Indie Folk Music

I sought this CD looking for a specific song ("Sold! To the Nice Rich Man"). I sometimes take these leaps of faith, hoping to find great new music. I've discovered Pearl Jam (way back in the early 90's) in a similar and many others. I was not disappointed with this CD. It holds a treasure of 24 works of art, all unique in their own way. I especially recommend the first and last songs, as well as Sufjan Stevens'. In short, a great way to meet Indie music.

While Larry Long's heart is in the right place, and his songs show compassion and tolerance, I'm afraid that the CD is not very interesting. Unlike other folk singers who can meld the political and the lyrical or whose passion carries the music, this sort of drifts by and I have had no desire to re-play the CD.

Activist folkie singer/songwriter. Very good stuff that crosses many musical boundaries, Sort of a cross of Pete Seeger with Peter Gabriel. Much of it is about worker's rights, wars, the KKK and many other cheerful subjects. Nice 34 page booklet tells the story behind each song.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cd and have been listening to it non-stop for the past 3 days. As a person who generally listens to rock, pop, and celtic music I was amazed at this CD. It is the best original work that I have ever heard. I first listened to the CD and liked the tunes, I later read the stories (contained in the CD pamphlet) and relistened to the cd. The music and stories alone are interesting, but the best part is how Larry Long interweaves the two.

He has a gentle, smoothing way to bring up real issues of racism, poverty, work, war, love of music, and love. An incredible talent.

I have eight Rough Guide CDs, and this my favorite.

Very energetic ~ great compositions, perfect performances.
Lots of variety ~ with influences ranging from North African to Celtic. Some traditional sounding; some with techno beats.

Recommended without reservation.

This CD is by far one of the finest you will ever hear. Trust Me.

Love this CD! It's over too fast. What a fun bunch of songs. Kieran Kiely has such a fluid way with the accordion. Shane cracks me up. Love his lyrics. "B&I Ferry" is hilarious, and is also a great attempt at "Irish reggae."

I'm a great Shane Macgowan fan and tried to like this CD and I just couldn't at all. His voice is slurred and lifeless from all of the drug and alcohol abuse. The songwriting is average and the melodies are stolen from Pouges songs. I have a problem with Macgowan fans sticking up for him and giving great reviews even though his stuff is substandard. These fans would give him 5 stars if he belched and farted through an album. This is NOT a good album!

Half the songs on this CD were great but the other half were a different genre altogether. It seems like they are experimenting with American country music, which just isn't my style. However, if you like country music, you may really like this CD. I think 'Across the Broad Atlantic' takes the best songs on this CD (as well as some great ones from the Pogues) and is an overall better purchase.

I own one or more copies of every song Shane has ever written or recorded. While I have favorites which are not on this CD, it is my favorite over all. The music makes me want to dance and sing. Who can sit still during Rock and Roll Paddy, and doncha just love the unprintable lyrics of Back in the County Hell and my favorite Ceiligh Cowboy. If you have ever been in a neighborhood bar at midnight on Saturday night, you have met the local St John of Gods.Don't miss this one.

One of the true Cosmic Cowboys...a must for any '70's collection. I saw him recently and his voice is still as clear as a bell.

In 1978, Peter Rowan and Flaco Jeminez, sent out through the flowing airways, by way of radio station "KFAT" . . . an outstanding musical statement. That statement was "The Free Mexican Airforce". A great anthem was this version, only to have been recorded later . . . with omission. So this cut, will give the listener the full version of this most lovely Tex-Mex tune, and at the same time, will deliver a critical social story.

The CD was in perfect shape as advertized.. It arrived as prompt as possible and in perfect packaging.. Very satisfied, especially the sound was really GREAT...

To be honest, it broke my heart to read "Joe Six-Pack" review
Peter's first great solo album of 1978. I find it pretty unfair that while Amazon urges customers to stay "on topic" with the product, he takes the time to knock down some of Peter's more wide-ranging and far-reaching (diverse) musical directions. (i.e., Earth Opera & The Rowans--and let me tell you, I don't think/feel that Peter's made a bad album in his life--except that the third "brother" album from the 70s period WAS a bit weaker than the OUTSTANDING Cali country/rock/pop of the 1975 "The Rowans" and their second, '76's "Sibling Rivalry").
Okay: back on track! This is a lovely record of singer-songwriter/bluegrasser-takes-on-Conjunto-music. Fell in love with Outlaw Love; Come On and Break My Heart Again; Gypsy King; lush, plush instrumentation and of course...no one ever gets enough of Mr. Jimenez. My best friend laughed at his (PR's) vocal stylings at the end of Land of the Navajo because they are so unusual--bird? I always say, Peter, what if you get STUCK up there <<<(grin)>>> He has the prettiest tenor--there's a fullness to his voice in comparison to Mr. Monroe's thinner and really-crankily-"high-lonesome" tenor. I feel "A MUSIC FAN" does the review that does this album and this artist justice. (Grab your honey and curl up by the fire.)
P.S.: Joe Six-Pack: Way-Out-West Schtick???? Gee, thanks for bowling us all over with your luminosity. I think not!!!
Speaking of...I have recently come into a copy of Texican Badman. Peter covers some Terry Allen. Cool covers!!!
For Peter's own "Way-Out-West" there's always Medicine Trail, the follow-up to his first solo (this album) and it's a riot!
Lots of fun! Solid writing and he rocks out a bit, too, especially notably well on the title-track--and "Riding High in Texas" from that album is one of my favorites of all time!

I really enjoy this cd, but I think 5 stars may mislead a lot of people (especially if your exposure to Rowan is just Old and In the Way). Other reviews are accurate in terms of drug-hippie mexicali influence. Also should point out that that this album is partially dedicated to the "blue yodeler", Jimmie Rogers so if you are looking for some more contemporary yodeling influenced music, this has quite a bit of that, as well as some great mexican "ayeyieyie's" and so forth...two styles of singing that this reviewer can't find enough of. But buyers should be aware that the live tracks on this album are really quite bad (or that fiddle player is really out of tune). One of the tracks is Panama Red, so if you are looking for a polished version of that song, this album doesn't have it.

Funny and original, touchingly personal, yet familiar and comfortable, unobtrusive and inventive, and sometimes heartbreaking, THE FLIRTATIONS is the most effective a cappella recording that I have heard. As thrilling as great voices can be, this record is great enough to raise goose-bumps whenever I hear tracks like "Breaths," "Wallflower," or "Everything Possible." Doo-Wop classics sit elbow to elbow with standards and remarkably original songs that will echo in your own life; this collection is everything you expect and more. This beautiful record is a wonderful document of hugely talented MICHAEL CALLEN's powerful and gifted instrument: his voice. It's also a document of Jon Arterton, Aurelio Font, TJ Myers, and Cliff Townsend. I believe TJ Myers left us before Michael Callen. THE FLIRTATIONS' live album is also very enjoyable. Any fan of a cappella should own this album.

"Those who have died have never ever left, the dead have a pact with the living..."

This has become my favorite CD after rediscovering the Flirtations a few weeks ago. The songs are all worth listening to over and over again. I thought I wouldn't enjoy it because I don't ever listen to a capella, but they are all so talented that I'm sure instruments would take away from their great sound. The Flirtations should also be hailed for their activism and their ability to mix humor with serious social messages. Anyway, this is a great CD, and I strongly recommend it. Also check out their other CDs, if you get the chance!

I met Michael during the 1980s when he traveled extensively on AIDS projects and conferences, speaking engagements and also with the FLIRTATIONS. I spent twenty-six years as a massage therapist, and on numerous times that he flew into Dallas-Fort Worth, he would call and ask for an appointment. Not only was he a kind and creative and bright spirit, but he always loved my personal and caring massages. As with all win/win situations, I in turn found a creative mind, clever, genuine and always a sparkle about his life. Along with enjoying his music the rest of my life, I'll always cherish the memories of time spent in his presence.

The FLIRTATIONS (Jon Arterton, Michael Callen, Aurelio Font, TJ Myers, and Cliff Townsend) were an openly-gay acapella quartet in 1990 when they released this album, and it is a charming but uneven effort. The singers are obviously talented, and their material ranges from doo-wop to a gospel sound. Some of the tracks are nothing less than delightful -- a gay version of "Surfin' USA" that works better than it seems like it would, and the gentle power of pride in songs like "Everything Possible" and "Something Inside So Strong." Yet some of the tracks sound a bit amateurish, maybe a little sloppy. But all in all, it's very moving and important, and also a lot of fun. And it's one of the few recordings of Michael Callen's remarkable voice and charisma.

This cd is one that every a cappella-lover should have in their collection. With lovely ballads (like Breaths and Wallflower), classics (Blue Moon and Lida Rose), and fast or funny tunes (Santa Maria and The Flirt Song), this one has something that everyone will like. Two songs, Everything Possible and On Children, will touch your heart - they're gorgeous! The Flirtations obviously had fun making this one, and it's a great, harmony-packed group of songs - you won't regret getting it.

3 1/2

The album begins like a classic, displaying Belle's signature mellow folk-pop orchestrations at their best- where beautiful intertwined melodies and a hushed acoustic urgency effortlessly combine. Their "Sleep The Clock Around" is probably the best rendition I have heard of one of the most cliched chord phrasings used in modern rock, and everything feels spot on until the sixth track or so, which is when things begin to sharply decline, never fully recovering.

not believing they could top their 2nd record, they did and made an album that changed me in so many ways i still havent figured them all out yet 10 years later.

As the title mentions, this is their best album in my opinion. It is mellow and catchy the whole way through. Good if you like that kind of thing. Has good replay value as well.

Boy with the Arab Strap isn't a perfect album -- Sinister is more consistent, but it's definitely a lot more varied instrumentally than its predecessor. Unlike Sinister, there's actually a buildup, and then a letting go, along with some looser-sounding improvisation at the end of "Rollercoaster Ride".

This is the first album which included songs not written by Stuart Murdoch (Chickfactor, Seymour Stein, A Space Boy Dream, Is it Wicked to Care?). Although they're not of the same quality, they fit very well in with the rest of the album.

It's important to view TBTWAS as an album... On their own, the songs aren't as attractive, but the fact that Space Boy Dream and Seymour Stein are right before Dirty Dream #2 makes them all the better for it.

There's kind of this "magic" quality to the sound of the music... the way the songs don't actually refer to anything, but really you know what they're talking about, as well as the quiet and intricate arrangements, the way everything pulls together in a way such that they can use a bagpipe and weird electronic sounds, and yet none of it sounds out of place... I've never found another group quite like them.

Some people like B&S, other's don't. In any case, they're a band that really grow on you. This album, along with Sinister, I swear I appreciate more every time I hear it. I'd advise anyone who is new to Belle & Sebastian to start with Dear Catastrophe Waitress in order to get a feel for their sound, and then move on to some of their older records.

I completely disagree with the review below. "The Boy With the Arab Strap" is one of my favorite Belle & Sebastian albums. It was my first impression of Belle & Sebastian; it made a very strong one, too. I believe it is one of their most ingenious albums. Like all of Belle & Sebastian's albums, it takes a musically trained ear as well as an appreciation for style and meaning in music in order to appreciate and enjoy them. Many of my favorite songs of all time are on this album: "Sleep Around the Clock," "It Could've Been a Brilliant Career," and "Dirty Dream Number Two." Along with these songs, almost all the songs on this album have very touching meanings in their lyrics and innovative composition. I have listened to this album dozens of times and each time I hear and appreciate something new within each song. It is a must buy for any Belle & Sebastian fan.

Essential listening for die-hard byrd fans. Gene Clark was such a great songwriter. Too bad that the byrds didn't use more of his songs.

The recordings of some of these classics are raw but gives you an idea how songs develope in the recording studio. Fantastic insight.

As the author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent" I have always made it a priority to hear any material by the great 60's Los Angeles and San Francisco bands.

My mission has never stopped with the normal releases. When I can get a key to a vault and hear a band before they would take off it is fascinating to compare what was to what would be.

Preflyte Sessions aren't throw away tracks. With the vocal ability of the band even in the early stages it is not hard to see why they could take the next giant step.

If you have most of the fine Byrds albums in the collection don't compare this to what you own. Let it stand on its own.

Even those that have heard some of these tunes on unreleased recordings will like the sound quality and how the tracks are put together for Preflyte.

The Byrds should have been more appreciated for being able to handle the personal changes and take on new musical styles and win.

You often here they were a great American band, they were but....

They were a great band period and the msuic has held up very well. When you have a bit of time go back to yesterday and sing along, nobody is in the room but you and the band.

Be well always,
Craig Fenton
Author of the Jefferson Airplane book "Take Me To A Circus Tent"

An awesome collection two disc's that compile the original lp Preflyte plus the 80's collection In The Begining.This is the birth of folk rock.These sessions in 1964 offer acoustic and electric versions of songs that ended up on Mr.Tambourine Man and songs that didn't make their debut in 1965. Also included are solo tracks from David Crosby which show off his remarkable voice.Checkout Get Together which would become a standard by the Youngbloods in the late 60's.The Reason Why a song written by Gene Clark is a neat mix of the Beatles and Bo Diddley.The electric version of You Showed Me and The Airport Song also are great Byrdsongs that never made it on the debut.Tomorrow is along Ways Away and The Only Girl I Adore realy show a Mersey Beat influence which was gone by the time of their first lp.Finaly you can here embryonic versions of Mr.Tambourine Man where Mike Clarke plays a military beat and You Showed Me where Clarke plays drums on cardboard boxes. A must have for all fans of the Byrds and folk rock.

Any fan of the Byrds and Gene Clark should have this in their collection . I never had either half of this material when it was released previously by both Rhino and Together, and put off buying it due to spotty reviews. Throw that mess out of your mind and get a copy . The Sundazed label did a great job on the whole package and it's a valuable addition to my collection. The sets have a lot of fascinating stuff , but hearing the original acoustic version of " you Showed Me The Way " by itself is worth it.

Until I lived in Spain on two different occasions, I had no idea that certain regions of Spain (Galicia and Asturias) were famous for bagpipes. Galicia, Spain's most Celtic province, speaks a language closer to Portuguese than Spanish (Gallego), has a rich folklore of witches, wizards, and magic, and features traditional dances such as muneiras, marches, pasa dobles and xotas played on the gaita, or bagpipes. I made it a point to seek out gaita concerts when traveling in Galicia, and I own several different gaitero (bagpiper) CDs from Galicia and Asturias.

The gaita is closest in sound to the Northumbrian and Great Highland bagpipes, with a chanter, bass drone, and one or two additional drones. The most famous export is Carlos Nunez, a talented gaita / whistle player who has toured and performed extensively with the Chieftains and other Celtic acts. In Spain, Xose Manuel Budino is also a talented gaitero who's updated the traditional songs with synth and distinctly modern touches. Susana Seivane is a female gaitera born in Barcelona whose father and grandfather were accomplished gaiteros. She began playing bagpipes in folk festivals from the tender age of three.

On Susana Seivane, her debut, she reinterprets traditional songs with a deft touch. The CD was produced by one of the founders of Milladoiro (a famous Galician group that blends traditional with modern), so its traditional pedigree is flawless. There are slower, playful tracks such as Taramundi e Alen and uptempo, fiery stunners like Xota de Ninodaguia and Xota de 28 puntos while A Cotula features spritely accordion and fiddle. Maneo is a haunting ballad that flirts with Eastern rhythm and melody. Alala de Vilalba is a gentle guitar and vocal ballad underscored by fiddle and whistle.

Susana Seivane deftly takes the listener through the traditional gaita repertoire of marches, xotas, pasadobles, and muneiras, sweeping you away to lush, wild Galicia with its rich green mountains and dramatic coastline, and it's easy to imagine those Celtic tribes that settled there so long ago. Fans of Celtic music and bagpipes will thrill at Susana's virtuosity and respect for this ancient instrument.

Susana Seivane has some of the best music I've heard, I'll say.
I especially like the two fast-paced songs that you can download for free. You can get Jotabé, track 1 of this album, from [...] and once upon a time you could get Vai de Polcas, from her other album from there as well; thankfully, you can still get it through archive.org.
Check out these two songs, and if you don't love them . . . I don't know if I can help you:
[...]

And, as for the person who said that her music wasn't spine tingling like Hevia's . . . I really don't know what that person was talking about. Susana Seivane's music has a much richer sound to it; much more substantial in tone; more flavorful--the free tracks, at least, are much more upbeat, as well (at least from what I heard of Hevia by listening online; I don't actually own any of their albums). This music is unique to Western ears. This is Galatian bagpipe music, and although it's Celtic, it's not like the Scottish sort. It sounds more like the Breton sort of Celtic music with some Spanish-Arabian sounds.

Susana is a very good piper. This is a pleasant album; it's not spine tingling like Hevia, but it's well worth a listen. There's not much new from good pipers these days.

Amazing! The music is entrancing. One is drawn to listen, dance, imagine--the bagpipes are so lively, and never crossing into flat rythym--what control! I can't wait for more from this incredible woman. I also was intrigued by references to other Gallician groups and musicians. I will be looking for them from now on. QUE BRAVA!

This is masterful piping. Lovers of traditional Irish, Scottish, or Breton music will find this disc a delight.

BTW, the writer of Amazon's review has it completely backwards: centuries of Spanish, Portugues, and other musical influences graft on the the scion, the original stock, Galician! The only older influence hereabouts is Basque.

This is an excellent cd for anyone who wants to hear authentic Irish Music, without any gimics, played by people whom traditional Irish music was a way of life.

I am a Composer and performer who has roots in Irish music, and of all the fiddle recordings I've ever come across, this is by far one of the best and the most cherished of my entire collection. I was fortunate enough to obtain my copy from an original 78 LP and the clicks, pops, and other slight "accents" contained in the recording only add a warmth and nostalgic feeling to the tunes. This listener is taken back to the moment in time when Ennis recorded the trio and feels as if they are sitting in any pub listening to what was and still is the standard nightly music of Kerry's fiddlers. A beautiful recording and a must for any Irish music fan.

Kerry is one of the great fiddle counties in Ireland, and these three musicians are among the greatest of their generation. Recorded back in 1952 by Séamus Ennis, himself a great musician, in Charlie Horan's Bar in Castleisland, this is a true classic! You can leave behind the supergroups - you won't find more impressive talent or tasteful playing than this in the world of Irish traditional music. Listen out for the common habit whereby one fiddler plays the tune one octave below the other - just beautiful! If you love Irish fiddle music, you must have this album.