Ain't That News

Tom Paxton | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Label: Rhino/Elektra
• Copyright: 2004 Elektra Entertainment. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
• Total Length: 37:25
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00124DSFC
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,102 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More relevant than ever, October 22, 2003

By 

David A. Bede (Singapore) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ramblin' Boy / Ain't That News (Audio CD)

Even if you've never heard of Tom Paxton, chances are you know at least one of his songs by heart: "The Last Thing On My Mind," "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound," "Goin' To The Zoo," "Ramblin' Boy," and "Bottle Of Wine" are surely loved by millions of people who have no idea who wrote them. Surprisingly, the original versions of all those classics appeared on Paxton's first two albums, collected here on CD for what I believe is the first time. (Technically they're his second and third albums, but the one that preceded them is so obscure even Paxton himself has said it "doesn't count.") These recordings are spare and fairly low key compared to many of the more famous cover versions, but that just adds to their charm in my opinion. And the classics are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tom Paxton.

While there's a lot here, this is not a "for completists only" collection. Several of the songs found here that aren't world famous are just as good as the ones that are. "A Rumblin' In The Land," "Ain't That News," and "I'm The Man That Built The Bridges" are all high on my list of the greatest protest songs. Elsewhere, Paxton tackles a number of early `60s topics which are once again all too relevant, such as unemployment ("Standing On the Edge of Town"), right-wing media bias ("Daily News" and "What Did You Learn In School Today?"), public complacency in the face of injustice ("We Didn't Know") and, most eerily, a government lying its way into war ("Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation"). Paxton didn't lean as heavily on love songs back then as he does now, but his romantic side is well represented too, with "I'm Bound For the Mountains and the Sea" and "Hold On To Me Babe," among others.

Made at the height of the 1960s folk revival, these recordings are the ultimate product of that era, complete with low-budget production and stridently political lyrics. They do show their age as a result, but nonetheless, this is arguably second only to Bob Dylan's second album as the most important collection of original, modern folksongs now in print.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Singer-Songwriter's Start, June 6, 2005

By 

James Skrydlak "mostlymozart" (Pella, Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ramblin' Boy / Ain't That News (Audio CD)

Except for a privately-produced (Paxton's own term) LP of which only 2,000 copies were made, Tom Paxton's first two LPs were Ramblin' Boy and Ain't That News. I have the honor of owning both LPs. Ramblin' Boy, which consists of the first fifteen tracks on this CD, continues to astonish me. The political songs don't wear very well, but Ramblin' Boy, Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound, and The Last Thing on My Mind are truly great songs, and When Morning Breaks, My Lady's a Wild, Flying Dove, I'm Bound for the Mountains and the Sea, and Goin' to the Zoo keep them good company.

To note that Ain't That News isn't quite as good as Ramblin' Boy is not much of a criticism. Bottle of Wine is, of course, a classic. Hold on to Me, Babe is a wonderful ballad about missing somebody who's left your life. The Natural Girl for Me and The Name of the Game Is Stud are two wonderfully exuberant songs, and I'm the Man That Built the Bridges, which had given its name to that privately-produced LP, is a celebration of ordinary Americans and the great things that they've accomplished.

Barry Kornfeld and Felix Pappalardi accompanied Tom on both LPs. Listen to what three good musicians, one of whom is a great songwriter, can accomplish without benefit of a fancy production.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic and thoughtful, November 4, 2007

By 

Stephen Scheiber (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ramblin' Boy / Ain't That News (Audio CD)

Collecting Tom Paxton's first 2 public albums in one collection presents both the yin and yang of the folk song revival. Timeless songs like "Ramblin' Boy" still echo, while some of the more political songs that Paxton himself refer to as "short shelf-life songs" show their age. Still, these two albums are a snapshot of America during that period that included the Civil Rights Movement and the debacle known as the Vietnam War. Those who didn't live through it may not understand "what all the fuss was about", but the country was fractured and bleeding in a way that has (fortunately) never happened since -- not even in the current environment surrounding the War in Iraq. Listening to these songs again brings back memories of those days, of marches and confrontations, of hopelessness and hope. Maybe listening to them can remind us of what this country REALLY stands for.

Tom Paxton remains -- in the company of people like Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan -- one of the finest crafters of songs that we have ever known.