Customer Reviews

Very Best of Tom Paxton

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd is loaded with some of Tom Paxton's finest work... it is a must have for anyone who loves Tom's songs and warmth. A must have for a complete CD collection of Folk music that stretchs from the early '60 to current times....

Tom Paxton is undeniably one of the great songwriter's of the style. As this album is an exploration of Tom's output over the years it cannot be considered as anything else. It would be hard for me to give it anything but 3 stars. That said, if you are unfamiliar with Mr. Paxton's oeuvre, by all means pick up this CD. It is a textbook sampling of all the things Tom is in song. Then, do yourself a big favor. Go and find the original albums/CDs from which these songs have been culled. Unfortunately, many will be unavailable. But, there you will find the 5 stars!

As I was ripping this CD for my iPod, I was trying to recall just how I came to own it. I'd never heard of Tom Paxton before it and don't have anything else by him. Well, when my 19-year-old daughter was much, much younger, she had a marvelous book, Jennifer's Rabbit. She loved that book, and when she learned that it was based on a song, absolutely nothing would do but that we learn to sing it. I searched high and low for sheet music or a recording, and Amazon came through with this Tom Paxton collection!

As many times as we've listened to it over the years, I'm fairly surprised it's still in such good shape. I'm glad we didn't get a cassette tape! The book looks much the worse for wear, despite the fact that Katie treated her books very much better than most children I've known. (I looked for a copy of that for young nieces and nephews this Christmas, and was distressed to find it out of print.)

In any case, I have been remiss in not finding more of Mr. Paxton's work, and I owe him many thanks for giving us hours of delight. I recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys a good tune.

A very good CD of some of Tom's best works. I highly recommend it.

If the titles "Bottle of Wine," "Wasn't that a Party" and "Last Thing on my Mind," don't ring any bells for you, then don't by this CD. For the rest of us, it is a must have. These classic songs, recorded by many other pop and folk groups, are lovely to listen to when done by the composer with non-instrusive accompaniment. This was recorded more than 20 years ago, but it doesn't diminish its worth or listenability.

I grew up listening to Tom Paxton and had been searching for some time for one song in particular -- Wasn't That a Party. When I found it, I immediately purchased the album. What I like about Tom's music is the obvious fun he has with it and it rubs off on you.

Folk music covers such a wide array of subjects from love to protest and Tom Paxton has covered them all. He's one of the most versatile and long-lasting folksingers around.

"The Very Best of Tom Paxton" is 16 songs timing out at roughly 48 minutes. You've got wandering songs--"I can't help but wonder where I'm bound", love songs "When you shook your long hair down" and children's songs, "The Marvelous Toy." Throw in a few drinking songs like "Wasn't it a party" and you're never sure what you'll get next, which makes this collection both a lot of fun and perhaps something you don't want to play for kids you wouldn't want to influence badly.

One star deduction for sound quality. To me, this recording is a little too mono for today's standards. Still, a very enjoyable listen.

Rebecca Kyle, October 2009

This CD was purchased as a gift to my daughter and my three granddaughters. Tom Paxton sings "Katy", "Jennifer's Rabbit", "The Marvelous Toy" and "Going to the Zoo" as well as several love songs for women. His voice is unique. His style combines a soulful resonance and religious tone that is exemplified by "Peace Will Come".

If I were to ask someone, in the year 2008, to name a male folk singer from the 1960's I would assume that if I were to get an answer to that question that the name would be Bob Dylan. And that would be a good and appropriate choice. One can endlessly dispute whether or not Dylan was (or wanted to be) the voice of the Generation of '68 but in terms of longevity and productivity he fits the bill as a known quality. However, there were a slew of other male folk singers who tried to find their niche in the folk milieu and who, like Dylan, today continue to produce work and to perform. The artist under review Tom Paxton is one such singer/songwriter.

The following is a question that I have been posing in reviewing the work of a number of male folk singers from the 1960's and it is certainly an appropriate question to ask of Tom Paxton as well. I do not know if Tom Paxton, like his contemporary Bob Dylan, started out wanting to be the king of the hill among male folk singers but he certainly had some things going for him. A decent acoustic guitar but a very interesting (and strong) voice to fit the lyrics of love, hope, longing and sometimes just sheer whimsy, as in the children's songs, that he was singing about at the time. I would venture however, given what I know of his politics and the probably influence that his good friend the late folksinger and historian Dave Van Ronk had on him, that the answer above is probably no.

As for the songs themselves in this greatest hits compilation, a format that never really give an artist' s full range of hits and that is the case here, we get a fair range of what the good Mr. Paxton produced in the old days. Ramblin' Boy and Bottle of Wine are evocative of hobo days here. Some peace songs (Peace Will Come, Jimmy with an extremely powerful anti-war message), some songs of love (Katy) and the abovementioned children's songs (Going to the Zoo). And, of course, his 'theme song' and the one that he has stated that he never gets tired of playing, The Last Thing On My Mine. And I never get tired of listening to.

The CD was great. The sound quality was excellent and it had the songs I wanted. It was just what I was looking for.