off by 1997's TIME OUT OF MIND. A deeply satisfying two-disc set, TELL TALE SIGNS argues emphatically that these albums were no fluke, but rooted in a significantly broader, deeper wellspring of creativity. Unconcerned with the contemporary zeitgeist, Dylan synthesizes old forms--from rockabilly to jump blues; from Jimmie Rodgers-esque parlor balladry to country gospel--into his millieu with extraordinary ease, and rides various ace line-ups (which feature such stalwarts as guitarist/fiddler Larry Campbell, guitarist Charlie Sexton, and organist Augie Meyers) into an isolated dreamland soaked with spring reverb and pulsating tremolo. The stranger in these songs may be familiar, but now his visions thrum with nostalgia and regret.
The highlights are many. A devastating acoustic demo of the OH MERCY stand-out "Most of the Time" rescues the song from Daniel Lanois's overweaning production on the original. "Red River Shore" and "Marchin' to the City"--cut from the final sequence of TIME OUT OF MIND--smolder. Two vastly different alternate versions of both the OH MERCY-era single "Dignity" and LOVE AND THEFT's "Mississippi" reveal the degree to which Dylan plumbs a song's performative possibilities. Still restless, still aching, still remarkable, TELL TALE SIGNS is yet another revelation in a career already crowded with them.
Tell Tale Signs is perhaps the most appropriately titled of all the volumes in Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series thus far. Containing 27 tracks, the material here dates from the albums Oh Mercy through to 2006's Modern Times. It presents a carefully prepared sonic treat of a genuine enigma's musical world-view. Dylan may be an icon, but if it wasn't already obvious, he seems to perceive the modern world as a strange place that he no longer understands, nor wishes to. The music here is startling in its depth and presentation. It begins with one of the two versions of "Mississippi" included; the song first appeared on Love and Theft, but was written for the Time Out of Mind sessions five years earlier. This one, with only Daniel Lanois' electric guitar as backing, shows Dylan in full voice, and performing it as a midtempo blues. It's jauntier in tempo, but harder, leaner, and wearier than the released version. Even more shocking is "Most of the Time," which has become a signature of Lanois' production style with its warm, thickly padded guitars and muffled drums. This one features Dylan solo with harmonica and guitar. It comes off as a statement of actuality about strengths and weaknesses rather than as a treatise of denial in the aftermath of lost love. It feels like a back-porch country song here, with different lyrics that underscore the singer's steely determination. There are some truly amazing stops along the way. The unreleased "Red River Shore" would have shifted some of the darkness on Time Out of Mind to some declaration of empathy and even tenderness had it been released. Likewise, "Marchin' to the City," one of the best slow blues Dylan has ever written, offers a respite from the desolation on that album. Soundtracks get represented, too: the alternate take of "Tell Ol' Bill," from North Country, is a semi-rag tune with rambling honky tonk piano, and "Huck's Tune," from Lucky You, creates a more complex look at the male lead in the film with a Celtic undertow in the melody. Disc one closes with a burning live reading of "High Water (For Charley Patton)," with overdriven electric guitars replacing the banjo.
A real surprise on disc two is a dynamite reading of Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" that was originally recorded for the covers-only World Gone Wrong, but left in the can. A completely unreleased tune, "Can't Escape from You" portrays Dylan the folksinger as a lover of early rock & roll ballads. In his own wrecked way, he pays homage (in waltz time) to the Platters, Doc Pomus, Leiber & Stoller, and Cisco Houston with a lonely B-3 and trebly guitars. There are two takes of "Dignity" here as well (one on each disc), the first a prophetic gospel solo piano version and the second a full-band roots rock rave-up. The version of "Ring Them Bells" recorded live at New York's Supper Club is so utterly moving that it raises goosebumps and leaves the studio version in the dust. The disc closes with the greatest moment on the whole set: "'Cross the Green Mountain," from the Gods and Generals soundtrack. Veteran Dylanologist Larry Sloman claims in his truly brilliant and incisive liner notes that this "might be his finest hour as a songwriter." The amazing thing? It's not just hyperbole. In all, even in some of its familiarities, Tell Tale Signs feels like a new Bob Dylan record, not only for the astonishing freshness of the material, but also for the incredible sound quality and organic feeling of everything here. It's a carefully presented set, but it's full of life and crackling energy and offers yet more proof -- as if any were needed -- that Dylan remains as cagey, unpredictable, and yes, profound and relevant as he ever was. ~ Thom Jurek
2 CD SET

ON SALE! $ 23.98 $ 19.18 buy

Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs - Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006
This eighth chapter in Dylan's epic Bootleg Series covers the era bookended by 1989's OH MERCY and 2006's MODERN TIMES. As the only installment with its own unique title, TELL TALE SIGNS acts in some ways as its own original record and the fourth salvo in the renaissance kicked off by 1997's TIME OUT OF MIND. A deeply satisfying two-disc set, TELL TALE SIGNS argues emphatically that these albums were no fluke, but rooted in a significantly broader, deeper wellspring of creativity. Unconcerned with the contemporary zeitgeist, Dylan synthesizes old forms--from rockabilly to jump blues; from Jimmie Rodgers-esque parlor balladry to country gospel--into his millieu with extraordinary ease, and rides various ace line-ups (which feature such stalwarts as guitarist/fiddler Larry Campbell, guitarist Charlie Sexton, and organist Augie Meyers) into an isolated dreamland soaked with spring reverb and pulsating tremolo. The stranger in these songs may be familiar, but now his visions thrum with nostalgia and regret.
The highlights are many. A devastating acoustic demo of the OH MERCY stand-out "Most of the Time" rescues the song from Daniel Lanois's overweaning production on the original. "Red River Shore" and "Marchin' to the City"--cut from the final sequence of TIME OUT OF MIND--smolder. Two vastly different alternate versions of both the OH MERCY-era single "Dignity" and LOVE AND THEFT's "Mississippi" reveal the degree to which Dylan plumbs a song's performative possibilities. Still restless, still aching, still remarkable, TELL TALE SIGNS is yet another revelation in a career already crowded with them.
Tell Tale Signs is perhaps the most appropriately titled of all the volumes in Bob Dylan's official Bootleg Series thus far. Containing 27 tracks, the material here dates from the albums Oh Mercy through to 2006's Modern Times. It presents a carefully prepared sonic treat of a genuine enigma's musical world-view. Dylan may be an icon, but if it wasn't already obvious, he seems to perceive the modern world as a strange place that he no longer understands, nor wishes to. The music here is startling in its depth and presentation. It begins with one of the two versions of "Mississippi" included; the song first appeared on Love and Theft, but was written for the Time Out of Mind sessions five years earlier. This one, with only Daniel Lanois' electric guitar as backing, shows Dylan in full voice, and performing it as a midtempo blues. It's jauntier in tempo, but harder, leaner, and wearier than the released version. Even more shocking is "Most of the Time," which has become a signature of Lanois' production style with its warm, thickly padded guitars and muffled drums. This one features Dylan solo with harmonica and guitar. It comes off as a statement of actuality about strengths and weaknesses rather than as a treatise of denial in the aftermath of lost love. It feels like a back-porch country song here, with different lyrics that underscore the singer's steely determination. There are some truly amazing stops along the way. The unreleased "Red River Shore" would have shifted some of the darkness on Time Out of Mind to some declaration of empathy and even tenderness had it been released. Likewise, "Marchin' to the City," one of the best slow blues Dylan has ever written, offers a respite from the desolation on that album. Soundtracks get represented, too: the alternate take of "Tell Ol' Bill," from North Country, is a semi-rag tune with rambling honky tonk piano, and "Huck's Tune," from Lucky You, creates a more complex look at the male lead in the film with a Celtic undertow in the melody. Disc one closes with a burning live reading of "High Water (For Charley Patton)," with overdriven electric guitars replacing the banjo.
A real surprise on disc two is a dynamite reading of Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues" that was originally recorded for the covers-only World Gone Wrong, but left in the can. A completely unreleased tune, "Can't Escape from You" portrays Dylan the folksinger as a lover of early rock & roll ballads. In his own wrecked way, he pays homage (in waltz time) to the Platters, Doc Pomus, Leiber & Stoller, and Cisco Houston with a lonely B-3 and trebly guitars. There are two takes of "Dignity" here as well (one on each disc), the first a prophetic gospel solo piano version and the second a full-band roots rock rave-up. The version of "Ring Them Bells" recorded live at New York's Supper Club is so utterly moving that it raises goosebumps and leaves the studio version in the dust. The disc closes with the greatest moment on the whole set: "'Cross the Green Mountain," from the Gods and Generals soundtrack. Veteran Dylanologist Larry Sloman claims in his truly brilliant and incisive liner notes that this "might be his finest hour as a songwriter." The amazing thing? It's not just hyperbole. In all, even in some of its familiarities, Tell Tale Signs feels like a new Bob Dylan record, not only for the astonishing freshness of the material, but also for the incredible sound quality and organic feeling of everything here. It's a carefully presented set, but it's full of life and crackling energy and offers yet more proof -- as if any were needed -- that Dylan remains as cagey, unpredictable, and yes, profound and relevant as he ever was. ~ Thom Jurek
4 LP VINYL

ON SALE! $ 99.98 $ 79.98 buy

John Martyn Ain't No Saint [Box]
If ever there were a blueprint for how to compile and present the perfect retrospective box set, John Martyn's Ain't No Saint is it. These four discs contain all of the artist's best known and best-loved tracks to be sure, but set producer and compiler John Hillarby has gone a few extra miles here. Discs one and two contain the well-known studio gems from John Martyn's classic Island career, as well as choice recordings from his Warner, Sanctuary, and Permanent periods -- the recordings from this last one are well due to be revisited, especially Cooltide and The Apprentice. But rather than rest with that accomplishment, pulling out literally the finest with almost no room for quibbles, Hillarby gives us no less than a dozen completely unreleased studio performances including "In the Evening," a gorgeous cut that was left off Solid Air and would have fit seamlessly with that recording's mood. Some of these cuts are alternates and outtakes; still others have only turned up on shoddy bootlegs, and others nowhere at all.
That all said, it's the latter two discs that really provide the magic. With the exception of seven tracks that were recorded for the BBC, the rest of this material, 19 cuts worth, is previously unissued. Martyn was both awe-inspiring and irritating as a performer. He stubbornly refused to give a damn about what anyone else thought of what he did on a stage, but he could be both charming and tender as well, and these traits were with him to the end of his life. But it was on-stage that Martyn's lifelong pursuit of song became self-evident: with his eyes closed his amazing guitar playing reached for previously unknown cracks and corners in a song he'd written, or in a cover. Check the version of "Bless the Weather" that opens disc three. The first two minutes are a funny story where Martyn endears himself to his audience with a self-deprecating tale of substance abuse and ego crushing before he begins to fingerpick his acoustic guitar, flowing into something like a modal raga style he's followed by bassist Danny Thompson, who bows his instrument in an improvisational interlude that is simply stunning. This track, almost 12 minutes long is, amazingly enough, just a primer for what is to come. Check the rocking electric versions of Skip James' "I'd Rather Be the Devil," or the blindingly great 13-plus-minute version of "Outside In": both are full band workouts. They offer solid proof of what a genius guitarist Martyn was, possessing a blues musician's sense of time and phrasing, a jazzman's knowledge of improvisation and exploration, the historical knowledge and picking tricks of a folk musician, all wrapped in the dynamic sensibility of a rocker. The versions of "Johnny Too Bad," "Hurt in Your Heart," "Fisherman's Dream," and "Sweet Little Mystery" here are almost definitive ones, and the closing versions of "Sunshine's Better" and especially "Over the Hill" offer the view of Martyn as a poet and storyteller, as well as a visionary songwriter, singer, and guitarist. Sonically, this collection -- especially the live material -- is stellar throughout. The liner notes by Hillarby and Daryl Easlea are terrific. They provide critical commentary as well as plenty of biographical information. There are some fine photographs to boot. Ain't No Saint is destined to be a classic and the final jewel in Martyn's crown. This set should make you miss the man and the artist even more. If not, it's time for a blood transfusion. ~ Thom Jurek
4 CD SET

ON SALE! $ 69.98 $ 64.98 buy

Various Artists Let Me Be Your Side Track: The Influence Of Jimmy Rogers [Box] [pa]
Personnel: Bill Monroe (vocals, tenor, mandolin); Molly O'Day (vocals, guitar, banjo); Roland Heinrich (vocals, guitar, harmonica, kazoo); Gary "Warehouse" Williams, Lefty Frizzell (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Jim Reeves, Dickey Betts, Dickie Bishop, Jack Hilliard, Durwood Brown, Leon Huff , Whitey McPherson, Walter "Joe" Callahan, Mike Harrison , Charlie Blake, Clarence E. "Hank" Snow, John Burton , Columbus Lewis, Homer "Bill" Callahan, Luke Owens, Scott Miller, Leroy "Happy Fats" LeBlanc, Leonard Slye, Jack Guthrie, Paul Rice, Buster Coward, Jerry Garcia, Jimmie Skinner, Johnny Cash, Lonnie Donegan, Lynn Davis , Phil Humphrey , Red Foley, Tom Darby, Wilf Carter, Willie Nelson, Bill Boyd, Merle Travis, Bob Dylan, Buddy Jones, Charlie Monroe (vocals, guitar); Dwight Yoakam, Iris DeMent, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Steve Earle (vocals, acoustic guitar); Jimmie Tarlton (vocals, steel guitar); Grandpa Jones (vocals, banjo); Roy Acuff, Hugh Farr (vocals, fiddle); Van Morrison (vocals, harmonica); Jerry Lee Lewis (vocals, piano); Jeff Bills (vocals, drums); Dolores Edgin, June Page, Dick Curless, Dick Robertson, Dolly Parton, Ruby Owens, Thomas Elmer "Tommy" Duncan, John Sellers, Jimmy Hinchee, Harry Hillard, Bill Ramsey , Peter Alexander, Elton Britt, Ernest Tubb, Bob Shelton, Joe Shelton, Amos Greene, Jessie Clifton, Rick Belson, Slim Oakdale, Harry Belafonte, Paxton Sellers, Jimmie Davis, Jack Logan , Aaron Neville, John Mellencamp, Alison Krauss, Merle Haggard, Roy Rogers , Tim Spencer, Webb Pierce, Hurshel Wiginton, Bob Nolan, Millie Kirkham, Joe Babcock, Brenda Boykin, Charlie "Bozo" Nickerson (vocals); Ron Block (tenor, guitar); Dan Tyminski (baritone, guitar); Barry Bales (bass voice, acoustic bass); Mack Magaha (whistling, fiddle); Grady Martin, Roy Nichols (guitar, electric guitar); Roy Smeck (guitar, steel guitar); Clarence White, Denny Wright (guitar, mandolin); Harold Bradley (guitar, electric bass); Lonnie Wilson (guitar, drums); John Jennings, Mike Wanchic (guitar, background vocals); Joyce "Red" Murrell, Russ Hawking, Gerald Tomlinson, Jerry "Chip Young" Stembridge, Jerry Glenn Kennedy, Warnest Schexnyder, Horace Edmondson, Jimmy Rollins, Lloyd Perryman, Curly Perrin, Gene Sullivan, William Cox, Wilbur Ball, Kenneth R Baker, Millard Thomas, James Burton, Jerry Reed Hubbard, Jimmy Long, John Jackson, Leon Chappelear, Leonard Caston, Lewis Talley, Lou Millet, Mark Goldenberg, Pete Pyle, Ray Edenton, Anthony Paule, Smokey Rogers, Zeke Clements, Billy Sanford, Karl Farr, Charlie Burse, Dale Sellers, Ernie Calabria (guitar); Dann Huff (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar, mandolin, harmonica); Duane Betts, Joseph Hale III Talbot, Abe Manuel, Jr., Rusty York (acoustic guitar); Bob Symons (electric guitar, steel guitar); Duke Levine (electric guitar, background vocals); Chet Atkins, David Carroll Kirby, Quilla Hugh Freeman, George Edward "Leo" Jackson, Hoke Rice, Billy Byrd, Joe Manuel, Pete Anderson, Jerry Shook, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Norman D. Hamlett, Danny Stewart, Ned Gail Davis, Pete Rodis Drake, Wilson "Lefty" Perkins, A.J. McNew, Lloyd Wright, Ernie Harvey, Pete "Oswald" Kirby, James "Jimmie" Selph, Joaquin Murphy, Dickie Harris, Jimmy Day, Paul Franklin, Sherwood Ball, Buster B. Jones, Charles Mitchell (steel guitar); George Xanthos, Norm Hamlet (resonator guitar); Don Beck, Jerry Douglas , Sally Van Meter (dobro); Vol Stevens (banjo, mandolin); Ocie Stockard (tenor banjo, fiddle); Aldan "Wimpy" Hutson, Red Brown, Pat O'Daniel (tenor banjo); Buck Trent (electric banjo); Mother Maybelle Carter (autoharp); David Grisman, Rudie Blazer, Adam Steffey (mandolin); Oldrick Scholz (ukulele); Miriam Sturm (violin, background vocals); Sheldon Kurland, Martin Katahn, Lillian Hunt, Elizabeth McNally, Mircea Petcu, Solie Fott, George Binkley III, Brenton Banks (violin); James "Slim" Martin (fiddle, harmonica); Cliff Bruner, Mike O'Daniel, Carroll Hubard, James "Hal" Smith , Benjamin McCay, Lonnie Hall, Johnny Borowski, Warren "Sweet Face" Harrison, George Uttinger, Art Davis , James Holley, Cecil "Skeets" Williamson, Jerry Rowley, Kenneth Lovelace, Henry Newton "Tommy" Vaden, Nout Grupstra, Jack Hamma Johnson, Norris Savoy, J.R. Chatwell, Jack Youngblood, Art Wooten, Robert Chubby Wise, Norman Spicher, Johnny Gimble, Max Fidler, Rufus Thibodeaux, William Armstrong, Billy Hughes, Hank Singer, Joe Spivey, Bobby Bruce, Byron Berline (fiddle); Tommy Kane, Marvin Chantry (viola); Speck Bradley (cello, tenor saxophone); David James Jr, Byron Bach (cello); Charlie McCoy (harmonica, vibraphone); Will Shade, Wayne Raney, Mickey Raphael (harmonica); Harry Sorenson (accordion); Carl Highsmith, Ben Kanter, Jerry Jerome, Jim Rothermel, Sandy Brown (clarinet); Leo Green, Martin Fierro (tenor saxophone); Manny Klein, Don Markham, Al Fairweather , Peter Walker (trumpet); Kevin Potter (trombone); Marcus Krieger (tuba); Owen Bradley, Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano, organ); Paul Barrett (piano, synthesizer); Jonathan Carroll (piano, background vocals); Slomie Creel, James T. Clark, Mac Register, Don West, George French, Jr., Floyd Cramer, Eddie Whitley, Beegie Cruzer, Fred "Papa" Calhoun, Evelyn Rowley, Glen D. Hardin, Jack Hinson, Jim Pugh, John Hobbs, Matt Rollings, Moon Mullican, Norris Wilson, Bobby Wood (piano); Robin Aspland (grand piano); Alec Dankworth (acoustic bass); Roy Huskey Jr. (upright bass); Larry Mullen, Jr. (drums, tambourine); Robbie Magruder (drums, background vocals); Ralph Gallant, Don Lamond, Percy Bride, Murrey M. "Buddy" Harman Jr., Danny Barrajanos, George Mash, M.C. Berry, James Carlisle Isbell, Harry Stinson, Tyler Eng, Tommy Perkins, Mike Dupke, Jim Keltner, Kenneth A. Buttrey, Larry Atamanuik, Roy Edward Burris, Winston Watson, Ben Pollack, Biff Adam, Ralph Salmins, Farris Coursey, Jerry Carrigan, Charles Sanders (drums); Curtis Young, J.T. Brown (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Michael Sumas; Paul Barrett; Mark "Guitar" Miller; Louise McCormick; Gary Paczosa; Jim Robeson; Mark Hood; Ray Kennedy; Walter Samuel.
Liner Note Authors: Dave Samuelson; Tony Russell; Cary Ginell.
Editor: Don Cobb.
Illustrators: Chris Thomas King; Frank Mare; Richard K. Spottswood; David Crisp; R.A. Andreas; J�rgen Feuá; Mohns Mohnssen; Sherwin Dunner; Jeff Rosen; Larry Cohn; Tony Russell; Cary Ginell.
Photographers: Chris Thomas King; Frank Mare; Richard K. Spottswood; David Crisp; R.A. Andreas; J�rgen Feuá; Mohns Mohnssen; Sherwin Dunner; Jeff Rosen; Larry Cohn; Tony Russell; Cary Ginell.
Arrangers: D. Bergen White; Jimmie Rodgers; Alison Krauss; Pete Anderson.
An extraordinarily thorough box from Bear Family, a label known for its completism with all things country-related, LET ME BE YOUR SIDETRACK: THE INFLUENCE OF JIMMIE RODGERS takes on the decade-spanning influence of Jimmie Rodgers, aka "the man who started it all." As argued in the liner notes of the accompanying 188-page booklet, Jimmie Rodgers forever changed American hillbilly and folk music by taking the focus off the song and putting it on the performer. The power of his personality drove many artists to pick up guitars and imitate his simultaneously warm and heartworn style, thereby codifying what was to become country music. Of the 110 songs Rodgers recorded in his short but legendary career, 108 have been covered by other artists. This jawdropping ratio inspired LET ME BE YOUR SIDETRACK, which across six discs compiles 159 cover versions by Rodgers-aping contemporaries, early cowboy legends like Gene Autry, honky-tonk giants such as Lefty Frizzell and Ernest Tubb, country music stalwarts such as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, and even rockers such as Bob Dylan and Jerry Garcia. Many of them even take on Rodgers' evocative yodel. It speaks to the breadth of Rodger's influence that LET ME BE YOUR SIDETRACK is an affecting listen, start to finish. The richness and variety of these performances collectively sound less like a wonky tribute and more like an engrossing history of country music itself.
6 CD IMPORT

ON SALE! $ 139.98 $ 111.98 buy

Kingston Trio The Essential Kingston Trio [Remaster]
Kingston Trio: Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds , Bob Shane.
Audio Remasterer: Ron McMaster.
Liner Note Author: Bill Bush.
The Kingston Trio were the planet's most successful vocal group from 1958 until around 1962, and if they didn't exactly start the urban folk revival, they were instrumental in its sudden accessibility, as labels scrambled to sign up every acoustic player in sight to cash in on the Trio's marketability. This was a group that placed four albums concurrently on Billboard's Pop Top Ten, after all, a feat not even the Beatles or Elvis Presley ever accomplished, and it all started in 1958 with a smoothed out and understated cover of an old Appalachian murder ballad. Critics have long attacked the Kingston Trio (the original lineup consisted of Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and Dave Guard) for lacking any grit or authenticity, but the group's version of "Tom Dooley," although it did indeed have all its rough edges knocked off, was immediately infectious, and since it only had two chords and an easy to sing melody line, even beginning guitarists could handle it with a minimum of practice. A cottage industry in urban folk was born, and while there is no denying that the Trio watered down their folk material to fit mass consumption, the group became a very powerful catalyst for public interest in the real stuff. This two-disc set has virtually every key track from the Kingston Trio's two main incarnations, with hits like "Tom Dooley," "M.T.A.," "A Worried Man," and "Tijuana Jail" from the original lineup, and later hits like "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Greenback Dollar" from the John Stewart era lineup (Stewart replaced Guard in the trio in 1961). The Kingston Trio officially disbanded in 1967, although re-formed versions of the group in various configurations have toured and recorded since. The truly essential stuff is all here, though, and if the Trio's shined up folk material sounds a good bit tame and unassuming by 21st century standards, it was a revelation in its time. Think about it. You could actually make a fortune off an ancient Appalachian murder ballad. There's gold in them there hills, and the Kingston Trio discovered it. ~ Steve Leggett
2 CD SET

ON SALE! $ 24.98 $ 19.98 buy

Laura Nyro Season Of Lights [Complete Version]
What with the expanded criterion DVD of Monterey Pop slated to include a pair of Laura Nyro numbers from that show -- at the very outset of her career -- it's a crying shame that, as of November 2002, Sony Music has never seen fit to reissue this live album in the United States. Yes, it's from a decade later, but it does capture a moment every bit as triumphant as the Monterey performance seemed disastrous in its time. From the opening moments of Season of Lights, as the band slides smoothly into "Money" from Laura Nyro's then-current album, Smile, you know that this record was cut at the perfect moment in Nyro's career -- her performance combines the understated sense of release of someone who is back from a long sabbatical (in this case, five years away from recording or performing), and the cool, smooth professionalism of a natural performer who has found a perfect accompaniment, in this case mixing elements of pop and light jazz. She gave listeners fresh reconsiderations of ten-year-old works like "And When I Die," which she does in a slow, lyrical, yet slightly funky manner, as though neither she nor any of her audience had ever heard of Blood, Sweat & Tears -- talk about reclaiming a song for herself, once one hears this rendition it's difficult to take David Clayton-Thomas' performance of it seriously ever again -- and "The Confession." "Upstairs by a Chinese Lamp" becomes the vehicle for Nyro's introduction of the band, before she begins stretching her upper range, accompanied by Jeanie Fineberg's flute, John Tropea's guitar, and Michael Mainieri's vibraphone. "When I Was a Freeport (And You Were the Main Drag)" is the kind of song that, ideally, should only ever have been presented live, showing off Nyro at her most gently beguiling and accessible, teasing the audience with the play of her words and her voice, an approach that she emulates on "Captain St. Lucifer." The original ten songs from the original LP were a decent representation of where Nyro was at the time, though one can bet that if Clive Davis had still been president of Columbia Records, Season of Lights would have been the double LP that was intended. In 1995, Sony Music of Japan issued an expanded edition as Season of Lights -- Complete Version, which was later deleted. ~ Bruce Eder

ON SALE! $ 16.98 $ 14.98 buy

Laura Nyro Nested [pa]
Personnel: Laura Nyro (vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards); Vinnie Cusano, Vinnie Cusano, John Tropea, Vinnie Vincent (guitar); John Sebastian (harmonica); Felix Cavaliere (electric piano, organ, keyboards); Will Lee (bass instrument); Andy Newmark (drums); Liberty Nydia Mata, Nydia Mata (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Dale Ashby.
Photographer: Adger Cowans.
Unknown Contributor Role: Tony Levin .
Nested was Laura Nyro's second studio album of new original material to be released after her career hiatus of the first half of the 1970s, following 1976's Smile. Like that predecessor, it was a more restrained affair, musically and lyrically, than some of her more intense efforts of the late '60s, such as New York Tendaberry. In fact, such catchy soul-pop songs as "Rhythm & Blues" and "The Sweet Sky" sounded almost as if they could have appeared on her 1967 debut album More Than a New Discovery and been covered for hits. But Nyro's highly personal perspective was also on display on the record, starting with the lead-off track, "Mr. Blue (The Song of Communications)," an account of an attempt to re-establish relations with a lover, in which she paused to speak quoted dialogue from him to her: "I've heard of liberation but sweetheart -- you're in outer space," and "you can be so arrogant, and you don't know anything about being cool." In "American Dreamer," she turned from her personal life to her professional life, apparently recalling the early business deal that resulted in a former manager ending up with half the proceeds from her song publishing royalties. The chorus, another quoted passage, goes "There's nothing we can do/we could not get there in time/It's too late -- /she signed on the dotted line." But the overwhelming theme of the album, as its title suggested, concerned Nyro's pregnancy. In "Crazy Love," sung with only her own piano accompaniment, she first referred to her "unborn star," and by the album's close with "Child in a Universe" and "The Nest," impending childbirth had become a major concern. As such, Nested could be viewed as the next installment in Nyro's allusive musical autobiography. ~ William Ruhlmann

ON SALE! $ 13.98 $ 11.98 buy

Peter, Paul And Mary Ten Years Together: The Best Of Peter, Paul And Mary
Though some purists dismiss Peter, Paul & Mary as the calculated, commercial face of the 1960s folk boom, there is no denying the large-scale impact and cultural importance of the trio's music. With that in mind, it's difficult to fault 1970's TEN YEARS TOGETHER: THE BEST OF, a concise, superbly selected sampler of PP&M. The album plays, even all these years later, like pure honey from beginning to end, thanks entirely to the group's lilting three-part harmonies (in which Noel Stookey's baritone and Peter Yarrow's tenor perfectly offset Mary Traver's lovely alto).
The group's voices and arrangements made shiny, cleaned-up hits out of some of the era's slightly rougher-hewn folk classics, and the best of those are here, including their version of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain," and Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer." Other tunes in the collection--"Lemon Tree" and "Puff the Magic Dragon," among them--have become classics in their own right, with the occasional full-band rocker, such as the group's take on Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing," included for good measure. BEST OF makes a strongly persuasive case for Peter, Paul & Mary's superstardom, and is essential listening for anyone remotely interested in folk.
From its original release in 1970, this has remained probably the most popular single album in Peter, Paul and Mary's extensive catalogue. This reissue as part of Rhino's ongoing budget line series of great pop anthologies provides all of the folk-pop trio's most beloved songs at a popular price. Highlights include the Latinesque "Lemon Tree," the trio's breakthrough cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," and perhaps their most popular track, their version of John Denver's "Leaving On A Jet Plane."
For many years, this 13-song collection was the best introduction to Peter, Paul & Mary that one could find. Not only did it contain all of the trio's hits, but it was also, until 2005's Warner/Rhino compilation The Very Best of Peter, Paul & Mary, the closest thing to a cross-section of the group's sound that existed. From the acoustic folk sound of "Blowin' in the Wind" to the electric guitar and drum driven folk-rock of "Too Much of Nothing," the evolution of their sound is handily summarized, albeit not in chronological order, with a few surprises in store for the neophyte fan. In particular, those who think that the trio was relentlessly earnest and issue-driven likely will be delighted by the satirical "I Dig Rock 'n Roll Music," a Top 10 hit in 1967 that managed to poke good-natured fun at several musical icons of the period. Bob Dylan is, of course, well represented among the composers, but so is Gordon Lightfoot, and with Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes, John Denver, and Hedy West also present (along with Stookey, Yarrow, and even Travers) as songwriters, there's no lack of variety to the material, subject matter, and sounds on this disc. ~ Bruce Eder

$ 11.98 buy

Hoyt Axton My Griffin Is Gone [Bonus Tracks] [pa]
Personnel includes: Hoyt Axton, James Burton, Larry Knetchel, Jim Gordon.
Personnel: Hoyt Axton (vocals); Jimmy Burton (dobro); Jimmie Fadden, Ben Benay (harmonica); Larry Knechtel, Michael Melvoin, Paul Lewinson (keyboards); Jim Gordon (drums); Gary Coleman (percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Simon Polinski.
Liner Note Author: Greg Adams .
Author: Hoyt Axton.
Hoyt Axton was still in his first decade as a recording artist when he made this album, but it was a decade in which performing artists were certainly encouraged to think lofty thoughts. Pretension was as common on the radio in the late '60s as things would be in the '90s, hence we have an album, but sadly enough no song, on the theme of losing one's "griffin," typical Axton imagery that subtly invokes the wonder of childhood while pretending to be doing something else. He settles into some remarkable moods on the best parts of the album, communicating with such a sense of the natural that it makes the work of many other recording artists seem stilted. He can evoke the feeling of Colorado simply by mentioning the state as if in passing conversation; other singers would have to be recorded riding up and down a ski lift strumming in order to establish any equivalent sense of time and place. While his social commentary, such as "Beelzebub's Laughter," has the sting, if not the detail, of mid-period Phil Ochs, some of the songs -- such as "Way Before the Time of Towns" and "Revelations" -- ring so totally hollow, without any real sense of conviction or commitment, that the listener will be longing for one of the musicians to make a satirical raspberry. Instead it is a subdued, talented crowd doing the backup, pursuing a mood that can be quite effective when the ingredients are right -- roughly about half the time on this uneven but respectable production. Lead guitar is in the capable hands of James Burton, but this cannot be said to have been one of his most rip-roaring days in the studio. ~ Eugene Chadbourne
Hoyt Axton was still in his first decade as a recording artist when he made this album, but it was a decade in which performing artists were certainly encouraged to think lofty thoughts. Pretension was as common on the radio in the late '60s as things would be in the '90s, hence we have an album, but sadly enough no song, on the theme of losing one's "griffin," typical Axton imagery that subtly invokes the wonder of childhood while pretending to be doing something else. He settles into some remarkable moods on the best parts of the album, communicating with such a sense of the natural that it makes the work of many other recording artists seem stilted. He can evoke the feeling of Colorado simply by mentioning the state as if in passing conversation; other singers would have to be recorded riding up and down a ski lift strumming in order to establish any equivalent sense of time and place. While his social commentary, such as "Beelzebub's Laughter," has the sting, if not the detail, of mid-period Phil Ochs, some of the songs -- such as "Way Before the Time of Towns" and "Revelations" -- ring so totally hollow, without any real sense of conviction or commitment, that the listener will be longing for one of the musicians to make a satirical raspberry. Instead it is a subdued, talented crowd doing the backup, pursuing a mood that can be quite effective when the ingredients are right -- roughly about half the time on this uneven but respectable production. Lead guitar is in the capable hands of James Burton, but this cannot be said to have been one of his most rip-roaring days in the studio. [Omni's 2008 reissue featured 12 bonus tracks.] ~ Eugene Chadbourne

$ 17.98 buy

Hoyt Axton Southbound/Fearless *
Personnel: Hoyt Axton (vocals, acoustic guitar, pennywhistle); Al Johnson (pennywhistle); George W. Clinton , Michael Omartian, David P. Jackson (piano); Mountain Daredevils, Teda Bracci, Marc Edelstein, Ronald White , Larry Michael Lee, Warren "Pete" Moore (background vocals).
Liner Note Author: Ian McFarlane.
Arranger: Hoyt Axton.
Though Hoyt Axton was best known as a hit songwriter for other singers, he was a successful recording artist in his own right, and this twofer finds him at his peak, containing two Axton albums from 1975 and '76. SOUTHBOUND includes Axton's own recording of his "No No Song," which had already been a hit for Ringo Starr, but both that album and its follow-up, FEARLESS, feature plenty of gutsy, outlaw-tinged country tunes that gain momentum from Axton's own amiable baritone.
A sequel to their 2007 two-fer of Less Than the Song/Live Machine, this 2008 release from Raven combines Hoyt Axton's second two albums for A&M -- 1975's Southbound and 1976's Fearless -- as a two-fer on a single disc with no bonus tracks. These two records found Axton's career as a performer on a bit of an upswing, as he capitalized on the success of "Bony Fingers" by delivering an album that was slicker and poppier in Southbound. Although it had a handful of softer, introspective moments reminiscent of his albums from a couple years back, the album was glossy and poppy, fueled by neo-novelty party songs like "Roll Your Own" and "The No No Song," which sports a cameo by Cheech & Chong. It wasn't just that Southbound included quite a bit of light, funny tunes, but that the record glided by on shiny laid-back grooves, positioned halfway between Nashville professionalism and Southern California mellow. This wound up alienating fans of Axton's fragile My Griffin Is Gone or the funkier Joy to the World, but this slick good time is quintessentially '70s and quite appealing on that level. Fearless follows through on that slick sound but it cuts back on the novelties, so it achieves a nice balance between Axton's emerging pop crossover side and his old-fashioned songcraft, and that also makes it a nice balance to Southbound on this two-fer. This is a good disc but be forewarned: if you already own the 1998 two-disc compilation The A&M Years then you already have this material -- in the same running order, no less (after all, each of the two A&M Years discs merely features two albums paired up together) -- as the entire second disc of that set. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

$ 21.98 buy

The Barry Sisters (Yiddish) At Home With The Barry Sisters/Side By Side
Arrangers: Richard Wess; Stan Applebaum.
During their heyday in the 1950s (and their extended tenure well past that), New York's Barry Sisters had the distinction of heading up a fairly lonely genre: Yiddish jazz. Always dressed glamorously in matching apparel, the sisters applied throaty, low-pitched vocals to popular songs of the day, and sang Yiddish folk songs with a swinging twist. This two-fer package includes their popular releases from 1959 and '60, respectively. Fans of obscure pop music, and of female jazz vocalists will find much to love here.

ON SALE! $ 14.98 $ 12.98 buy