Customer Reviews

A Proud Canadian

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

 

 

While vacationing in Canada last summer, I visited an old friend from California who'd turned himself into a Canadian. So then we sat down to some hockey videos and he offered me some hotdish. Then he put on some Stompin' Tom; actually, it was this record. Its rustic charms won me over instantly. From the antics of "Bud the Spud," who delivers his load of potatoes from Prince Edward Island, to the sad story of "The Bridge Came Tumblin' Down," which describes a fallen Vancouver span, Stompin' Tom's got the great white north covered coast to coast. You'll thrill to the beer-soaked barroom anthem "Sudbury Saturday Night," you'll dance like a box of broken Tinkertoys to "Gumboot Cloggeroo," you'll hit the road with a Rand McNally and a cooler of beers to "Roll On, Saskatchewan," "Manitoba," "The Moon Man Newfie" and "New Brunswick and Mary," you'll want to wreak winter-wonderland mayhem upon hearing "The Snowmobile Song." There's even a paean to fellow Canadian k.d. lang. The only drawback is that Stompin' Tom's transcendent "The Hockey Song" isn't on here; otherwise, this is a fine collection, 20 tunes in all. Imagine Jimmy Driftwood as reimagined by the SCTV crew, and you're not too far from Stompin' Tom, the peripatetic bard from way up north. So pass the hotdish and crank up the Stompin' Tom, eh?

Forget Shania, the Tragically Hip, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, etc., etc. This is THE ubiquitous Canadian artist - singing about real Canadian issues and real Canadian stories. Most people have the same reactions when listening to Stompin' Tom - after the first song, you think it's a joke ... after the second, you know that something is up ... and after listening to the album, you realise that this guy is damn serious about what he does.

This is a fine collection, though there is *far* more to Stompin' Tom than the 20 albums on this disc. Tom has 39 albums to his credit, and any well stocked music collection (Canadian or otherwise) should have at least a few of this recordings.

Stomping Tom is one of those truly Canadian icons for me. When I'm feeling a bit lost, away from home, I can crank up "Bud the Spud" or "A Sudbury Saturday Night" and find myself not just transported home to Canada but to a time and place where my ignorance of the greater world was the best protection money could buy. There was a long time in Canada where our transition into a country was felt by us all. The process isn't finished but you can relive the brilliant possibilities with the Stomping Tom collection.

5 stars and then some..If I could I would give this album 8 stars. This is by far Tom's best work. I grew up listening to Stompin Tom. Saw him in concert twice in the past year. He's just amazing and very funny. A buddy I know knows Tom in person. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to meet Tom yet but I will. "Sudbury Saturday Night" is the best song. It'll keep you hopping all night long. "Gumboot Cloggeroo" is just as good but I could easily say that about like 10 songs. Tom really hits home with "The Bridge Came Tumblin Down." If that doesn't make you shutter nothing will..it'll be hard to get this album now...but find the songs and get them off other albums..they're worth it.