This weekend I received a wonderful gift from a Wobbly friend of mine, Chris Lauritsen. Chris has been organizing Unions for years and has been a Wobbly for years, even chairing one of their gatherings. To quote him, "Mick... you ever try to chair a convention with folks that don't believe in rules?????". I still laugh thinking about that whole conversation.

But anyway, this weekend Chris gave me the 4 CD set by U. Utah Phillips, titled "Starlight on the Rails:A Songbook". I almost am at a loss to explain what a gift from a national treasure like Bruce Phillips this is. There are some 124 tracks, half of them songs, and the other half are monologues that explains exactly what was in Utah's mind when he wrote these gems. With almost no exceptions, these lyrics were all written by Utah, and to listen to him explain the events and the feelings that inspired them, ... well ... all I can say is that it leaves one in awe of this amazing artist.

There is a bonus here for Mudcatters. Disk three in the set are songs of Utah's, including his monologue on them, but recorded by other folks. Kendall Morse, whom I count as a close friend, is described by Phillips as the best folksinger in North America. He sings the stunningly beautiful song that Phillips wrote, titled "Ashes On The Sea", which was written by Phillips to describe the spreading of Woody Gutherie's ashes on the sea. The description of how the song came to be is wonderful. And he is right about our own Kendall. The voice is great, but the interpretation and turning of the phrase, is dead on. Mark Ross does a phenomenal version of the wonderful hard rock mining song titled "Twist and a Point". When I heard Utah's description of Mark, I knew that I had to find a way to cross paths and share a few songs. Throw in the talents of Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf, Kate Brislin, and Jody Stecher, and you realize that the third CD in the 4 CD set is probably worth the cost of the set. One day I will thank each of you in person for helping to preserve this important man's work. Rosalie, thank God for you and that wire recorder.

Folks, as with all the great ones, this man is more relevant today than at any other time. His message is timeless, and speaks to real values, not some phonied up trash designed to play to voters. His voice is the kind that bores into you and speaks to that part of your soul that knows right from wrong, that part that we listen to in the quiet times.

The production values on this effort are wonderful, as well as the arrangements and the instrumentation. It really and truly is a must have collection for those that are serious students of the craft.

I believe that music, and the messages we put in it, have the ability and the obligation to cause us to evolve in spirit and conscience. I believe it can be used for great good, and to constantly challenge us to examine where we are an where we are headed. My Grandfather and my Father, when they would take us into the woods, to the lake, or just for a walk in the neighborhood, would always make us find a piece of trash to pickup. They admonished us to always leave the place better than we found it. Utah, in this amazing gift to us, has given us a guided tour of his journeys "into the woods" and has succeeded in leaving it better than he found it. There is a lesson there for us all.

Pick it up, folks. It will be one of the best purchases you have ever made.

All the best,

Mick Lane
Union Organizer