Customer Reviews

Thinking of Woody Guthrie

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Man, did Country Joe McDonald get it from all sides when he put out this one! First off, he had the cojones to record this in Nashville in 1969, a time and a place where men with hair as long as his were not exactly treated with brotherly affection (kinda hard to remember that long hair was once considered a commie pinko plot, isn't it?). So right there this stinkin' hippie doing that old lefty Guthrie's music in Country Music City was anethema to several right-of-center folk. But THEN Joe ticks off the old guard LEFT as well; you'd read grumblings in publications like SING OUT! that, somehow (nobody ever quite said HOW), by doing Woody's songs with the cream of Nashville's finest backing him to the hilt, Joe was "sanitizing" Guthrie, making him into pablum, or at least NOT doing him the way that, say, Dylan or Phil Ochs would've done it (back in 1964, that is!). THEN Joe further alienated whatever was left of the "hippie" base who listened to Country Joe and The Fish. "I mean, bummer, man, he's playing with these straight country cats, I mean, what's that about?"

All of the above opinions are completely ridiculous in the clear glow of 35 years later. THINKING OF WOODY GUTHRIE is an album that does justice to the man who wrote all of the songs on it. Joe McDonald conveys all of the ranges of Woody's line of sight, from the migrant's resigned take on life ("Pastures Of Plenty"), to the dust-storm-beset people of Gray, Oklahoma ("So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh")to a guarded endorsement of the (then) major strides in technology for the greater good ("Roll On Columbia"). McDonald sings all of them with conviction and is backed by Nashville pros with talent to burn.
Even "This Land Is Your Land" gets a vitality to it that's totally unexpected but great to hear.

If he had done nothing else in his career, Country Joe deserves to be remembered as one of the best things that happened to Woody Guthrie and what he left us. Highly recommended!

He really does wonderful interpretations of Guthrie's tunes. There's a very earthy feel to the whole album. Have played it a lot over the years. Vinyl's probably getting to the point of needing to be replaced. Glad there's the CD option on this one.

Country Joe McDonald's incredible voice and instrumental preparation are the trademarks of the Cd's very element of folk-country. Using Woody's song and honoring his legacy, Country Joe has amazed fans of folk music with his robust voice and with dazzling effects of instrumental accompanists. Woody Guthrie's life lives on through his massive works and through his impression of John Steinbeck's novel, the Grapes of Wrath, which has its share of fans and devoted readers. Tom Joad, one of the release on this cd, as sung by Country Joe, and created by Woody Guthrie, stays true to its roots. I heartly recommend the cd for whoever is a fan of the Late Woody Guthrie and those for Country Joe who delighted fans for generations.

I originally bought this as an LP in the 1970s, just after it came out. Everyone I knew who had ever picked up a guitar in their "early days of playin' and singin'" - like Country Joe says on this record - had played Woody's songs, and they had accompanied a lot of the political activism in the 1960s, even in Australia. I'd later heard some of Woody's own singing, such as the Library of Congress recordings
I bought the CD when it came out, but after some time the CD wouldn't play anymore. I've just bought it again, and listening to it is still a fantastic experience. The talents of those Nashville musicians are now legendary, but the songs make this very special music.
Woody is an inspiring songwriter for the whole world, though of course `This Land Is Your Land' is clearly for Americans. It all comes to life - the humour of the dustbowl refugees, the struggles of Tom Joad and his family, the vision embodied in the great New Deal public works - such a contrast to contemporary America. Woody would have had some things to say about George Derbya Bush.
Country Joe has a great voice, which he uses to great effect on many of this records, and this is one of his best.

Country Joe, known for his anti-establishment acid-enhanced rock band the Fish in the late 60s/early 70s, has created a classic American folk album with these tunes by Woody Guthrie. Guthrie was a hero to the folk movement of the 60s, and this tribute from McDonald does justice to his vignettes of America's poor struggling through the depression. The songs are as much stories of American lives as Steinbeck's books -- dustbowls, outlaws, and migrant workers come to life. Listening to this music reminds me of a picture I have seen of Guthrie playing for a small audience, a sign taped to his guitar stating: "this machine kills fascists."

Country Joe doing what he does best. Even though it is not his original music, the tribute choice is excellent and very appropriate for his and Woody's styles.