Customer Reviews

Northern Journey

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm writing this mostly for younger people and other people who may not know about Ian and Sylvia. If you've found this page consider it a very fortunate event in that you are on the thresh-hold of a very musically satisfying experience for yourself! Ian and Sylvia are both 5 Star performers separately----and together, I suppose I'd have to give 'em 10 stars!

One day I was in my dorm room at college in the 60's. I was "showing off" one of my operatic recordings to a young lady. On one of my recordings a tenor hit a high "C" and I said to her with some arrogance, "See, your folk singers can't do that!" The young lady smiled and said, "Well, maybe not but here's my favorite group and I like them just as much or even better than your opera arias." With that, we changed the record from opera to Ian and Sylvia. After one song I was "hooked" as we clapped our hands to the rhythm and melody of these two soaring voices, one coming from the left channel speaker and the other the right channel speaker, singing their hearts out with sincerity, dignity, and beauty.

Luckily there are still many Ian and Sylvia Albums out there on CD so you can buy any one of the albums and take a listen. I think you will be "hooked" on them as I was when I first heard them. Give Ian and Sylvia a listen---you won't be sorry! Email:boland7214@aol.

I'm sure we've all had the experience of having certain songs, melodies or bits of lyric suddenly pop into our heads from out of nowhere. Some things stay with us for a long time and occasionally an emotion will trigger their recollection. I bought this album (oops, sorry - CD) for one song. Texas Rangers. I have heard this done by many folks over the years including a very authentic version by the New Lost City Ramblers (remember them?) but Ian and Sylvia's cover of it still makes my hair stand on end after nearly 35 years. Their a capella harmony renders what is an inherently tragic ballad to begin with into grief carved in stone. The loss of close companions and the horror of combat are posthumously realized in a single galvanizing musical document. Don't lose it.

This is, in my opinion, Ian & Sylvia's best album, recorded at the apogee of their musical career (I'd rate "Early Morning Rain" as their second best). It's worth buying just to hear the virtuouso guitar backup by John Herald (formerly with the Greenbriar Boys) on "Four Rode By" and "Moonshine Can." His runs on "Four Rode By," flat picked, are absolutely, positively spellbinding. I put in on with the headphones, and listen to it again and again. Buy it!

I love their albums. I'm glad someone mentioned John "Daddy Bones" Herald who was a fantastic guitar player. He killed himself last year. And Sylvia wrote a very touching notice on John's website which I thought was special.

This group was one of the best of the sixties.

Reviewer D. Elayne Warren must have gotten a bad copy of this CD, by far Ian & Sylvia's best acoustic work. Because I'm listening to it on iTunes through a Mac G4 and Sony headphones, and the quality is so good it's scary, just what we expected from the Solomon brothers in the 1960s. "Northern Journey" is worth buying just to hear Ian & Sylvia's soaring a capella harmonies on "Texas Rangers" and John Herald's virtuouso guitar accompaniment on "Moonshine Can" and "Little Beggarman," but especially on "Four Rode by." Many critics believe it to be Herald's finest work, and who am I to disagree? Buy it. You'll like it.

Ian and Sylvia and company were just amazingly tight. The guitar solos on "Four Rode By" are, to my mind, still the best ever recorded, and Ian and Sylvia's harmonies still inspire us middle aged folkies who get together to sing for the fun of it.

I don't know WHAT people who rate this *5 Stars* were listening to; the recording quality of this -- and, unfortunately, all the Vanguard Ian & Sylvia CD's -- is the worst I've ever heard! Only one of their voices comes through at a time, and the guitar work is utterly lost. Clearly nobody at Vanguard, or any of the artists, listened to these atrocities before they left the factory. Vanguard doesn't respond to enquires, so save your money.

A powerful and beautiful CD.

Especially their version of Sylvia's "You were on my mind." Ian, lead guitar; John Herald, 2nd guitar; Sylvia, autoharp; Eric Weissberg, bass. The guitar work and her autoharp come through very well.

I think that their powerful version of Ian's "Some Day Soon" is very good. Much better than the sappy, lugubrious versions by others.

Also like the great sea chanteys and the fun "Captain Woodstock's Courtship."

I have been replacing all of my old folk albums with CD's and at times have not been satisfied. Most of the CD's do not sound as good as the records. This CD is as good if not better. The strong voices of Ian an Sylvia are pure and sweet as ever. I strongly recommend this CD for all of you Ian and Sylvia enthusiasts. It will give you goose bumps, and when played really loud it will bring a tear to your eyes. It is just like having an old friend back to visit after many years. Get it and enjoy it, you won't be sorry. If anybody does not like this CD then they must either be deaf or have no soul.

If you got troubles on your mind, just listen to this CD. Yes, Sylvia wrote that along with the hit made famous by Judy Colins "Some Day Soon." "Moonshine Can" and "Captain Woodstock's Courtship" are hoppy, lively pair of songs whose lyrics will stick in your head. Don't play this at parties but do play it for friends.