1. Michael, Row the Boat Ashore
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain
3. I've Been Working on the Railroad
4. Down in the Valley
5. Blue Tail Fly
6. Black Is the Color
7. Boll Weevil
8. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho
9. The Fox
10. Casey Jones
11. The House Carpenter
12. Three Courting Songs
13. The Greenland Fisheries
14. Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
15. Paddy Works on the Railroad
16. Go Down Old Hannah
17. Road to Eilat
18. Ariran
19. Die Gedanken Sind Frei
20. Bayeza
21. Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
22. In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)

It's understandable that Pete Seeger fans might protest the rather lo-fi sound quality on this CD. These appear to be older "live" recordings, for the most part, and, yeah, they are pretty rough when you get right down to it. For me(and I can only speak for myself), that's part of the record's charm. Lately, I find myself getting so tired of the overproduced pap that dominates the broadcast media, that an old rough cut release like this one takes on a certain charm.

And, hey, it IS a budget line release, after all. I know you might hope for audiophile quality nonetheless, but at these prices, can you really complain? It's not as though it's so badly mixed that Pete's voice is drowned out by the banjo or anything. It's fine, actually, just not what you'd call pristine.

But neither were any of the songs to begin with. They're rough and ready and PLENTIFUL. It's been said that Pete Seeger has a bagful of songs that would be the envy of any traditional folkie, and that's certainly true. While most of the tunes here actually do come from his usual Anglo-American base, the CD's title is not inaccurate. Alongside bits of Americana like "Big Rock Candy Mountain" aned "Boll Weevil," He's got pieces from Germany, Korea, South Africa and Scandinavia.

And as I said, the tunes are there in abundance. Nineteen tracks in all, and although some are admittedly shortish, most are full lengh performances. There's something satisfying about the CD's actual playing time. It's just about actual concert length. And that counts for something these days.

I doubt I would recommend this record as an intro to Pete Seeger's works, but I wouldn't say it's solely for completists either. If you've enjoyed his music before, it's likely you'll find this collection rewarding, at least after a few spins. It's one of those records that kind of sneaks up on you. Heck, I think I'll go play it again.--- Gregor von Kallahann, amazon.com

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1 	Last Train To Nuremberg 	2:40
2 	Sailing Down This Golden River 	2:33
3 	Uncle Ho 	2:05
4 	Snow Snow 	2:47
5 	My Rainbow Race 	2:50
6 	Our Generation 	2:58
7 	Old Devil Time 	2:28
8 	The Clearwater    Written-By – B. Foote		4:57
9 	Words Words Words 	2:12
10 	Hobo's Lullaby    Written-By – G. Reeves	3:23

Pete Seeger’s contribution to folk music, both in terms of its revival and survival, cannot be overstated. With the possible exception of Woody Guthrie, Seeger is the greatest influence on folk music of the last century. Born in New York City, he was the son of musicologist Charles Seeger. He took up the banjo in his teens and in 1938, at the age of 19, assisted noted folk archivist and field recorder Alan Lomax on his song-collecting trips through the American South. He soon began performing on banjo, guitar and vocals. In 1940, he formed a highly politicized folk trio, the Almanac Singers, which recorded union songs and antiwar anthems. They toured the country, performing at union halls for gas money, and recorded three albums. Woody Guthrie joined in 1941.

The Almanac Singers broke up with the advent of World War II. After a short stint in the army, Seeger formed the Weavers in 1948. They were a popular concert attraction who were at one point America’s favorite singing group. Their best-known numbers include such singalongs as “The Roving Kind,” “On Top of Old Smoky,” “Kisses Sweeter than Wine,” “Goodnight Irene” and “Wimoweh” (a.k.a. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”). Their popularity cut across all boundaries. As American poet Carl Sandberg attested, “The Weavers are out of the grassroots of America. When I hear America singing, the Weavers are there.”

During the communist witch-hunts of the early Fifties, however, the Weavers were blacklisted, resulting in canceled concert dates and the loss of their recording contract with Decca Records. Under congressional subpoena to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Seeger asserted his First Amendment rights, scolding the committee, “I am not going to answer any questions as to my associations, my philosophical or my religious beliefs, or how I voted in any election or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked.” Unlike many entertainers and writers who careers were ruined in the McCarthy era, Seeger stood his ground and persevered – even though he was sent to jail, albeit briefly, for defending his beliefs.

After leaving the Weavers in 1959, Seeger was signed to Columbia Records. He recorded prolifically for the label. His popularity hit a new peak with We Shall Overcome, a live album recorded at Carnegie Hall that is estimated to have sold half a million copies. Seeger is responsible for such folk standards as “If I Had a Hammer” (originally written by Seeger and Lee Hays of the Weavers as “The Hammer Song”) and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” Seeger’s one dalliance with the pop charts came in 1964, when his version of folksinger Malvina Reynolds’ exercise in suburban mockery, “Little Boxes,” reached #70. Seeger’s songs were also popularized by others, principally Peter, Paul and Mary (“If I Had a Hammer,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”) and the Byrds (“Turn! Turn! Turn!,” “The Bells of Rhymney”).

Though he had objected to Dylan’s use of electric instruments at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965, Seeger himself recorded with electric guitarist Danny Kalb (of the Blues Project) two years later on his album Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and Other Love Songs. Seeger, with his outspoken commitment to the peace movement, often wrote directly or metaphorically of the Vietnam war in the Sixties. A tireless champion of causes, Seeger has devoted himself to environmental issues, particularly the cleanup of his beloved Hudson River.

In Seeger’s capable hands, from the Forties to the present day, a concert isn’t regarded as a one-way proceeding but a group singalong. Indeed, Seeger’s gently assertive insistence that his audience sing out can be read as a larger metaphor for the necessary involvement of citizens to insure the healthy functioning of democracy in America. Seeger has recorded and performed tirelessly throughout his career, honoring the folksingers’ timeless commitment to spread the word and involve an audience. “My ability lies in being able to get a crowd to sing along with me,” he said in a 1971 interview. “When I get upon a stage, I look on my job as trying to tell a story. I use songs to illustrate my story and dialogue between songs to carry the story forward.”

Pete Seeger passed away on January 27, 2014. He was 94. ---rockhall.com

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1. If I Had A Hammer
2. Goodnight Irene - The Weavers
3. Barbara Allen
4. Talking Union - The Almanax Singers
5. Wimoweh (Mbube)
6. John Henry
7. Little Boxes
8. Michael Row The Boat Ashore
9. This Land Is Your Land
10. Guantanamera
11. Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
12. Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
13. The Bells Of Rhymney
14. Waist Deep In The Big Muddy
15. We Shall Overcome

Pete Seeger – banjo, guitars, vocals
Fred Hellerman – banjo, vocals
Lee Hays – vocals
Ronnie Gilbert – vocals

The Essential Pete Seeger is perfect: perfect for people who are comfortable with abdicating the freedom of determining what is or isn’t essential for themselves. You don’t distill one of Mom’s freshly baked apple pies down to a fat-free cookie and call it “‘essential’ apple pie.” The reason is not because the cookie isn’t delicious, but because the word “essential” connotes “this is all you need.” And as undeniable as the music on The Essential Pete Seeger is, suggesting 15 songs on a single disc is definitive for a life as multi-faceted and enduring as Seeger’s is ludicrous. As a friend of mine just pointed out, Kenny Loggins’ Essential collection is a two-disc marathon! Surely, more could have been done with this project.

Granted, it’s a much different world from when Seeger recorded “Goodnight Irene” with the Weavers in 1950. Every facet of American life has accelerated to the point where this kind of reduction feels completely warranted and even desirable. Who’s got the time anymore? If you’re jonesing for canonized, pivotal American folk music and you want it hot and fast, this collection is definitely where it’s at. But is that really what you want? If there are actually people out there jonesing for iconic folk music, aren’t they also the kind of people who tend to avoid cursory overviews of important artists? Wouldn’t they already have definitive versions of “This Land Is Your Land”, “If I Had a Hammer”, and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”?

Even the liner notes are of the pithy, VH-1 flashback variety. A collection of endorsements and testimonials features everyone from Joan Baez and Billy Bragg to the Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey. They’re nice enough, as are Dave Marsh’s brief opening notes, but they also feel essential-ized, extracted from larger conversations and debates that would prove more insightful and rewarded if presented in full. Maybe it’s a lure, giving you just enough of a tease to make you think, “I really should investigate his catalog further.” And thank heavens if it does. To be fair, Legacy’s website does offer a good deal of his in-print Columbia catalog for very affordable prices. But the disc itself is presented in such a way to make think that all the messy work of exploration and immersion has been done for you, and now you need look no further. Each selection seems to put a cap on a different mood and style. The Guthrie-inspired 1941 Almanac Singers’ recording of “Talking Union” showcases his radical and humane politics, while “Guantanamera” and “Wimoweh” represent his forays into world music and his work to bring it to the attention of U.S. audiences. And then there’s Seeger’s adaptation of passages from the Book of Ecclesiastes, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)”, made popular by the Byrds, but timeless and achingly good in any incarnation on the strength of Seeger’s music.

Each individual selection on its own merits full marks, and there are more nefarious schemes being plotted out in the world than repackaging and presenting Pete Seeger songs to a new audience. But one of the most gratifying aspects of the live-recorded selections like “Michael Row the Boat Ashore”, and “Little Boxes” is the audience participation and interaction, adults and children hanging on every word and note, laughing and singing along. As David Marsh writes, “If Pete Seeger had a plan, you could boil it down to this: Encourage more people to sing more songs. More people listening to one another. More people singing and saying things worth hearing.” Reconcile that with Sony’s big fat FBI anti-piracy stickers and protections that imply: keep it to yourself, don’t share it, stay in your houses. Yikes. If you really want to honor Seeger’s music, do the opposite. Learn it, sing it, spread it. Make it more than a time capsule or quick-fix summation; make it more than essential. --- Michael Metivier, popmatters.com

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A1 	'Twas On A Night Like This 	3:28
A2 	Mary Had A Baby 	2:42
A3 	Glory To That New Born King 	2:34
A4 	What Child Is This? 	1:45
A5 	Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow 	1:36
A6 	Carol Of The Beasts 	2:02
A7 	Traditional Tune 	1:44
B1 	The First Noel 	5:41
B2 	Behold That Star 	2:15
B3 	Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming 	1:57
B4 	Masters Of This Hall 	1:23
B5 	Traditional Tune (On Hillel) 	0:52
B6 	Twelve Gates To The City 	3:24

Pete Seeger - Banjo, Guitar, Vocals 

In 1967, Pete Seeger expanded upon the material he had recorded for the earlier seasonal collection The Nativity (Folkways FTS35001) to create Traditional Christmas Carols. Accompanying himself on either banjo or guitar, he sang several familiar songs, including "What Child Is This?," "The First Noël," and "Twelve Gates To The City," as well as more obscure ones. This would have been an ideal album for the singer to record before a live audience that might have sung along and livened up the proceedings; in the studio, with his correct but austere performances, it suggests a relatively bleak Christmas season. ---William Ruhlmann, AllMusic Review

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