Review: This Mudcat CD set

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: mg
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 03:34 PM

ok I can only get one..help me decide.

mg

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 05:59 PM

You gotta ask someone who's on several of the disks. Someone like me, only on one of them, is BOUND to be partial. So get Orchid.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: GUEST,sing.out/Penny
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 06:06 PM

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: MMario
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 08:41 PM

Now - If Dave is on Orchid, it's gotta be pretty good; but PLUM is dandy too!

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: JedMarum
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 09:23 PM

Thanks Genie - I wrote that song for my wife's birthday. It's our story; we got married when we were kids ... 32 years ago.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: JedMarum
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 09:31 PM

... I guess I'm not a kid anymore!

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 09:44 PM

Holy Smokes!!!

They're breath taking. All sorts of music. All sorts of styles. All sorts of voices. All sorts of instruments. All sorts of moods. And every one a gem. This has been the season for gifts of music in my house, and I could not be a happier folkie. In addition to these CD's I was also given a stack of Ren-Faire folk music. Before you cast a quizzical eye, the stuff is really good. After all, Owain Phyfe and the New World Renaissance Band are "Faire Musicians". It's amazing who you get to rub elbows with through this gig. What a priviledge.

And Mmario??? You are one sweet guy, honey.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 10:26 PM

Ya got that right, CS!!!


A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: khandu
Date: 26 Dec 02 - 10:42 PM

That is twice that you have mentioned "Cool Cup of Water", Barbara. I am quite pleased that you enjoy it. The song has deep personal meaning to me, and your liking it enough to mentioning is very affirming! Thank you.

Ken

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 01:52 AM

Mary, like Dave O, I'm biased, since I'm only on one CD (Strawberry). But in all seriousness, I think you could pick any one of them at random and be delighted with it. (Plum, Strawberry, and Orchid have 23 songs apiece. Rose, I think, has 19, and Violet 21.)

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: GUEST,jaze
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 02:42 AM

I only have Rose-but love every moment of it.Every time I listen I have a new favorite. Right now it's Margaret V's haunting Down By The Salley Garden. I never heard that song before and am transfixed. Thank you, Margaret!And to think there's 4 more I haven't heard. Thanks again to all of you for sharing your incredible talent. James

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 10:53 AM

Well, I am just tickled pink that these CDs are bringing pleasure and delight, And if you felt disappointed with the way your track came out I apologize and claim technical hurdles. I woulda shopped the job to a pro but I am strapp3ed with college bills just now, so I wrassled 'em over as best I could witht he gear I had, and I wish it coulda been even better!

If you know any DJs who want to cover them in the field let me know.

I think they're cool enough to get on the cover of the Rolling Stone!

:>)


A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 01:07 AM

Amos, like Art, I think the tape I submitted sounded cleaner than the CD does.

BUT I really have NO COMPLAINT in that regard.

First of all, how often can I get a song of mine included in a widely distributed CD for the price of, well, for FREE?

Second, I didn't get my tape to you until pretty much the last minute.

Third, I know how this project snowballed and how incredibly much work was involved. I'm impressed that you did so much so well and in such a short time. The CDs, even with a bit of distortion on a small handful of songs, are worth more than their cost. And Mudcat gets publicity and support, to boot.

:-D

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Tweed
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 08:22 AM

Well I've heard reports that my own vocals sound gravelly and rough Amos. Obviously there is something horribly wrong with yore tranferral device as I possess a fine tenor capable of shattering crystal chandeliers at 100 yards. It's very distressin' news ....;~)
BTW that ordering info for the Mudcat Blue Plate Specials can be found here...

*THE MUDCAT CD's AD, GET 'EM WHILE THEY LAST*

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Margaret V
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 09:16 AM

You're most welcome, jaze, and thank YOU! And thanks also to Barbara for the kind words. There's so much wonderful stuff on these discs and it's great fun to think about a bunch of people across the world being "haunted," to borrow jaze's term, by one or another of the songs as they go about their daily business. Margaret

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: MAG
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 09:42 AM

Odd you should mention Rolling Stone, Amos -- I see from my newsletter that the grand old OTSFM in Chicago is doing a tribute to the Rolling StoneS by the staff -- personally, I'm appalled. I'll make the trip back just to picket Under My Thumb.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: GUEST,sing.out/Penny
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 12:42 PM

Oops--having trouble posting.

I managed to listen to the whole set on Christmas, in spite of company, cooking, etc. I love them all, too. No one has mentioned "Letter From Lilac Acres," one of my favorites.

Are these CDs going to be available throughout the year, and especially next Christmas?!

Penny

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 28 Dec 02 - 12:56 PM

Penny,

As far as I know Dick plans to keep them in inventory -- and who knows, there may be more Mudcat CDs by then!! I have no plans further out than next week. Well, a few but not about CDs!

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: GUEST,Vintage Martin
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 11:08 AM

They make good New Year's presents, too. And birthday presents. And mother's day/father's day presents.

And don't forget to do your Groundhog Day shopping early, too!

;-)

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 12:02 PM

Hobbits are said to give presents on their birthdays, rather than receive them. Maybe in the light of the current interest in such things, this practice might catch on. In which case these would be just the thing.

I'm still listening to the CDs, but rationing myself rather than binging, to stretch out the novelty. Then I can get round to listening to them again - but there's a special delight in hearing something for the first time, and I want to make the most of that. And there are so many surprises on the records. Stuff you wouldn't expect - such as Callie's "Tant Que Vivrai" on Plum.

One thing though - I wish that it were possible in all cases to flick through to the Mudcat photos section, and see what the contributors to the CDs look like. Maybe a few more of the ones who haven't put up a photo could consider making that possible in their case - it adds an extra dimension to it all.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 12:50 PM

I would have loved to make a multimedia production with photos and Quicktime movies as well as the music itself, Kevin. If someone wanted to start a campaign to get "performance shots" of all these wonderful singers and put them on a separate page of the Mudcat Photos site, they could be linked to a play list of each CD fairly easily. I wish I had time to pursue this enhancement, but time is a bit prohibitive for me at present.

Be a great project for someone, though!! They could be tied in with a cleaned up set of the notes, credits and lyrics from the various threads by disk.

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Cappuccino
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 01:45 PM

I'm feeling in a bizarre left-out position - the company I work for, known for passing dud cheques (or, in American, 'checks') to its staff, has failed to pay us at all for December. So I haven't even bought a single CD yet - not even the one I'm on!!!

Amos, I promise to buy as soon as possible...

Happy New Year, all.
-Ian B

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 01:46 PM

Hang tough, Ian!!

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Dec 02 - 01:55 PM

That'd be fun, but it wasn't what I was suggesting - we've got the "Members Photos & Info" facility under Quick Links, and I was suggesting that more of us use that, especially, in this instance, the CD participants.

When you think of it, the Mudcat itself is potentially that multi-media production to which Amos referred longingy. We've just got to learn how use it that way.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 04:17 PM

Your song's great on the CD, Ian. I hope you get paid soon so you can hear it.


Folks, Amos just explained something to me that I'd forgotten I sort of knew. I was wondering why some cuts on the CDs aren't as sharp and clear as the tapes they were made from. (I had this silly notion that converting to CD automatically preserved, and could even improve, the sound quality of the original.)

The problem, of course (duh!) is the TAPE NOISE. It's very difficult to get rid of it in transfer without also losing some of the desired "highs."

I always knew the fuzziness on my song on the CD wasn't Amos's fault, because he worked tirelessly on those CDs (even burned a couple of CDs for me from two of my tapes), and he knows a thing or two about computers (even has a sort of mini studio set up in his study). I was just puzzled (and, yes, disappointed) about the CD not sounding as good as the tape.

Now I know why Amos had no butt when I saw him in November -- he really must've worked the danged thing off trying to get rid of hiss and snap in many Mudcatters' tapes (even tapes that sound pretty good) without losing fidelity in the music.

Now I'm REALLY impressed with what you accomplished, bro!

Genie

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 06:27 PM

Right...uh...thanks, I guess. Sorry you were so disappointed at the outcome!

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Tweed
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 06:45 PM

Genie, it's a fine artform to recreate that 78 rpm sound. I've devoted a couple years towards that end myself. I've employed creaking ceiling fans, tv newscasts, a window unit air conditioner on high, and my dog in the quest for perfectly awful sound reproduction. Good on you Amos. Lomax is smiling down from wherever he may now reside;~)

Yerz,
Tweed
The Badly Recorded Blues

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: khandu
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 07:07 PM

The only thing Tweed has not used yet is a whipped cat, but I am expecting that at any time!! I am certain that Lomax is smiling when he listens to Tweed's Badly Recorded Blues, hell, I'll bet that he's even tittering,... chuckling,... chortling,...guffawing....ROTFLHAO!!!

khanny

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:07 PM

Just listening to DWDitty on "Violet," and, man, you've got one of those wonderfully "dirty" voices (like Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Durante, Leadbelly, etc.). That "Shadows Of The Night Time" is great!

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Dharmabum
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:32 PM

I'm with you Tweed!
If you listen close enough to my recording(Please,not too close)you can hear a beer bottle being knocked over.
It seems to provide just the appropriate ambience.
Not to mention the most fitting accompaniment to my singing!

Can't wait till I can afford the rest of the set.

DB.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:51 PM

Amos, I'm really disappointed only because my words are hard to understand on the CD.

It also depends on the sound system I play it on. My initial "whining" post was after listening to the CD on a portable CD-radio-tape deck. The sound on the songs was coming out loud and clear and then mine came on at what seemed like half-volume and hardly intelligible. But I've played it on other systems and most of the problem seems to disappear.

The tape DOES have more hiss (like the old 78s), and more treble in general, which makes the words clearer.

If you want BAD RECORDINGS, though, I've got a slew of them -- like the ones done with my $100 Radio Shack Karaoke machine. The tape changes speed during recording, which makes for lots of fun when you try to play guitar-on-guitar as you play back the tape!! Others have cats knocking things over and phones ringing and cars going by in the background. My "low signal" tape was at least 3rd generation from the reel-to-reel master done in the "garage studio" of a professional musician.

As I've said before, I think the CDs are wonderful!

Genie

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 30 Dec 02 - 09:54 PM

Righto, Genie, glad you like 'em.


A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: bbc
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 08:34 AM

I gave myself the whole set for Christmas & I'm very pleased that I did! It is a real pleasure to hear such of range of interesting folks perform. My appreciation runs the gamut from ones who I didn't know were male/female till I heard their voices to people I've gotten to know online but never met in person or heard sing to those who I *have* met & heard but who don't have commercial recordings to those who perform professionally & I own their music already. I really feel privileged to have the whole mix. Nice work on setting up the cd's, Amos; thank you! And thank you to Dick for supplying them. Thank you to each one who took the time & trouble to contribute music. Now, I regret that I didn't. Not that I think my music is so great, but that some of you might enjoy knowing more of who bbc is.

best to all,

bbc

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Big Mick
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 09:40 AM

Got my set yesterday and took a quick spin through them. What a talented bunch of neighbors we have here!! I absolutely love these CD's and will be busy harvesting songs to sing, and listening to the techniques of many of you. And what a sense of arrangement I have heard on many of these takes. I now want to slow down and go through them in a much more leisurely pace.

I have a feeling that this collection will take on much more significance over the years. I would suggest that you all get the full set.

Great job, Amos.

Mick

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 10:04 AM

Thanks, Mick, and bbc...that means a lot!


A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: InOBU
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 02:51 PM

NEXT STOP, MUDCAT DVDS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Art Thieme
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 02:57 PM

bbc,

We know all about who you are ! And you are even better than NPR-APR and a ton better than the crap on AM-FM.

Love,

Art

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 03:08 PM

"A full set" - that normally means dentures in my part of the world. That could be the next project maybe. All the better to Mudbite you...

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 31 Dec 02 - 04:24 PM

With nano-engineering advancing as it is in a few years you'll be able to get a full set of dentures preloaded with all the Mudcat Classics plus the encyclopedia Britannica and have them play in your ear by bone-transduction. Then you'll really have a full set...in the sense of McGrath's meaning, of course. Exiles from the once-glorious Temple of the Golden Curve might have another interpretation...

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 11:12 AM

Historical Notes

It has been a long and winding trail, folks, and we got there. I think it is appropriate to mention the beginnings.

Max and Bert had been calling for CDs by Mudcatters for some time as early as 1999, with a variety of submissions being sent in.

But the first Mudcat Sampler Vision was, I think, really the fevered creation of our own Lonesome EJ -- who else? -- who started a thread in February of 1999 suggesting:

Suppose someone(Max?)put together a sampler of music by talented folks who visit this website, and offered it for sale on the site? Would anyone, other than me,be interested?

to which Spaw replied 48 minutes later:

You know, you really have a point. Dan, Art, Rick, Frank, Sandy and others...but I'll tell you what I'd really love... ... ...I'd like to hear a song from Alice, a favorite tune from Bill D., and Big Mick, and Roger, and Alison, and gargoyle, and McMusic, and Barbara, and Duane's pianolin, and Barb Shaw's bluegrass, and on and on. Something special from each 'Catter. Bill's posting pics, but a voice and a song...that's the ticket too.

I've absolutely no idea how that could ever be pulled off! ...It would just be fun to have wouldn't it??? From an Irish pub to a Mississippi delta, from a Blue Grass gathering to Brisbane, from Oz to the Appalachians...clear around the world. What a kick!!!

Art Thieme chimed in at 1AM on February 4th with:with:

I sure would be interested. I wanna know what everybody sounds like too.

Max started putting out calls for candidates on the 5th of February 1999 and various reminders and "whatever happened to...." appeared. Max resurrcted the quest in March of 2000. In March of 2002, McGrath, Jerry Rasmussen and Bobert resurrected the concept. I started promoting for candidates on 24 March 2002. The master disks were shipped to Dick Greenhaus on the fifth of November 2002. The artwork (Homeless and MichaelR) was completed on November 16th. The CDs were in the hands of Mudcatters by the first week of December 2002, almost four years after the original vision had been lofted (but only 8 months or so after the kickoff call in March).

So, Leej, buddy, and Spaw and Art, your Vision has been Materialized, Realized and Delivered. How about them apples?

I hope you are enjoying them a LOT!

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Cappuccino
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 12:02 PM

Hmm. I remember being a resurrector too...

But I like Big Mick's idea of this 'taking on more significance over the years'. We have our own time capsule!!!

-Ian B

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Alice
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 02:40 PM

Yes, I remember seeds of the CD before '99, too, when Max asked us to send music and he aired it on the Mudcat Radio. Also there were very early calls from Max to send content to the Mudcat, including members' recordings. His requests for music by "unknown" folkies goes back basically to the beginning of the Mudcat Cafe. Here is one thread from Jan/Feb '97.
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=631

Alice

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: bbc
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 09:29 PM

Ah, shucks, Art! Although I did say "who" bbc is, not "what" BBC is.
:)

love you, too,

bbc

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 05 Jan 03 - 10:29 PM

Well, as far as calls for Mudcatters who had CD, I stand corrected; but the creation of the Sampler, based on the dialogue cited above, started with LEJ. Ian, sorry, no slight intended!!

I just spent half an hour with Ron Olesko of WFDU in New Jersey who for many years has run the TRADITIONS folk radio show. He's going to do a one-hour presentation of the CDs on his show on January 19th. He sounds very enthused and positive about the whole thing and is promoting the 'Cat. This may roll on out somewhere good, guys! :>)

You can listen to TRADITIONS every Sunday afternoon from 3 to 6pm on 89.1 in the NYC area, or listen via the internet at http://www.wfdu.fm .

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Alice
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 12:34 AM

Thanks to you, Amos, for actually putting it all together. It really is amazing how far this community has come from the beginnings of the Mudcat to have our own multi-CD compilation.

Alice

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Cappuccino
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 04:53 AM

Only joking, Amos. But I do seriously think that is a good point by Mick about the significance of this set.

It is, I think, an important landmark.

I've found the same at home - you know I record and duplicate CDs at home, for our charity? At last, what we have done here has begun to inspire other people to think that they, too, can go on record, and are asking us how to do it, etc.   Same with the Mudcat set, I think. Apart from standing as a wonderful record of what is, it should inspire others to what might be...

Oh dear, does that sound posey? You know what I mean!!!

-Ian B

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 11:12 AM

STATUS REPORT

We've sold over 70 sets of the 80 we had produced, plus some singles. I'm going to reorder--I'd like to keep these CDs available to anyone who wants to buy them.

If you're planning on buying any within the next 6 months or so, please let me know. I need some guidance in how many to order. Clearly, the per-CD cost is lower if I order a larger quantity, but this saving disappears rapidly if the extras aren't sold.

Keep it up! They make elegant presents for Easter, or St. Swithin's Day or Oktoberfests.

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 11:48 AM

YAYYYYY!!!! Hear, hear!! Listen to the man!! He is practically BEGGING to be flooded!!

A

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Genie
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 05:15 PM

Is there any way we could make the CDs available, for a slightly inflated price, at NW Folklife Festival in Seattle, Rainy Camp, Sunny Camp, Singtime Frolics, etc.? The price inflation at, say, Folklife, would be necessary for the store that runs the tape-CD concession to have their cut. But if any Mudcatters are performing at Folklife, it would be legitimate to offer the CDs there.

Of course, if we bought them as sets for $12 each and sold them for $15 each, the store (or Rainy Camp, etc.) could take the other $3 as their cut. But I'd be hesitant to buy a bunch of sets to try to sell at, say, Rainy Camp (early Feb.) without being sure I could sell them.


Any thoughts about this sort of thing?

Genie

Subject: RE: Review: This Mudcat CD set
From: Amos
Date: 06 Jan 03 - 07:06 PM

WHy not have Dick dropship them? If samples were available, your gang could charge a couple of bucks extra. Or maybe Dick would offer them a volume price?


A