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Pete Seeger & Friends
Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3
(Appleseed)
First Appeared at The Music Box, October 2003, Volume 10, #10
Written by John Metzger
Midway through the first disc of Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3
is Estadio Chile, the horrific tale of Victor Jara, a Chilean folk
musician who thirty years ago was publicly tortured and killed for supporting
the legally elected but overthrown Salvador Allende government. Jara had been
singing to the students at the State Technical University when the crowd
suddenly found itself surrounded by soldiers. When asked if he had been the one
performing, Jara nodded. He was taken to the middle of the stadium, his hands
were broken, and he was told to sing. When he did, the crowd joined him, and the
soldiers took out their machine guns and shot him. Said then U.S. Secretary of
State Henry Kissinger, "I don’t see why we have to let a country go Communist
just because its people are irresponsible."
Such has been the career of Pete Seeger, who for more than 60 years has
spoken his mind — fighting for the common man and shining a bright light on the
social injustices of the world. In the ’30s, he spent time making field
recordings with Alan Lomax. In the ’40s, he performed with Woody Guthrie as part
of the loose-knit Almanac Singers. He founded the Weavers, which went on to
remarkable success, bridging the gap between folk and popular music, but due to
his outspoken nature, Seeger also wound up blacklisted after being called to
testify before the House Un-American Activities Commission. In the ’60s, he
began his solo career and was at the forefront of the protests against the war
in Vietnam, and although tastes and styles have changed dramatically over the
course of the past thirty years, Seeger has continued walking down the same
path, sticking to what he does best: enlightening the world through his genteel
music and hard-hitting lyrics.
In 1996, Appleseed Records embarked on an ambitious project to highlight the
wealth of music associated with Seeger throughout the 20th Century.
Artists — including Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Nanci Griffith,
Donovan, Richie Havens, and Tim Robbins — came together to pay tribute to a man who had
informed their own careers. Seven years and three collections — spanning five
albums and 90 tracks — later, Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3
draws the historical survey to a close.
The first disc of this Seeds features previously unreleased material,
performed by Seeger with the help of a few friends. Anne Hills lends her
gorgeous voice to the soaring Flowers of Peace and Steve Earle, Ani
DiFranco, and Billy Bragg unite on the anti-Vietnam War-turned-anti-Gulf War II
protest song Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam). Elsewhere,
Seeger offers the playful English is Cuh-ray-zee as well as the stately
beauty of Sailing Down My Golden River in his usual easy-going, affable
manner.
The second half of Seeds shifts the emphasis to contemporary folk
artists reinterpreting Seeger’s songs, and while it doesn’t have quite the star
power of the first two editions in the series, it still features some rather
stunning performances. Highlights are plentiful and include Dick Gaughan’s
hauntingly austere rendition of Bells of Rhymney, Natalie Merchant’s
potent translation of Which Side Are You On, and Janis Ian’s masterfully
delivery of Who Killed Norma Jean. Indeed, the music and actions of Pete
Seeger are an important part of America’s cultural heritage, and given the
current environment where rights granted under this country’s Constitution are
under fire by the very people elected to protect them, well, it just makes a
collection like Seeds all the more essential. 
Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3 is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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