Roger McGuinn Albums (12)
'The Folk Den Project'
Release Date 12/5/2005
Tracks 100
Label April First
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What The Critics Say
Roger McGuinn began his career as a folksinger/guitarist and he has never lost his love of the music. In 1995, he launched the Folk Den project on his website, making free downloads available of folk songs he recorded, along with lyrics and a little background on each number and what was special about it to him. He decided to re-record them in higher fidelity for commercial issue, producing this four-CD set with 100 tracks and over four and a half hours of music. Known primarily for his work on the 12-string electric Rickenbacker guitar, McGuinn also plays banjo and Fender bass, plus six-, seven-, and 12-string acoustic Martin guitar, while often overdubbing a second instrument and harmony vocals. Like any good folk musician, McGuinn carries on the tradition of adapting the melodies and lyrics in his own way, so familiar songs may sound a bit different than one remembers them. This valuable collection includes sea shanties, Christmas carols, spirituals, blues, and hymns along with traditional folk tunes that originated in the U.S. and Europe. Among the unusual arrangements are the Scottish tune "Wild Mountain Thyme" (played with a reggae beat!) and the spiritual "Oh Freedom," which preserves the sound of thunder taped during its performance in the studio. This collection is excellent for introducing anyone young or old to a variety of folk music, while longtime fans of Roger McGuinn will consider it to be an essential purchase. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
There's something familiar about Roger McGuinn's transformation from the acoustic folknik of Treasures From the Folk Den to the folk-rocker of Limited Edition. Indeed, it's as though he glanced back at his own career, born in the heart of the early-'60s folk revival and fully realized in the mid-'60s with the Byrds, and decided to dust off the blueprint. The Folk Den underlines his roots, featuring guest spots by revival contemporaries like Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, and Odetta, whereas Limited Edition, by taking the 12-string Rickenbacker out of mothballs, emphasizes his artistic maturation. It's difficult, however, to consciously do what one once did unconsciously, and McGuinn returns to his old haunts with mixed results.Limited Edition begins with a jaunty take on George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone," a musical tribute to the man who led McGuinn to pick up the Rickenbacker in the first place. The effort, though well sung, finally turns flat thanks to stiff percussion and unimaginative guitar runs that distract more than decorate the song. "Parade of Lost Dreams" works much better, marrying the sounds of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield into an enticing folk-country-rock blend highlighted by the nifty guitar work that's tightly woven into the song's tapestry. Before the listener can get too comfortable with any particular sound, though, McGuinn is busy trying on another musical hat. He combines hip-hop and folk for the oddest take on "Shady Grove" ever committed to CD, and switches to straight rock for a version of "James Alley Blues." The overall effect of Limited Edition is a bit scattershot, as though it was recorded over a long period of time. McGuinn's in good voice, and it's pleasant enough to hear him pick up the electric 12-string guitar again, but many of these songs -- "Shenandoah," "When the Saints Go Marching In," and "Saint James Infirmary" -- receive lackluster treatments. Limited Edition will probably entertain hardcore McGuinn fans, but it doesn't qualify as a new chapter in his distinguished career. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
'Treasures from the Folk Den'
Release Date 8/28/2001
Tracks 18
Label Appleseed
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What The Critics Say
In late 1995, as part of his official website, Roger McGuinn launched a feature called The Folk Den, in which each month he recorded a traditional folk song in his home studio and posted the results on his web page along with brief essays on the histories of the songs and how he came to learn them. McGuinn used this ongoing experiment as the inspiration for his album, Treasures From the Folk Den, which was recorded in a series of informal sessions (mostly in people's homes, none in a traditional recording studio) using McGuinn's Apple G4 computer as a mobile recording setup. Unlike the online "Folk Den" recordings, which feature McGuinn solo (occasionally overdubbing himself for accompaniment), for these performances he enlisted a number of friends as accompanists and duet partners, including Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Eliza Carthy, and Tommy Makem. The results are a shade more polished than McGuinn's Folk Den sessions (several of which have been released on disc by mp3.com) and McGuinn is in fine voice, as are his guests (though neither McGuinn nor Odetta and Jean Ritchie have quite enough grit to do justice to "John the Revelator"). Treasures From the Folk Den, however, is flawed somewhat by the material; while nearly all of these songs are foundation blocks of the folk repertoire, as a consequence they've been recorded dozens of times by a number of major artists (including several who appear on this disc), and while these recordings are strong, they aren't that much different than the others that are already available. Treasures From the Folk Den would make a good introduction for someone just dipping their toes into the basic folk repertoire, and it's always a pleasure to hear these artists in strong and committed form, but there isn't much here that longtime folk enthusiasts haven't heard before; it's enjoyable, but hardly essential. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Taking his cue from Ray Davies' "Storyteller" tour to support his autobiography X-Ray, Roger McGuinn constructed his live performances of the mid-'90s as a series of greatest hits, new songs, neglected gems and witty, affectionate anecdotes of his life in the music industry. Live from Mars replicates one of these concerts, featuring classics like "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn, Turn, Turn," and "So You Want to Be a Rock N Roll Star" intercut with humorous stories and two new songs, "May the Road Rise to Meet You" and "Fireworks." For fans, Live from Mars is a small treasure, since it is one of McGuinn's friendliest and most relaxed recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following his series of solo albums for Columbia, Roger McGuinn recorded infrequently during the 1990s, so this live bootleg, taped during a 1991 concert broadcast from Electric Ladyland, will have some appeal to his fans. Although the supporting cast of musicians is not identified, it was a Tampa Bay based band called the Headlights, led by Steve Connelly. McGuinn revisits some older material with success, including "Tiffany Queen" (first recorded for the Byrds' final LP, Farther Along), Bob Dylan's well-known "Mr. Tambourine Man," and Pete Seeger's famous recasting of Biblical verse ("Turn! Turn! Turn!"), though the finale of "Eight Miles High" lacks the drama of versions he recorded as leader of the Byrds. Most of the set leans toward newer material, including collaborations with his wife ("Someone to Love," "The Trees Are All Gone," and "Car Phone") and Tom Petty ("King of the Hill"), though none of this material (especially "Car Phone") compares to McGuinn's writing from the 1960s and 1970s. The excellent recording quality and good playing make this CD stand far above typical bootlegs, especially the alternate version of this concert put out as Live from Electric Ladyland, which has lousy sound, mislabels songs, and chops up the performance. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
'Live from Electric Lady Land: 7/18/91'
Release Date 1/1/1991
Tracks 11
Label Fusion
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What The Critics Say
After spending the better part of the 1980s as a solo acoustic troubadour, Byrds cofounder Roger McGuinn landed a contract for a solo album with Arista Records at the turn of the 1990s. Featuring Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and ex-Byrds David Crosby and Chris Hillman, the resultant album had a strangely modern feel, although it was primarily driven by McGuinn's trademark Rickenbacker 12-string. Songwriting had never been McGuinn's strong suit, and on this album he wisely chose some excellent material by Jules Shear and Tom Petty, who provided the album's unexpected hit, "King of the Hill." ~ Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following his high-water mark of Cardiff Rose, McGuinn's Thunderbyrd is a bit of a letdown. While most of the tracks are covers ranging from Dylan to Peter Frampton to George Jones to Tom Petty's "American Girl," the songs all have a sort of weariness to them which detracts from what should have been a great effort. His last solo disc for a long, long time. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On the surface, Roger McGuinn, the former leader and 12-string jangle-meister of the Byrds, and Mick Ronson, who contributed the wicked guitar crunch to David Bowie's Spiders from Mars period, might seem like a wildly unlikely musical combination, but the two became friendly when they both toured as part of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, and after that road trip came to a close, Ronson went into the studio with McGuinn to produce his next solo album. The result, 1976's Cardiff Rose, is easily one of McGuinn's finest solo efforts; with fellow Rolling Thunder veterans Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth, and David Mansfield joining McGuinn and Ronson in the studio, the band sounds tight and enthusiastic from front to back, and while this rocks a good bit harder than the average McGuinn effort, Ronson's six-string swagger never gets in the way of the songs, and Mick's production is unexpectedly sympathetic, adding the right seafaring touches to the pirate tale "Jolly Roger" and coming up with a lovely old-timey arrangement for "Pretty Polly." McGuinn also had a better batch of material at his disposal than on his previous set, Roger McGuinn & Band; he wrote a handful of strong originals, including "Partners in Crime" (a witty salute to Abbie Hoffman, then on the lam), the charging rockers "Rock and Roll Time" and "Take Me Away," and the beautifully atmospheric "Jolly Roger," while he was also lucky enough to receive fine contributions from Bob Dylan ("Up to Me") and Joni Mitchell ("Dreamland"). Sadly, Cardiff Rose didn't fare especially well on the sales charts, which is a shame -- it finds McGuinn in excellent form, and proves he could have moved outside of the musical framework of the Byrds and still had plenty to say with the right collaborators. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
