Customer Reviews

Inside Folk Songs

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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.

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!

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.

This was the second album by legendary singer, songwriter, poet, cartoonist Shel Silverstein. While his first album saw him performing dixieland jazz, this time he took on folk music. He wrote all the songs himself, and several of them directly make fun of folk singers and the hipsters of the time period. Most of the songs are very funny, but the most serious song on the album, "The Unicorn", became the best known when it was recorded by The Irish Rovers and became a hit. That song began Shel's career as a hit songwriter, as many singers recorded his songs after that. This is a classic album that holds up quite well, despite the dated references to beatniks.

This is a fantastic album....still a hilarious and stinging parody of folksongs and folksingers.

Just get it!

This is an album that I bought back in the 70's and was pleased to find it in cd format. Shel passed away in the 90's I beleive but his humor and talent lives on....
Thanks for the great service
Dale

Thank you! I guess that all of Uncle Shelby's fans have been waiting for this CD for years. I remember the joy I had when I found it on vinyl back in 1975, after having been lookin' for more than 5 years. Now my old vinyl copy is almost worn out, and I did buy a USB grammophone in order to put it on my iPod - that's not necessary anymore! Sometimes when we are partying, we sing them old songs, and now we can do it together with Shel through a clear recording. That's just great!