Pete Seeger was an American folk artist who began his career in 1939 and continued making music for multiple decades, and is a musician I have been meaning to listen to for a while, especially because he was one of the first backers of Bob Dylan when he began recording. This album, American Play Parties (1959), also features Mike Seeger, Pete’s half-brother and also a folk musician, and Rev. Larry Eisenberg, who I assume is also a folk musician. From what I can tell, this seems to be a collection of children’s songs, and I’m excited to hear what that might sound like. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Mazoo, Mazoo” begins with a folksy chorus of vocals from what sounds to be the Seegers and Eisenberg, which is soon joined by the voice of a child, and the occasional sound of what might be a washboard or something similar. The song has a child-like quality to it with the repetition of the same lines, though it’s a song I’ve never heard until now. I’m definitely very intrigued at this point.
“Skip to My Lou” is the only song I recognize on the track list for the album. The folksy clapping really have a nice syncopated and folksy feel for the track. The chorus of vocals really has an earthy feel in the track, while still retaining a super playful element. This almost reminds me of Martn Carthy’s Sweet Wivelsfield (1971), without the guitar.
“Shake Them ‘Simmons Down” is another folksy children’s song that I hadn’t heard until now. The sound of the vocals feels very reminiscent of recordings from Woody Guthrie to me.
Oh wow, “Alabama Gal” is a song that has really caught my ear nicely, as the sound of the chorus vocals and clapping nearly sounds like an old southern spiritual gospel chorus of sorts. The energy in this tune makes me want to clap along and join into the music, though I more so want to keep listening to the folksy innocence of the tune. Super sweet track.
“Sally Down the Alley” is another children’s folk song that I had never heard of before now, but it makes me wonder if this tune might have been some sort of inspiration for Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally”, or even for Allen Toussaint’s song, “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley”. Really interesting track.
Oh wow, “Turn the Glasses Over” nearly sounds like a bit of a sea shanty or a saloon chanting tune of sorts, and the way the vocals have slight variances in them keeps me continually more interested and listening closer. This tune is one that seems to be one that could be recorded on a 1960s folk revival album by the likes of Phil Ochs if it were accompanied by some guitar. Super sweet tune.
“Goodbye Liza Jane” has some more earthy folksy feel, and has a nice bouncing sort of cadence to it. This is yet another song that has me listening even closer to the album.
“Git Along Home” has a bit of a unique feel compared to some of the previous tracks, as this song features some solo vocal lines, and also has a bit of a washboard sort of sound as a percussive part in this quick tune.
“Paw Paw Patch” is a tune that I vaguely recognize in terms of the melody, but I don’t really recognize the lyrics. There’s a child’s voice among the earthy, deeper tones of the other voices in the tune, which again brings the feel of the album to something playful and child-like. Some of the previous tracks seemed to be more of an older folksy tune that wasn’t necessarily intended for kids, but still feel consistent with the album nonetheless.
Oh wow, “Betty Larkin” has a sound with a single sweet vocal part that seems to be much smoother than some of the other gruffer vocal lines in previous tunes, which is also accompanied by a lonesome clapping, and comes in the form of a melody that reminds me of more British folk tunes than not. This tune is one that has pulled my interest in the album to an even greater point than before this track. Super sweet track.
“Jolly Is the Miller” seems to have that child-like whimsy again with the chorus vocals featuring the earthy folksy voices of the adults and the innocent voice of the child’s. I’m both unsurprised and nearly in disbelief at how much I’m into this album at this point. Not only am I digging the vocal presentation of these songs, but there always seems to me that there’s a timeless sound and lyricism in old folksy tunes. Super sweet tune.
“Pig In the Parlor” has a melody that I vaguely recognize, but I don’t recognize the lyrics. The lyrics sound like they might be European in nature, with mentions of both the singer and listener being Irish, so perhaps I’ve heard an Americanized version of the lyrics. Either way, this was an interesting short track.
Oh wow, “Great Big House In New Orleans” seems to be winding down a bit, with the melody seemingly slowly descending with a light percussive sound in the background, as well as the lyrics in particular. Really sweet track.
“Sent My Brown Jug Downtown” has an almost syncopated approach with the vocals at the start of the track, but the vocals seem to come together at times at different points in the album. The relaxed vocal approach seems to be indicative of the end of the album, especially with the combination of the earthy adult voices and the innocence of the child’s voice. Sweet tune and a very nice way to end the album.
Wow, I was really into this album. Compared to album’s I’ve listened to recently, this album almost seems to have been a nice palate cleanser with the lack of instrumentation except vocals and the occasional (very light) percussion, combined with the different innocent and earthy sounds of the folksy vocals within. I also feel like I was exposed to songs that are both timeless and impactful in the history of music. I don’t have evidence at the moment, but songs like “Sally Down the Alley” could have even played an inspirational role in the early days of rock and roll history. I’m glad to have listened to this album tonight. If you are into folk tunes that have a pure and timeless sound, then you might want to check out this album, and please don’t let the children’s orientation of the album stop you from checking it out; there’s a lot I feel like I can incorporate into my knowledge of music after listening to this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A