The Weavers - Greatest Hits

The Weavers

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1957
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000EBD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,838 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #10 in	Music > Indie Music > Folk > Traditional Folk
  #24 in	Music > Folk > Revival

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This Vanguard double-LP "twofer" captures the seminal folk group, the Weavers--Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman, and Pete Seeger--in 64 minutes of classic songs. Borrowing from both live and studio recordings--including the historic 1955 Carnegie Hall concert--Greatest Hits covers a wide range of favorites, among them "Kisses Sweeter than Wine," "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena," "Wimoweh," "Goodnight Irene," an intimate "Guatanamera," "Wreck of the John B.," "This Land Is Your Land," and "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You." --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They and their music have sunk deep into my soul., December 27, 2000

By	John Austin "[e-mail]" (Kangaroo Ground, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Most fans would reckon this to be as good a memento of The Weavers as could be devised. A series of twelve items from their various Carnegie Hall concerts has been synthesised, firstly, to provide uninterrupted listening, then comes six items selected from their studio recordings, and then finally comes a further blending of six more Carnegie Hall performances. 64 minutes in all.

As a music teacher in an Australian school, at the time of The Weavers' vogue, I made good use of many of their recordings. I recall that "Follow the Drinking Gourd" was voted highly. Otherwise, The Weavers vogue seemed to me to be over and gone fairly quickly here in Australia.

North American fans might find this Australian perspective of interest. I of course have continued to listen to them for all of forty years. They and their music have sunk deep into my soul by now - which is probably what they are all about. Powerful in all respects is the contributions of their one female singer, Ronnie Gilbert. If her singing in "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" is not powerful, then I don't know what is.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very enjoyable, February 23, 2001

By	"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

If you don't mind that most of the recordings are live, this is as good a collection of Weavers' tunes as you can find. The sound quality and volume are a bit uneven, but the playing and singing are uniformly excellent and the song selection is like the greatest hits of a generation. The Weavers' harmonizing obviously heavily influenced Peter Paul and Mary, and is endlessly entertaining. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I thought the version of Goodnight Irene was quite good, even if the sound quality isn't perfect.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection., October 16, 1998

By	James Fieser (Martin, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Weaver's "Greatest Hits" CD lives up to its name, and presents the most memorable songs by one of America's most important and enjoyable folk bands. The CD is two albums in one, and part of Vanguard's "Twofer" series. The first 13 songs are live, and most of the remaining ones are studio (the order of the songs on the CD is completely different than that listed above). The Weavers' musical style varies greatly including American folk, blues, ethnic folk, and pop orchestration. They sound best - and most timeless -- in recordings with minimal studio production and no background musicians. It is this unique sound that inspired Peter, Paul and Mary, and this also comes out more strongly in their live recordings. The sound quality of this CD is nice and crisp, although the mixing on the live songs is sometimes uneven.