Songs From the Mountain [Original recording reissued]

John Herrmann, Tim O'Brien, Dirk Powell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B000068TJ4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,716 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Untainted Traditional American Roots Music, March 2, 2004

By 

Erika Borsos "pepper flower" (Gulf Coast of FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Songs From the Mountain (Audio CD)

Old time country music has been kept pure and pristine hidden in the mountains of North Carolina ... and wherever else the immigrants from Ireland, Scotland and England settled in the 1700s. The music is played on the fiddle, the guitar, the mandolin, occasionally the banjo and in some instances accompanied on the hammered dulcimer (but not on this CD). Before "Cold Mountain" the book was written by Charles Frazier and before the movie was conceived -- this music endured for several centuries. Musicians, Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien, and John Hermann will guarantee it will be preserved for centuries to come in the future on such fine CDs as this.

The alluring fiddle notes remind one of the haunting beauty of the Appalachian mountains in track #1, "Mountain Air/ Washington's March/ Bonaparte's Retreat". It uses the 8 beats to a measure ... so well known to "contra dancers" who dance the steps as did the ancestors of the immigrants from the shores of the English-speaking Old World. Other memorable songs are, "Wayfarin' Stranger" which is mentioned in the book "Cold Mountain". Sung with poignant emotion, the listener is transfixed by the mournful tune and words. Two gospel-type songs ... "When I Die I'll Live Again" and "Bow Down" have refrains that keep repeating themselves like a mantra the rest of the day after being heard. They are reminiscent of a time when strong physical endurance were accompanied by strong faith and a strong spirit ... to build a new life. Music lifted the spirit and maintained faith in G-d ... and the future. Two other songs mentioned in "Cold Mountain" (the book) are "Backstep Cindy" and "Fair Margaret and Sweet William". The liner notes include passages and references to scenes and events in the book, "Cold Mountain" next to the title of each track. This enhances the meaning and enjoyment of the music. The book was written in 1997. This CD was produced in 1998. The musicians were ahead of their time in recognizing and predicting the popularity of this musical genre ...

This music is eery, haunting, poignant, heart-stopping and soul-searching ... it will appeal to anyone who wants to remember the best in both the book and film, "Cold Mountain". While it takes one back to a time when there was no TV, radio, computers or television ... by closing one's eyes, you feel caught up in the era when music stood for more than entertainment. It represented man's indominatable spirit against the elements and hope for the future ... even in the midst of the Civil War. This is a most highly recommended piece of musical history. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mountain Music - 180 Proof, May 6, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From the Mountain (Audio CD)

The music on this CD is pure and powerful as Appalachian moonshine. Like white lightning, it can set you to shivering while fire shoots through your brain. It's powerful stuff; traditional tunes distilled from droning fiddles, ringing banjos, raw vocals, and subtle guitars by absolute masters of the craft into its essential essence. `Songs from the Mountain' is 180 proof pure Appalachian folk music.
This CD was inspired by the outstanding Civil War novel, `Cold Mountain', and predates both the movie made from that novel and its soundtrack. All of these songs and tunes were popular in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1860s, and each of them was mentioned somewhere in the novel. Together with its excellent, extensive liner notes, this CD is a wonderful complement to the book.
While every track on this CD is excellent, I am a fiddler, and so the showpiece fiddler tunes Bow Down, Backstep Cindy, and Stobrod's Tune stand out as my favorites. Also worthy of mention is Wayfarin' Stranger, performed as a mournfully beautiful dirge, and the mountain standards Jack of Diamonds and Skillet Good and Greasy, which together create a picturesque sketch of Appalachian life. But listen to it yourself and pick your own favorites, because every track here is a winner.

Theo Logos

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The REAL Cold Mountain Soundtrack, December 17, 2003

By 

Peter B Cenedella (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Songs From the Mountain (Audio CD)

Fans of the book or movie Cold Mountain absolutely need this album in their collection. It contains some of the most beautiful, haunting renditions of some of the finest 19th century Appalachian ballads and reels currently available. The 3 excellent musicians who recorded it are not stars or scene-makers; they are historically informed, well-read and well-traveled musicians with a genuine lifelong commitment to American roots music, its many deep origins and its many branches. More importantly, they rock, swing, and make these old songs come vividly to life.

Most of the selections on this album are all either songs that author Charles Frazier refers to in the text of the book, or similar period songs that would have been common in the daily lives of the characters. The remainder are original compositions inspired by the book.

This album came out a few years before the movie, and is true to the beautiful spirit of the book. Now the movie of Cold Mountain comes out and a major studio and major label (Sony) get a whole new soundtrack together -- with only token participation by 2 of the three guys who so brilliantly crafted this moving, gorgeous riff on the book's themes. It's a sad statement on the Hollywood world and the major label record companies (not to single out T Bone Burnett) that Tim O'Brien, John Hermann and Dirk Powell were not retained to oversee at least part of the Cold Mountain soundtrack.

And nothing against Jack White either -- I dig the White Stripes as much as the next aging punker with a roots music jones -- but why is he so involved with a soundtrack for a 19th-century Appalachian period piece? Yes, he's roots-informed and bluesy, sure he's got a touch of the Dock Boggs death obsession in his music, but he's not the kind of committed, passionate acoustic old-time musician who should have anchored the soundtrack. Tim, Dirk and John work modern-day magic into their old-timey stuff, no museum pieces here, yet a firm grip on the time and place that are at the heart of Cold Mountain. BUY THIS ALBUM before getting the soundtrack, or there's no justice!