Urban Folk music reviews

...you have to expect that listening to a CD compsed by Jeff Tweedy's with his "unusual" tastes in sound. Jeff Tweedy never fails to impress me with his unique song writing and vocal skills. Each of his side-projects aside from Wilco (Minus 5, Uncle Tupelo, etc.) are great, and this CD adds to the list of fantastic groups. I wish that there had been more melodic tunes such as Elegant Transaction, which is beautifully composed and put together with O'Rourke's soft voice. Jeff Tweedy, I feel, is perhaps the most legit band front-runner of today's rock/alt. country bands. If you enjoyed this CD, I definitley would recommend listening to Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and their new CD A Ghost is Born.

This is a great textural album by some of my favorite experimental string and woodwind players. If you like the Dirty 3, there is no way you won't like this. I reveal myself most truly as a pop fan when I say that part of the fun of this album is wondering what it is exactly that Jeff Tweedy is doing in all that sound and interplay. Not "Why is he there?" (Anyone who saw his performance with Jim O'Rourke at NoisePop 2000 in Chicago knows he's got the skills and inclinations toward this style) But "WHAT" exactly is he doing? Maybe some of the skewed guitar work that has become a hallmark of his solo shows on tunes like Misunderstood? There's some great percussion on this disk too -- incidentally by new Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche. If you ever sat in your dorm room listening to Spacemen 3 with a half eaten roll of vitamin C clutched in a sweaty palm and christmas lights blinking . . . this is the album you want today -- eight years later and a lot LOT wiser. Nice music to think to. Tasty mood music by experimentalists with a feel for melody and musicality. Horribly lovely!

I LIKE EIGHT SONGS OUT OF THE 16 IN HERE A VERY MIXED BAG OF VARIOUS NATIVE ARTISTS THERE IS A VOL 2 OF URBAN SKINS BUT THIS ONE IS BETTER

This review was originally written as a commentary on Utah Phillip's Songbook- Starlight on the Trial issued in 2005. Looking it over I believe that the comments can be applied to this CD as well, obviously noting the differences in format. However, Utah has been consistent throughout his career in both the kind of songs he writes and sings about. He has also maintained his same basic political philosophy so my comments about our political differences also apply. Nevertheless, treasure any CD you can get your hands on.

The political consciousness developed in my youth coincided with an expansion of my musical tastes under the influence of the great blues and folk revivals of the 1960's. Unfortunately my exposure to the blues greats was mainly on records as many of them had been forgotten, retired or were dead. Not so with the folk revival this was created mainly by those who were close contemporaries. Alas, they too are now mainly forgotten, retired or dead. It therefore is with special pleasure that I review Utah Phillips Songbook while he is very much alive.

Many of the folksingers of the 1960 have attempted to use their music to become troubadours for social change. The most famous example, the early Bob Dylan, can be fairly described as the voice of his generation at that time. However, he fairly quickly moved on to other concepts of himself and his music. Bob Dylan's work became more informed by the influences of Rimbaud and Verlaine and the French Symbolists of the late 1800's and thus moved away to a more urban, sophisticated vision. From the start and consistently throughout his long career Utah has acted as a medium giving voice to the troubles of ordinary people and the simpler ethos of a more rural, Western-oriented gone by day in the American experience. He evokes in song the spirit of the people Walt Whitman paid homage to in poetic form and John Dos Passos and John Steinbeck gave in prose. He sits conformably in very fast company. Therefore, Utah Phillips can justly claim the title of a people's troubadour.

A word about politics. Generally, one rates music without reference to politics. However, Utah has introduced the political element by the way he structured the Songbook. Each song is introduced by him as to its significance heavily weighted to his political experiences, observations and vision. Thus, political comment is fairly in play here. Utah is a long time anarchist and unrepentant supporter of the Wobblies (International Workers of the World, hereafter IWW). Every militant cherishes the memory of the class battles led by the IWW like the famous Lawrence strike of 1912 and honors the heroes of those battles like Big Bill Haywood and Vincent St. John and the militants they recruited to the cause of the working class in the first part of the 20th century. They paved the way for the later successful organization drives of the 1930's.

Nevertheless, while Utah and I would both most definitely agree that some old-fashioned class struggle by working people in today's one-sided class war would be a very good thing we as definitely differ on the way to insure a permanent victory for working people in order to create a decent society. In short, Utah's prescriptions of good moral character, increased self-knowledge and the creation of small intentional communities are not enough. Under modern conditions it is necessary to take and safeguard political power against those who would quite consciously deny that victory. History has been cruel in some of the bitter lessons working people have had to endure for not dealing with the question of taking state power to protect their interests. But, enough said. I am more than willing to forgive the old curmudgeon his anarchist sins if he'll sing `I Remember Loving You' the next time he tours the Boston area.

I come to you not as a member of Ani's Army, but as an appreciative listener to Utah Phillips for maybe fifteen years. It was for that reason that I bought this CD--at a Utah show--and it is on that basis that I review it. For anyone who has seen Utah live ("and it comes to us highly recommended"), most of the usual cast of Labor characters can be found here: Stupid, Herb Edwards, Mother Jones, and of course Joe Hill. Indeed what is mostly captured on Fellow Workers is classic, colorful Wobbly Utah. On that basis alone, this CD is worth the time; collected here are many of the tales and simple songs that make up his off-kilter Union repertoire. THAT is what makes it a good listen, perhaps even a necessary listen, as Utah regales us with the stories of "those extraordinary lives that can never be lived again."

So what does Ani DiFranco bring? Aurally speaking, a band and production chops. Wisely she keeps that as a backdrop to Utah's words. Except for a few instrumental pieces, the band simply gives Utah a sort of funky, acoustic groove to rap over. This is the capturing of a live show (in New Orleans), and Ani has mostly downplayed studio trickery to keep the intimate, living room feel of the concert. But, of course, what Ani really brings is her Army. And the real purpose is to introduce Ani's followers to a man who is now an elder statesman of Direct Action. I already knew about Utah, and I already knew how to sing "Pie in the Sky." For me, and for fans of Utah, this album works because Utah is up front and in good form; it's an "Essential Recording" for Utah, if not necessarily Ani. For the Army...welcome to the history we were never taught. Take a seat and pay attention.

i just got through reading all of these reviews on this album and i must say we have a lot of whining here, a waste of money,too much talking, not enough ani, blah blah blah. first of all, it is a 13 dollar c.d. get over it. go sell it to a music store that buys c.d's. i am sure they would give you at least 4-5 bucks for it, so your only out like 8 or 9 dollars. i am sure you have spent more at mcdonalds. or on a pair of nikes. now what i percieve this collaboration to be is ed-u-cation-al. do u know what that is? this c.d. is a well established musician helping another well established musician get a point across. realize the importance of labor unions and pay homage to the past labor heroes who gave us what we have now, labor laws, if it weren't for them we would be working as soon as we could walk. quit worrying about how many times you heard ani and concentrate on what the artists are trying to teach you. in order to understand you must first examine, so try to examine these two brilliant musicians so you may better understand them and their messages.

It's funny how Harding and Elvis Costello are easily compared yet this cd is better than any Costello has done (of this form) since Blood and Chocolate. Surprisingly good throughout.

There's not a track on this one I don't like. A catchy pop album with wit to spare.

As if "Well, I see you got your brand new, leopard-skin, pillbox hat" had some greater meaning? Plenty of "serious" lyricists -- Dylan, Guthrie, etc. -- have their share of beautiful nonsense. That said, I fail to see how HUMBLE BEE's perfectly constructed choruses don't deliver the goods. And, his collaboration with Steve Earle on "Our Lady of the Highways" is gonna sound even sweeter when I'm driving to Philly for the holidays, this year. If you ever find yourself driving north on I-95, just a few miles south of the Maryland/Delaware border toll booth, look to your right and you'll see her.

Dolly Parton's 1982 album GREATEST HITS is a poor excuse for a greatest hits album. What was RCA thinking? First we only have 9 tracks on here. On the cassette, there are 3 additional songs which do not show up on the CD, which makes no sense. "Applejack", "Heartbreak Express" and "Me And Little Andy" fail to make an appearance on the CD. Instead we have 9 songs, which don't even make up 30 minutes of music on this CD. There are some great songs though, like a new version of "I Will Always Love You", and classics like "It's All Wrong But It's All Right", "Two Doors Down", "9 to 5", "Islands in the Stream", "But You Know I Love You", "Here You Come Again", "Old Flames (Cant Hold A Candle To You)" and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind". Nice songs, but overall disapointing considering her catalog, and the amount of music each CD can hold, this is not good. Save your money and buy another compilation which has all of these songs, and more.

This album was originally released in 1982. Actually, it was the first Dolly album I ever bought, of course back then it was on vinyl. The album was a big success at the time. The original pressing of the album included 12 songs, one of them being "Hard Candy Christmas" from the "Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" soundtrack. That song was dropped once "Islands In The Stream" became a big hit. At the time "Greatest Hits" was the only Dolly album where you could find "Islands". The original LP also included a gatefold cover that opened up to show a bunch of Dolly photos from thruout the years covered on the album, roughly 1977 thru 1982. The back cover featured shots of Dolly from "Whorehouse". In 1985 the album was released on CD. It contained all the same elements of the original album (however as with all versions of the album at that time, "Hard Candy Christmas" had been replaced). The CD had all the photos and liner notes that LP had. RCA was among the first record labels to issue CDs, Dolly had four albums issued on CD at the beginning of the format. "Greatest Hits", "Real Love", "Rhinestone" and her Christmas album with Kenny Rogers. All of these went out of print very quickly. Only "Greatest Hits" and the Christmas album were re-issued later on. By then RCA was putting out "budget" versions of the albums, removing songs that were on the original LP's. "Greatest Hits" lost three songs and all of the artwork, except the cover. The Christmas album also lost the Kenny Rogers solo songs, as well as the lyrics and artwork, except the cover shot.
Today original copies of these CD's can be found only on eBay, but the later re-issues can be found anywhere. Back in the day, this was the only Dolly album to combine "Here You Come Again" with "9 To 5", "Islands In The Stream" etc. Today these songs have been reissued many many times making this album redundant. If you're a collector search out the original 1985 CD version. Good luck!

This CD may be getting some bad rep from those who do not know the history of it. It's true that it doesn't have the 20 song compilations that the imports have these days, but this is the original "Greatest Hits" album of Dolly, originally released in the early 80's. It went double platinum I think when it was first released. The album has a history, with the original having "Hard Candy Christmas" and the remakes not having it. It looks like the CD is still in print, with only a few copies left however. In the mid-80's there weren't as many complilations as there are today of Dolly, and back in it's day, this CD was a #1 album to have! It still contains Dolly's classic hit singles, and is great to pop in your CD player and listen to on a nice, quiet evening at home.

Dolly Parton's 1982 album GREATEST HITS is a poor excuse for a greatest hits album. What was RCA thinking? First we only have 9 tracks on here. On the cassette, there are 3 additional songs which do not show up on the CD, which makes no sense. "Applejack", "Heartbreak Express" and "Me And Little Andy" fail to make an appearance on the CD. Instead we have 9 songs, which don't even make up 30 minutes of music on this CD. There are some great songs though, like a new version of "I Will Always Love You", and classics like "It's All Wrong But It's All Right", "Two Doors Down", "9 to 5", "Islands in the Stream", "But You Know I Love You", "Here You Come Again", "Old Flames (Cant Hold A Candle To You)" and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind". Nice songs, but overall disapointing considering her catalog, and the amount of music each CD can hold, this is not good. Save your money and buy another compilation which has all of these songs, and more.

This album was originally released in 1982. Actually, it was the first Dolly album I ever bought, of course back then it was on vinyl. The album was a big success at the time. The original pressing of the album included 12 songs, one of them being "Hard Candy Christmas" from the "Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" soundtrack. That song was dropped once "Islands In The Stream" became a big hit. At the time "Greatest Hits" was the only Dolly album where you could find "Islands". The original LP also included a gatefold cover that opened up to show a bunch of Dolly photos from thruout the years covered on the album, roughly 1977 thru 1982. The back cover featured shots of Dolly from "Whorehouse". In 1985 the album was released on CD. It contained all the same elements of the original album (however as with all versions of the album at that time, "Hard Candy Christmas" had been replaced). The CD had all the photos and liner notes that LP had. RCA was among the first record labels to issue CDs, Dolly had four albums issued on CD at the beginning of the format. "Greatest Hits", "Real Love", "Rhinestone" and her Christmas album with Kenny Rogers. All of these went out of print very quickly. Only "Greatest Hits" and the Christmas album were re-issued later on. By then RCA was putting out "budget" versions of the albums, removing songs that were on the original LP's. "Greatest Hits" lost three songs and all of the artwork, except the cover. The Christmas album also lost the Kenny Rogers solo songs, as well as the lyrics and artwork, except the cover shot.
Today original copies of these CD's can be found only on eBay, but the later re-issues can be found anywhere. Back in the day, this was the only Dolly album to combine "Here You Come Again" with "9 To 5", "Islands In The Stream" etc. Today these songs have been reissued many many times making this album redundant. If you're a collector search out the original 1985 CD version. Good luck!

This CD may be getting some bad rep from those who do not know the history of it. It's true that it doesn't have the 20 song compilations that the imports have these days, but this is the original "Greatest Hits" album of Dolly, originally released in the early 80's. It went double platinum I think when it was first released. The album has a history, with the original having "Hard Candy Christmas" and the remakes not having it. It looks like the CD is still in print, with only a few copies left however. In the mid-80's there weren't as many complilations as there are today of Dolly, and back in it's day, this CD was a #1 album to have! It still contains Dolly's classic hit singles, and is great to pop in your CD player and listen to on a nice, quiet evening at home.

Dolly Parton's 1982 album GREATEST HITS is a poor excuse for a greatest hits album. What was RCA thinking? First we only have 9 tracks on here. On the cassette, there are 3 additional songs which do not show up on the CD, which makes no sense. "Applejack", "Heartbreak Express" and "Me And Little Andy" fail to make an appearance on the CD. Instead we have 9 songs, which don't even make up 30 minutes of music on this CD. There are some great songs though, like a new version of "I Will Always Love You", and classics like "It's All Wrong But It's All Right", "Two Doors Down", "9 to 5", "Islands in the Stream", "But You Know I Love You", "Here You Come Again", "Old Flames (Cant Hold A Candle To You)" and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind". Nice songs, but overall disapointing considering her catalog, and the amount of music each CD can hold, this is not good. Save your money and buy another compilation which has all of these songs, and more.

This album was originally released in 1982. Actually, it was the first Dolly album I ever bought, of course back then it was on vinyl. The album was a big success at the time. The original pressing of the album included 12 songs, one of them being "Hard Candy Christmas" from the "Best Little Whorehouse In Texas" soundtrack. That song was dropped once "Islands In The Stream" became a big hit. At the time "Greatest Hits" was the only Dolly album where you could find "Islands". The original LP also included a gatefold cover that opened up to show a bunch of Dolly photos from thruout the years covered on the album, roughly 1977 thru 1982. The back cover featured shots of Dolly from "Whorehouse". In 1985 the album was released on CD. It contained all the same elements of the original album (however as with all versions of the album at that time, "Hard Candy Christmas" had been replaced). The CD had all the photos and liner notes that LP had. RCA was among the first record labels to issue CDs, Dolly had four albums issued on CD at the beginning of the format. "Greatest Hits", "Real Love", "Rhinestone" and her Christmas album with Kenny Rogers. All of these went out of print very quickly. Only "Greatest Hits" and the Christmas album were re-issued later on. By then RCA was putting out "budget" versions of the albums, removing songs that were on the original LP's. "Greatest Hits" lost three songs and all of the artwork, except the cover. The Christmas album also lost the Kenny Rogers solo songs, as well as the lyrics and artwork, except the cover shot.
Today original copies of these CD's can be found only on eBay, but the later re-issues can be found anywhere. Back in the day, this was the only Dolly album to combine "Here You Come Again" with "9 To 5", "Islands In The Stream" etc. Today these songs have been reissued many many times making this album redundant. If you're a collector search out the original 1985 CD version. Good luck!

This CD may be getting some bad rep from those who do not know the history of it. It's true that it doesn't have the 20 song compilations that the imports have these days, but this is the original "Greatest Hits" album of Dolly, originally released in the early 80's. It went double platinum I think when it was first released. The album has a history, with the original having "Hard Candy Christmas" and the remakes not having it. It looks like the CD is still in print, with only a few copies left however. In the mid-80's there weren't as many complilations as there are today of Dolly, and back in it's day, this CD was a #1 album to have! It still contains Dolly's classic hit singles, and is great to pop in your CD player and listen to on a nice, quiet evening at home.

I really enjoyed the show when it first came out in 1987 and listened to this cd often. Since then, however, the show has aged ... and not particularly well.

Mr. Webber's scores for "Phantom Of The Opera", "Evita", "Sunset Boulevard", and "Jesus Christ Superstar" hold up better.

There are a few good tracks, however, on this "concept" recording:

Starlight Express (very catchy tune)
Engine Of Love
There's Me (personal favorite)
Only You

I wish they had released a Broadway cast recording (the London one is available as a double disc), but this is a fine substitute.

If you were amongst the few lucky audience members to assist viewing a presentation of STARLIGHT EXPRESS when it graced the boards in NYC during it's breef 80s run, then you'll enjoy this compacted ensemble of songs on this CD. However, if you are searching for a CD that best represents the show; this is NOT THE CD TO PURCHASE. I strongly suggest the recently revised CAST version from LONDON. EL DeBARGE as a lead vocalist ("where is he now?") does not cut it when trying to listen to the main theme composed by LOYDD WEBBER.

Alot of people don't like this album, but I do. Most of the songs are catchy, if not addicting. Especially "Make Up My Heart" and "Light at the End of the Tunnel"

Don't miss the brief operatic cameo by Sarah Brightman halfway through "AC/DC."

I have seen all of the Olsen Twins' movies and television shows. They're cute and all, but mostly super lucky (who else do you know that was worth millions before they could even read). tHE CD includes mostly fast and up beat songs, but the few slow songs are awesome too. The best part of this cd is that it doesn't includ the olsen twins singing (most of their cds do). If you liked the songs from the movie you will defidently like this cd. You should buy this cd and help give more money to the Olsen Twins (like they need it!!!).

PS: Don't you just love how every movie focuses around the girls finding two hot guys that they always make-out with by the end of the movie?

If Mary-kate and Ashley R good at N E thing (IF that's possible..) then its picking songs 4 their soundtracks. They mix the classics w/ a little bit of emo.. wicked good. I think i like this mary-kate and ashley soundtrack best, even though their New movie When in Rome rates rite up top there 2. Peace out

This CD was very good. If you enoyed the songs from Our Lips Are Sealed, then you have to buy this CD. I also bought the Winning London Soundtrack, and that too is a really good CD. Most of the songs on these two soundtracks are upbeat and fun, but there are a few that are slow. Still the slow songs are good. I recommend that you buys these soundtracks if you are as much of a fan as I am.

This collection of hits from Dolly is a nice collection however, it is very redundant as there are already several hits packages out there with these very same tracks. The set is so redundant that it includes "But You Know I Love You" twice! Why is anyones guess. It's a budget release and really isn't essential to the die-hard fan.

I am not at all a fan of country music, but I make an exception when it comes to Dolly Parton. Her songs are brilliantly written and performed. I love the songs "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," & "I Will Always Love You." Any fan of Dolly should buy this collection. A+

The music on this set revisits some of Dolly's classics with a good mix of up tempo numbers and heartfelt ballads. My only complaint is that they didn't fit them all onto one CD instead of two.