Customer Reviews

Between the Breaks... Live

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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In 1983 my cheif officer on the S/S Marine Electric survived for hours in the water, after the ship sank, durning a blizzard waiting rescue. He kept himself awake by singing Stan's Mary Ellen Carter. The cheif, Bob Cusick, got me hooked on the songs. I thank Stan for saving Bob. When I stand on the bridgewing of my ship and the wind is so high that no one can hear me, I sing Stan's songs. I would never think of going to sea without him. His maritime songs are so true to the sprit of the mariner.

This is the Stan Rogers album I heard first, back before his death, and all things considered, I think this incredibly spirited live set is still the best introduction to Rogers' music. Included are the definitive versions of "Barrett's Privateers" and "Mary Ellen Carter," the haunting "First Christmas" (ever a contender as the saddest song ever written), and the thought-provoking lament "Harris and the Mare." And that's not all...

The songs on this album represent Rogers' songwriting talent at full flower and the band is snapping with energy. My only complaint -- gee I wish they'd used a better vocal mic. It's not awful, but fairly typical of the late 70s.

I drove my wife crazy playing The Mary Ellen Carter over and over again back in the '80s. I'm so pleased that Rogers' albums found their way to CD and can be enjoyed by future generations. His big sweet voice is unique as is the musicianship on this album. Listen to the riffs between the verses. One of the guitarists is Grit Laskin whose career is resurfacing and none to soon. This album should be in the nucleus of anyone's folk music collection along with Joan Baez's early recordings, the original Guthrie Folksay (not Folkways), early Josh White, Cisco Huston, and Logan English's interpretations of Guthrie. This one is deservedly a classic.

you will love Stan Rogers. His music runs along the lines of 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'. Beautiful and haunting folk songs mostly about the hard life of sailors (The Flowers of Bermuda and Rolling Down to Old Maui). This CD has a unigue track on it - "The White Collar Hollar" - which is a modern 'blues' rant by computer programmers from the time of punch cards. I love it. Also, Harris and the Mare is a great tragic song about a peaceful man who's wife is attacked in a bar and none of his friends came to his aid when the attacker pulled a knife on him. I can't come up with the words to express it's eloquence.

No one who saw Stan Rogers perform will forget the sight of this huge man from the great north singing songs of the sea and of Canada. I saw him several times, including one enchanted summer eve in 1982 at Penn's Landing in Philly, singing "Mary Ellen Carter" while tall ships glided silently up and down the Delaware, showing only their running lights. At the time, not having heard him before, I was astounded that so many in the capacity crowd not only knew the songs but sang along with the chorus. Hear this album and learn why. I never met the man personally, but I was pained when he and many others died in an Air Canada fire (there's a reason why smoking is forbidden in airplane lavatories). IMHO, one of the best live albums, of any genre, ever recorded.

Stan Rogers was the quintessential folk balladeer of the Great Lakes and Canada in the Seventies and Eighties...or at least it seemed so to me, having discovered his music so soon before his tragic death in the early Eighties. This CD is chock full of examples of what made him a great influence on the generation to come. I love Rogers' strong baritone, the take-no-prisoners lyrics in songs like the Mary Ellen Carter (encouragement to anyone facing discouragement), and the musicianship of bandsmen Garnet Rogers, David Alan Edie, Grit Larskins and Curly Boy Stubbs are stellar.

The song selection is terrific except for one note....who would have thought in 1979 how poorly Nigell Russel's computer dirge "White Collar Holler would have aged. It was funny then, believe me!

In a welcome break from the sometimes-over-produced studio albums, Stan and his buddies (brother Garnet, David Alan Eadie, Grit Laskin, and Curly Boy Stubbs) crank out simple renditions of Stan's more famous tunes. There are better versions of some of the tracks elsewhere (for example, "Barrett's Privateers" and "The Mary Ellen Carter" are better on the "Home in Halifax" album).

Standouts are the heartbreaking "First Christmas," the dated but still hilarious "White Collar Holler" (seen in filksinging collections and tossed around on Internet humor mailing lists), and the definitive version of "Harris and the Mare."

Stan calls "Delivery Delayed" ". . . in many ways, one of the best songs I've ever written." Sorry, I don't think so. It's a good thing the rest of the album is better.

After years of listening to crappy tape recordings from a friend's LPs, I'm delighted to have found the real deal on CD. Worth every penny.

This is a universally GREAT album. Every person I have ever played this album for has absolutely loved it. I think it's Stan Rogers best work (due to the live element). A must have. Anyone who likes live, Irish (he's Canadian though), folk, or just guitar music will love this.

This is probably my favorite Stan Rogers album. Because it is a live album, it has a lot of energy. Its version of "Barrett's Privateers" is the best, and the one that is most played on the radio. The Archie Fisher song "Witch of the Westmorland" is also on the album. Do yourself a favor and buy it!

The best of Stan Rogers! Who can argue with this album? How can you dispute a song which has saved a life? "The Mary Ellen Carter" is whithout a doubt the finest song ever written!