Name: Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad [Digipak]
Brand: Cooking Vinyl
SKU: 115520544
Price: 17.84 USD
Availability: InStock

Shine a Light

Rating

Album: Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad [Digipak]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rock Island Line	More Info...
2)	The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore	More Info...
3)	The Midnight Special	More Info...
4)	Railroad Bill	More Info...
5)	Lonesome Whistle	More Info...
6)	KC Moan	More Info...
7)	Waiting for a Train	More Info...
8)	In the Pines	More Info...
9)	Gentle On My Mind	More Info...
10)	Hobo's Lullaby	More Info...
11)	Railroading On the Great Divide	More Info...
12)	John Henry	More Info...
13)	Early Morning Rain	More Info...

Album: Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad [Digipak]
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Rock Island Line	More Info...
2)	The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore	More Info...
3)	The Midnight Special	More Info...
4)	Railroad Bill	More Info...
5)	Lonesome Whistle	More Info...
6)	KC Moan	More Info...
7)	Waiting for a Train	More Info...
8)	In the Pines	More Info...
9)	Gentle On My Mind	More Info...
10)	Hobo's Lullaby	More Info...
11)	Railroading On the Great Divide	More Info...
12)	John Henry	More Info...
13)	Early Morning Rain	More Info...

Performer Notes

Audio Mixer: Ryan Freeland.
Recording information: The Texas Eagle 421 Service (03/14/2016-03/18/2016).
Photographers: Mark Lindsay; Ray Foley.
There isn't much that a folkie loves more than a train. The images and lore of an engine rolling down the tracks, taking both ticketed riders and boxcar-hopping hobos to new destinations and grand adventures, are staples of American songwriting, both past and present. So it's no great surprise that two accomplished part-time folkies, Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, would cook up a project like Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad. For this album, Bragg and Henry booked a rail trip from Chicago to Los Angeles aboard the Texas Eagle 421 Service, bringing a recording engineer and a portable recording rig with them. At various stops along the way, the duo recorded classic blues, folk, and country songs with railway themes at various train stations and boarding platforms (except for one tune cut at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, where iconic bluesman Robert Johnson recorded some of his best-known recordings in 1936). Bragg approaches this material with the utmost seriousness and respect, and Henry possesses a clearer and more pleasing voice. The two men chose material that perfectly suits the theme, including "John Henry," "Hobo's Lullaby," and "Rock Island Line," and Bragg and Henry sing them with sincerity and respect. ~ Mark Deming

Professional Reviews

Uncut (magazine) - "[L]eavened by a brace of more recent compositions in 'Early Morning Rain' and 'Gentle On My Mind'...Bragg and Henry deliver them with an adrenalin-fuelled engagement and a heartfelt sincerity that transcends campfire singalong banality and leaves you hankering for more."