Customer Reviews

Treasures from the Folk Den

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Appleseed label that's putting out some excellent folk-oriented discs has done well. Roger McGuinn embraces these folks tunes as if in a loving hug. His sharing of the stage with a host of other performers brings out the varying textures of the material and in McGuinn. Joan Baez joins for a great opener "Wagoner's Lad." The lyric made me reflect how far the woman's movement has come in the USA, "controlled by their parents until they are wives then slaves to their husbands for the rest of their lives." For me, the highlight of the disc are Roger's pairings with Pete Seeger. There's great chemistry between these two. "Dink's Song" is my favorite. Pete Seeger's alto and Roger McGuinn's tenor are such a gorgeous blend of voice with the acoustic guitar washing the melody, "If I had wings...I'd fly up the river to the one I love." Don't miss this treat! Judy Collins pipes in for a Celtic-flavored seafaring song, "Bonnie Ship the Diamond." "Cane Blues" is soft & wistful. Eliza Carthy's fluid fiddle is like a Celtic explosion on the instrumental "Reel." "Fair Nottamun Town," a sad folk ballad, does the least for me. "John the Revelator" is a happy tune. It's interesting to compare McGuinn's voice in "Dink's Song" to this track; here his voice is ragged like one who'd been up all night. The great chemistry with Seeger shines through on the pretty acoustic "Alabama Bound." My biggest smile comes on the track with Tommy Makem on a great Irish tune, "Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake!" Seeger & McGuinn get bluesy "when the fun is over & the liquor's gone dry" "In the Evenin'." Joan Baez does backing vocals and Eliza Carthy's fiddle drones on the somber ballad "Willie Moore." "The Brazos River" is like a folk military march. On "Sail Away," Odetta's voice squeaks like a guitar string. Judy Collins shines with Roger on a beautiful version of "John Riley," "What if he's found some new love?" Josh White Jr. joins for a blue soft shoe on "Trouble in Mind." Tommy Makem without the Clancy Brothers shoulders the lead on a great version of "Whiskey in the Jar." "The Virgin Mary" with Odetta is almost a Christmas song, "Glory be to the new born king." The CD concludes with a quick piece, "Pete's Song." The hidden track is interesting as the musicians discuss their parts in a rehearsal for "In the Evenin'." The song over, Pete Seeger starts talking about a tour he took of the Renaissance School in New York and one gets the feel that we are sitting in the living room sharing some time with these guys. This is an essential CD for folk music lovers!

This is a loving tribute to the folk, blues, and gospel infuences that shape modern music. McGuinn shares the songs with some of the icons of folk music, pulling off a variety of styles with grace. The booklet includes info on how each song was recorded and the song's history and lyrics. The CD is infused with an informal warmth that leaves you smiling in delight.

This album is a gem. Don't miss it.

To hear the two guys who got me into music picking and harmonizing together on Dink's Song had me unexpectedly in tears. I've been playing it nonstop and pushing it on everyone in listening distance. It's an incredible cut off an incredible album. If you like the Alan Lomax collection on Rounder, you'll love this. Just push the proper buttons on your computer and go ahead and buy it. You can also get the chords from the website and play along! Always wanted to hear these guys together. Praise God!

This CD makes me smile...I can close my eyes and ride its waves as if I were in the very rooms where these songs took flight.

This is a collection of songs sprinkled throughout with some of the best voices (not just vocals) of our recent folk past. From begining to end, this is one of the most unpretentious albums I have heard in many a moon.

Simply put...it is a refreshing, clean, clear labor of love from one of our musical national treasures, Roger McGuinn!

Treasures from the Folk Den...is just that...

Another highlight recorded by the "King of the 12-String"
with his friends. A "must" for every Byrds/McGuinn aficionado.You'll miss something if you don't have this CD.

You'll raise an eyebrow at the booklet that comes with Treasures of the Folk Den. It's dense with information about the making of the recording, lyrics, and credits, all rendered readable by masterful and elegant layout. Linda Lee's cover photo tells a story: Roger McGuinn, smiling shyly, holds his 12-string guitar, and his 5-string banjo hangs on a nearby wall; but within reach is a topnotch Stedman mike, and Cool Edit Pro is running on the screen of an Apple PC donated by McGuinn fan Steve Wozniak. This isn't your father's folk record-- or at least not only your father's.

This would be a relic of interest if only because it is rock icon McGuinn's reverent revisiting of his influences and friends. Play this game: Would there be an "Eight Miles High" if Frank Hamilton hadn't taught McGuinn complex picking techniques? Would you know Bob Dylan if McGuinn hadn't first invented the folk-rock genre using songs like Pete Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!"? This is a recording potent enough to fuel such debates.

It would be a CD worthy of note just because of its palpable warmth and charm.

But foremost and at its heart this is a folk record. I chuckled with surprise and pleasure at 80-year-old Seeger's blues banjo on "In the Evenin', and went quiet at the tearfully gorgeous Judy Collins-McGuinn treatment of "John Riley". If you ever wondered-- as I did-- just what musicians of McGuinn's stature see in old folk songs and folk artists, this CD will make it finally and forever clear.

I highly recommend this CD. To listen to Roger McGuinn bang the heck out of that acoustic 12-stringer is such a delight, going back to his folk roots, and joined by many of his 60s contemporaries...Judy Collins, Odetta, Pete Seeger, and several others. The recordings are recent and it's refreshing to hear these old voices again.

Any fan of folk of music should include this CD as a permanent addition to one's collection. This CD is superb. McGuinn and Odetta on The Virgin Mary give a haunting beautiful rendition. Every song is classicly and thoughtfully performed. A+++ to Roger and his selection of guest artists and creativity!
McGuinn combines his unique vocals with the greats of Joan Baez, Odetta, Judy Collins, Josh White and Pete Seeger to create a masterful, truly masterful collection of folk classics.
Five stars plus from me.
SUPERB, MASTERFUL, ENTICING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING, EXCITING, BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, CAPTIVATING, ENCHANTING, INTOXICATINGLY BEAUTIFULLY DONE.
... SUPERB

The master of the 12 string has struck again with a fabulous compilation of folk treasures recorded with legenday artists such as Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Josh White Jr., Odetta, Judy Collins, Tommy Makem, Jean Ritchie and Eliza Carthy. From traditonal american folk songs, to the lilting Irish songs to traditional gospel, this album takes me on a journey that keeps me smiling and reminds me of our collective musical roots. Bound to be regarded as a classic as the definative folk album.

After the Grammy's I bought Treasures from the Folk Den and the Dylan CD that was nominated. After listening to both many times, I realized that I like the McGuinn CD much better. It's beautiful music and voices with a number of spicy collaborations - Baez, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Odetta. Bottom line, it's a CD you can listen to over and over and never get bored. This one should have won.