Customer Reviews

From Coffee House to Concert Hall

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In the liner notes of "From Coffeehouse to Concert Hall", Ariel Rogers writes that this will be the last album of her late husband's unreleased material. If that proves to be true (and one hopes it does not), this is a fitting final tribute to a remarkably talented musician who left us all too soon. With twenty songs running more than 70 minutes, From Coffeehouse To Concert Hall offers listeners a wide variety of tunes -- not all his own -- performed by Stan Rogers. The earliest of these, "Guysborough Train", was recorded in a studio in 1973, complete with orchestration. The last song on the album, the haunting and heartbreaking "Down The Road", was recorded live in California, just five days before the singer's June 1983 death in an airliner fire. In between those two are eighteen gems (none of which has been recorded on any other Stan Rogers album) running the gamut from country tunes to sea shanties, that will make you laugh, cry, sing along, and marvel at Rogers' ability to tell stories through his music. The recording quality of the songs does vary, for while some of them are outtakes from album sessions, others were recorded in less-than-ideal circumstances, and Ariel Rogers and Paul Mills did a commendable job producing this album. (One of the most affecting songs on the album, "Your Laker's Back In Town", was recorded by Stan, accompanying himself on his guitar, on an ordinary cassette recorder.) For longtime Stan Rogers fans, this album is a must-have, and for those who are relatively new to his music, "From Coffeehouse To Concert Hall" provides a excellent look at the stunning talent of Stan Rogers.

I first heard Stan Rogers singing "Barretts Privateers"on Public Radio. I stopped the car and listened to Stan and his powerful group deliver this complex and engaging story. I was hooked from that very first moment. I contacted the station got the title and looked up Stan on Amazon. Stan is now part of my daily musical fix.

The stories he delivers are spellbinding. His wording, phraseology, and muical composition are compelling and carries the listener to the ports of Halifax, on to the bow spirit of the working boats he sings about,to the towns and burroughs that he has travelled and to the people who have shared his life .His takes the listener to the shores from where he launches his magical journeys.

His reports of the people he has met are examples of treasured wordsmithing and his musical genius.

Alas, When I found out of the untimely death of Stan Rogers in a airplane fire, it left me with no other way of getting to know this artist than by collecting the other published works and book about Stans life.

Stan Rogers was taken from us far too soon, in a tragic fire aboard an airliner in June of 1983. An immensely talented singer/songwriter, with a wonderful baritone voice and the ability to tell stories with his lyrics, he was well-known in Canada, and becoming increasingly popular in the United States. At the time of his death, four albums -- Fogarty's Cove, Turnaround, Between The Breaks - Live!, and Northwest Passage -- had been released, and two more had been recorded. Those albums -- For The Family and From Fresh Water -- were released over the next two years. Like many other singers, Stan Rogers had recorded a large number of tunes that never made it to an album, and a demand for that music has always been strong. The live album, Home In Halifax, was released in 1993, and now we have what Ariel Rogers, Stan's widow, calls "the last release of Stan's unpublished music." If that is true, From Coffee House To Concert Hall is a fitting tribute to this remarkable artist. The album is more than 70 minutes long, and its 20 songs have never appeared on any of Stan Rogers' other albums. Not all of these songs were recorded in a studio; some were recorded at live concerts or other venues, and one of the most touching songs on the album, "Your Laker's Back In Town", was recorded by Stan, accompanying himself on his guitar, on a simple audio cassette. Ariel Rogers and Paul Mills, who produced this album, did a remarkable job of getting quality sounds from what were in some cases very poor source material. The songs encompass a wide variety of musical styles, and trace Stan's evolution as an artist. The earliest of them, "Guysborough Train", was recorded in 1973, and the last song on the album, the haunting and heart-breaking "Down The Road", was recorded live just five days before Stan's death. In between those two are eighteen gems that will make you laugh, cry, smile, and sing along. Whether you are a longtime Stan Rogers fan, or discovering his music for the first time, From Coffee House To Concert Hall is a delight not to be missed!

Few will dispute the fact that in life and death, Rogers' importance in breaking the boundaries of the Maritime music industry are immeasurable. This 20 track collection of previously unreleased demos, live recordings and radio broadcasts proves why. Songs from the lighter side of life (Acadian Saturday Night, The Woodbridge Dog Disaster, It All Fades Away) were dispensed sparingly between Rogers' tales of hard-lives lived, of fates unwelcome and bitter realization epitomized the folk predilection for dark morality plays. But his appeal remains the way in which he brought a decidely Maritime approach to the form. A 1973 recording of Guysborough Train, created as an extended-play 45 for CBC radio distribution, rings with haunting pathos and illustrates precisely Rogers' emotive songwriting style. More so than simply narrating his tales, Rogers strong and spirited vocal style made him the weatherman in the middle of the storm. It was this uncanny prowess that brought such palpability to songs like Take It From Day to Day (written in 1980 for a CBC dramatization of the story of the St. Roch expedition), Down the Road and Billy Green. Don't sweat the fact Barrett's Privateers is a no show; these tracks are enough gold treasure to last a life time.

I can't fully explain what Stan Rogers means to me, nor can I adequately describe how powerful this icon's music is to me, and to Canada. The only way to appreciate this man is to listen to him, and it is then that your soul will be opened to a force you will never forget. This disc, which was released by his wife, is probably the weakest of all his material, but it's a gem nevertheless. Not everybody wanted this released, but I have to admit I'm happy I could get one more release from him. Some of the production is raw, but it's still very good, and some of this material ranks up there with his best. I remember sitting in his parents living room a few years ago, and they talked about their boy with such pride that it was something I'll never forget. I never met Stan, but that was as close as I could ever hope to under the circumstances. I was looking for some of his material, and through someone I knew, I was given their number. These wonderful folks invited me over, and it was like sitting with in front of a warm fire. Some of the nicest folks you could hope to meet, and it's easy to see where Stan, and Garnet got their values and authenticity. There are many great Canadian music legends, but nobody comes close to Stan Rrogers.

The loss of Stan Rogers was a true human tragedy and beyond that, for all who loved his music and saw him whenever they got the chance, the loss was compounded. So when this album came out and I heard a couple of quite excellent cuts (Thanks to Pandora) I was really excited to get the album and bought two so I could give one as a gift as well. I was happy to get more Stan Rogers music, but I admit to being a bit disappointed that many of the songs feel contrived and lack his characteristic depth and freshness. Lest I be misconstrued to be a chooser rather than the Stan Rogers beggar we all now must be, this is not negativity so much as wistfulness that as his catalog of unreleased recordings diminishes there will be less and less to feed my soul and my library as time goes on. And this is sadder still. And as good as Garnet and the others are, the Gorka's and the Bok's among many other very talented folks, there will never be another Stan Rogers.