If you say “folk music legend” most people will immediately think of Pete Seeger. That is perhaps why he was chosen to be the first release in a new series of DVD’s of folk icons.
With good fortune and superb editing, a combination of an uncut film reel with sound that had deteriorated and an edited broadcast version with good sound were blended to produce the 28 song performance of Pete Seeger Live at the Melbourne Town Hall.
This performance lasts 105 minutes, and is amazing to watch. The confidence and skill of the performer takes over the audience, and what must have been an incredible evening in 1963 is now available for audiences of today.
Among the songs are the traditional ballads such as Pretty Polly, Highland Laddie and the Wild Rover. There are lighthearted songs Skip to My Lou and I know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, and the serious message pieces that became anthems for a generation represented by If I Had a Hammer and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.
There is so much in the music, and added to that is Pete Seeger’s personality and comments, that produce a compelling sense of the history of the time as well as the entertainment value of the performance.
For bonuses on this already packed DVD, included are Pete’s performances on Bandstand from Sydney Australia, September 7 1963, an interview with Pete Seeger on Folksinger’s Report at Sydney University on September 6-9, 1963, news footage of Pete Seeger in Australia, and Pete Sings a program at the University of New South Wales.
Included with this is “Two Links Of a Chain: the Story of Lead Belly, Sydney, September 1963, featuring Instrumental Blues, Pick a Bale of Cotton, The Grey Goose, and Take this Hammer. Finally there is a short film by Pete and Toshi Seeger “Duke Tritton” which is the story of one of Australia’s traditional folk singers.
The single disc is accompanied by an excellent fifteen page booklet, illustrated with photographs from this tour and concert. It also speaks of Pete Seeger’s role in folk music internationally, as well as his troubles in the United States, where his music was viewed by some to be fuel for the flames of unrest.
Pete Seeger Live in Australia 1963 is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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