Customer Reviews

Songs of the Civil War [VHS]

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HAVING WATCHED THE TIME LIFE SERIES ON THE CIVIL WAR, AND ITS MOVING ACCOUNTS, I WAS STILL NOT PREPARED FOR THE DEPTH AND RICHNESS OF THE VIDEO "SONGS OF THE CIVIL WAR".

THE ARTISTS LIVE THEIR SONGS, AND THE RECREATION OF THE TIME AND ITS HORRORS AND HEROISM IS FAITHFULLY AND TASTEFULLY DONE.

IN PARTICULAR THE RENDITION OF "THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS" NEARLY BOUGHT ME TO TEARS WITH ITS RAWNESS OF FEELING AND THE STARKNESS OF THE LAMENT. I NEVER KNEW ITS REAL ORIGIN AND NOW CAN SEE CLEARLY THAT IT IS TRULY A LAMENT.

TO ALL PEOPLE WHO LOVE GOOD MUSIC AND HAVE A FEELING FOR THEIR FELLOW MAN I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO LOOK AND LISTEN TO A SUPERB NARRATIVE AND RICH TAPESTRY OF SONG.

There's minimal narration here. The music and the artists do the storytelling and the performers treat all the songs with great respect. It's wonderful to hear Sweet Honey in the Rock singing "No More Auction Block for Me" and then listen to Ronnie Gilbert belt out "Lincoln and Liberty". It is this juxtaposition that makes this video outstanding. I especially want to commend Kathy Mattea's offerings. She is truly in her element here. This is what she should be singing. It is also wonderful to hear three late greats - Waylon Jennings, John Hartford, and Hoyt Axton.
The instrumentals are also outstanding. "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" has overtones of Charles Ives as the marching band starts out in the distance, passes by, and then continues off. "Ashokan Farewell" is a beautiful and fittingly melancholy introduction to the video. "Taps" is chilling in its simplicity especially when it ends the video and you have seen and heard songs that tell the horror of war fought on our soil.
Overall, this is a "must have" for those interested in period music. It certainly should be on the shelves of every elementary and high school in the country. I would encourage a purchase of the cd as well.

Great example of American music with a diverse variety of performers. I love it. If you like history or folk music, you will too.

I first saw this video when it was broadcast in the DC area following a rebroadcast of the Ken Burns Civil War epic. Because this was so closely associated with the Civil War (Ken Burns and Shelby Foote both appear as commentator) I was disappointed when it was not part of the DVD version of the series and confused when I could not find reference to it on any PBS site. Finally, I saw it on Amazon and bought a used VHS version of it and it's all I remember. Very powerful and an important addition to Ken Burns' work. So I've transferred it to DVD in its low quality VHS format and desperately wish Burns and PBS would recognize its importance and add it to the next revision of the Civil War series.