The Village - A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 3, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: 429 Records
• ASIN: B002MBAJ60
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,937 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Rickie Lee Jones)

2. It's All Right Ma (The Duhks)

3. Positively 4th Street (Lucinda Williams)

4. Wayfaring Stranger (Sixpence None the Richer)

5. He Was a Friend of Mine (John Oates)

6. Guantanamera (Los Lobos)

7. Violets of Dawn (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

8. Darlin' Be Home Soon (Bruce Hornsby)

9. Little Bit O' Rain (Amos Lee)

10. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (Shelby Lynne)

11. Once I Was (Cowboy Junkies)

12. Both Sides Now (Rachael Yamagata)

13. The Ballad of Hollis Brown (Rocco DeLuca)

Editorial Reviews

429 Records has brought together a stellar roster of artists for a project titled THE VILLAGE: A CELEBRATION OF THE MUSIC OF GREENWICH VILLAGE a musical homage to an influential scene that thrived during an incomparable era in the history of rock music. The Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City in the 1960 s was ground zero for a musical, political and social evolution-- McCarthy and the Red Scare era was over, the Vietnam War was simmering and poised to explode, and the civil rights movement was gaining steam just as singers like Peter Seeger, Bob Dylan and Odetta were hanging out and composing fierce and fearless songs that reflected the social conscience of a generation. The neighborhood was symbolic of a shared inspiration with artists worldwide gravitating to the vibrant streets and clubs and as such helped change the course of popular music.


Says Susan Rotolo author of the recent bestseller 'A Freewheelin Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties' and writer of THE VILLAGE liner notes: 'The performers from that time, and the songs they wrote, made a notable contribution not only to the legend of Greenwich Village but also to music in general. No one who is young, making music and hanging out, thinks in historical terms, but the passage of time allows for such a perspective. Cultural history was made.'



With THE VILLAGE, modern day artists look back and pay tribute to the artists and songs that helped nurture and shape them as successful musicians in their own right. Shelby Lynne gives a musical shout out to Dylan with her version of 'Don t Think Twice, It s Alright,' Cowboy Junkies perform their heartbreaking version of Tim Buckley s 'Once I Was' and Bruce Hornsby checks in with a stunning version of The Lovin Spoonful s 'Darlin Be Home Soon.' THE VILLAGE also features performances by Rickie Lee Jones, Lucinda Williams, Rachael Yamagata, Amos Lee, Sixpence None the Richer, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Rocco DeLuca, John Oates, The Duhks, and Los Lobos.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missed Opportunity, November 5, 2009

By 

j in boston - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Village - A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village (Audio CD)

I love the purported idea behind this disc. Get a bunch of contemporary artists and have them cover songs written or performed by the musicians connected with NY's Greenwich Village during the folk music boom of the late 50's and early 60's, but it seems that what they really wanted to do was a Dylan cover album. Of course Dylan cover albums are a dime a dozen so they did an album about the Village and then loaded it up with Dylan covers. Don't flame me. I'm not bashing Dylan. I'll gladly bow to his genius with the rest of you. But we know his stuff and we've heard it performed every which way by all sorts of people. I was looking forward to a disc that would not only put a new spin on the music, but expose a new generation to the music of some of the other amazing talents of the era whose work they probably haven't heard. It's nice that they have an "In Memory of" in the program book to a few of these people, but wouldn't it be even nicer if they had included some of their music? Where is Phil Ochs? Where is Richard Farina?
Don't get me wrong. This is a good album. I really enjoyed listening to it and several of the performances I will be listening to a lot more. I'm just disappointed that the song selection is, with a couple of exceptions, so unimaginative.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to some new artists via old favorite songs, December 16, 2009

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Village - A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village (Audio CD)

I pre-ordered this CD as soon as I heard it advertised on XM-15's The Village despite having much of the songs by their original artists. "Bleecher Street," a collection done several years ago, convinced me this effort would be worth the investment and I'm glad to say I was right.

What I like best about collections like this is to hear some of my favorite oldies re-interpreted by artists who are new to me. I'm going to be looking for more material by The Duhk's whose rendition of "It's Allright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding" was one of my favorites of this album.
I also very much enjoyed Rocco DeLuca after hearing "Hollis Brown."

Of course, Lucinda Williams' "Positively 4th Street", Bruce Hornsby's "Darlin' Be Home Soon," among others are well done, too.

If I had a wish for a second collection, it would be to hear some of the less-covered songs and artists of this place and time. I'm glad to get re-acquainted with old friends, but I'd like to potentially make some new ones as well.

If you enjoyed this CD and would like to hear more like, here's a collection that's one of my favorites:

Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village In The 60's

Rebecca Kyle, December 2009

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many omissions and WAY too much Dylan covers., January 3, 2010

By 

Steven I. Ramm "Steve Ramm "Anything Phon... (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Village - A Celebration of the Music of Greenwich Village (Audio CD)

Too many omissions and WAY too much Dylan covers.

I have to give the producers and the label (429 Records) props for the concept of this album, which was preceded by a syndicated radio show in which the cover artists explained their choices. This was a period in music history that I - thankfully - got to experience first hand. There are a number of books on the subject as well.

What bothers me a lot when I look at track list - and listen to the songs - is that there is way too much Dylan material here. (Nearly half the songs are his.) Of course they couldn't include all the folks who made it in Greenwich Village but to not have even one song by Phil Ochs is a major oversight. The notes really could have been more detailed and maybe photos of the artists covered, rather than of the artists performing. This might provide some history to the younger listener, being attracted by the new artists. And maybe they could have packaged the radio show with the CD as a bonus disc so younger listeners who missed the show could gain some understanding.

So, yes the music is cool and the arrangements interesting but as insight to a whole generation who grew up with Pat Sky (hey, "Ira Hayes" would fit in here), the aforementioned Ochs, Tom Rush, Doc Watson (do I hear "Tennesee Stud"?) and more, it falls short. There's always a chance for a followup ("The Village Vol. II"?) to help make up for this. I think we've covered Mr. Dylan enough on this one.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"