At the Gate of Horn

Odetta | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 1997)
• Original Release Date: 1957
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tradition Records
• ASIN: B0000058RQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,602 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Label

Her second release on Tradition, At the Gate of Horn has been touted as Odetta’s strongest album to date. The songs are a mix of traditional African-American spirituals and English folk songs, and Odetta’s singing and finger-picking are in top-form on this record. At the Gate of Horn is also notable because it features acoustic bass accompaniment by Bill Lee (Spike’s father). Recorded in 1957.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stereo in 1957!, May 6, 2005

By 

C. DIMOND (Gardner, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: At the Gate of Horn (Audio CD)

Early stereo recording -- lacking the genius of the mono mix of Ballads and Blues from the year before, but a startling example of the selling power of stereo as a form. High art, masterful recording, meticulous analog production. This is studio work, despite the appearance of it having been done in the Chicago folk night club. An influence on the American folk generation. Serious art, skilfully packaged. A dearth of recording information. Operatic heir to Paul Robeson and Leadbelly.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking, March 31, 2000

By 

B. Johnson (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At the Gate of Horn (Audio CD)

I remember when I first heard this album, in its original 1957 vinyl release, back in the 1970's. It's folk with guts. If you are a real folk afficionado, you gotta have it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty can be powerful, March 22, 2008

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Bibliophile "aseason" (United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: At the Gate of Horn (Audio CD)

This CD brought a point home: beauty can equate power.

I'm not talking of courtesans, (though I'm sure this thread-worn truth applies there, too.) I'm speaking of the sheer force with which a listener is struck when Odetta's operatically trained voice delivers "Greensleeves." Every emotion is heightened, even humour. After all, could you imagine, say, Pavarotti, tackling the "QUACK! QUACK! QUACK!" of "The Fox" with the grace Odetta brings? I laugh aloud every time I hear that song.

Her caress of "Gallows Pole" left such an impression that I sang it for two weeks. (Store clerks were horrified to hear me amusing my toddler with the lyrics, "Hangman, hangman, slack your rope / slack it for a while / I can see my father coming ridin' many a mile...Papa, did you come to see me hang by the gallows pole?")

I'm still learning folk and have a long way to go. Odetta is definitely a keeper, though. If you haven't heard this album yet, I strongly recommend introducing yourself to it. If you already have your copy and are just skimming to see the comments of others, speak up! Add to the reviews! Proclaim your love from the top of the cliff! Perhaps, just perhaps, your words will send another rookie on the path to discovery.