Search - Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Spider John Koerner, Utah Phillips :: Legends of Folk

CD-Perfection. RJE's Finest Cuts

Mark Oliva | Muenchsteinach Deutschland | 02/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're making your first acquaintance with Ramblin' Jack, start with his 1981 German sessions, "Kerouac's Last Dream," on Appleseed 1021. Ramblin' Jack is quoted as saying he considers the German CD to be his best album. "Legends of Folk" may not have come into his consideration, seeing the concert was shared with Spider John Koerner and U. Utah Phillips. Nonetheless, what was captured in this World Theater concert in 1989 is my pick for Ramblin' Jack's best recorded music. Why? Well, Ramblin' Jack always is at his best when he talks and then sings to an audience. Other CDs gave samplings of the unique Ramblin' Jack stage experience in 1962 and 1967, but the World Theater takes make a 20-year-leap ahead in time, giving us a unique, deep-running, exciting but intimate 36 minutes with the masterful musician who now is nothing less than a Great Master. His incomparable guitar strings are vibrating almost all of the while, but about half of that time is spent hearing Ramblin' Jack rap, a heartening experience sans pareil. The music? The best thing on the whole CD is "912 Greens," his third and to date last recorded take of his own masterwork. Among other things, we also hear his best version of four (also 1965, 1967 and 1981) of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" and his finest performance of four (also 1967, 1996 and 1998) of Woody Guthrie's "Buffalo Skinners." What about Utah and Spider John? Both are superlative but in Ramblin' Jack's shadow. Utah's comic lines are timeless: "An empty car pulled up at the White House and Ronald Reagan got out." And Spider John's kinky, post-Blind Willie McTell 12-string always is fascinating. His best tracks here are "Creepy John" and "Everybody's Going for the Money.""