Customer Reviews

Live at Ledbetters

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

 

 

The "Live From Ledbetter's" CD is a must-have item for every New Christy Minstrel fan. Recorded over a three-day period during April, 1964 -- at the height of the group's popularity and creative vigor -- this collection captures the Christies at their best and has something for every musical taste. Featuring several step-out performances by individual Minstrels -- Karen Gunderson's soulful "Listen, I'll Sing You The Blues", Barry Kane's traditional flamenco "Tani", and Art Podell's hilarious "Waltzing Matilda" alone are worth the cost of the CD -- the 13 live, internationaly-flavored songs are a great trip down memory lane for those fans fortunate to have attended a Christy concert during the early- to mid-'60s. For those fans who never had the opportunity to see the group perform at its zenith, they are a golden opportunity to experience the Christy "magic". An added bonus are four more songs the Christies recorded shortly after the live performances, and a folk song performed by Minstrels Podell and Paul Potash before they joined the group. All-in-all this is a collection of songs you'll play over and over.

I once read that Randy Sparks wanted to put together a baseball team of folksingers, people who could perform as individuals and as a group and sound great both ways. This album shows how well the New Christy Minstrels pulled that off. If all you ever knew was "Green, Green," you only got the "full group" side. You missed Art Podell's "translation" of "Waltzing Matilda." You missed Karen Gunderson's smokey blue "Listen While I Sing you the Blues." You missed Barry Kane's knock-your-socks-off "Tani." This album caught them and more. It's a "have to have" for folk music fans.

Long left in the vaults after its recording, Live From Ledbetters is a new find even for seasoned NCM fans.

This album was recorded just after the Christies had crested the wave. Absent are Dolan Ellis, whose voice helped create the classic NCM sound, and, notably, Randy Sparks himself. Nevertheless, Live From Ledbetters features much of the familiar Christy sound, with, however, more solo work, and some departures from the style of previous albums.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this album is the liner notes, which offer insights into the group's internal dynamic, and detail the derailing of the classic NCMs. Here perhaps for the first time is an account of the growing animosity toward Sparks by other members over the choice of material and a piece of the action.

A slight something is missing from this album. Maybe it's the result of the absence of Sparks and Ellis. Maybe the internal dissatisfactions were starting to affect the group's sound. Certainly the recordings could have been mixed better--audience applause is too loud and some of the performers are not loud enough. The liner notes credit Sparks with particular expertise in grouping the voices to achieve optimum blend: maybe his absence shows up in this respect too. Yet much remains to enjoy.

Randy Sparks obviously played a role in the classic group's demise. Yet his songwriting and arranging were so integral a part of its success that without them it would be pointless to talk about the New Christy Minstrels. The other members themselves made indispensable contributions, yet it was Sparks who put the New Christy Minstrels together in the first place, selecting each unique voice to create an ensemble whose sound is so much a part of the personal heritage of many of us. I feel like shouting back over forty years, ordering them to get along and work things out, and telling them all how much they have meant to me.

I wrote the review below of May 30, 2002. Having listened to this album numerous times since, I amend my previous review with the following additional comments.

Of all the NCM albums, Live From Ledbetters may give the listener the closest idea of what hearing the Christies live was like. To those who have considered the NCM simply a folk chorus (a la the imitation group in "A Mighty Wind"), the remarkable step-out performances on this record will come as a pleasant surprise.

The showcasing of individual members demonstrates what remarkable talents made up the NCM, and which their other albums only hint at. The exceptional solo performances, including that of Barry Kane ("Tani"), Art Podell ("Waltzing Matilda"), and lo-o-o-ovely Karen Gunderson ("Listen While I Sing You the Blues") give the album a stylistic variety and adventurousness not found on other NCM offerings.

The last five performances on LFL did not originate in the Ledbetter's concerts, but are mostly the products of later sessions - the last ones recorded with Randy Sparks.

The decline in the group's sound, noted in my other review, is most apparent in some of these last tracks, and is mostly a decline in spirit. Listen to the lusty performance of "Mighty Mississippi" from the "Ramblin'" album, then follow it with "Same Old Huckleberry Finn" from LFL, a number that should be similarly rousing, but which here comes off lackluster. The group is simply going through the motions; the old exuberance is gone.

The minor imperfections in the Ledbetters recordings themselves, however, come mostly from the production booth, not the stage. This CD should be part of every NCM lover's library.

Long left in the vaults after its recording, Live From Ledbetters is a new find even for seasoned NCM fans.

This album was recorded just after the Christies had crested the wave. Absent are Dolan Ellis, whose voice helped create the classic NCM sound, and, notably, Randy Sparks himself. Nevertheless, Live From Ledbetters features much of the familiar Christy sound, with, however, more solo work, and some departures from the style of previous albums.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this album is the liner notes, which offer insights into the group's internal dynamic, and detail the derailing of the classic NCMs. Here perhaps for the first time is an account of the growing animosity toward Sparks by other members over the choice of material and a piece of the action.

A slight something is missing from this album. Maybe it's the result of the absence of Sparks and Ellis. Maybe the internal dissatisfactions were starting to affect the group's sound. Certainly the recordings could have been mixed better--audience applause is too loud and some of the performers are not loud enough. The liner notes credit Sparks with particular expertise in grouping the voices to achieve optimum blend: maybe his absence shows up in this respect too. Yet much remains to enjoy.

Randy Sparks obviously played a role in the classic group's demise. Yet his songwriting and arranging were so integral a part of its success that without them it would be pointless to talk about the New Christy Minstrels. The other members themselves made indispensable contributions, yet it was Sparks who put the New Christy Minstrels together in the first place, selecting each unique voice to create an ensemble whose sound is so much a part of the personal heritage of many of us. I feel like shouting back over forty years, ordering them to get along and work things out, and telling them all how much they have meant to me.

A concert performance by the New Christy Minstrels in 1964 that wasn't released until 1969, this CD is a rare find - it's a little rough around the edges here and there, the sound balancing is not up to par on all the songs, and I think it's one of the first perfomances by Ann White and Karen Gunderson - there are alot of songs which haven't been heard before by NCM fans and the jewel of all is "Waltzing Matilda," a song by Art Podell. If you're a Christys fan, you'll enjoy this CD.

I like this CD as it shows the NCM's in a "live" setting. The stepouts from the various members show just how good they are! I recommend the CD!

Long left in the vaults after its recording, Live From Ledbetters is a new find even for seasoned NCM fans.

This album was recorded just after the Christies had crested the wave. Absent are Dolan Ellis, whose voice helped create the classic NCM sound, and, notably, Randy Sparks himself. Nevertheless, Live From Ledbetters features much of the familiar Christy sound, with, however, more solo work, and some departures from the style of previous albums.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this album is the liner notes, which offer insights into the group's internal dynamic, and detail the derailing of the classic NCMs. Here perhaps for the first time is an account of the growing animosity toward Sparks by other members over the choice of material and a piece of the action.

A slight something is missing from this album. Maybe it's the result of the absence of Sparks and Ellis. Maybe the internal dissatisfactions were starting to affect the group's sound. Certainly the recordings could have been mixed better--audience applause is too loud and some of the performers are not loud enough. The liner notes credit Sparks with particular expertise in grouping the voices to achieve optimum blend: maybe his absence shows up in this respect too. Yet much remains to enjoy.

Randy Sparks obviously played a role in the classic group's demise. Yet his songwriting and arranging were so integral a part of its success that without them it would be pointless to talk about the New Christy Minstrels. The other members themselves made indispensable contributions, yet it was Sparks who put the New Christy Minstrels together in the first place, selecting each unique voice to create an ensemble whose sound is so much a part of the personal heritage of many of us. I feel like shouting back over forty years, ordering them to get along and work things out, and telling them all how much they have meant to me.