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Do not confuse the folk singers of the sixties featured on this set with the country superstars Cash, Jennings, Nelson and Kristofferson who also recorded and toured using the Highwaymen name.

These original Highwaymen are best remebered for Michael row the boat ashore (sometimes just titled Michael), a number one hit in Britain, America and other countries around the world, which begins this set. Cotton fields, originally written by Leadbelly, was a top twenty hit for the Highwaymen, though others have also charted with this song, including the Beach boys. Another famous song is The first time ever I saw your face, a massive seventies hit for Roberta Flack. It was written by folk singer Ewan MacColl about Peggy Seeger who later became his wife. The version here is very folky, true to the original.

There are several other well known songs here, including Big rock candy mountain and The gypsy rover. Even the obscure songs here are worth hearing. The general feel of the album is easy-going but upbeat - the sort of album that you can play as background music, but has plenty to offer if you give it dedicated attention. In particular, there is their very amusing song, titled Number one, about themselves. It shows that having a number one record will get you a lot of attention but doesn't guarantee further success.

Many of the tracks here are more interesting than Michael - if you like sixties folk music, the Highwaymen are well worth a listen.

Anyone at least in their teens in the 1960s should remember "Michael" (rowing the boat ashore) by the unfortunately under-recorded folk group, The Highwaymen (not to be confused by the much later C&W group led by the likes of Johnny Cash et al). This composite CD is taken from various of their LPs from the 60s, and represents a worthwhile trip back to old territory for many baby-boomers. They don't make music like this anymore today I am afraid!

When I became a folk movement fan in the late l950's, beginning with The Kingston Trio and progressing to Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, et. al.. "The Highwaymen" were OK, but not really special. At the time, they seemed tamer than the roots artists or the urban protest singer-songwriters. About a year ago, however, I got this album and I really like it. The singing and picking now seems more skillful than I recall from the old days. The variety of material is impressive. It is also true, as another reviewer says, that the group was the first to value Buffy St. Marie's songwriting skills. They really were able to do good performances of many songs other than "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" which suffers from over-familiarity. My favorite song on here, however, is "Number One" a wistful, ironic look back at the group's early success and later struggles. The guys who could write that song and put it on their greatest hits CD deserve admiration for their sense of humor and modesty, if nothing else. This collection is worth having in the house, if you like folk music and especially if you remember the times in which the performances were created. It is just plain fun to hear.I bought every one of the Kingston Trio's albums immediately upon release all those years, and owned none by The Highwaymen. Now I think this CD holds up as well as any done by Nick, Bob, Dave and later, John Stewart. Thirty-five years too late, I finally became a fan of The Highwaymen, due to this album.

Like a few million others, I bought 'Michael' when it first hit the charts. The intervening 40 years have done nothing to diminish the recording's charm and appeal. But this CD, culled from the group's various albums, is about far more than just one song. It shows just what a fine outfit the Highwaymen were. And also how innovative they were. They were the first to record Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'Universal Soldier', and they made the first American recording of Ewan McColl's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' - both of which are on the CD. But this CD contains so many superb performances. There is the patriotic sounding 'Sinking of the Reuben James', the charming 'Big Rock Candy Mountain' and 'Gypsy Rover', the Fifties pop hit 'Cindy', and the reflective 'Number One', a 1974 recording in which the group look back with wry humour on their career and wonder 'what the hell went wrong'. For me, the standout track is the spirited 'Whiskey In The Jar', originally issued as the 'B' side of their third single. Nice to have this one on the CD. My 45 is almost worn out. A first rate compilation, both for those who remember the group first time around, and also for those who simply appreciate top flight commercial folk music.

This is a compelling anthology of folk songs. Listening to it brings back memories and deserves to be a favorite of subsequent generations of listeners. In my car with windows closed and cruise control on, I find myself playing it over and over again, singing, and tapping my foot. Not as famous to some, perhaps, as Peter, Paul & Mary and the Kingston Trio, these five voices do credit to a range of songs in a range of folk styles. This is pure enjoyment, and is highly recommended to fans of folk music, as well as others.

An almost forgotten group these days though this collection proves that they had more to offer than just their no. 1 hit 'Michael'. Maybe because there were too many folk groups like the Kingston Trio, Brothers Four etc. More likely with the looming British invasion they got lost in the shuffle.

I found the whole album to be pleasant on the ear and one of the better sets in the Legendary Masters series. As well, it's probably the best Highwaymen collection available.

Timeless and Beautiful - It was a time when "Image and Talent" was created on stage in front of an audience...
Not like today were "POP" it is created in the studio with countless overdubbing then marketed by mass media hype and awful lip sinking...YUK!
But! There is still great music being made everyday.
We just have to be aware of all the Roots, Grassroots, or what ever you want to call it, going on around the world...
"Thank Humankind for the Internet! Keep on Singin' & Pickin'."

The Highwaymen were among my favorite groups when I was growing up, and I listened over and over again to their first five albums. This collection includes many songs from those LPs, and much more, including selections from three additional albums, a long-lost single, and the original cut of their delightfully self-referential reunion song: "Number #1".

Also: the liner notes are fabulous!

I highly recommend this CD!

Their big hit was "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore," a 1960 original that
performed the rare trick of sounding extremely old and traditional. That
track, and 23 more, are present here. There are a few interesting stones to
unturn, including an early pop version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and a
cover of "The First Time (Ever I Saw Your Face)" that predated Roberta
Flack's hit by nearly a decade. But overall, this is rather tame, unexciting
folk ensemble stuff, albeit reasonably well sung and arranged. They're the
biggest musical thing to ever come out of Wesleyan University, and the
Monkees ripped off their logo, but you probably don't need to know more than
that, unless you've already dug pretty deep into the early '60's folk scene.

There are two or three interesting songs on this CD. The rest are dated and rather boring tunes.