FAST FOLK: A COMMUNITY OF SINGERS & SONGWRITERS (2 CDS) SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS

Fast Folk Musical Magazine helped jumpstart the careers of musicians such as Shawn Colvin, Steve Forbert, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, Christine Lavin, Richard Shindell, Suzanne Vega, and many others. This double CD set comprises honest, intimate versions of their songs, available in retail stores for the first time! Guided by the venerable Dave Van Ronk, singer-songwriter Jack Hardy formed Fast Folk in 1982 in New York City. The dominant theme in the 100-plus Fast Folk Musical Magazine issues was an emphasis on the song rather than the singer—music for its own sake. It quickly became an important showcase for the new folk scene, which continued to flourish for nearly twenty years. By drawing on both the new wave and the old guard of American folk music, Fast Folk developed into a significant chapter in the history of folk music. Compiled and annotated by Richard Meyer, Jack Hardy and Jeff Place.

Disc 1 –
1 American Jerusalem – Rod MacDonald
2 What’s Wrong with the Man Upstairs? – David Massengill
3 Old Factory Town – Gerry Devine
4 You Just Need a Home (Spotlight) – Lucy Kaplansky
5 Another Time and Place – Dave Van Ronk
6 I Don’t Know Why – Shawn Colvin
7 Geza’s Wailing Ways – John Gorka
8 Ragman! – David Indian
9 High Times – Tom Intondi
10 Don’t Ever Call Your Sweetheart By His Name – Christine Lavin
11 Where Were You Last Night? – Frank Christian
12 Introduction to Corpo Gacile – Germana Pucci
13 Corpo Gracile – Germana Pucci
14 Kilkelly, Ireland – Laura Burns and Roger Rosen
15 Introduction to the Viking Rag – Erik Frandsen
16 The Viking Rag – Erik Frandsen
17 Forget Me Not – Jack Hardy
18 Vacation – Ensemble
– Disc 2 –
1 Gypsy – Suzanne Vega
2 Thirty Thousand Men – Steve Forbert
3 Margaret – Frank Tedesso
4 Share the Failure – Elaine Silver
5 Bourbon As a Second Language – Patrick John Brayer
6 King of Hearts – Paul Kaplan
7 Heart on Ice – Judith Zweiman
8 The Courier – Richard Shindell
9 By Your Eyes – Wendy Beckerman
10 Danton – Lillie Palmer
11 Long Black Wall – Michael Jerling
12 Railroad Bill – Andy Breckman
13 Gravedigger – Richard Julian
14 January Cold – Richard Meyer
15 Disenchanted – Eric Wood
16 Raphael – Hugh Blumenfeld
17 Your Face – Louise Taylor
18 Crazy Horse – Josh Joffen