Search - Michelle Shocked :: Texas Campfire Takes

What a disappointment

06/13/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a major disappointment for a huge fan. One often hears the phrase "for fans only"; in this case, I would say, "fans stay away". "Takes" contains the original CD, which Michelle much lamented and which seems to have started the rift between her and Mercury Records, and the so-called "real McCoy", apparently taken from the actual tapes but with more material.The problem with the second CD is the sound quality. I have heard many bootlegs that sound pristine compared to this. I literally had to turn my (100-watt) car CD player all the way up to even barely hear most of it. Many of the lyrics and the between-song dialog are practically unintelligible. This is extremely frustrating, especially knowing all the technology that's available now to fix these sorts of problems. This is 2003. Even if she couldn't get a decent copy of the tapes, they could have been cleaned up much better. This is a very weak first release for Mighty Sound. Hope the rest are better."

Low level

07/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this album is really some of the folkiest, piniest music you can find outside of folkways. i highly recommend it, but i will warn that the recording levels on this album are so low, that even with stereo at full blast, some guitar-strumming is hard to hear. if you want really down-home at its best, though, you're gonna have to deal with the drawback."

A great look at her early years

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/13/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Alt-folkie Michelle Shocked was right there when the current "Americana" boom was just getting underway, and I've always thought of her as having a strong, positive influence on its growth. This is an interesting set of informal, live performances by this intelligent, unassuming alt-folkie, made at the start of her career, when she was making the rounds of various "women's music" gatherings. Shocked was particularly cool, though, for opting to emulate Woody Guthrie rather than lesbian folk icons such as Tret Fure or Holly Near, who often tended to be a bit dreary and un-fun. These solo acoustic recording aren't completely electrifying, but they are a nice, unpretentious look at her early work. It's especially charming when you hear some truck whiz by on the freeway while she's crooning out a tune... now, that's authenticity!! The new 2-CD edition expands greatly on the original, single-disc set, and has been re-released on Shocked's own Mighty Sound label."