Doing Our Job [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Both seasoned troubadours, Tom Chapin (Harry's brother) and Virginia banjo and dulcimer player John McCutcheon have done many shows together in recent years. Two of those shows were taped last December and edited into Doing Our Job. Rather than reprise their best known songs, the duo unveils a dozen new compositions as well as new arrangements of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie numbers. McCutcheon's title song was inspired by Cal Ripken Jr. and his "I Don't Care" is a Tom Paxton-like satire on celebrity. Chapin cowrote two songs with Si Kahn about honoring the past. The results are sometimes too earnest and cheerful for their own good, but saxophonist Bobby Read and bassist Michael Mark flesh out the sound. --Geoffrey Himes --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

Well May The World Go
Northfield/Pass On The Music
Pastures Of Plenty
Our Mothers Built This City
Doing My Job
Every Night
I Don't Care
Hard Cider
Dead Man Walking
Make It Right
River Gonna Carry Me
Heaven Help
The Older I Get
Starlight
Welcome The Traveler Home

Amazon.com

Both seasoned troubadours, Tom Chapin (Harry's brother) and Virginia banjo and dulcimer player John McCutcheon have done many shows together in recent years. Two of those shows were taped last December and edited into Doing Our Job. Rather than reprise their best known songs, the duo unveils a dozen new compositions as well as new arrangements of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie numbers. McCutcheon's title song was inspired by Cal Ripken Jr. and his "I Don't Care" is a Tom Paxton-like satire on celebrity. Chapin cowrote two songs with Si Kahn about honoring the past. The results are sometimes too earnest and cheerful for their own good, but saxophonist Bobby Read and bassist Michael Mark flesh out the sound. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

it was a great show!.......2004-03-17

i relocate a great deal with work and had the rare (for me) opportunity to see john and tom in concert when they recorded this cd while i was home (wichita) for christmas...i've heard a lot of good music in my travels but john's music continues to be one of my staples...
maybe i'm partial cos i loved the show, but i think the cd is great!

Can't go wrong!.......2000-02-22

You can't go wrong with any John McCutcheon CD or tape. His whit, humor, and heart-felt words make him a singer for all ages. His concerts are 10 stars!

A Delight!.......2000-01-30

I heard a cut from this CD on public radio. I couldn't wait to get home to order it. Tom Chapin has been a favorite of mine for years, but through this CD I've jumped on John McCutcheon's bandwagon. I listen to it over and over! A real find!

One of the best live recordings of either John or Tom..........1999-11-06

I had the treat of not only attending the concerts these songs were recorded at, but I also engineered the live concert sound at the Arkansas City, KS shows. Unlike most "live" recordings, Doing Our Job is an honest representation of what the audience heard... And the power and emotion of "Dead Man Walking" is palpable on the track. The fun of "The Older I Get" and "I Don't Care" are real, and by listening, you are a part of that performance.

Another plus is the song order; the CD plays just like the show ran. It's an honest piece, with very little in the way of overdubs or punch-ins. What you hear is pretty much the way the audiences in St. Louis and Arkansas City heard John, Tom, Michael, and Bobby play it.

I second Music Fan from Ohio!.......1999-02-04

There's nothing I can add to Music Fan's review - This is a real standout piece of work. I only wish I had been at the concert....But the McCutcheon/Chapin quartet never comes to California. (sniff)

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