I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Best Of Tom Paxton

Tom Paxton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: January 19, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00000GC12
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,551 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound

2. What Did You Learn in School Today?

3. Last Thing on My Mind

4. Daily News

5. My Lady's a Wild, Flying Dove

6. Goin' to the Zoo

7. Ramblin' Boy

8. The Willing Conscript

9. Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation

10. Bottle of Wine

11. Every Time

12. Leaving London

13. My Son, John

14. One Time and One Time Only

15. Outward Bound

16. Victoria Dines Alone

17. All Night Long

18. Forest Lawn

19. Whose Garden Was This

20. Cindy's Cryin'

See all 26 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There are few music fans who are not familiar with a Tom Paxton song--whether they know it or not. Paxton emerged from the folk movement of the 1960s and went on to pen a remarkable body of work that has been covered by literally hundreds of singers. Indeed, the songs on this collection, culled from the seven albums he cut from his start on through 1971, include what are now unarguably American standards in the rarefied tradition of Stephen Foster and Woody Guthrie. His lyrical charm and simplicity of melody informs children's songs ("Going to the Zoo," "Marvelous Toy") and hilarious social satires ("What Did You Learn in School Today," "Forest Lawn"). His most memorable songs, though, are the romantic ballads such as the title track, "Ramblin' Boy," and his signature apologia "The Last Thing on My Mind." This album is a perfect Paxton primer, the only quibble being over the songs left off. The breadth of Paxton's early work surely merits a double CD. --John Sutton-Smith

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars just like real folk songs, February 6, 1999

By 

Jerome Clark (Canby, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Best Of Tom Paxton (Audio CD)

Tom Paxton is that rarity among folk-era singer/songwriters: some of his songs have become real folk songs. Performers who have never heard of him sing "The Last Thing on My Mind" and "Ramblin' Boy" under the implicit assumption that they're venerable songs of anonymous authorship, just like "Barbara Allen" and "I Ride an Old Paint." Good for him, good for all of us. Paxton has enriched American music as few have done, and it's wonderful to have the best of his early, classic Elektra recordings available at last on CD. Even the topical songs, though tied to events in the 1960s, still manage to tell us something about, or at least make us laugh at, the varieties of human folly. It seems to me, however, that Paxton's political views owe less to a "progressive" ideologue's sentiments (as Scott Alarik's liner notes would have us believe) than to the natural responses of a decent man to injustice or absurdity. One can argue that the neo-folk movement has generated technically more accomplished, more imaginative writers, but only a tiny handful have produced songs that have moved us as much over time. Paxton's songs will always sound fresh -- just like real folk songs. God bless him, and long may he and his songs be with us.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the collection to get, February 12, 2002

By 

Robert - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Best Of Tom Paxton (Audio CD)

This disc has all of the "hits," if one may use such a term with this sort of music, from Paxton's phenomenal first three accoustic albums. If this is what you're looking for - and it is certainly something worth looking for -- this disc is the disc to get, clearly preferable to the Vanguard best-of collection. (For most of Paxton's best material on Vanguard, just get the Newport Folk Festival albums, which have so very much to recommend them in addition to Paxton's presence.)

The surprise here was the lesser known and harder to fine material from 68-71. Although his voice sounds a bit strained or hoarse at few points, some of the songs are astonishingly beautiful. Really. I even generally enjoyed the plush arrangements, which typically detract from singer-songwriter types. Perhaps that's due to another surprise: some real heavy hitters play on these sessions, including David Grisman, Richard Davis (!), and Hubert Laws.

Twenty-six tracks make this an attractive value, too. A good compromise between LP era collections that omit too much good material and expensive box sets that are overkill for casual fans.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't help but notice whence we came., October 3, 2000

By 

Louis Pierotti (Ashland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound: The Best Of Tom Paxton (Audio CD)

This treasure is one of three I have recently purchased. The other two being Tim Hardin, "Person to Person," and Taj Mahal's, "Natch'l Blues." For three entirely different reasons I have been powerfully reminded of the fertile ground out of which the most poignant and profound integrity of the sixties grew. I must confess that I bought this CD for the sake of "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues," one of the most amusing and sardonic protest songs of the era, only to rediscover a wealth of vital contributions that Paxton has made to the world of music. The soulful and romantic refrains of "The last thing on my Mind" brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it, in sharp contrast with the rally cry of "What did you learn in school today" this album explores the multi-faceted depths of Paxton's versatile and thought provoking poetry. And what a voice! Paxton is one of the most significant and enchanting mintrels of the 20th century. Hey, oldtimers, this CD will make you feel young again without making the 60's seem trite. It is nice to have such a dynamic and lasting reminder of the influences that made that era such a seminal part of who we are and whence we came. This CD is a very rich repository of human nature and a must for every seeker and collector.