Soldiers Joy: a Civil War Odyssey CD

Disc 1

Song Title

1. Home Sweet Home - Benny Martin ~ Various Artists

2. Brother Green - Leroy Troy ~ Various Artists

3. Soldier's Joy - Bubby Spicher ~ Various Artists

4. Cumberland Gap - Leroy Troy ~ Various Artists

5. When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Simon & Verity Grace ~ Various Artists

6. Give The Fiddler A Dram - Merle Travis/Red Herron ~ Various Artists

7. Two Little Boys - Simon & Verity Grace ~ Various Artists

8. Grandfather's Clock - Granpa Jones ~ Various Artists

9. Devil's Dream - Joe Maphis/Red Herron ~ Various Artists

10. Aura Lee - Simon & Verity Grace ~ Various Artists

11. Dixie - Arthur Smith/Benny Martin ~ Various Artists

12. Goober Peas - Arthur Smith ~ Various Artists

13. Darling Nellie Gray - Johnny Gimble ~ Various Artists

14. Go Down Yonder Moses - Eddie Adcock Band ~ Various Artists

15. Marching Through Georgia - Hoot Hester/Sam Levine ~ Various Artists

16. Girl I Left Behind, The - Jim & Jesse ~ Various Artists

17. Write A Letter To My Mother - Leroy Troy ~ Various Artists

18. Faded Coat Of Blue - Laura Weber ~ Various Artists

19. My Pretty Quadroon - Grandpa Jones ~ Various Artists

20. Yellow Rose Of Texas - Tommy Faile ~ Various Artists

21. Maryland, My Maryland - Dick & Jacquie Schuyler ~ Various Artists

22. Listen To The Mockingbird - Paul Warren ~ Various Artists

23. Lorena - Don Ange ~ Various Artists

24. Battle Hymn Of The Republic - Rhonda Renee ~ Various Artists

25. Angel Band - Carl Story ~ Various Artists

Notes & Personnel Info
	Liner Note Author: Norm Cohen.
	Arrangers: Nat Vincent; M. Christian.
	The premise of Soldier's Joy: A Civil War Odyssey seems a bit shaky, since it purports to be inspired by Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain novel, and given the high-profile movie made from the book, this disc smacks more of marketing than it does inspiration, especially since most of the songs included here were old even when the Civil War was fought, and the recorded versions selected are 20 or 30 years old. However, Norm Cohen's liner notes, which sketch out the fascinating history of some of these period songs, save this project from the scrap heap; it's interesting to note how much musical borrowing was going on even in the mid-1800s, reminding listeners that sampling is hardly a new phenomenon. "Brother Green" (done here on banjo by Leroy Troy) takes its melody from the ancient folk tune "Barbara Allen," and has also been recorded as "The Dying Soldier." The story (a dying soldier communicates his dying wish) is maudlin, but that melody, in whatever guise, is supremely beautiful. The melody to "Aura Lee," supposedly written in 1861 by W.W. Fosdick, is also achingly beautiful (it is done here by Simon Grace), and should be familiar to most listeners, since it was lifted for Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender," recorded in 1956. ~ Steve Leggett

BloomReach Content

Soldier's Joy: a Civil War Odyssey (2004)