VA — Woody Guthrie — The Tribute Concerts (2017)

3CD + 2 books deluxe Bear Family set. 1968 Carn Hall & the 1970 Hollywood Bowl concerts w/The Band, Bob Dylan, Odetta, Joan Baez, Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Country Joe McDonald, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger & more.

A \’\’Tribute to Woody Guthrie\’\’ was planned for two performances at Carn Hall on January 20th, 1968. The list of artists joined Woody\’s own friends and peers with the next generation of songwriters and musicians just coming into their own. Appearing at the January concert were Judy Collins, Bob Dylan (in the first public appearance after his motorcycle accident in 1966 with members of The Band), Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Odetta, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger. Actors Will Geer and Robert Ryan narrated the program. Both performances were sold out an hour after tickets went on sale. Those fortunate enough to attend participated in one of the most exciting and remarkable musical experiences of all . Two years later, eighteen thousand people attended the west coast Tribute which took place on September 12, 1970, at the Hollywood Bowl.

The passing of Woody Guthrie in October 1967, just as the great folk revival of the early \’60s gave way to the rock revolution, left an enormous gap in the American music landscape there wasn\’t a singer-songwriter out there who didn t acknowledge Guthrie\’s influence. Many of the greatest, both from his own generation and those that followed, came together to pay their respects at multi-artist events held in New York in 1968 and LA two years later. Germany\’s Bear Family Records has assembled all of the music from those shows, most of which was released on a pair of 1972 albums, now augmented by some 20 previously unreleased tracks. They\’ve also included a number of interviews, with artists such as Judy Collins, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger and Woody\’s son Arlo Guthrie. Taken as a whole, the collection is both a respectable homage to Guthrie and a rder of just how vital the folk singer-songwriter scene was, even if it had been overshadowed by recent developments in rock. Disc one, the Carn show, gets by on star power, with early appearances by Arlo, Judy Collins (a lovely \’\’So Long, it\’s Been Good to Know Yuh\’\’), Richie Havens, Odetta, Pete Seeger and others, but it\’s not until well into the show, with a three-song set by the then-reclusive Bob Dylan (backed by members of The Band), that the enoy of the honoree is truly established. The second disc, and much of the third, switches the locale to Hollywood. Many of the same artists reprise their roles. (Havens\’ \’\’Nine Hundred Miles\’\’ is a highlight.) And while there\’s no Dylan, Joan Baez\’s interpretations of Guthrie standards like \’\’Plane Wreck at Los Gatos\’\’ and \’\’Pastures of Plenty\’\’ are jewels, and the presence of Guthrie contemporary Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott puts a stamp of authenticity on the proceedings. Jeff Tamarkin —Relix

Disc 1 — CD1: At Carn Hall (Jan, 20,1968)

1. Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie — This Train Is Bound For Glory (01:16)

2. Robert Ryan — This Machine Kills Fascists (Narration) (01:34)

3. Will Geer — His Name Was Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (Narration) (00:52)

4. Arlo Guthrie — Oklahoma Hils (02:23)

5. Will Geer — Woody Made Up A Thousand Songs (Narration) (00:30)

6. Judy Collins — So Long, It\’s Been Good To Know Yuh (03:19)

7. Robert Ryan — The Voice Of The People (Narration) (00:30)

8. Woody Guthrie — Riding In My Car (01:50)

9. Will Geer — \’My Mother\’s Name Was Nora Belle Tanner\’ (Narration) (00:40)

10. Pete Seeger — Curly Headed Baby (01:56)

11. Robert Ryan — \’Okemah, Oklahoma\’ (Narration) (00:54)

12. Odetta — Ramblin\’ Round (03:33)

13. Will Geer — \’Earplayers\’ (Narration) (01:02)

14. Pete Seeger, Judy Collins & Arlo Guthrie — Goin\’ Down The Road (I Ain\’t Gonna Be Treated This A-Way) (02:00)

15. Robert Ryan — \’My Mother Was An Earplayer… Pretty Boy Floyd\’ (Narration) (01:29)

16. Tom Paxton — Pretty Boy Floyd (02:15)

17. Will Geer — \’I Don\’t Want It To Sound Smooth…\’ (Narration) (00:37)

18. Richie Havens — Blues For Woody (03:04)

19. Will Geer — \’There\’s A Whole Big Army Of Us\’ (Narration) (00:24)

20. Judy Collins — Plane Wreck At Los Gatos (Deportee) (04:37)

21. Richie Havens — Vigilante Man (04:53)

22. Tom Paxton — Pastures Of Plenty (02:42)

23. Bob Dylan — Grand Coulee Dam (02:57)

24. Bob Dylan — Dear Mrs. Roosevelt (05:41)

25. Bob Dylan — I Ain\’t Got No Home (03:43)

26. Judy Collins — Roll On Columbia (Part 1) (00:20)

27. Robert Ryan — \’The Pacific Northwest…\’ (Narration) (00:33)

28. Judy Collins — Roll On Columbia (Part 2) (03:06)

29. Pete Seeger & Richie Havens — Jackhammer John (02:01)

30. Tom Paxton — Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done (The Great Historical Bum) (01:53)

31. Judy Collins & Pete Seeger — Union Maid (01:39)

32. Robert Ryan, Will Geer & Judy Collins — \’I Don\’t Know What This Stuff Called Is Made Out Of\’ (Narration) (03:20)

33. Odetta, Will Geer & Arlo Guthrie — This Land Is Your Land (02:53)

Disc 2 — CD2: At The Hollywood Bowl Part 1 (Sept. 12, 1970)

1. Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Country Joe McDonald, Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott & Richie Havens — This Train Is Bound For Glory (01:29)

2. Peter Fonda & Will Geer — His Name Was Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (Narration) (01:25)

3. Arlo Guthrie — Oklahoma Hills (03:09)

4. Will Geer — Woody Made Up A Thousand Songs (Narration) (00:21)

5. Joan Baez & Pete Seeger — So Long, It\’s Been Good To Know Yuh (03:34)

6. Peter Fonda — \’This Train…\’ (Narration) (00:20)

7. Country Joe McDonald, Arlo Guthrie, Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott & Pete Seeger — Goin\’ Down The Road (I Ain\’t Gonna Be Treated This A-Way) (02:52)

8. Peter Fonda & Will Geer — \’My Mother\’s Name Was Nora Belle Tanner\’ (Narration) (00:44)

9. Joan Baez — Hobo\’s Lullaby (04:26)

10. Peter Fonda — \’Okemah, Oklahoma\’ (Narration) (00:52)

11. Odetta — Ramblin\’ Round (04:16)

12. Will Geer — \’Earplayers\’ (Narration) (01:01)

13. Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie — I Ain\’t Got No Home (02:15)

14. Peter Fonda — \’My Mother Was An Earplayer… Pretty Boy Floyd\’ (Narration) (01:04)

15. Country Joe McDonald — Pretty Boy Floyd (03:22)

16. Richie Havens — Nine Hundred Miles (03:42)

17. Will Geer & Peter Fonda — \’I Sold Newspapers…\’ (Narration) (00:51)

18. Joan Baez — Plane Wreck At Los Gatos (Deportee) (05:04)

19. Peter Fonda — \’I Took Off…\’ (Narration) (00:42)

20. Odetta — John Hardy (03:42)

21. Will Geer — \’I Hit Pampa…\’ (Narration) (00:38)

22. Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Earl Robinson, Country Joe McDonald & Arlo Guthrie — Hard Travelin\’ (02:14)

23. Will Geer — \’37 Was A Dusty Year…\’ (Narration) (00:19)

24. Richie Havens — Vigilante Man (04:08)

25. Peter Fonda — \’The Further West You Walk…\’ (Narration) (00:47)

26. Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott — 1913 Massacre (04:35)

27. Arlo Guthrie — Do Re Mi (03:44)

28. Will Geer — \’There\’s A Whole Big Army Of Us\’ (Narration) (00:24)

29. Joan Baez — Pastures Of Plenty (03:07)

30. Peter Fonda — \’The Pacific Northwest…\’ (Narration) (00:30)

31. Earl Robinson & Pete Seeger — Roll On Columbia (04:19)

Disc 3 — CD3: At The Hollywood Bowl Part 2 (Sept. 12, 1970) and 22 bonus tracks (interviews)

1. Will Geer — Who Made Up This Song (Narration) (00:27)

2. Odetta, Will Geer & Peter Fonda — Why Oh Why & \’A Kid Is,,,\’ (Narration) (03:00)

3. Earl Robinson — Mail Myself To You (01:57)

4. Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott — Howdido (01:28)

5. Peter Fonda — \’My Body Is Naked…\’ (Narration) (01:44)

6. Country Joe McDonald — Woman At Home (03:09)

7. Will Geer — \’My Ballad Songs…\’ (Narration) (00:39)

8. Pete Seeger — The Sinking Of The Reuben James (03:51)

9. Will Geer — \’I Hate A Song…\’ (Narration) (00:54)

10. Arlo Guthrie — Jesus Christ (04:10)

11. Arlo Guthrie & Joan Baez — I\’ve Got To Know (03:21)

12. Arlo Guthrie, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta, Joan Baez & Pete Seeger — This Train Is Bound For Glory (03:50)

13. Peter Fonda & Joan Baez — \’I Don\’t Know What This Stuff Called Is Made Out Of\’ & \’Clars\’ (Narration) (03:08)

14. Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta & Richie Havens — This Land Is Your Land / So Long It\’s Been Good To Know Yuh (09:57)

15. Arlo Guthrie — \’The Only Thing I Really Remember…\’ (03:18)

16. Arlo Guthrie — \’These Events With A Multitude Of People…\’ (02:06)

17. Judy Collins — \’First Of All, Your Mom…\’ (00:39)

18. Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott — \’I Received An Invitation…\’ (02:54)

19. Ramblin\’ Jack Elliott — \’I Was Very Excited About The Whole Thing…\’ (01:03)

20. Rick Robbins — \’It Was A Mob Scene…\’ (01:19)

21. Rick Robbins — \’When He Came Out…\’ (00:21)

22. Judy Collins — \’I Was Very Nervous…\’ (00:34)

23. Rick Robbins — \’I Was Very Moved By…\’ (00:39)

24. Tom Paxton — \’I Was Invited By…\’ (00:25)

25. Tom Paxton — \’We All Went On Stage Together…\’ (02:20)

26. Tom Paxton — *Oh, I Look At Pictures Of Me…\’ (00:54)

27. Rick Robbins — \’And Then After The Show Was More Memories…\’ (00:48)

28. Phil Ochs — \’The Woody Guthrie Concert Was My Last Straw…\’ (04:13)

29. Arlo Guthrie — \’ I Had More Of A Hand…*The Second (01:43)

30. Country Joe McDonald — *Well At The Rehearsal…\’ (01:07)

31. Country Joe McDonald — *The Soundcheck For bThe Show I Was Sitting…\’ (01:00)

32. Arlo Guthrie — \’One Of The Great Things…\’ (00:47)

33. Arlo Guthrie — \’I Was With Warner Brothers At The …\’ (00:52)

34. Arlo Guthrie — \’The Records Were Made Taking Bits And Pieces…\’ (00:40)

35. Pete Seeger — \’Woody Lives On…\’ (00:41)

36. Bob Dylan — Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie (Poem) (07:07)