Sea to the North

Garth Hudson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 10, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Woodstock Records
• ASIN: B00005NNNF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,825 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Garth Hudson-A true Wizard, October 11, 2001

By 

Howard S. Finkel (MAPLEWOOD, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sea to the North (Audio CD)

I recently heard that Garth Hudson was bankrupt and they were doing a benefit for him so he could save his house. How does one of our greatest musicians, whose albums are constantly being re-released wind up in this predicament ?. If it was only for the above reason I would have purchased this CD but lo and behold, when I received this I was overjoyed that this turns out to be one magnificent recording by a modern day musical Wizard. The compositions are dense and melodic with Garth's ideas and playing almost bursting from the tracks. This guy has more musicality and ideas in one finger then most musicians have in their head hands and feet. Buy this and sit back and be amazed. I hope some of our newer groups start calling Garth to work his magic on their recordings like he did with the Band and every musician who has worked with him (The Honeydogs come to mind as a good match). Thanks Garth, play on.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is Wonderful., February 8, 2002

By 

Jonathan Lyness (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sea to the North (Audio CD)

Fans of the Band have always been in awe of Garth Hudson's musical genius. From the Band's early days as the Hawks, to the classic 1965-66 tours with Bob Dylan, to Music from Big Pink in 1967, all the way to Jubilation in 1998, Garth Hudson has constantly enriched their music with his brilliance on the keyboards, accordian, and saxophones (as well as various other esoteric instruments!). Garth's uniqueness can be explained (but only in part) by the wide range of his musical interests--from the rock/blues/country mix of the Band, to classical music, jazz, Anglican hymns, European polkas (!), and much much more.

This, then, is the album we've been waiting for: an album that shows off the true eclectic artistry of Mr. Hudson. It is truly unique. It's (largely) instrumental, and sounds very little like a Band album...your comfort level with that may depend on how open you are to diverse musical genres & new sounds. Every track is different, and reflects a different cross-section of styles and influences...from the title track (which alone is worth the price of the album...a stunning, dark but whimsical blend of accordians, Indian percussion, saxophones, and much more) to the final track (a gorgeous, soulful tour de force on acoustic piano). I love this album...you just might too. The liner notes for the album advises the listener to "let it resonate within you, and don't be surprised to make new discoveries each time you listen"...I couldn't agree more.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't Show Off Garth's Compositional Ability, July 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Sea to the North (Audio CD)

I'm a big fan of The Band and Garth Hudson, and after seeing Garth improvise so brilliantly on the "making of the Brown Album" DVD, I expected his CD to be full of the same sort of stuff. Complex chord changes, sophisticated melody lines, tons of snakey keyboard runs...that's what I expected. And to be fair, the last song does fall into that category...it's terrific.

But the rest of the album relies too heavily on jamming, studio trickery, and input from other people aside from Hudson. With a mind as brilliant as Garth's at your disposal, why record a lengthy jam session based on a boring 2-chord progression? Why insert trippy overdubs and noises, when hearing Garth simply PLAY is much more exciting.

Wanted to love this, but didn't. Maybe you will.