Me Oh My, How the Time Does Fly: A John Hartford Anthology

Amazon.com
This 18-song compilation serves as a useful introduction to John Hartford's quirky, modern old-time music. Culled from his Flying Fish period (1976-87), the set includes solo banjo and fiddle forays, odes to his beloved riverboats (and the fifth-grade teacher who turned him on to them), picking sessions with Nashville's top men (Buddy Emmons, Sam Bush, Bennie Martin, Roy Husky Jr., and more), laments for days gone by, and even a reading of "Gentle on My Mind"--the hit that facilitated this entire off-kilter musical vision. Whether through a nifty instrumental turn, a poignant lyric, or an annoying novelty tune, Hartford knows how to strike a nerve. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

Skippin' In The Mississippi Dew
The Julia Belle Swain
Natchez Whistle
I Would Not Be Here
Miss Ferris
Bear Creek Hop
Cukoo's Nest
Boogie
Gum Tree Canoe
Slumberin' On The Cumberland
Gentle On My Mind
In Tall Buildings
Nobody Eats At Linebaugh's Anymore
On Christmas Eve
Way Down River Road
Let Him Go On, Mama
Good Old Electric Washing Machine
I'm Still Here

Amazon.com

This 18-song compilation serves as a useful introduction to John Hartford's quirky, modern old-time music. Culled from his Flying Fish period (1976-87), the set includes solo banjo and fiddle forays, odes to his beloved riverboats (and the fifth-grade teacher who turned him on to them), picking sessions with Nashville's top men (Buddy Emmons, Sam Bush, Bennie Martin, Roy Husky Jr., and more), laments for days gone by, and even a reading of "Gentle on My Mind"--the hit that facilitated this entire off-kilter musical vision. Whether through a nifty instrumental turn, a poignant lyric, or an annoying novelty tune, Hartford knows how to strike a nerve. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

A national treasure..........2007-02-04

The highest praise that I can I can give this album is that it has inspired me to explore areas that I previously had no interest in, almost like John's 5th grade teacher... recently made a 15 hour road trip that this CD never left my player. Great stuff, this album should be in the Smithsonian....

Super good.......2007-01-12

I always loved John Hartford and now my 22 year old son is a fan as well. I got him this CD for Christmas and he loves it.

Hartford Delivers on the Rivers...........2006-08-31

The late, great John Hartford was an American treasure, indeed. Thank god for recordings, because we can all enjoy his fine work even though he's piloting that big ol' sternwheeler in the sky. This anthology successfully captures his fascination with riverboats and the people whose lives were also affected by them, as well as exposing his quirky musical visions, like "Tall Buildings" and "Boogie". His excellence on the banjo and fiddle is plainly heard on tracks like "Skippin in the Mississippi Dew", "Bear Creek Hop" and "Let Him Roll". This great album reminds us all of what we've lost in this truly unique American musician, but also how much fun music can be. Dig it....

so good it's downright unexpected.......2006-02-20

John Hartford made music to transcend pop-culture barriers like genre and critique, and this album puts a good part of that musical dynamism on display. While I never had the chance to see John play, I admire people who did, because it means that they take pleasure in enjoying themselves to good timing music. John's music is everything that popular radio has tended to exclude - historical reflections on an era, good-humouredness, vitality - and those who take the time to give this record a listen will find themselves to be rewarded for it.

As an american-raised person studying abroad in Paris, and also as somebody who made an effort to find the value in art that goes beyond the frames of my own little suburban microculture, just to come on Amazon and hear a snippet of songs like "Cukoo's Nest", "Slumberin' on the Cumberland" and "I'm Still Here" takes me back to where the music can move you without being uppity or causing your eardrums to rattle. "Cukoo's Nest" especially is a tune that cannot help but speak to anybody who knows about waiting and love, and when John says he does it 'not to get to know you, but just because of love', well that is one of those lines that helps life make more sense. And then "I'm Still Here", a song of surprise about the fact that economic apocalypse hasn't happened yet, should be especially relevant given the current state of American politics and foreign relations policy. If you've been through some crazy times in your life, and if you've never quite figured out why the heck you're still alive, "I'm Still Here" is a song that will surely let you know you're not alone.

But it should be noted that this is not an album meant for fans of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. If you live for the life of big business and 70-story elevator rides to work in the morning, this album may not be for you either. John Hartford speaks to a time, and offers melody to a place, where life was rooted in itself, and where the storytelling tradition may live on to see the day again. And again, if you want an album you can listen to for a few weeks and forget about, because nothing new will come and no more feelings will emerge, then steer clear of "Me oh my", which offers nothing if not that rare mix of grassroots class and off-beat technical mastery ; a mix which is sure to keep you raising eyebrowns, tapping feet, and smiling in your coffee mug for many years to come.

A single disc just can't do John Hartford justice!.......2003-08-23

The first time I listened to this compilation, I was so upset, I started to slap my own face..., but suddenly I realized I was
playing my face, just like John, and I felt better. Simply said, there just is not enough space on one CD for an anthology of John Hartford's Flying Fish work, so this falls far short of my minimum daily FDA requirements(that's for fiddle dancing artist). I owned this, I sold it, I bought the JH Flying Fish items I didn't have, but that still wasn't enough. This absoultely is NSFun.

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Music Album