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Considering all I have are his vinyl record albums, this set is a good investment. I sang along with both of the CDs and placed them on my MP3 Player.
He came on stage with a sixpack of beer and 2 wooden stools. Listening to John Prine brings back memories of seeing him at a venue in Princeton NJ in 1973.
This antholgy proved to me that John Prine is one of of the great American singer songwriter poets of the Baby Boomer era. One for the beer and one for him and he sang and drank and played for two and a half hours.
When the beer was finished so was his act and he left the stage with the audience wanting him back for an encore, which he provided. Not all of the tunes were of good recorded quality but this is a must have production for my collections.
Just like "fishin and Whistlin in heaven".
But as the listener hears the songs the second and third times, Prine's insights into culture and society become more apparent. While he's done additional work since then, not much of his work has been commercially successful. At first glance Prine seems like a garage mechanic who found a tape recorder and started singing. John Prine's music is an an acquired taste. all find their way into this set. Indeed, listening to John Prine is like spending the afternoon in the midst of everyday people.This two disc set covers Prine's career into the 1990s.
Not all people are attractive.
He has a midwesterner's realism in his music that can be appreciated readily by other midwesterners.
So what this anthology represents is the highlights of Prine's career.
One needs to be patient with the early roughness in Prine's voice and music style.
Commercial success never seems to be high on Prine's adjenda, and his fans appreciate his music regardless, but greatest hits usually resonate with more than die hard fans.
He laments the loss of childhood dreams and family vacation spots.
He recognizes drug abuse among military personnel.
His songs about drinking, life, divorce, under achievers, etc.
Anyone remotely interested in John Prine will find music of value herein.
As one of the other reviewers mention i've come to John Prine through cover version of his songs.Most notably the Alabama 3's and Nanci Griffith's versions of Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness.It was largely due to the high regard that Nanci Griffith clearly has for John Prine that inspired me to purchase what has become an instant favourite.As the Amazon review states tracking down his other albums will indeed become essential but the only regret is that i never discovered him sooner.I grew up listening to my parents country albums in the 60's and 70's but it was the more mainstream "Nashville" sound which was popular.The more "honest" if you like ,and grittier fare of the likes of Prine and his contemparies such as Guy Clark,Rodney Crowell and the man credited with his discovery,Kristofferson had to wait for me to discover them years later.As such i've come to such performers through various routes,Kristofferson via the obvious Johnny Cash connection Clark through John Prine himself and Prine largely through the covers mentioned above.In the last few years i've explored various so called singer/songwriter's work and John Prine stands up alongside the best of them.Always one for a funny ,humourous lyric he strikes just the right chord for me with his infectiously off-centre wordplay as illustrated in song like The Sins Of Mephisto.In the sleevenotes he says he wrote the song to accomodate the phrase "exactly odo Quasimod". You just have to hear a song that has come from such an off-kilter genesis to see if it works,which it joyfully does.This collection is littered with highlights but some of the stand outs for me are Sam Stone which shows his darker side with such heartbreaking lyrics as "theres a hole in daddys arm where all the money goes" proving he can be profound as well as entertaining.For all the merits of songs such as Sam Stone though for me its the more comical side of his work that appeals as its good to have someone to listen to who always puts a smile on your face.Some personal favourites are Illegal Smile,It's A Big Old Goofy World and the seriously funny Dear Abbey.One more reason for buying this album if this and the other reviews havn't already convinced you.You have to hear how anyone can make a song title like "Come Back To Us Barbara Lewis Hare Krishna Beauregard" actually work.
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One of the themes that have kept cropping up is that for some folk/blues-oriented musical artists like Bob Dylan my attachment was immediate, long time and on-going. Mr. He also frankly, has the wry sense of humor (in the classical Greek sense of that word) of a man who has been pushed around by life, has pushed back; taken his beatings, dusted himself off and gotten back up again. Moreover on, for example, "Dear Abby" he can show his "silly", nonsensical side. I had, obviously, heard Bonnie Raitt do his "Angel From Montgomery" long ago but I never associated his name with that song. In fact, my first acquaintance with the work of John Prine, at least that I was aware of, was several years ago when I was requested to get a couple of his CDs for a friend for Christmas.
Upon listening to those albums, including this compilation, we both agreed that the best bet was to return them and get something else. Go figure. Over the last several months I have done more musically-oriented reviews that I had expected. Then start saving your dough to get the others.In addition to the songs mentioned above listen to his cover of "Killing The Blues" and Steve Goodman's "Souvenirs". Yes, this guy has something to say that I wanted to (and on some songs, needed to) hear.This compilation represents a very wide selection of his best work, arguably the best representation of that work in one location that you could get. Prine is a good guitar player, a very, very good wordsmith who has produced some poetic turns of phrases here that will have you thinking for a while. Also "Unwed Fathers", "The Late John Garfield Blues" and "Sweet Revenge".
Anyone whose has been affected by the Vietnam War experience in any way will gasp after hearing this very personal take of the destructiveness of that war for many of those who fought it, found hard drugs and found the black hole as a result. For other artists like John Prine it has been more of a recently acquired taste. You know, just the kind of guy that I, and I am sure other guys and gals of a certain age, very definitely can relate to, and in some cases like that above-mentioned "Hello In There" need to relate to. Then a couple of years ago I happened to listen to his "Hello In There" and "Sam Stone". If you want to hear a real anti-war song rather than something wistful like "Where have All The Flowers Gone." and the like then listen to this one. If you have just one John Prine album to get this is the one.
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