Customer Reviews

Limited Edition

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

 

 

Got mine in the UPS delivery yesterday and gave it a listen last night. Very impressive. I like the album as a whole, but here's the stuff that jumped out at me.

Let me start by saying that the cover of "If I Needed Someone" is probably one of the best covers of anything I've ever heard. George was always my fave Fab, and I think McGuinn did here what he was so lauded for with his interpretation of Dylan in the early years. He took a great song written and performed by someone else and put his own stamp on it. I really would have to say I like this version better than The Beatles'. So, this came pretty close to being a perfect song in my opinion. Two of my favorite all-time artists rolled up into one great rendition of a tune. If he'd worked Buddy Holly in there somehow I would've popped a sprocket. If he ever covers "Maybe Baby" though, and doesn't invite me to sing back-up I'm gonna cry.

"Shady Grove" is a kicker. I thoroughly enjoyed the treatment.

"James Alley Blues" is probably my second overall fave on the record. Man, does that thing rock.

I remembered "Castanet Dance" from a demo Roger sent me a couple of years ago. Very ethereal song. Love the dreamlike quality.

We've been talking here all year about doing a pipe setting of "Shenandoah". I'll have to play this for the Pipe Major and get him fired back up to get it set. Lovely tune. McGuinn has always managed to sound so plaintive at just the right time, and he is ESSENTIAL here.

I liked "When The Saints Come Marching In", and I agree with whoever it was (maybe Mike Oborski, or maybe someone on AMB) who said that it belongs in the Easy Rider soundtrack. I probably would've trimmed a verse or two, but only because I couldn't remember all those lyrics. Kudos. Is that
Camilla singing back-up, or Kammy Kolorado, or both? Nice and airy.

"Saint James Infirmary" is dark and I love it. That belongs in somebody's movie too.

I would've swapped the positions of "Made In China" and "May The Road Rise To Meet You". Easy to understand why the latter is back by popular request. "Made In China" is a killer good tune, but "May The Road Rise To Meet You" is a natural closer, and I think right up there with Dylan when he was ending shows with "Forever Young". I'm probably the last person on Earth who goes for the obvious most of the time, but I'm also a
sentamentalist. I think a lot of people find comfort in having something predictable, and if I were Roger I'd close every show on the tour with "May The Road Rise To Meet You".

You know, he really should consider taking up the guitar seriously and think about a career in this area. :) He plays alright.

Good on you Camilla.

Again, I am really excited by your display of juevos by doing the whole album by yourself, right down to the distributing. I hope you sell a bunch of 'em. I got two, and I'll keep plugging the record every chance I get. I think it's fine.

Somebody who learned how to play electric guitar in the last 39 years would need about four seconds to identify the bright ring of McGuinn's signature Rickenbacker 370/12RM playing George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone", the opener of Limited Edition. (That choice has a special charm if you know that McGuinn bought his first Rickenbacker because he saw Harrison use one in A Hard Day's Night, and that Harrison later wrote "If I Needed Someone" as a nod to the sound McGuinn and his Byrds developed with it.)

But that's just one way this is clearly, distinctly, and idiosyncratically a Roger McGuinn record. McGuinn and his friend Richard Thompson independently chose to sing the traditional "Shenandoah" on recent CDs. Thompson explores the song as a pop ballad; McGuinn doesn't let you forget it's a sea chantey. There are more traditional songs on the CD, including "James Alley Blues", a staple of his live shows, a bluesy "St. James Infirmary", and a decidedly modernized "Shady Grove" (great for playing loud when stopped at traffic lights).

Original compositions are equally well represented, including the angry rocker "Made In China", a postcard from Hollywood Boulevard called "Parade of Lost Dreams", and the ecstatic "Castanet Dance". Except for an instrumental gleaned from a live show, all are co-written by McGuinn and his wife Camilla.

They are also the producers, and did the mixing; McGuinn was his own engineer. This is the state of tapeless, digital recording, and it couldn't be cleaner. It's also the state of indie music[...].

Fans haven't had a dose of McGuinn jingle-jangle this potent since his 1991 masterpiece Back From Rio, and this fan, for one, thanks him.

This is the album I have been waiting for McGuinn to make for 35 years. Since the original Byrds broke up he's made some fine albums, but for me he's never quite - over the length of an entire album - reached the heights of THE NOTORIOUS BYRD BROTHERS. He's finally done it. I'm astounded. LIMITED EDITION is a seamless collection of sonic beauty combining great songwriting and a wide range of musical styles in which McGuinn pushes both his mastery of the 12-string guitar and his genius at combining and arranging disparate musical forms to create what amounts to a majestic unified whole. From the opening chords of the first song, "If I Needed Someone," to the crashing, driving, burning rock of the last song, "Made In China," this album is fantastic. After all these years McGuinn has shown us what he can do when he really puts his heart and mind to it and also has complete control of the recording process. I cannot select any single song (or songs) for praise, because they really are all fine and, as I said, they also combine into a unified work which is more than the sum of its parts. Do yourself a favor, buy this record, and put yourself into the hands of a master musician. God bless you, Roger McGuinn.

After receiving this CD and reading the cover, I left it on the table for two weeks before getting around to listening. I read the cover wondering why anyone would record "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Shady Grove," "Shenandoah," and rehashes of some good past songs.

I was wrong. This is a great, imaginative CD. I never thought I would get up and dance to "When the Saints . . . . ." The Folk Hop version of "Shady Grove" is almost stunning.

McGuinn describes his version of "If I Needed Someone" as a tribute to his "inspiration", George Harrison. This CD is an inspiration to any aspiring musician or recordist (even, an older one). I'm excited again about chiming twelve strings, ringing banjos, beautiful vocals, and interesting arrangements. While not new, this CD is a very clever melding of electric and acoustic folk instruments. Just listen to the solo acoustic version of Echoes (sounds like a dazzling version of the instrumentation in Eight Miles High).

What is more amazing, these songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by McGuinn and his wife (presumably using his computer). What it misses in the sheen of commercial studio productions -- with expensive reverbs, compressors, engineers, producers, etc. -- it makes up for in energy.

I'm breaking out my twelve string, mandola, bass and banjo and playing the week away. Every song is good, most are outstanding -- even the forays into the blues. It's different, but still the same.

Personally, I would never have recorded "When the Saints Go Marching In" but that's why McGuinn is one of my favorites. There have been some albums that were disappointments. But, this one exceeds all expectations.

Well like they say, you can't judge a CD by its song list. Take a listen. You'll be happy. Good job RM and CM. Thanks for the inspiration.

Satisfaction is instantaneous. A punchy drumbeat followed by a sweetly familiar big-string chime and the only voice that truly goes with it, turning out one of the best pop songs ever written - George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone." Track two, "Parade of Lost Dreams," keeps that spirit alive. It is a new song, yes, but tapping into that same lovely vein that so many others have opened up over the years. Difference is, this treatment claims an authenticity to which others can only aspire. Then something funny happens. Track three kicks in with a funky, urban beat. What is that ... Hip-Hop? It is, actually, but when the melody arrives it is that of a traditional folk song, "Shady Grove." It's, uh, Folk/Hip-Hop -- or Pho-Kop, as the liner notes coin it. A genre is born, right here on this record.

Pho-Kop segues seamlessly into a rockin', barroom-style rendition of "James Alley Blues," until the performance reverts back to the comfort of that trademark jingle-jangle, the one that launched more hit songs and successful careers than most of us will ever know. No, that doesn't last long. Back to the blues we go, with an infectious number called "Southbound 95," featuring a soulful 'harp, a sharp-edged guitar twang and lyrics based on things real truckers really said. For reasons that can't fully be explained, this song has emerged as the family favorite. My kids, especially, love it.

Yet another dive back into the classics on track seven, a real, romantic beauty called "Castanet Dance," before yet another surprise -- this one perhaps the greatest twist of all. Could it be banjo music? The tune is "Shenandoah," a traditional folk song, featuring a reasonably traditional arrangement -- that is, until the surprise electric 12-string guitar break. This frontal assault on the predictable continues on track nine, with more banjo and a jaunty portrait of "When The Saints Go Marching In." The trajectory then slowly ascends back to rock record normalcy, beginning with a riveting delivery of the blues classic, "St. James Infirmary."

That, naturally, provides a perfect set-up for one more run at that everlasting sound -- a number one hit if ever I heard one -- track eleven, "May The Road Rise To Meet You." What comes next, "Echoes Live," simply has to be heard by anyone who loves plenty of that guitar. It is nothing short of a virtuoso instrumental performance, on acoustic 12-string, before a live audience, which explodes into boisterous applause at the end. The only thing more amazing than hearing this song on CD is seeing it performed live in all of its jaw-dropping, fret-burning glory. One more surprise on track thirteen, the final track, called "Made In China." Can't believe it. It's a headbanger! Heavy metal. It's all dark and evil and black-leather dogcollars here. A biting political commentary makes for the lyrics. Wasn't that an innocent bit of banjo music we were listening to a few tracks back?

What a journey. What to make of it? "Limited Edition" is pure pop for non-linear people. It is one of those records that requires several listens before it really puts a grip on you, but once it does it won't let go; the kind of record that you play to death but that refuses to die. "Limited Edition," this new record from Roger McGuinn, was recorded mostly in his own studio and released on his own label. It is all but impossible to imagine that any major record label would have permitted him to make this wildy eclectic, playful record, which, of course, is precisely the point.

Tu vas, chico!

George Harrison was and is my favorite Beatle and to hear someone treat his 1965 classic, "If I Needed Someone" with respect, vocally as well as by arrangement was a very pleasant surprise. I honestly did not think that anybody could actually do his own arrangement of this Harrison classic; keep it a recognizable tune and make it nearly as delightful as what the Beatles recorded in late 1965. McGuinn has done an extraordinary job with this collection. He has played the range, including timeless staples such as "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Shennandoah."

The Byrds' covers of Dylan songs were easy listening, soothing and pleasant and I love the folk arrangement. The Byrds were indeed pioneers and helped influence other excellent groups of that era such as the Turtles, the Lovin' Spoonful and even the Critters, an ersatz Spoonful-esque band from the late 1960s.

McGuinn rocks on "Shady Grove" and "James Alley Blues" will remain a very hard act to follow. That is just a treat for the hearing world.

"Shennandoah" is, as I like to think, written and performed in a very emotive key. Just listening to McGuinn perform this takes listeners through a wide spectrum of emotions. It goes from bright and cheerful and upbeat to melancholy in parts and intense in others. An extraordinary work. I love it!

I had the pleasure of seeing McGuinn and Barry McGuire in concert a few years ago when they did a local show. They are just as effective and just as excellent now as they were decades earlier. McGuinn is an incredible guitarist and I want to hear more guitar work from him. I'd love to hear him and John Sebastian of Lovin' Spoonful fame perform together.

All in all, a solid work. There are many listeners who'll pray for something like this to come along again. Kudos!

these other reviews are all on the money. this is a terrific album. i've bought every album mcguinn has ever done in any format and this is his best solo work. it sounded great on 1st listening. after the 2nd it hit me that it is as good as the classic first 6 byrds albums. multiple listens over several months confirms that it holds up like those timeless gems. an amazing musician and a giant in modern music. thank you roger.

February 22, 2003 will be a date which I will never forget. In Mt. Dora, Florida, Roger performs a benefit concert, which I attended and had my picture taken with him after the show, and it was this concert where I got to hear some of the material that would end up on this CD for the first time, such as "Interstate 95", as anyone living in Florida can relate to the story Roger tells in this song about being on the road. One listen to the lyrics and you'll understand what I mean. "If I Needed Someone" is an excellent tribute to George Harrison (the original Rickenbacker 12-string king), and I've tried to get an e-mail confirmation from Roger if "Echoes Live" is truly mistitled, as any Byrds fan can tell that it's obviously an acoustic rendition of "Eight Miles High". If you have Roger's CD "Live From Mars", you'll know what I'm talking about. Nonetheless, this CD is very good, especially the hip-hop influence on "Shady Grove". A neat novelty move on Roger's part, to be sure, and if you're a devoted Byrds fan, I recommend this CD. It's a great addition to anyone's CD rack. Roger has often spoke about preserving the folk music, as evidenced by his renditions of such classics like "When The Saints Go Marching In", "St. James Infirmary", "Shenandoah", and "James Alley Blues". If this is to be truly a "Limited Edition" release, then I'm glad to be one of the lucky fans to own this. Excellent work, Roger!!!!!

"May The Road Rise Up to Meet You." This one, as does "On and On," takes you back. It was a long, long time ago. Seems like a dream. Listening to Roger it's easy to picture youself inside "The Whiskey" waiting for The Byrds to come on. It's almost 40 years ago. Another lifetime. But it sure sounds good in 2005. Since there's so little of great stuff like this around, it's like you've found lost treasure, hit the lottery and been made King for a day. Thanks Roger. And May God Hold You in the Palm of His Hand.

If you're wondering why these 60s legends don't make albums like they used to, get this one for yourself and stop complaining, okay?!? "May The Road Rise To Meet You" is a modern-day classic, as is this CD that gets better as it progresses. McGuinn's distinctive voice complements the blues on "St. James Infirmary," and I really dig the hard-rocking closer.