Customer Reviews

John Hartford / Iron Mountain Depot / Radio John

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

 

 

I've just listened to this 2 CD set once and am generally very happy with it. The first of the 3 albums included, "John Hartford," will probably be my favorite. This album is overproduced by the standards of Hartford's later work (e.g., horns, strings on many cuts), but that's how many albums were done in the late 1960s. Happily, the mixes are clean & there's a lot of good picking from Hartford, James Burton, and others throughout the 3 albums included in this package. What stands out for me is Hartford's way with words; he was always quite frank, insightful and often funny. Listening to the CDs straight through, I got the feeling that Hartford was getting fed up with being a pop star, as the lyrics get fairly cynical by the time of the third album, "Radio John." That last album was previously unreleased & in some ways isn't up to Hartford's usual high standards. It's historically interesting but pales musically and lyrically next to "Aero-Plane," which would come soon after. However, having the first two, "John Hartford" & "Iron Mountain Depot" is well worth the price of this set.

I'm not sure why the other folks didn't give this double release five stars. Radio John is a real treat and is worth the price of the double by its self. Great version of 'Skippin in the Mississippi Dew', 'Self Made Man', 'Tall Buildings' . . . wow, and that's just the first three tracks of disc two. I'm a big bluegrass fan, but for some reason really like the more folksy sounding side of Hartford. I truly believe that if you like Hartford's music, there is no way you won't love this one!

I had several conversations with John Hartford concerning Radio John and where the tapes may have ended up, and he didn't really know. I think it was released to Radio Stations, but then killed by the Record Company. Most of the tracks were recorded I think during the Iron Mountain sessions. I was particularly interested in finding this early recording of Mississippi Dew. For any one interested in John's musical evolution, this collection is a must have. John had just tons of unusual stuff we may never ever hear, so it is a great joy to see Radio John available, no matter what the quality. What I would very much like to see is a CD full of cuts from his entire 30-40 year recording carrier highlighting some of the Innovations and Experiments he conducted. Everything from Ken Nordine style Talking Poetry to Sing Along Row Your Boat things. The guy never stopped breaking ground with music and sounds that influenced musicians world wide, but most of the public never heard. If any record people wish to Discuss this Idea, I'm out here on the web...

Highlights John's thoughtful look at the world when he was in his music writing prime. I highly recommend this album.

I have the "John Hartford" album and have been looking for it on CD for a long time! I am supremely happy with this purchase...it arrived quickly and in wonderful condition. Thank you so much. ~~Kris~~

There are some John Hartford things I never had in my LP collection, and this is a nice gathering of early material I didn't have before. Good to have it loaded in my iTunes library.

If you like John Hartford, you'll love having this, particularly with two albums on one CD. I didn't have "Radio John," so it was a particular treat (one of the few I don't have). I've got almost all of the vinyl albums, and wanted to get them on CDs too - and wasn't disappointed in the least.