Inside Folk Songs

Shel Silverstein | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Water
• ASIN: B00110YOEQ
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,268 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bury Me In My Shades

2. Have Another Espresso

3. Bananas

4. Liz

5. You're Always Welcome At Our House

6. Civil War Song

7. Boa Constrictor

8. 25 Minutes To Go

9. Folk Singer's Blues

10. Beans Taste Fine

11. The Slitheree-Dee

12. It Does Not Pay To Be Hip

13. Blue Eyes

14. Standing On The Outside Of You Shelter

15. Wreck Of The Old '49

16. Never Bite A Married Woman On The Thigh

17. The Unicorn

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still as good as it ever was, May 30, 2008

By 

James C. Fraser-Paige (San Leandro, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside Folk Songs (Audio CD)

I've been hoping that this would show up on CD for years. My vinyl copy didn't make the cross-country trip and it's lack has been a cause for sadness. No more. Uncle Shelby's gentle madness and his spot-on skewering of the folk idiom -- of which I am still a fan -- is available. As soon as I learned of it, I placed my order. All of the material holds up but I was especially glad to have "Blue Eyes" available. I often misquote one of the lines in the song as, "And besides, there's a moat" when referring to objections that just go on. Now I can play the song that inspired it. Also wonderful are the snide shots at hipsters, among whom Shel certainly could be numbered, despite his comments to the contrary. This is a time capsule CD, a journey back to a simpler and happier time and it's a transport of delight.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Waited a long time, April 22, 2008

By 

John Fiedler (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Folk Songs (Audio CD)

I bought this LP back in '62, back when Shel was transitioning from his "Far Side"ish cartoonist gig at Esquire (I think) and before he jumped into books. It became an instant classic within my family, with twisted/silly songs our kids loved (Slithery Dee, Boa Constrictor, Always Welcome At Our House), songs that Johnny Cash loved enough to record (25 Minutes To Go), and a sweet song that everyone loved (The Unicorn, a big hit for the Irish Rovers). This collection, in my opinion, is the best he has done, and sadly, we wore it out. Delighted to see the reissue -- it's finding a new fan club with my kids and their kids!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the essence of shel silverstein, April 26, 2008

By 

Mark Linton (Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside Folk Songs (Audio CD)

This is a review of the original vinyl LP - I have not yet received the CD so I can't make any comment on the quality of the re-issue.

This album, one of Silverstein's first recordings, captures the essence of his humor and cynicism more than his later recordings, which were heavily influenced by his relative "fame" as a children's writer - fueled primarily by the deserved success of "The Giving Tree". But here is Shel at his raw best. Aside from the songs that were covered by Johnny Cash, The Irish Rovers, Peter Paul and Mary and others, listen to the wonderful self-deprecation in "Folk Singer's Blues".

I've been waiting for this reissue for years. Although some is dated, and the bite isn't as noticeable in these days of anything-goes, here is one of the important links between the 50's beat poets and their 60's disciples such as Zappa and Tuli Kupferberg.