Customer Reviews

SOUTHERN SOLDIER: Favorite Camp Songs of the Civil War

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The rendition of Old Dan Tucker alone is worth price of the CD. The combination of old-style banjo, fiddle, fife,vocals, and rhythm instruments like bones makes for great listening. Tunes like "Southern Soldier," "Dixie's Land," and "Jackson in the Valley" definitely come to life at the hands of these talented musicians. My father, who was known as "Reb" rather than his given name, was always singing "Old Dan Tucker." Listening to this CD brings back some good memories of him.

I received this CD after returning home from a Civil War re-enactment. Popped it the player and collasped in my easy chair.

Wow, what a surprise! Hadn't heard anything like this before. I closed my eyes and felt like it was 1863. Thought I smelled wood smoke from the fires and heard the noises of camp life along with the sweet sounds of a fine little Civil War camp band. Not sure but I think I saw "Marse Robert" down by the officer's tents.

Gotta' get the other CDs.

The band plays period music - no slick bluegrass but innovative arrangements of songs that were popular during the civil war. There is a good collection of music - which gets even better with their second album - Hard Times. I liked both and think you will too. Old Dan Tucker is one of the best pieces on the CD - but all of the tunes are fun. You get a good idea of what people heard during the time of the war.

This is "old time music" at its finest. This is the Band that
all other bands playing this kind of music listen to when they
want to hear how "its really done". This group has raised the bar and given everyone else the target to focus on. The only thing better than listening to the Second South Carolina String Band is seeing them perform live. Just go buy the CD and listen for yourself it will be money well spent.

Quite simply, no other person or group currently recording captures so well the rhythm and infectiousness of minstrel songs as does the 2nd South Carolina String Band.

Bob Flesher is a master of the minstrel banjo style, but his singing does not begin to capture, as these guys do, the essesce which helped make minstrel music America's primary popular music for around 70 years. Likewise, Douglas Jimerson, who has several Stephen Foster CDs out, sings well and is rhythmic in his presentation, but still sounds like a classical performer singing folk songs. Joe Weed barely registers on the scale and all of the choral performances with which I am familiar fail as well. Only the 2nd South Carolina String Band truely captures the original minstrel sound through their skilled and spirited performances.

If more people had the opportunity to hear the 2nd SCSB perform, they would finally come to really understand what there was about minstrel music which made it so special.

The first time I heard "Southern Soldier" was one of those revelatory moment in my life, an epiphany of sorts, where I knew, almost intrinsically, that, for the first time I was really hearing minstrel music as it should be performed. I was alone at the time and my verbal response was just a simple, "damn." That seems to sum it up pretty well. Buy this album, sit back, and enter another world and another time in American History and go there first class.

Oh what a relief to hear minstrel music the way it really should be played; on period instruments without "jazzed up" arrangements and synthesized accompanyments. And thank you gentlemen for not changing the original lyrics to suite modern sensibilities. For the would be time travelers there is nothing closer to being there, except for watching the 2nd South Carolina's video "Far, Far From Home," filmed in a period camp setting near Gettysburg, PA.

I have been out of the Civil War scene for some time, however, I do know that most of the music redone and recorded is pretty bad. (i.e. Bobby Horton----eeeoooww) These guys are really good. Quite lively and talented. "Ol' Dan Tucker" starts us off on the right note. There is Stephen Foster's, "Hard Times Come Again No More." and Lastly, like all CW compilations, it ends with "Dixie." Its quite tolerable----theres lots of instruments that are played well, a little historical note on each tune----what more can I say?

I found this recording while searching the web for additional lyrics to Ol' Dan Tucker to sing for my granddaughter. She now prefers the singing of the 2nd SCSB to mine. I've forgiven her for that.
The musicianship on this CD is adequate, with Marty Groody's whistle and fife playing being very good. To my ear, the lead vocals and harmony are very well done, their voices perfect for this genre. The song selection is a wonderful representation of songs from the Civil War era, all played and sung in authentic period style. The 2nd SCSB's strongest suit is that they play and sing the songs with great affection and passion. Their versions of Southern Soldier, Dixie's Land and others are stirring and not to be missed. I really like it when artists pack the maximum music, time wise, on a CD. The running time for this disc: 73+ minutes!

This CD captures the sound and the enjoyment of early popular American music. Listening to the 2nd South Carolina String Band you can recognize the roots of Jazz and the "back beat" of Rock and Roll. I highly reccommend this truely extraordinary, foot tapping, great music! You will listen to it over and over again.

One can only hope this album does not get overshadowed by the newest release, "In High Cotton". The instrumentals in both albums are the best. You don't have to care about Civil War stuff to like them!