The Best of the Vanguard Years

by Ian & Sylvia

Overview

Best of the Vanguard Years marks the first upgrading of the Ian & Sylvia CD catalog with an improved version of The Essential Ian & Sylvia; with cleaner mastering and some songs added (most notably a pair of numbers -- the best here -- from the Live at Newport disc issued in the '90s) for a total of 25. The sound is an improvement over the earlier CD versions, although the duo's music was so utterly underproduced -- what annotator Ed Ward calls a hallmark of their sound -- that this is represented by quieter background, rather than any astoundingly vivid textures. The obvious songs ("Four Strong Winds," "Some Day Soon," "You Were on My Mind," "The Circle Game," "Early Morning Rain," "Changes") are here, along with many less familiar numbers ("Mary Anne," "This Wheel's on Fire," "Satisfied Mind," "Keep on the Sunny Side," a live version of "The Greenwood Sidie"), although quite a few superb album tracks are still to be found exclusively on the duo's individual CDs. The main drawback is that the duo weren't always that interesting -- both are surprisingly credible working in a blues idiom ("Rocks and Gravel," in a previously unissued alternate take), but when they cut with a full rock band, as on "When I Was a Cowboy," it's not always very inspired or effective; on the other hand, the harmonizing on "Play One More," melded with the unobtrusive string and horn section, is breathtaking. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	08/11/1998
Label:	Vanguard
UPC:	0015707951623

Tracks

1. Early Morning Rain
2. The Circle Game
3. For Lovin' Me
4. You Were on My Mind
5. Four Strong Winds
6. Someday Soon
7. Ninety Degrees by Ninety Degrees
8. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)
9. Cutty Wren
10. Short Grass
11. Un Canadien Errant
12. When I Was a Cowboy
13. Changes
14. Gifts Are for Giving
15. Satisfied Mind
16. Keep on the Sunny Side
17. Play One More
18. Rocks and Gravel
19. Come in Stranger
20. Nancy Whiskey
21. This Wheel's on Fire
22. The Renegade
23. Mary Anne
24. Oh, Katy Dear
25. The Greenwood Sidie (The Cruel Mother)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ian & Sylvia   Primary Artist
Al Rogers   Drums
Sylvia Fricker   Guitar,Vocals,Autoharp,Guitar (12 String)
Bill Lee   String Bass
Jack Lothrop   Director
Felix Pappalardi   Bass
John Herald   Guitar
Eric Weissberg   Bass,Guitar
Al Gorgoni   Conductor
Ian Tyson   Guitar,Vocals,Autoharp,Guitar (12 String)
Paul Griffin   Organ
Russ Savakus   Bass
David Rea   Guitar
Art Davis   String Bass
Monte Dunn   Guitar
Rick Turner   Guitar
Robert Bushnell   Bass (Electric)

Technical Credits

Joell Hays   Composer
Gary Garett   Composer
Trade Martin   Orchestration
Traditional   Composer
Sylvia Fricker   Arranger,Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Jack Rhodes   Composer
Joe Hayes   Composer
Joni Mitchell   Composer
Rick Danko   Composer
Phil Ochs   Composer
Maynard Solomon   Producer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Ed Ward   Liner Notes
Gordon Lightfoot   Composer
Ian Tyson   Arranger,Composer,Producer
David Rea   Composer
Johnny Cash   Composer
Barry C. Ridge   Design
Drew Cartwright   Design
Sherry Rayn Barnett   Photography
David Gahr   Photography