If I Had a Song: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Political militancy so rarely results in more than topical art; thus it's amazing how well Pete Seeger's talking blues, kiddie jingles, angry anthems, and fragile adages to peace have aged. This single-disc successor to Appleseed's double disc Where Have All the Flowers Gone boasts a finer musical diversity, but is ultimately as uneven as the previous tribute. Even after 50 years, performers haven't begun to exhaust Seeger's catalog, and so it's puzzling that Moxy Früvous would waste tape on the forgettable "Maple Syrup Time," that Billy Bragg and Eliza Carthy would see any point to another version of "If I Had a Hammer," or that Kim and Reggie Harris (with Magpie) would push the sing-along folksiness of "Old Devil Time" to the point of parody. The better the song, however, the better the performance. John Wesley Harding (backed by Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey) rocks "Words, Words, Words" straight into the psychedelic garage, Jackson Browne and Joan Baez surround themselves with Cuban musicians for a memorable "Guantanamera," Steve Earle casts his bitter, bloodshot eye deep into the heart of "Walking Down Death Row," and Eric Andersen, his voice an icy whisper, turns the pure lyricism of "Snow Snow" into the album's most harrowing and memorable moment. --Roy Kasten

Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
"This is a wonderful collection that features contemporary artists, as well as lesser-known folk artists."

If I Had a Song: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 2

Tracks:

Guntanamera - Jackson Browne & Joan Baez
If I Had A Hammer - Billy Bragg with Eliza Carthy
Words, Words, Words - John Wesley Harding & The Minus 5
Walking Down Death Row - Steve Earle
Oh, I Had A Golden Thread - Dar Williams & Toshi Reagon
66 Highway Blues - Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger
Talking Union - John McCutcheon & Corey Harris
Maple Syrup Time - Moxy Fruvous
Snow, Snow - Eric Andersen
Little Boxes (Petites Boites) - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Last Train To Nuremberg - Joel Rafael Band
You'll Sing To Me Too - Guardabarranco
This Old Car - Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie
Old Devil Time - Kim & Reggie Harris with Magpie
The Emperor Is Naked Today-O - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
Well May The World Go - Larry Long & Pete Seeger

Amazon.com

Political militancy so rarely results in more than topical art; thus it's amazing how well Pete Seeger's talking blues, kiddie jingles, angry anthems, and fragile adages to peace have aged. This single-disc successor to Appleseed's double disc Where Have All the Flowers Gone boasts a finer musical diversity, but is ultimately as uneven as the previous tribute. Even after 50 years, performers haven't begun to exhaust Seeger's catalog, and so it's puzzling that Moxy Früvous would waste tape on the forgettable "Maple Syrup Time," that Billy Bragg and Eliza Carthy would see any point to another version of "If I Had a Hammer," or that Kim and Reggie Harris (with Magpie) would push the sing-along folksiness of "Old Devil Time" to the point of parody. The better the song, however, the better the performance. John Wesley Harding (backed by Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey) rocks "Words, Words, Words" straight into the psychedelic garage, Jackson Browne and Joan Baez surround themselves with Cuban musicians for a memorable "Guantanamera," Steve Earle casts his bitter, bloodshot eye deep into the heart of "Walking Down Death Row," and Eric Andersen, his voice an icy whisper, turns the pure lyricism of "Snow Snow" into the album's most harrowing and memorable moment. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

The Working Class We Have With Us Always. . ........2001-12-30

Townes Van Zandt once said that there's two kinds of music: blues and zippety-doo-dah. Pete Seeger's music never was zippety-doo-dah.

Seeger's finely-tuned sensibilities for the endless complications of the lives of the poor and near-poor, as well as for the trades- and craftspeople of America, has given us some of the most lyrically powerful music of our time. If this album contained certain different songs it would be an easy five star work.

It's still very good. Steve Earle's version of "Walking Down Death Row", Dar Williams' and Toshi Reagon's rendering of "Oh Had I a Golden Thread", Eric Andersen's "Snow, Snow", the McGarrigle Sisters' "Little Boxes", and "You Sing It to Me Too" by Guardabarranco are all outstanding interpretations of Seeger's work.

For 45 years I've loaded a lunch bucket and hauled myself off to work at one job or another. Most of that time I've had a Pete Seeger song or two running around my brain, helping me remember who the good guys are. Pete Seeger somehow knows what that's like.

This album is a fine tribute to a good man, one who never wavered in the good but futile fight for social and economic justice. Carry it on, Pete.

Music:

Music

Music