As featured in my e-Book
"...To Love You Again..."
The
original vinyl double album "The Compleat Tom Paxton - Recorded Live"
was taped across two nights in New York's famous Folk and Rock Venue "The
Bitter End" in June 1970 and released in March 1971 on Elektra 7E-2003 in
the USA and Elektra EKD 2003 in the UK (later reissued November 1975 as Elektra
K 62004 in the UK).
This
superb 2CD reissue is a straightforward remaster (without bonuses) of his final
set for Elektra Records (he then signed to Reprise after that). Here are the Folk
Troubadour details...
UK
released June 2014 - "The Compleat Tom Paxton - Recorded Live" by TOM
PAXTON on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1148 (Barcode 5017261211484) is a 2CD set of
Remasters and breaks down as follow:
Disc
1 (43:25 minutes):
1.
Clarissa Jones
2.
Introduction
3.
The Things I Notice Now
4.
Jennifer's Rabbit/I Give You The Morning
5.
Intro To `The Marvellous Toy'
6.
The Marvellous Toy
7.
Leaving London
8.
Angie
9.
All Night Long
10.
Bayonet Rap
11.
Talking Vietnam Pot Luck Blues
12.
Jimmy Newman
13.
Outward Bound
Disc
2 (43:05 minutes):
1.
Morning Again
2.
Cant Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound
3.
My Lady's A Wild Flying Dove
4.
Now That I've Taken A Life
5.
About The Children
6.
Ballad Of Spiro Agnew
7.
Mr. Blue
8.
Wish I Had A Troubadour
9.
Ev'ry Time (When We Are Gone)
10.
Cindy's Crying Hooker
11.
Introduction to the Musicians
12.
Ramblin' Boy
13.
The Last Thing On My Mind
[Note:
there is a now deleted Rhino Handmade 2CD reissue from 2004 called "Even
Compleater" which offers up more from the concerts - see separate entry
and higher price].
As
with all these Beat Goes On CD reissues nowadays - it comes in a tasty outer
card slipcase and features a very detailed booklet (20 pages) with great liner
notes by noted musicologist JOHN O'REGAN. But the big news as ever is the new
2014 gorgeous remaster by ANDREW THOMPSON - it's very clean and warm. There is
hiss on some tracks but its neither dampened by noise reduction nor amplified
to impress. The music is as it was - just better.
Already
a near 10-year musical veteran by the time he made this recording - Tom Paxton
was comfortable with his songs, his voice, his conscience and knew exactly how
to perform to a literate audience. There's a fabulous intimacy about the gig -
and his repartee with the enthralled crowd oozes out of every track (I'm
reminded of Don McLean's gorgeous "Solo" double live set from 1976).
A good example of this is the long spoken preamble to "Talking Vietnam Pot
Luck Blues" called "Bayonet Rap" where its wordplay/political
undercurrent is beautifully thought out. It's about pre-training in Kansas for
young American men drafted into the US Army and features very funny and
perceptive observations ("Crawl in the mud under barbed wire...stuff you
can use..."). It also touches on the madness of the war once the naive
college kids got there - scared G.I.s discovering 'grass' in Vietnam ("The
whole platoon was flying high...chanting something about Hare
Krishna..."). Disc 1 finishes on an aural double whammy-high - a stunning
story song called "Jimmy Newman" and his popular Sixties hit
"Outward Bound".
The
ballads are especially pretty - "All Night Long" and the plaintive
"Leaving London" - a tune about longing for a girl, returning to her
and flying home (lyrics from it title this review). And both "Leaving
London" and the lovely "Angie" benefit hugely from the
beautifully complimentary piano playing of David Horowitz. Disc 2 continues
with more of the same - "About The Children" and "The Last Thing
On My Mind" mellow and impressive.
This
is a quality reissue by BGO and a good reminder of the power of a man, a guitar
and a sharp mind...
PS: see LABELS LIST also for my review for his album "How Come The Sun" (also from 1971) reissued by Beat Goes On in 2018 with a Bonus EP from 1967...
PS: see LABELS LIST also for my review for his album "How Come The Sun" (also from 1971) reissued by Beat Goes On in 2018 with a Bonus EP from 1967...
