Hard Road: Favorite Camp Songs of the Civil War

2nd South Carolina String Band | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 2001)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palmetto Productions
• ASIN: B00005NKYA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,733 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authenticity over Virtuosity, May 5, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Road: Favorite Camp Songs of the Civil War (Audio CD)

Close your eyes while listening to 2nd South Carolina String Band and you can almost imagine yourself transported in time and space - sitting around a campfire in Northern Virginia or East Tennessee circa 1863. Just don't keep them closed for too long, or you might start to taste hardtack! Yeah, the boys of 2nd South Carolina String Band are that authentic. Their song arraignments are simple and straightforward with no professional polish - played much the same way as young farm boys turned soldiers may have once played them to pass the time in camp. They use only period instruments that could pass muster in the strictest historic re-enactor's camp. If authenticity to period is what you desire, then these boys are the best.
That said, I should point out that these guys have something in common with Bob Dylan - their genius does not necessarily lie in their musical skill. Their voices are untrained and their playing, while adequate and enjoyable, is strictly amateur. It is this amateur quality as much as anything that makes their music sounds so authentic, but it does not make for performances that will blow you away with their virtuosity.
The song selection on `Hard Road' is simply outstanding. In addition to standards like Battle Cry of Freedom and When Johnny Comes Marching Home, they have included some rare gems that for some reason are not often included on period collections. My favorites are the humorous song Invalid Corp, a song mocking those who tried to avoid active service and the lively minstrel show song Kingdom Coming. Tenting on the Old Campground and Vacant Chair add a nice mournful note, and The Bonnie Blue Flag and Jine the Calvary nicely evoke Southern patriotic fever and bravado. Throw in a couple of Stephen Foster's most popular songs, Oh Susanna and Camptown Races, and this collection emerges as darn near perfect!
If you want polished and professional performances you should pass on this CD. But if you would like to hear these songs as your great great grandpa may have heard or even played them around a Civil War campfire with his mess mates, then snatch up Hard Road and get to listing.

Theo Logos

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Period Music, September 2, 2003

By 

Gerald M. Hyson "jerhys" (Baltimore, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Road: Favorite Camp Songs of the Civil War (Audio CD)

This is a great example of how the music sounded during the American Civil War. The vocals are not the strong point but the playing is superb including guitar, fiddle, banjo and percussion (missing is the fife from their next album). The band is composed of re-enactors, so they pay attention to the original arrangements, including the use of tambourine, spoons, bones, harmonica that the common soldier would have used at this time. This is how it would have sounded in a Civil War camp during the 1860s, with over an hour this is sure to please.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As It Gets, December 31, 2004

By 

R. B. Davis "Bob" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Road: Favorite Camp Songs of the Civil War (Audio CD)

There are country and bluegrass artists that occasionally sing and play a tune from the American Civil War era. Sometimes these songs are compiled into a CD. These artists do an okay job. If "okay" is good enough then buy the compilations of these various artists. But, if you want period music from a group of people who live and breath the music of the mid-1800s invest you money on CDs from the 2nd South Carolina String Band. They are simply the best.