Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday March 9, 2021

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs – Episode #5 – was prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/51142.html

 

 

Part 1: Original songs by a sampling of Canadian women

Orit Shimoni- Strange and Beautiful Things
Strange and Beautiful Things (Orit Shimoni)

Kat Goldman- The One to Dream
The Workingman’s Blues (Kat Goldman)
Lynne Hanson- Every Minute In Between
Just Words (Lynne Hanson)
Laura Smith- Middle America
As Long As I’m Dreaming (Borealis)

Lynn Miles- A Heart Can Only Take So Much
We’ll Look for Stars (Must Have Music)
Kerri Ough- Drawing Board
One Day Soon (Kerri Ough)
Ronney Abramson- Three O’Clock Ride
Three O’Clock Ride – single (Ronney Abramson)

Part 2: Songs of Malvina Reynolds

Pete Seeger- Little Boxes
Headlines & Footnotes: A Collection of Topical Songs (Smithsonian Folkways)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle- Petites boîtes (Little Boxes)
La vache qui pleure (Tribu)
John McCutcheon- Mrs. Clara Sullivan’s Letter
To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger (Appalsongs)
Malvina Reynolds- The Money Crop
Ear to the Ground: Topical Songs 1960-1978 (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- On the Rim of the World
Pullin’ Through (Ripple)
Rosalie Sorrels- Rosie Jane
No Closing Chord: The Songs of Malvina Reynolds (Red House)
Robert Resnik & Gigi Weisman- Magic Penny
Sweet Potatoes and Home Grown Tomatoes (Fletcher Free Library)
Charlie Louvin- Turn Around
The Longest Train (Watermelon)

The Malvinas- God Bless the Grass
God Bless the Grass (Soona Songs)
Marianne Faithfull- What Have They Done to the Rain
Marianne Faithfull (Deram)
Malvina Reynolds- Skagit Valley Forever
Ear to the Ground: Topical Songs 1960-1978 (Smithsonian Folkways)
John Roberts & Tony Barrand- The Albatross
Mellow with Ale from the Horn (Golden Hind Music)

Bodie Wagner- The Bankers & the Diplomats (We Hate to See Them Go)
Vintage (Bodie Wagner)
Barbara Dane & The Chambers Brothers- It Isn’t Nice
Hot Jazz, Cool Blues & Hard-Hitting Songs (Smithsonian Folkways)
Spook Handy- From Way Up Here
Dedicated to the Proposition: Pete, Woody & Me, Vol. II (Akashic)
Malvina Reynolds- This World
Ear to the Ground: Topical Songs 1960-1978 (Smithsonian Folkways)
Rosalie Sorrels- No Closing Chord
No Closing Chord: The Songs of Malvina Reynolds (Red House)

Next week – Irish and Irish-inspired songs.

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Various Artists – Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys
Anti- 
anti.com/artists/rogues-gallery/

About 35 or 36 years, I spent some time hanging around the Philadelphia Folk Festival with an aspiring record producer named Hal Willner. We were introduced, as I recall, by the legendary folk music photographer David Gahr. Some years later, Hal began to produce fascinating compilation albums, including wonderful tributes to such composers as Nino Rota, Thelonious Monk and Kurt Weill.

In 2006, he put together Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys, a wonderful 2-CD set of mostly non-traditional renditions of mostly traditional songs of the sea. It was an album that polarized the folk music world. Some, me included, loved it. It fit perfectly into my reasoning for naming my radio show (and, now, this blog) Folk Roots/Folk Branches – music rooted in, or branching out, from some kind of folk-based tradition. There were a lot of great tracks but a lot of traditional purists – some of the same folks who are still pissed about Bob Dylan at Newport in 1965 – hated the album as it wasn’t faithful to the finger-in-one-ear tradition of a cappella singing which some think of as the only authentic way to approach much of this kind of material.

My guess is this 2-CD sequel, Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys, will meet a similar reception. Personally, I’ve been having a lot of fun listening to this diverse group of artists – some of whom I’ve long loved, some of whom I’ve never previously appreciated, and a few of whom I’d never even heard of – re-imagine these songs of the sea.

The album begins with a rollicking version of “Leaving of Liverpool” by poguemeister Shane McGowan and a folk-rock rendition of “Sam’s Gone Away” by Robyn Hitchcock before settling into Beth Orton’s extended version of “Bamboo (River Come Down),” written by my late friend Dave Van Ronk and made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary on their first album. Ironically, it’s a song that Dave himself hated and quickly dropped from his performing repertoire.

Other highlights from the first CD include a lovely, ragged take on “Shenandoah,” sung by Tom Waits with harmony vocals and some lovely guitar playing by Keith Richards; Ivan Neville’s second line arrangement of “Mr. Stormalong”; and a soulful, cabaret arrangement of “Off to Sea Once More” by Macy Gray. The most beautiful moments are in Gavin Friday and Shannon McNally’s version of “Tom’s Gone to Hilo” (which Kate and Anna McGarrigle often performed as “Johnny’s Gone to Hilo”).

Highlights on the second CD include Dr. John’s setting of “The Lure of the Tropics,” a century-old poem by Clarence Leonard Hay; Jenni Muldaur’s lovely rendition of “Row the Boat, Child,” an African-American rowing shanty from the singing of Peter Davis of the Georgia Sea Island Singers; a good-time version of “Whiskey Johnny” by Michael Gira with Dixieland horns; and a poignant version of “Mrs. McGrath,” sung by Anjelica Huston to the accompaniment of a string quartet.

While most of the tracks were recorded especially for this release there are a couple of selections from other sources. There’s an instrumental medley of “Wedding Dress Song” and “Handsome Cabin Boy,” recorded back in the ‘60s by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, and Marianne Faithfull’s lovely version of “Flandyke Shore” with harmonies by Kate and Anna McGarrigle, from her 2008 album Easy Come, Easy Go (which was produced by Hal Willner).

Caveat: As is any project of this type, there are bound to be occasional clunkers. But tracks like Katey Red and Big Freeduia’s annoying take on “Sally Racket” (Oy, what a racket!) are few and far between.

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein
Sugar Hill Records
twistableturnable.sugarhillrecords.com

The late Shel Silverstein, who died in 1999 at the age of 69, had a multi-faceted career. He first made his mark as a cartoonist and was best-known in that department for his work with Playboy Magazine. He was a noted author of children’s books and a folk, country, and rock singer-songwriter who made some interesting albums of his own – several, including his 1962 classic Inside Folk Songs were reissued just a couple of years ago – and wrote such hits as “A Boy Named Sue” for Johnny Cash, and “The Unicorn” for the Irish Rovers.

Versions of those two songs, and 13 more, are included on this loving tribute to the great songwriter from artists representing several generations of peers and admirers. While Todd Snider plays it pretty close to Johnny Cash’s chest on his version of “A Boy Named Sue,” Dr. Dog’s rendition of “The Unicorn” bears little resemblance to the Irish Rovers version as it cleverly moves between barbershop quartet singing to indie rock to folk rock and back again.

My favourite Shel Silverstein song is “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan,” a brilliant description of a suburban woman’s descent into madness. I remember thinking when I first heard Marianne Faithfull’s synth-laden arrangement in 1979 that it would have been a great country song and then saying “oh yeah” when I checked the credits and saw it was a Shel Silverstein song. This country-rock version by Lucinda Williams must now be regarded as definitive.

Another of my favourite Silverstein songs is “The Living Legend,” a song that must be forever associated with the late Bob Gibson, who recorded it back in 1974. The song essentially tells the story of Gibson’s life as a legendary artist who self-destructed and was back to doing any small-time gig he could get. Bobby Bare, Sr. does a fine job with it.

Another Silverstein song that I associate with Gibson is “Me and Jimmy Rodgers,” which classic country singer Ray Price sings as a classic country song.

Other great tracks include Kris Kristofferson’s version of “The Winner” and John Prine’s take on “This Guitar is For Sale.” Both Kris and John are at the top of their games. Also not to be missed is the fine version of “Queen of the Silver Dollar” by young Sarah Jarosz.

Then, near the end of the album, Nanci Griffith offers a beautifully poignant version of “The Giving Tree,” a song Silverstein based on one of his most popular children’s books.

What an amazing, multi-faceted talent Shel Silverstein was.

--Mike Regenstreif