Customer Reviews

Wayfaring Stranger

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This is the album that set the standard of the classic folk album for many generations yet other than many of these songs on the Flapper "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" album and a few other CD's, this album has never been issued on CD until now. The 29 songs on this CD are all classic folk songs, mostly done with Burl and his acoustic guitar with little or no orchestration. For example, the version of "On Top of Old Smoky" on this CD is all Burl and his guitar and the version on the MCA "Greatest Hits" CD is the recording featuring Percy Faith's orchestration. The songs are short and simple to understand and are set in the classic folk tradition making this one folk album you need to start your collection with. Contrary to another review of this item, Collectables basically copied the liner notes from the original vinyl and used them on this reissue as they still apply to the album to this day. The CD reissue has 3 bonus tracks that were not on the vinyl issue (for those looking for the vinyl: check zShops, Amazon Auctions, ...for that and only buy the mono version, which is what this CD uses, as the "stereo" LP is all rechanneled) and they really work well with the album so you can listen to them over and over again just like the original 26 tracks on the album.

My parents had this album and "The Return of the Wayfaring Stranger" when I was growing up. We used to listen to them when we went to bed. I loved it and we wore the records out. I have been searching for Cd's of this for years and really hoped that they would be released so that I could share these with my children. They are part of this country's history through song and deal with life as it was and is.

This is a nice acoustic album. Just Burl and his guitar on most songs. There are some additional songs added to this Cd that were not on the original album. They don't quite fit in with the original style, but they are still good.

Here's another fine Burl Ives release on compact disc.Finally there are some high quality products available and this one is among the best.Truthfully I have never heard any bad Burl Ives music.This is some of his most famous folk material.Folk song collecting is where Ives got his inspiration to become the great entertainer that he has.In his early days he traveled around the country as a vagabond performing and learning folk songs in coal camps,logging camps,hobo jungles and other places.This is that kind of traditional ,real folk.Included are the most well known recordings of "Sweet Betsy from Pike","Tam Pierce" and "Peter Grey"which are three of Ives'best ever.The other 26 are ALL excellent as well.There are no liner notes of any kind except for the release dates.The sound quality of these old recordings is quite good,sounding as if they could have been remastered from tape.Usually when an Ives compilation is released on compact disc,someone finds fault,comparing it to the original vinyl records.Well if you feel like getting out granny's victrola and searching the ends of the earth,go ahead.But,you wont find anything as good or better than this.

"The Golden Years of The Wayfaring Stanger", transfers and production by Geoff Milne (4CD box, 2005 Jasmine Records).

All of these original Decca recordings (made from 1945 to 1953) have been transferred from vinyl yet sound quite clean (despite the odd blip or thud)and have a consistent sonic quality, regardless of whether they were live (on CD4 - the 1953 Coronation Concert in London), on radio (on CD2 - guesting on the Bing Crosby show) or from various studio sessions (on all 4 CDs). Part of the reason for the sonic consistency may be in that there has clearly been a decision made in the noise reduction process to also filter out any frequency above about 7kHz on all the tracks - however the remaining audio is very comfortable to listen to.

I've recently done a couple of my own Burl Ives transfers to CD, including carefully removing each audible pop or click from an excellent condition vinyl LP of "The Wild Side Of Life" - all those tracks also appear on this CD set. I can hear a big difference between my CD and Geoff Milne's. I know that the studio recordings were bona fide HiFi mono, with truly amazing subtleties in musicianship and vocal harmony. The only way to appreciate all that intricate detail is to accept also hearing some surface noise. However I'd still have to say that these productions by Geoff Milne are appealing, even though they have less dynamic range.

I like that all the tracks are arranged in chronological order of performance (rather than of release) and that we are given the actual dates and some other details. Geoff Milne's accompanying booklet includes an informed biography and is a good read.

Anyone who grew up with the albums "The Wild Side Of Life" and "Women - Folk Songs About The Fair Sex" will be happy to know that all those original tracks are here in very good quality.

There are also five versions of "The Blue Tail Fly", but not a dud song in sight. Highly recommended for any Burl Ives fan.

Over 100 songs sung by Burl Ives on 4 CD's. Some songs are repeated as different versions. Some duets with Bing Crosby.

If ever there was a perfect distillation of the art of folk ballad singing, this is it. There's no pretense here, no big point to prove. Just the clear folksy voice of Burl Ives and an unobtrusive guitar. The intimacy of the setting allows you to savor the material for itself, even as Ives makes the material his own. Regardless of its age or origin, or of the subsequent commandeering of many of these ballads by popular folk groups, each song in here becomes a Burl Ives Song, just as much as "One for my Baby" or "September of my Years" became irrevocably a Frank Sinatra Song. (It may be no coincidence that both Ives and Sinatra also gained recognition as actors - there is a definite feeling of an actor's commitment and identity in these songs - you almost feel that you are hearing them as they happen.) And although the songs are short, you never get the feeling of being hurried through them. It's a shame that relatively little of Ives's folk output has made it to CD, being passed over in favor of his children's material or countless "Little Bitty Tear" commercial compilations.

This CD is a must for any Ives fan, first-timer to Ives, or if you're just looking for some down to earth, good, simple music. I'm 36 years old and remember this album from childhood. In fact, I still have the vinyl (my mom wanted to throw it away!). Just like chicken and dumplings are feel good food, this is feel good music.

This CD along with "Return of the Wayfaring Stranger" are truly gems of Americana. It is a such pleasure to listen to these songs which Ives performs in the way that they must have been sung originally.

Many of the old favorites that I listened to growing up on the old 78's, but now there is no clicking, hissing, and all the other noises that came from the worn old records, just the clean clear voice of Burl Ives. If you love these old songs, this is a great disk to have.

If you are a fan of Burl this one is a pearl. It contains many of his classic hits including "I know an old woman" which he sang on the Flip Wilson show. It is just simple sit back and enjoy music