HIGHWAYMEN / THE BROTHERS FOUR / THE LIMELITERS / PETER. PAUL & MARY: Classic Folk - Four Classic Albums Plus (2 CDS)

AVID Roots continues with its Four Classic Albums series with a re-mastered 2CD compilation set from The Highwaymen, The Brothers Four, The Limeliters & Peter, Paul & Mary complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.
“The Highwaymen: The Highwaymen”, “The Brothers Four: The Brothers Four”, “The Limeliters: The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters” and “Peter, Paul & Mary: Peter, Paul & Mary”
There could not have been a greater contrast between the sound of the Blues revival in the USA (and the UK) which rediscovered such artists as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B.King, John Lee Hooker, Reverend Gary Davis, Lonnie Johnson, Jimmy Reed and many more, and the sweet harmony vocal blend of the folk revival groups who formed during the Folk revival around the same time (particularly in the USA). Here we have four folk groups who had huge success especially in the states, during this short-lived period before The Beatles and a new Dylan arrived. Our first three groups, The Highwaymen, The Brothers Four and The Limeliters represented the less political side of the folk scene, alongside others like The New Christy Minstrels, The Chad Mitchell Trio and of course The Kingston Trio. Their strength and popularity rested with their superb vocal harmonies and choice of traditional, novelty and romantic ballads which they were able to re-work into fine commercial fun folk. These guys were entertainers. The Highwaymen even appeared many times on the Ed Sullivan Show and two of the groups existed as a performing unit into the noughties albeit not with exactly the original line up! Our fourth group Peter, Paul & Mary had a much more political edge to them to go alongside wonderful vocal harmonies as the singing of the guys blended beautifully with that of Mary Travers. They were able to combine this political edge helped by the fact that they were managed by Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman and so were able to gain access to many of the great man’s early protest masterpieces. The folk revival did not last very long but it gave us many great vocal harmony bands which had a great influence on the next musical development in the early mid-sixties, folk rock. Many of the great bands of the era had their origins in the early folk scene, take a listen to The Byrds, Lovin’ Spoonful and The Mamas & Papas for example, pretty much all their members were in folk groups from The New Christy Minstrels to the Chad Mitchell Trio and even the legendary Mugwumps! McGuinn & McGuire (of course!) Crosby, Gene Clark, John Phillips, Mama Cass, Sebastian and Yanovsky, the list goes on and is pretty impressive. Here’s where it started.
Check out:- Joan Baez (AMSC 1213); Woody Guthire & Jack Elliott (AMSC944); Muddy Waters / Howlin’ Wolf (AMSC1162); Lightnin’ Hopkins (AMSC1225, AMSC1254 & 1363); Jesse Fuller / Josh White (AMSC1344); Jimmy Reed (AMSC1214); John Lee Hooker (AMSC1234 & 1382); B.B. King (AMSC1203 & 1387); Lonnie Johnson (AMSC1207); Rev. Gary Davis (AMSC1271);

CD1
1-12: ‘The Highwaymen: The Highwaymen’
1. Santiano
2. Big Rock Candy Mountain
3. A La Claire Fontaine
4. Carni Valito
5. Ah Si Mon Moina
6. Sinner Man
7. Michael
8. Take This Hammer
9. Au Clair De La Lune
10. Greenland Fisheries
11. Irish Work Song (Pat Works On The Railway)
12. Cindy Oh Cindy
13. The Gypsy Rover (The Whistling Gypsy) (Bonus Track)
14-25: ‘The Brothers Four: The Brothers Four’
14. The Zulu Warrior
15. Sama Kama Wacky Brown
16. The Damsel’s Lament (I Will Never Marry)
17. Yellow Bird
18. Angelique-O
19. Superman
20. East Virginia
21. Greenfields
22. Darlin’ Won’t You Wait
23. Eddystone Light
24. Banua
25. Hard Travelin’
26 The Green Leaves Of Summer (Bonus Track)
27. The Tarriers: The Banana Boat Song (Bonus Track)
28. The Weavers: This Land Is Your Land (Bonus Track)
29. Bud & Travis: Ballad Of The Alamo (Bonus Track)
30. The Rooftop Singers: Walk Right In (Bonus Track)

CD2
1-12: ‘The Limeliters: The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters’
1. Western Wind
2. Medley: Hard Travellin’ / Mount Zion
3. Lass From The Low Country
4. Gunslinger
5. Curimã
6. Vikki Duggan
7. Aravah, Aravah
8. Whistling Gyspy
9. The Time Of Man
10. Harry Pollitt
11. Hard, Ain’t It Hard
12. Mama Don’t ‘Low
13. A Dollar Down (Bonus Track)
14-25: ‘Peter, Paul & Mary: Peter, Paul & Mary’
14. Early In The Morning
15. 500 Miles
16. Sorrow
17. This Train
18. Bamboo
19. It’s Raining
20. If I Had My Way
21. Cruel War
22. Lemon Tree
23. If I Had A Hammer
24. Autumn To May
25. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
26. Big Boat (Bonus Track)