Pete Seeger Albums (39)
What The Critics Say
Pete Seeger already has more albums in print than most people could ever listen to, but he continues to astonish with his joie de vivre and creativity. This 32-track collection was recorded live and in the studio, during his 89th year, and is full of Seeger tunes, new and old, as well as spoken word passages that introduce and illuminate the songs. The five spoken word passages are full of hard-won wisdom, and may sound fine between songs at a concert, but on a CD they don't really work. That leaves you with 14 Seeger songs, guaranteed to inspire. "False from True" is a New Orleans-style Dixieland blues that examines mortality and aging with a mournful but still hopeful eye. Clarinet, banjo, and bass provide gentle support to this song from 1968 that sounds even more poignant in Seeger's slightly cracked 89-year-old voice. "If It Can't Be Reduced" is a new song, based on the City of Berkeley's zero waste resolution -- "If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production." A young woman suggested Seeger use the words to write a song, and he did. With his 12-string guitar chiming and a chorus of friends, he turns the words into a childlike hymn to recycling that'll make you grin as you sing along. "If This World Survives" was written with Berkeley songwriter Malvina Reynolds, and Seeger leads an a cappella chorus to deliver its message of hope. "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" was a hit for the Weavers in the '50s, a song by Israeli soldier/songwriter Yehiel Haggiz. Here Seeger and friends sing it in Hebrew and Arabic as an affirmation of brotherhood and understanding. "Bach at Treblinka" borrows a bit from Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring for this song about the Nazi death camps. Martha Sandefer delivers the chilling lyrics. In Treblinka the guards organized an orchestra of prisoners to play each morning for the prisoners marching off to their day of slave labor. It's slightly less than a minute long, but it's devastatingly powerful. "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" was written during the Vietnam War about those who blindly plow ahead, even when they put the lives of others at risk. It was written about LBJ, but it fits W to a T. As you might expect from a Seeger album, the songs on At 89 take on some of the problems faced by America in 2008, and while the music is sometimes touched by melancholy, Seeger's faith in his fellow humans shines through clearly. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide
'American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 5'
Release Date 10/9/2007
Tracks 29
Label Smithsonian/Folkways
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Brothers and Sisters'
Release Date 9/12/2006
Tracks 36
Label Discmedi Blau
See Album Tracklist and Review
'American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 4'
Release Date 5/23/2006
Tracks 28
Label Smithonian Folkways
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Although Pete Seeger did put out an LP on Folkways in 1961 titled American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 4, it's important to note straight off that the 2006 CD reissue on Smithsonian Folkways bearing the same title has a considerably different track listing. While 12 of the 28 tracks on the CD are indeed from the 1961 CD, the other songs are taken from other Seeger Folkways recordings. These include nine from the 1962 album American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 5; a smattering of cuts from material he recorded for Folkways in the '50s; and even a previously unreleased performance (date not given) of "Old Maid's Song." Unless you're a stickler for faithfulness to original discographies, however, the extra material's welcome, more than doubling as it does the length of the record. As for the music, it's generally a little more somber and serious than much of what Seeger was recording at the time, which is actually a refreshing slant if you have enough of his more sunny-side-up music elsewhere in your collection. Some of these songs are very well known ("You Are My Sunshine," "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," "Go Down, Moses," "Summertime"); others are, if not as familiar to the general public, certainly staples of the folk revival ("No More Auction Block," "All My Trials," "John Riley," "John Hardy"); and quite a few are the kind of more obscure songs that might have died out if people like Seeger hadn't performed and recorded them. In common with so much of his huge recorded output, all of the material is respectfully, good-naturedly interpreted, with very accomplished banjo playing (and occasional 12-string guitar). The 30-page CD booklet has copious liner notes explaining the diverse origins of the songs, which range from army songs and sea shanties to lullabies, spirituals, and murder ballads. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
'American Folk Songs for Children'
Release Date 9/28/2004
Tracks 15
Label Prism
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The eleven songs on this album were specifically selected from an identically titled book anthology of folk songs for children collected by Seeger's stepmother, Ruth Crawford Seeger. Pete Seeger renders them plainly and simply, singing and playing and banjo, on a program designed especially (but not solely) for children between three and seven years of age. "Jim Crack Corn," "Frog Went A-Courting," and "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" are some of the better-known tunes on the record, but not all of them are as overly familiar. It's been reissued on a single-disc CD that also includes a similar Pete Seeger album, 1962's American Game and Activity Songs for Children. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It probably seems odd today that HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) viewed Pete Seeger as a threat because of his socialist past. It is ironic, then, that Seeger, again because of his socialist past, would be warmly welcomed in communist Czechoslovakia in 1964 (even though he also believed in the "dangerous" idea of democracy). Although Seeger's music is seldom overtly political, it would be interesting to know what Czech audiences thought of "I Can See a New Day" or "We Shall Overcome." He offers a particularly moving version of the latter song, accompanying himself on guitar, and preceded by a monolog of the song's origins. Seeger, never one to believe in obstacles, even solicits his Czech comrades to sing along. There's over 35 songs on these two discs, including classics by Leadbelly -- "Bourgeois Blues" -- and Woody Guthrie -- "Talking Colombia." Seeger opens a lovely version of "Prety Saro" with a wooden flute before singing the song a cappello. Fine versions of "Dark as a Dungeon," "Tzena Tzena," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" are delivered along with a number of instrumental pieces. There's a funny story in the liner notes by Gene Deitch about Seeger singing an anti-Vietnam song at several appearances. The audience whistled, which in Czechoslovakia, was the equivalent of booing. Their disapproval, it seems, was based on the fact that the Czech government also opposed the Vietnam War, leading listeners to believe Seeger's song was mere propaganda. Pete Seeger in Prague 1964 captures the master in good voice, quietly and confidently delivering his one-man show to Eastern Europe. This album will make a fine addition to any Seeger fan's record collection while also serving as a good introduction to those unfamiliar with his folk art. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine'
Release Date 10/1/1996
Tracks 16
Label Collector's Edition
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Having long since decided to give up recording, Pete Seeger was coaxed into making a new album (his first in 17 years) by Paul Winter, who co-produced this 18-track, nearly 64-minute collection and recorded it at his studio. Winter's approach was to have Seeger sing his usual repertoire, accompanied on most of the tracks by one of three choruses: the 30-member Gaudeamus, the Union Baptist Church Singers, or the Cathedral Singers. The result is like a Pete Seeger concert in which the audience sings along with much better harmony, but in a much more formal manner than usual. There are three songs previously unrecorded by the artist, including a tribute to Lead Belly, but the other 15 are familiar songs such as "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" and "The Water Is Wide." "Singing an old song is an act of reaffirmation," he writes in the CD booklet. But recording a bunch of them makes this album more a coda to Seeger's recording career than another milestone. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Stories and Songs for Little Children'
Release Date 7/28/1995
Tracks 9
Label Urania
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This cassette is a collection of Pete Seeger's greatest hits for the younger child. The stories in these tapes are free of violence and sexism and contain beautiful music and sing-alongs such as "Raccoon's Got a Bushy Tail" and "I Know an Old Lady." ~ MusD, All Music Guide
