Demonstrates the bad side of CDs

It is no coincidence that it is Tom's love and loss songs that have lasted 40 years. Few songs are as poignant and touching as Last Thing On My Mind or I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound. These beautifully meld lyric and tune, creating the kind of song that sounds as if it's been around for years the first time you hear it. Great songs, well performed, with a few other gems as well. Tom's voice has never sounded as lonesome and sorrowful as he did back then; his later recordings lack the weariness and sound much more "produced."

Also appearing on this CD is his touching paean "Fare Thee Well, Cisco", a beautifully rendered remembrance of Cisco Houston. Cisco was unfortunately already on the road to obscurity, and Tom wanted to reverse that unjustifiable slide. Let's hope this release helps that. Look him up on the web and listen to what Tom was honoring!

However, these CDs take Tom's first two LPs and give you 29 tracks of his limited vocals and self-righteous lyrics. Listening to 1 side of 1 LP would probably be fine. But 4 sides in a row is just too much. There is not enough variety, not enough ferocity, and way too much smug self-congratulation and arogance. Tom is a little before my time, through I grew up on versions of his songs by others. But listening now to his juvenile political and economic rants is much like listening to a lot of other music of its day; time capsule stuff, but it's hard to imagine what the fuss was about. They are not clever, not smart, not hard-hitting, but a bit smarmy and whiny. And the irony of ironies is that as millions of parents reject the liberal ideology of public school, his What Did You Learn In School Today could be turned 180 degrees. Who's indoctrinating now????

Sound quality very good, original LP notes included, nice booklet. Good price and good value (not allthat much more than the 2 LPs cost back then), but I will pick and choose which ones I listen to regularly.

More relevant than ever

Even if you've never heard of Tom Paxton, chances are you know at least one of his songs by heart: "The Last Thing On My Mind," "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound," "Goin' To The Zoo," "Ramblin' Boy," and "Bottle Of Wine" are surely loved by millions of people who have no idea who wrote them. Surprisingly, the original versions of all those classics appeared on Paxton's first two albums, collected here on CD for what I believe is the first time. (Technically they're his second and third albums, but the one that preceded them is so obscure even Paxton himself has said it "doesn't count.") These recordings are spare and fairly low key compared to many of the more famous cover versions, but that just adds to their charm in my opinion. And the classics are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tom Paxton.

While there's a lot here, this is not a "for completists only" collection. Several of the songs found here that aren't world famous are just as good as the ones that are. "A Rumblin' In The Land," "Ain't That News," and "I'm The Man That Built The Bridges" are all high on my list of the greatest protest songs. Elsewhere, Paxton tackles a number of early `60s topics which are once again all too relevant, such as unemployment ("Standing On the Edge of Town"), right-wing media bias ("Daily News" and "What Did You Learn In School Today?"), public complacency in the face of injustice ("We Didn't Know") and, most eerily, a government lying its way into war ("Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation"). Paxton didn't lean as heavily on love songs back then as he does now, but his romantic side is well represented too, with "I'm Bound For the Mountains and the Sea" and "Hold On To Me Babe," among others.

Made at the height of the 1960s folk revival, these recordings are the ultimate product of that era, complete with low-budget production and stridently political lyrics. They do show their age as a result, but nonetheless, this is arguably second only to Bob Dylan's second album as the most important collection of original, modern folksongs now in print.