Search - Arlo Guthrie :: Alice's Restaurant (30th Anniversary Edition)

There was a time when it seemed Arlo Guthrie's impact would outstrip that of his legendary dad, Woody Guthrie. For, in the waning days of the '60s, Woody was largely a cult figure, whereas his longhaired offspring had parlayed (largely by accident) a droll, drawn-out talking blues number called "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" into a hit album and acclaimed film. These days, Arlo is a respected journeyman folksinger while Woody, in death, has become a towering cultural icon. This soundtrack captures the son's shining moment. Taken from Arthur (Bonnie and Clyde) Penn's film adaptation of Arlo's tongue-in-cheek tune ("You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant"), this soundtrack presents an agreeable assortment of pleasures, including Arlo's title track, jaunty acoustic incidental music by credited soundtrack composer Gary Sherman, and a painfully earnest version of Joni Mitchell's "Songs to Aging Children" by someone named Tigger Outlaw. This deluxe-edition CD is fleshed out by 10 extra tracks, including Pete Seeger's versions of Woody's "Pastures of Plenty" and "Car Song," the latter with Arlo along for the ride. --Steven Stolder