Even those of you who have heard the classic Weavers Live At Carnegie Hall album from the same period won't recognise these songs as the same ones you're familiar with. There are also some great recordings of the old Almanac Singers, which are hard to come by, singing some of their classic union tunes, "Which Side Are You On", "Union Maid", and "Solidarity Forever," to present a nice counterbalance to the almost sappy production numbers of songs like "Wimoweh" and "On Top Of Old Smokey".
But either way these are versions of these old songs not readily available any more, so these discs are a valuable resource for that reason if none other. It's always interesting to hear how in different periods of time various songs were adapted for popular consumption. It makes you wonder what would be done with songs like "Follow The Drinking Gourd" or "Around The World" if someone took it into their heads to try and make them top forty friendly for today's audiences.
In the summer of 1981, I was fortunate enough to see Pete Seeger perform in concert. It was in the days when he and Arlo Guthrie were still touring together and performing cross-generational concerts. They would each perform their own material while the other sat on the stage watching, and then they would also play songs together, usually ones that Arlo's dad had written.
I can still remember Pete Seeger sitting on the stage, eschewing the chair they had supplied for him, cross-legged on a blanket staring up at Arlo as he and his band performed their set. Although at nearly 87 he is still touring and playing, I doubt if I'll get the chance to see him perform again, so I will always cherish having had the opportunity.
When Springsteen put out his disc this year, I asked myself why anyone would buy him doing Pete's songs when they could just as easily hear Pete singing them. After listening to Brothers and Sisters, I wonder it even more.
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