While looking into artists like Pete Seeger and the folk artists that followed in the early 1960s during the folk revival in America, I’ve seen The Weavers mentioned from time to time. As recently as yesterday night when I was listening to Peter, Paul and Mary, and even a long while ago when I first got big into Bob Dylan. The Weavers were a folk quartet hailing from the Greenwich Village are of New York City, and as first formed in 1948. The group’s initial run lasted until 1952, but there was a reformation in 1955 that lasted until 1964, and then they performed one final concert in 1980. This album, The Weavers’ Almanac (1962), was released near the height of the group’s success, as they were on the best-selling charts twice in the year previous. Because The Weavers have been influential to many folk artists that I’ve been listening to lately, I’m pretty excited to check out this album. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“When the Stars Begin to Fall” starts out with some gentle acoustic guitar that seems like a bit of a folksy lullaby. Oh wow, the female vocalist comes in with such a gentle voice, almost reminiscent of a somewhat operatic, gospel style. Oh wow, the male vocalist comes in and now the tune sounds a bit like an old spiritual. Holy smokes, the banjo brings in a ton of great, southern folksy flavor. Oh wow, I can already understand how this group would have influenced many folk artists during the early 1960s revival, this is awesome. Oh wow, the chorus vocals from what sounds to be all of the members of the band comes in with a burst of intensity in the banjo and guitar, super sweet. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “We’re All Dodgin'” has such an interesting sound, as though this tune has been plucked out of time with the different lines from the banjo and guitar, while the band trades vocal lines about what seems to be dodging the draft. The quality of this recording is superb as well, sounding as though it could have easily been recorded in the last 20 years. Great tune.
“Brother Can You Spare a Dime” is the classic Depression-era song, and this version seems to stay true to that desolate sound with the lonely, bluesy acoustic guitar lines, with a near conversational, matter-of-fact tone in the vocals, as though the tune is being sung in a hazy beat club in the dead of night, and I’m digging the sound. The pacing and feel of the tune is super sweet, and has made me audibly gasp more than once during this listening experience. Wow, great version of this classic song.
“Jackhammer John” picks things back up with a bit of a folksy bluegrass sound with the bright acoustic guitar on one side and the plucky banjo on the other side, while the band has some super sweet chorus vocal lines, with some relatively short, hard-workin’ verses in between these choral lines. Oh wow, there’s some great instrumental fills from the guitar and banjo. Oh wow, I really dig the outro to this tune as well. Great track.
Holy smokes, “A-Walkin’ and a-Talkin'” evokes a somewhat old European folk tune, with the solo female vocalist sounding as though she’s looking at the horizon over the sea waiting for her lover. Wow, the lack of instrumentation in this track makes the vocals that much more impactful and emotional. Wow, great tune.
“Rally Round the Flag” begins with an acoustic guitar and a bass guitar gently starting out the tune with a somewhat marching sensation, while a banjo plays a gentle melody in the background. Holy smokes, this tune picks up and becomes a bit of a patriotic tune of sorts. Super sweet track.
Holy smokes, “Fight On” the vocal harmonies in this one almost evoke a mixture of Elvis Presley and gospel music, taking the form of a somewhat acoustic, folksy rockabilly tune, and I’m digging it. Oh wow, this tune gets a-groovin’ and a-rollickin’ really nicely with the combination of the banjo and guitar behind the energetic, harmonic vocal performance from the group. Awesome tune.
“Bill” almost has a bit of a child-like folksy sound with the simple instrumentation, taking the form of mostly some paced-out chords from the banjo, with a guitar adding some accentuations occasionally. The female vocalist’s voice has a bit of a matter-of-fact tone that goes nicely with the feel of the tune. Sweet, interesting track.
Oh wow, “Get Along Little Dogies” has a soundscape that seems to evoke an old ranch in a state like Montana or Wyoming, with the baritone vocalist seem to be setting the tone with some light instrumental accompaniment from the guitar and the banjo. The rhythmic feel of the vocals in the track is super sweet, and continually makes the song feel dynamic as the music plays on. Great tune.
Holy smokes, “True Religion” starts out with a somewhat distant-sounding acoustic guitar playing some super flavorful blues. Holy smokes, the guitar seems to be picking up a bit, and seems to be reverberating more into the soundscape as the playing evolves. Oh wow, a bluesy vocal line that nearly has a pleading tone comes on after about a minute of just the bluesy guitar. Holy smokes, this guitar is super flavorful, and makes me want to pick up my guitar and jam along. This tune evokes the feeling of something by the likes of Robert Johnson. Wow, great track.
Holy smokes, “Which Side Are You On” has a bit of a religious, spiritual, bluesy connotation, with a melody that nearly evokes the sound of the devil. The tune seems to evoke sentiments of the Civil War circa 1861, but still seems to be timeless with the pseudo-religious sound of the tune. Wow, awesome tune.
“Bye, Bye, Bye” has a very delicate sound as the album is coming to an end, sounding as though the band is lightly playing you a lullaby with the gentle acoustic guitar and the sweet, soft vocals from the female vocalist. Oh wow, the male vocalists come in for a super sweet, delicate harmonization to gently fill the soundscape with the vocals. Super sweet track, and a super great way to finish this album.
Wow, I’m super glad I finally listened to The Weavers. I already want to listen to more from them. This album was filled with great folksy tunes that sound plucked out of time, with themes that were written possibly as far back as the mid-1800s that still apply to the time they were sung, and to this very day, 59 years later. If you’re interested in some classic folk tunes, and sometimes an acoustic blues tune, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A