A Vision Shared: A Tribute To Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly (1991)

This Land IS Your Land

If any of the older generation needs an introduction to Woody Guthrie or Leadbelly then I ask what planet have you been on. Woody's This Land Is Your Land is practically a national anthem. And Leadbelly's Goodnight, Irene is in that same category. So to have the two highlighted on one program, as they had been in life on a number of occasions, is a treat. This tribute has the further virtue of highlighting both original performances by them and tribute performances by some of these who have been influenced by their work, individually or collectively.

Anytime you get Taj Mahal, Little Richard, Sweet Honey in the Rock (a real treat as I was not familiar with their work), Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and a host of others under one cinematic roof you are bound to have a good performance. And added attraction was the appearance of Arlo Guthrie, Woody's son and a folk legend in his own right, commenting on his father's work. And, of course, an all too brief recorded performance by Bob Dylan, a man who probably did more to revive Woody's work in the 1960's than any other. For my money though, John Mellencamp and his ensemble band (including washboard player) stole the show at the end with their rendition of the afore-mentioned This Land Is Your Land. Watch it.
March 3, 2008

Don't Pass This One Up

I've had the audio CD of this concert for several years and it is outstanding. I still play it many times. The Sweet Honey In The Rock track of Sylvie, but itself, is worth the price of this music. March 3, 2008

A Vision Shared

Seeing this video is like being in heaven.
It can be compared with documentaries like "Songs of the civil war" and "Bringing it all back home", to name a few. In all these documentaries the various artists put their best feet forward.
Strangely enough these are seldom seen on tv.
February 8, 2008

great covers of great artists.

it's a little dated, esp. the little richard part, but well worth the money. john mellencamp's do re mi is fun, fulfilling, and true in spirit to woody. somehow, a synthesizer, 80s-esque little richard pulls off 'rock island line' and does leadbelly proud. i wished there would've been more 12 string leadbelly songs, but pete seeger does a fantastic job. arlo is spectacular as well. the whole thing is great. bruce takes creative liberties with vigilante man, making it menacing. for 10 bucks, its a steal. i wished they would've had a dylan performance though. November 9, 2006

COULD NOT BELEIVE IT'S 0N DVD

I saw this on T.V.along time ago;It was very interesting & I liked that type of music;the musicians who they picked to cover the songs;It's a plesure to see it again on DVD & also own a copy of it,Thank you ,Tom October 30, 2005

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