Name: Best Of The Vanguard Years
Brand: Vanguard
SKU: 60255
Price: 14.97 USD
Availability: InStock

Best Of The Vanguard Years

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Album: Best Of The Vanguard Years
#	Song Title		Time
1)	When The Saints Go Marching In	More Info...
2)	Kisses Sweeter Than Wine	More Info...
3)	Tzena Tzena	More Info...
4)	Wimoweh	More Info...
5)	On Top Of Old Smoky	More Info...
6)	Sixteen Tons	More Info...
7)	Guantanamera	More Info...
8)	Wreck Of The 'John B'	More Info...
9)	Rock Island Line	More Info...
10)	Erie Canal	More Info...
11)	This Land Is Your Land	More Info...
12)	The House Of The Rising Sun	More Info...
13)	Michael Row The Boat Ashore	More Info...
14)	Brother Can You Spare A Dime	More Info...
15)	If I Had A Hammer	More Info...
16)	Darling Corey	More Info...
17)	Kumbaya	More Info...
18)	Hush Little Baby	More Info...
19)	Midnight Special	More Info...
20)	Go Tell It On The Mountain	More Info...
21)	Marching To Pretoria (Previously Unreleased)	More Info...
22)	Virgin Mary (Previously Unreleased)	More Info...
23)	So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh	More Info...
24)	Goodnight Irene	More Info...

Album: Best Of The Vanguard Years
#	Song Title		Time
1)	When The Saints Go Marching In	More Info...
2)	Kisses Sweeter Than Wine	More Info...
3)	Tzena Tzena	More Info...
4)	Wimoweh	More Info...
5)	On Top Of Old Smoky	More Info...
6)	Sixteen Tons	More Info...
7)	Guantanamera	More Info...
8)	Wreck Of The 'John B'	More Info...
9)	Rock Island Line	More Info...
10)	Erie Canal	More Info...
11)	This Land Is Your Land	More Info...
12)	The House Of The Rising Sun	More Info...
13)	Michael Row The Boat Ashore	More Info...
14)	Brother Can You Spare A Dime	More Info...
15)	If I Had A Hammer	More Info...
16)	Darling Corey	More Info...
17)	Kumbaya	More Info...
18)	Hush Little Baby	More Info...
19)	Midnight Special	More Info...
20)	Go Tell It On The Mountain	More Info...
21)	Marching To Pretoria (Previously Unreleased)	More Info...
22)	Virgin Mary (Previously Unreleased)	More Info...
23)	So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh	More Info...
24)	Goodnight Irene	More Info...

Performer Notes

The Weavers: Fred Hellerman (vocals, guitar); Pete Seeger (vocals, banjo); Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert (vocals)..
Additional personnel: Erik Darling (vocals, banjo); Frank Hamilton, Bernard Krause.
Principally recorded at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York in 1955 and 1963, and The 1960 Newport Folk Festival, Newport, Rhode Island. Includes liner notes by Ed Ward.
Digitally remastered by Jeff Zaraya.
Personnel: Pete Seeger (tenor, banjo); Fred Hellerman (baritone, guitar); Lee Hays (baritone).
Liner Note Author: Ed Ward .
Recording information: Carnegie Hall, NY (12/24/1955-05/03/1963); Newport Folk Festival (12/24/1955-05/03/1963).
Unknown Contributor Roles: Erik Darling; Frank Hamilton.
The Weavers' stint at Vanguard, it should be noted, took place after they had their big pop hits in the early 1950s. That might be construed as either an advantage or disadvantage, depending on your perspective. These are not the biggest-selling original versions of the staples of their repertoire, but they also feature only the group and their acoustic instruments, without the added orchestration that some felt diluted their early studio recordings. In any case, this has 24 songs drawn from live and studio performances in 1955 and 1963, almost all of them including Pete Seeger in the lineup (there are also two previously unreleased tracks from the 1960 Newport Folk Festival). Listening to these, one is struck by the sheer number of folk standards that the Weavers were instrumental in popularizing: "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," "Tzena Tzena," "Goodnight Irene," "Wimoweh," "On Top of Old Smoky," "Guantanamera," "Rock Island Line," "The House of the Rising Sun," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," "If I Had a Hammer," and "Midnight Special." It's also undeniable that their interpretations can smack of tame quaintness so far removed, time-wise, from their original setting. It's a serviceable overview of their post-blacklist output, though fans might prefer the less patchwork flow of the original albums, especially the ones recorded just after the group reformed in 1955. ~ Richie Unterberger

Professional Reviews

CMJ (2/12/01, p.39) - "...The most important group in modern American folk....many of their uplifting, high-energy tunes have become engrained classics..."