The Village Out West: The Lost Tapes of Alan Oakes

Field Recordings of the 1960s California Folk Music Scene

Smithsonian Folkways - SFW40245

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Released: 2021
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Disk One]
01 Beaumont Rag: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb (3:13)
02 Oh, Had I A Golden Thread: Larry Hanks and Roger Perkins (3:58)
03 Westphalia Waltz: Ron Hughey, Frank Hicks, and Pete Everwine (2:52)
04 Raggedy Pat: LaWanda Ultan (1:37)
05 8th of January: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (2:23)
06 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Merritt Herring (2:33)
07 The Billboard Song: Doc Watson (2:12)
08 Write Me a Few of Yo Lines: Mississippi Fred McDowell (4:22)
09 Milwaukee Blues: Dr. Humbead's New Tranquility String Band (2:49)
10 Swallow Song: Kathy & Carol (1:34)
11 Charlie's Neat and Charlie's Sweet / Weevilly Wheat: Jerry Houck, Larry Hanks, and Tom Ninkovich (2:04)
12 Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee: Jim Ringer, Ron Tinkler, and the Sweets Mill Mountain Boys (2:08)
13 Gimme That Old Time Religion: Rev. Gary Davis (4:09)
14 Talking Union: Gene Bluestein (2:42)
15 All My Friends Gonna Be Strangers: Kilby Snow (1:54)
16 Texas Quickstep: The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:15)
17 Long Time a-Growing: Caroline Paton (4:00)
18 Mardi Gras Dance: Jerry Houck (3:30)
19 Lady of Carlisle: Don Rollins (aka Abel Fortune) (3:59)
20 White Winged Dove: Mark Spoelstra (4:28)
21 Sardines and Pork and Beans: Sandy and Caroline Paton (1:22)
22 Hoop-e-Kack: Dad Crockett and Frank Hicks (2:29)
23 Down, Down, Derry Down: Merritt Herring (2:55)
24 Walking Down That Railroad Line: Larry Hanks and Mark Spoelstra (4:16)
25 Duna: Ed Trickett (2:11)
26 Orange Blossom Special: Hank Bradley, Rick Shubb, and Doc Watson (4:18)
[Disk Two]
01 Fire on the Mountain: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:28)
02 When the Curfew Blows: Sandy and Jeanie Darlington (1:48)
03 Ragtime Annie: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson (2:58)
04 The Hounds are Out (The Innocent Hare): Allan MacLeod (3:15)
05 Bachelor Blues: The New Lost City Ramblers (1:13)
06 Jimmy Whelan: Roger Renwick (3:41)
07 Paddy, Won't You Drink Some Cider?: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:17)
08 Good Night Waltz: Ron Hughey and Frank Hicks (2:08)
09 Searchin': Kathy & Carol with Will Scarlett (2:30)
10 The Clouds Gwine Roll Away: Doc Watson (2:41)
11 Northfield: Larry Hanks, Roger Perkins, Kathy Larisch, and Carol McComb (2:02)
12 Baby, Let Me Lay It on You: Rev. Gary Davis (2:56)
13 Talking Fishing Blues: Larry Hanks (5:01)
14 Sweet Sunny South: Jerry Houck (2:27)
15 Play Run Run: Mark Spoelstra (2:29)
16 Cherokee Shuffle: Hank Bradley and Sandy Rothman featuring Doc Watson (3:21)
17 Bringing Mary Home: Kilby Snow (2:34)
18 The Lost Trapper: The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:38)
19 Don't Mistreat Nobody (Cause You Got a Few Dimes): Mississippi Fred McDowell (4:19)
20 Billy in the Lowground: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson (3:31)
21 The Curlew's Song: Merritt Herring (3:55)
22 Jamie Raeburn's Farewell: Will Spires (4:02)
23 Hesitation Blues: Rev. Gary Davis (4:06)
24 I'm a Rover and Seldom Sober: Sandy and Caroline Paton (2:54)
25 O, Them Golden Slippers: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb (2:06)
[Credits]
Recorder: Alan Oakes, Producer and Liner Notes: Deborah Robins, Jeff Place and Henry H. Sapoznik, Liner Notes: Hank Bradley and James Deutsch, Designer: Cooley Design Lab, Engineers: Jordan Cunningham and Ronnie Simpkins
[Notes]
The Village Out West celebrates the underappreciated bastion of the Folk Revival that emerged in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, a counterpoint to the seminal New York City scene that has dominated the historical narrative. Compiled from a vast array of recordings by autodidact recording engineer Alan Oakes, the two-CD set features legendary names like Hank Bradley, Rev. Gary Davis, Larry Hanks, Mississippi Fred McDowell, New Lost City Ramblers, and Doc Watson, as well as unsung heroes of the local California communities that turned the region into fertile ground for American music. This music triumphantly transcends the passage of the decades with its luminous and passionate presence, making the case for California as a crucial hotbed for some of the most impressive and diverse folk music of the 20th century.

Kathy & Carol

Elektra – EKS-7289

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Sprig Of Thyme (2:59)
A2 George Collins (2:46)
A3 The Blacksmith (3:51)
A4 Fair Beauty Bright (2:32)
A5 Green Rocky Road (2:28)
A6 The Grey Cock (4:48)
B1 Wondrous Love (2:25)
B2 Carter's Blues (2:57)
B3 Lady Maisry (4:04)
B4 Brightest And Best (3:08)
B5 Gold Watch And Chain (3:29)
B6 Just A Hand To Hold (4:55)
[Credits]
Kathy Larisch (guitar/vocals/autoharp) Carol McComb (guitar/vocals/autoharp)
Producer: Jac Holzman, Liner Notes: John Cohen and Kathy Larisch, Photographer: James Frawley, Designer: William S. Harvey, Recording Director: Paul A. Rothchild, Recorder: Paul A. Rothschild
[Notes]
The duo of Kathy Larisch (guitar/vocals/autoharp) and Carol McComb (guitar/vocals/autoharp) seemingly disappeared from the mid-'60s folk scene as quickly as they appeared, releasing only this long-player. Kathy & Carol (1965) contains a dozen acoustic and primarily time-honored selections, featuring sparse yet effective accompaniment from the pair themselves. In a literal sense of the word, they are traditionalists boasting unmatched interpretive skills. Although the performance style is on par with the likes of Joan Baez, Carolyn Hester, and Bonnie Dobson, the amalgamation of voices creates an ethereal timbre permeating every line. The closeness and precision of their harmonies is difficult to accurately describe. There is an intimacy and timelessness that lends itself well to the lovelorn and chaste "Sprig of Thyme," or the infusion of a disparate version of the Francis Child ballad "Lady Alice" on "George Collins." While McComb and Larisch are self-taught, the complexity within the grooves of the Carter Family classic "Gold Watch and Chain" indicates a sophistication and presumably innate musicality that, simply stated, cannot be taught. Kathy & Carol also illuminate the Carter Family's "Carter Blues," a song that, according to the notes on the rear of the original LP jacket, was learned via Mike Seeger. The ladies give it a propitious and youthful visage that practically defies the lyrical content, building instead upon an effortless delivery. The a cappella numbers, "Wondrous Love" and "Blacksmith," are similarly distinguished by a virtually intangible and otherworldly quality as the focus lies solely on the pure blend. Arguably, the most familiar melody on the album is "Just a Hand to Hold," perhaps better-known as "He Was a Friend of Mine." The adaptation here is credited by way of their labelmate, Mark Spoelstra, whose own reading can be found on his 5 & 20 Questions (1965). In 2004 Collectors' Choice Music issued Kathy & Carol (1965) on CD for the first time, restoring this unquestionable landmark for generations of folk enthusiasts to come.-- AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer