Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill [Country]
• ASIN: B003FW50ZK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,882 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Lullabys, Legends and Lies (My Morning Jacket)

2. The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns (Andrew Bird)

3. This Guitar Is For Sale (John Prine)

4. The Unicorn (Dr. Dog)

5. The Winner (Kris Kristofferson)

6. Queen of the Silver Dollar (Sarah Jarosz with Black Prairie)

7. Daddy What If (Bobby Bare, Jr. with Isabella Bare)

8. The Cover of the Rolling Stone (Black Francis with Joey Santiago)

9. Sylvia's Mother (The Boxmasters)

10. Me and Jimmie Rodgers (Ray Price)

11. A Boy Named Sue (Todd Snider)

12. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan (Lucinda Williams)

13. The Living Legend (Bobby Bare)

14. The Giving Tree (Nanci Griffith)

15. 26 Second Song (My Morning Jacket)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet tribute to Shel Silverstein and his songs, June 28, 2010

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein (Audio CD)

A surprising number of people know Shel Silverstein only as an author, cartoonist, poet or the writer of Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue." But when you start to reel off the songs that were hits for other singers, such as the Irish Rovers' "The Unicorn," or Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show's "Sylvia's Mother" and "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," most will see they're more familiar with Silverstein's music than they previously realized. Mention Marianne Faithful's comeback cover of "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" and his work gains a layer of indie cred, and spin them Bobby Bare's Lullabyes, Legends and Lies, and the books and hit singles start to look like commercial peaks atop a vast catalog of artful and endearing music.

This fifteen-song tribute was produced by Bobby Bare Jr. and Sr., whose shared professional acquaintance with Silverstein dates back to a 1974 father-son duet of the Silverstein-penned "Daddy, What If." That song transcends to a new generation as Bare Jr. revisit its heart-tugging lyric of parental love with his daughter Isabelle. Unlike tributes to recording artists, tributes to songwriters can mine the part of their canon that hasn't yet been turned into icons. Better yet, Silverstein's songs are sufficiently rich to merit additional shades when re-interpreted in new contexts. Dr. Dog's Beach Boys-styled production and Four Freshman harmonies, for example, provide an interesting, fresh spin to "The Unicorn."

Bluegrass phenomenon Sarah Jarosz sings "Queen of the Silver Dollar" with a thread-bare sadness that would otherwise seem beyond her eighteen years, and her resigned desolation is deeper than earlier interpretations by Dr. Hook, Emmylou Harris and the Kendalls. Of course, the song's lyrics are so perfectly crafted as to even stand up to Micky Modelle's earlier disco remake. Lucinda Williams sings "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" with the heartbreak, disillusion and wear that few vocalists can hold to a melody. John Prine, Ray Price, Bobby Bare Sr. and Kris Kristofferson each use the age in their voices to texture to their selections, with the latter one-upping Bobby Bare's original take on "The Winner" by adding grizzled old-guy, spit-eyed gumption.

Even "A Boy Named Sue," a song whose clever ending most listeners already know, and whose Johnny Cash performance is a country music classic, is worth another visit. Todd Snider doesn't add anything revolutionary, but he hits the song's tough, sly, wise tone perfectly. Less impressive is Black Francis' take on "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," which hasn't the jug band goofiness of Dr. Hook's original, and the Boxmasters drop the melodrama (and rush the tempo) of "Sylvie's Mother." The album's title track, originally a poem from A Light in the Attic is brought to song with a wonderful melody, vocal and string arrangement by Andrew Bird. This is a fine collection that thoughtfully pairs singers and songs, and a nice way to hear these lovable (and beloved) Shel Silverstein songs. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars twistable, June 20, 2010

By 

Charles B. Cockett Jr. (TORRINGTON, WY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein (Audio CD)

I got this as a Father's Day present, and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised by the album. Basically, it's various artists covering more famous versions of the songs. "The Unicorn" for instance is covered by Dr. Dog, and is the lowest point on the album, but new versions of "The Cover of the Rolling Stone," and "Sylvia's Mother" are pleasant variations. "Rolling Stone" is especially fun, sounding more like the way I think Silverstein wanted it to sound as opposed to the wonderfully enthusiastic Dr. Hook verson.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 26 Word Review, November 2, 2010

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein (Audio CD)

This is a Shel Silverstein tribute album. These are great songs. All the performances are good, some are even great. Kris Kristofferson gives the best performance.