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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barry McGuire: A Troubadour For our Times, March 2, 2006
My first experience of the voice of Barry McGuire came when I heard The New Christy Minstrel's "Green Green" on a small transistor radio and that gravel voice just exuded a "pentecostal joy"! I became an avid follower of The new Christy Minstrels from that day on.
The the inevitable happened as the talents contained within that "mini-minstrel chorus" began to expand beyond the limitations of that folk genre. Barry McGuire was one of the major talents to erupt out from that group with his solo album and conscience shaking hit single, "Eve Of Destruction".
Barry's exuberance remained but bubbled up with current social commentary and the awakening "self-awarness" of the new generation's new way of thinking and approaching the world.
Protest? . . . probably more a flagrant affirmation album! P.F. Sloane and Bob Dylan penned songs appear with the Mcguire delivery.
One track does mark this album as being very special however. Barry recorded one of the most moving and sensitive renderings of the song, "Try To Remember" ( from The Fantastiks). This cd is worth owning for that one track alone! No one has ever recorded this song any better or with more feeling for the poetic nostalgic longing lyric. And all of these years later, as Barry and the rest of us have all added on the years, this one Mcguire delivery holds even more respect and appreciation.
Thanks to Barry Mcguire for "all" of the music he has brought to us through every phase of his career and every incarnation . . . and for this "classic" album which STILL speaks to our world today: "Eve Of Destruction".
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same, September 3, 2005
In 1965, Barry McGuire rocked the world with the profoundly topical "Eve of Destruction." The cutting edge lyrics and strong melody left indelible impressions on all who heard it.
In February of 2000, I saw Barry McGuire along with Roger McGuinn in concert and loved every minute of it. At the time of this review, the lyric "the eastern world, it is exploding...violence flaring, bullets loading" is eerily a propos. In listening to the history "you're old enough to kill, but not for voting," the difference in today's world is that since 1971 when the voting age was lowered to 18, one can think, "you're old enough to kill as well as voting" would "update" the song without compromising its powerful message.
A solid collection including a very nice cover of "The Sloop John B." I highly recommend this along with the Byrds, Turtles and Peter, Paul & Mary.
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22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barry McGuire's Best, December 26, 2003
The star of this album Barry McGuire features his biggest hit "The Eve of Destruction" on this CD.This album features other songs but the mainstay of McGuire's singing fame was the "Eve of Destruction".I was watching the local PBS station Channel 8 out of Houston that had a special show about the hits of the 60's. I was able to watch Barry McGuire perform "The Eve of Destruction" on this show. You could not turn on your your radio during the 1960's without hearing this song.You had basically AM radio during this time.You could pick up KTSA from San Antonio or KLVI from Beaumont. You always heard the song "The Eve of Destruction" on these stations.I certainly enjoyed seeing Barry McGuire on the PBS show.If you were raised on this song like I was buy this album or CD.
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