Customer Reviews

Home in Halifax

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having seen Stan Rogers perform live in the late 70's and early 80's this disc gives you the feel of a Stan Rogers concert...like the Grateful Dead, the live shows upstage studio recordings. The power of both the lyrics and the music will make you laugh, cry or search for the deeper meaning of........ Stan's music will live well beyond the norm...the quality of the recording is great, as so is the crowd. This disc is a must have.

If I was to have only one CD to go through the rest of life with, this one may be sufficient. This and 'From Fresh Water' are truly the best there is. This CD has the very best versions of many Stan Rogers songs, especially Mary Ellen Carter, Field Behind the Plow, Make or Break Harbour, 45 Years, and Lies - its hard to be satisfied with earlier insipid versions of these songs once hearing these heart-felt live versions. I have all his CDs, and have gleaned other favorite songs from each one, but this is the one CD that I can listen to start to finish, and love them all, just as they are. Listen for the seagulls crying in 'Bluenose', listen for the incredible drive and urgency of the final verse of 'Mary Ellen Carter', and from this farmer - listen to 'Field Behind the Plow' and know that it is true. If only . . . if only there had been more CD's from Stan Rogers like this one.

I fell in love with Stan Roger's music during my Ph.D. field work in Newfoundland, Canada. Stan's songs evoke periods and places with extraordinary poignance and power. "Home in Halifax" has all the essentials, including "Field behind the plow," "Make and break harbour," and the rousing "Barrett's privateers," in an energetic performance. While "Home in Halifax" is not a substitute for a complete collection, it's the best place to start.

Stan Rogers, to my ears, was the finest songwriter of the last 30 years, and this live album includes much of his very best work. Few writers have been able to bring to life the world through another's eyes as well as Stan (witness the farm wife in "Lies"), capture our sadness ("First Christmas") or rejoice in our triumphs ("Mary Ellen Carter"). Most musicians write lyrics; Stan wrote poetry. He would never settle for the easy rhyme or throwaway phrase. Every word is perfect. On top of this, he wrote good tunes, and sung them in a rich voice which without fail communicated the song's emotional content. It is impossible to listen to this album without realizing what the world lost with his untimely death. For those of us who never had the chance to see Stan in concert, this recording gives us a hint of what we missed -- every performance on this album is better than the studio version. I own over 800 albums. This is the one that gets played the most. --MAA24861.907269625/online-7.amazon.com--

This album is a dilemma for me: I enjoy Stan's writing and performance a great deal--and I dislike concert recordings. For me, the audience sounds and the performers' patter detract from the music. The "liver" the recording, the more it disappoints me--and this is one of the "livest" I've heard. There's plenty of spoken intro & banter and lots of shifting volume level as the performers move around the mikes. If you truly love Stan *and* if you truly love intimate concert ambience, you'll treasure this recording. Otherwise, stay away.

This is a hard driving live performance of many of Stan Roger's best works. The versions on this album are the best work he ever did. It is full of energy, humour, and enthusiasm. For anyone who wants an overview of this magnificently talented song writer/singer, this is the "must have" album. I have all of Roger's recorded works, and this is the one that I reach for most often.

I ws introduced to Stan Rogers by a friend singing the Mary Ellen Carter around a campfire one night. Being a Great Lakes mariner at heart, and when I finish my schooling one for a career, I fell in love. While he has done many great songs Mary Ellen Carter remains my favorite, and it had to be one of his, you can hear it when he sings it, and it's on almost all his CDs. Stan sang not only of The Lakes but also of the working man, and this CD is a great collection of some of his best songs from the first, Bluenose, to the last, Sailor's Rest, if you've never heard Stan Rogers before or are a longtime fan, this is a must to add to your collection.

I love Stan's voice and story telling ability as much or more today as I did when I first heard his songs over 20 years ago. This is certainly one of my favorites albums with Mary Ellen Carter and a spectacular rendition of Barrett's Privateers.

It's hard to believe, but this man's words are tenfold stronger then his voice!!!! even consideri ing Stan's home crowd, nothing can speak for the interpretations I receive from this recording which has transfused my thoughts of folk music in general, let alone Canadian folk.

an all around BEST BUY...you would not regret...many hours of enjoyment :) :)

Any album by Stan Rogers is a treat. But a live one is even more so! If you love folk music sung by a master with the electric feel of the audience around him, don't miss this one. While "Between the Breaks" edges this one out for Favorite Live Stan Rogers CD, this is still a classic.