Search - Steve Goodman :: Gathering at Earl of Old Town

Come back to the beginning.....

Margo Lynn Hablutzel | Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, Texas | 11/08/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I remember going to the Earl to hear Steve when I was barely tall enough to sit at the table (they had an early, family show and served us soda pops). This album captures that time perfectly, and his rendition of "City of New Orleans" surpasses even Woody Guthrie's. Come back to a smoky bar up a narrow alley in Chicago and hear a wonderful mosaic, some fixed to the locale but others that could sound anywhere."

Interesting folk album

nmiller3784 | Lewiston, ME United States | 11/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge fan of Steve Goodman. Just about anyone who's heard his his first studio album is. This isn't really live, as the title suggests, but rather each song was recorded without overdubs. There are actually a number of folk singers playing on the album (Goodman gets 3 songs), and the others are pretty good as well. This isn't Goodman's best work by far, but it is notable for the song "Chicago Bust Rag" which Goodman never recorded again, unlike "Eight Ball [Blues]" and "City of New Orleans." Die-hard Steve Goodman should pick this up. As for the rest, look at this as a mixed folk album with a mixed bag of material."