Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!

Subject: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 04:31 PM

The name of it is Joel Mabus--NO WORRIES NOW....

Any of you who have heard Joel over the years know unequivocally what a purely note-perfect and thoroughly accomplished guitarist the man is. The same goes for his banjo; just superb musicality, and harmonic/chordal taste combined with melodic perfection. These are mostly Joel's own compositions here with some new and some trad melodies utilized beautifully. His writing, once again, combines deep intelligent insights with proper humor that makes   the term comic relief profound.

For me, the high light of this album is a song Joel wrote called, simply, "Charlie Birger" -- which is absolutely the best tribute, and also an expose, to this southern Illinois murdered and gang leader that has ever been composed. I recoded the 1928 song Vernon Dalhart recorded. That song was written by either Carson Robison or
Blind Andrew Jenkins. (A 78-revolutions-per-minute record) But this eight minute gem hits the nail on the head. You get to know the man that Charlie Birger was from hearing this one. You are lucky if a 400 page biography does that for someone, but Mr. Mabus has done it this guy who fought it out with the Shelton Brothers Gang and the Ku Klux Klan all at the same time during the sad prohibition era. Capone was more famous because he had the big city papers to build him up. Charlie Birger died in 1928---and it has taken until now for a good song to be written about him.

And all the songs here are simply wonderful. I won't say any more because I've gone on too long already. Listen yourself, and you'll know what I'm going on about!

You can get it from:

Fossil Records
PO Box 306
Portage, Michigan 49081
www.joelmabus.com

This CD shows how modern singer/songwriting and the vividness of trad story-song clarity and imagery can, dynamically, work together
beautifully.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: pdq
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 04:55 PM

Ticket to a hanging  -- submitted 2/18/99 byJeff Carlton

"According to family lore, my grandfather was present at the Birger hanging.  He had obtained tickets to the event and made plans to go into town.  Grandma was dead set against him attending; she was afraid that the gang was going to come in and save Charlie at the last minute.  Grandpa went anyway and was always proud of the fact that he had seen the hanging."

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 06:51 PM

Well, I was too set on getting to the bathroom to bother with spell check.
There are as many typos in my review than there are words therein encased. Later I ought to re-do it.---Sorry folks.

PDQ,
That's fascinating.
Have you looked into the thread about: Song Search--THE SHELTON BROS. GANG-S. IL

Birger and the Shelton Bros. were inextricably entwined in Bloody Williamson County--Franklin County as well...

Ruthie Shelton, daughter of Little Carl Shelton, found the thread and she gave us the song about the murder of her uncle, Big Carl Shelton. I was looking for that song for over 30 years.

Art

Art

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: pdq
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:03 PM

Being from the Wild West, I really don't know anything about this man, but I did find it interesting that he was the last one ever hanged in Illinois and that tickets were sold to the hanging...did Bob Dylan know this when we wrote that famous line?

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:39 PM

First paragraph--

Remove the word 'proper' in the last sentence of this paragraph.

Second paragraph:

'high light' should be 'highlight'

After "Charlie Birger," the line ought to continue: is the best tribute to, and also the best expose of, this southern Illinois murderer...

Also, strike the line "I recorded the 1928 song Verman Dalhart had recorded." --- Replace it with, 'On my second LP I recorded the song Vernan Dalhart had recorded in 1928.

Further on, it ought to read: 'Mr. Mabus has done it for this guy who fought it out with the Shelton Brothers Gang...

The rest is alright!

Art

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:46 PM

PDQ,
I never heard that they sold tickets--and I've looked into this sad era quite a lot. Maybe "some people" sold tickets -- like some peoplke scalp tickets. A scheme to get quick cash!!?? I'll look into it further...

Art

Subject: RE: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: olddude
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 07:50 PM

Any music posted online that we can hear?