Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad [LP]

by Billy Bragg, Joe Henry

Overview

There isn't much that a folkie loves more than a train. The images and lore of an engine rolling down the tracks, taking both ticketed riders and boxcar-hopping hobos to new destinations and grand adventures, are staples of American songwriting, both past and present. So it's no great surprise that two accomplished part-time folkies, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, would cook up a project like Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad. For this album, Bragg and Henry booked a rail trip from Chicago to Los Angeles aboard the Texas Eagle 421 Service, bringing a recording engineer and a portable recording rig with them. At various stops along the way, the duo recorded classic blues, folk, and country songs with railway themes at various train stations and boarding platforms (except for one tune cut at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, where iconic bluesman Robert Johnson recorded some of his best-known recordings in 1936). Bragg approaches this material with the utmost seriousness and respect, and Henry possesses a clearer and more pleasing voice. The two men chose material that perfectly suits the theme, including "John Henry," "Hobo's Lullaby," and "Rock Island Line," and Bragg and Henry sing them with sincerity and respect. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	09/23/2016
Label:	Cooking Vinyl
UPC:	0711297512311
Rank:	62060

Tracks

1. Rock Island Line
2. The L&N Don't Stop Here Any More
3. The Midnight Special
4. Railroad Bill
5. Lonesome Whistle
6. KC Moan
7. Waiting for a Train
8. In the Pines
9. Gentle on My Mind
10. Hobo's Lullaby
11. Railroading on the Great Divide
12. John Henry
13. Early Morning Rain

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Billy Bragg   Primary Artist
Joe Henry   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Billy Bragg   Arranger
Joe Henry   Arranger,Producer
Ryan Freeland   Mixing,Engineer
Mark Lindsay   Photography
Kim Rosen   Mastering
Marc Woodhouse   Design
Ray Foley   Photography