[FM] review of James Gordon's CD "Mining For Gold"
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celtic-folk@surfnetusa.com
Wed, 03 Jan 2001 22:17:04 -0800
Below is my review of James Gordon's CD "Mining For Gold".
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A Review of the CD
"Mining For Gold"
by James Gordon
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"Mining For Gold"
by James Gordon
copyright 2000
The Borealis Record Company
67 Mowat Street, Suite 233
Toronto ON Canada M6K 3E3
ph: (416)530-4288
http://www.borealisrecords.com
mailto:info@borealisrecords.com
This review is written by Kevin McCarthy, 11/00
mailto:celtic-folk@surfnetusa.com
"Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews"
http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/index.html
The secret is out. There are two James Gordons. The historical and cultural
folk tale teller and the socially conscious, more reflective
singer-songwriter. This retrospective release is generally split along
these lines. The first offering, consisting of cuts from his days in the
group Tamarack, primarily presents a musical history of the lives of
miners, farmers, soldiers, fisherman and fur traders from Canada's past.
He opens with a powerful, a cappella version of "Frobisher Bay," a tune
about whalers stranded in the Arctic ice. "Oh Klondike" depicts the
seductive lure but chancy prospects of those afflicted with gold fever. "No
Herring left in the Bay" frames the effects on community stability when a
way of life dissipates. The difficulty of the farming life in northern
Ontario is wistfully pictured in "Fields of Rock and Stone:"
"...You clear the fields, you build the barn and you toil behind
the plow
And all you've got to show for it is the sweat upon your brow
The farming's just too hard, you'll never reap what you can sow
And all that you will ever grow is fields of rock and stone..."
"Pawpine" is a sorrowfully true tale of an African native's failed and
foiled attempts at repatriation. Kidnapped from Senegal and sold into
slavery, he fights through two wars, is finally freed and granted a plot
Canadian land. But he never returns to his homeland:
"...And in his dreams he still lives by the Gambia shore
Not the frozen grey Grand by his cabin door
Though they said he was free, still his heart stayed in
chains..."
The second offering primarily hones in on personal and societal issues.
"Without You," a cut about separation, opens with:
"I busy myself when I'm out on the road
With Zen and the art of counting hydro poles
And I'm getting pretty good at not letting it show
That it's harder and harder the longer I go
Without you..."
Excoriating the ominous effects of corporate giants setting up shop in and
around smaller towns, Gordon sings in "Back Before Wal-Mart:"
"Back before Wal-Mart came to town
This was a going concern
On Fridays folks would come around
And spend their pay where it was earned
Well the hardware store was first to go
Those prices just got way too low
Soon the other stores were closed
And the lights went out on main street
Whatever happened to our little town
Wal-Mart has run it into the ground
Generations of hopes and dreams are all
Sitting down in a bank in Arkansas..."
A harrowing description of a war veteran's post traumatic stress disorder
permeates "Harry In The Hole." "Hockey Town" laments the privilege afforded
the small town sports stars who get away with abusive acts because they
provide diversion and entertainment for community residents. "There Is No
Silent Night," a not-so-jolly Christmas tune, contains the powerful chorus:
"...Maybe when you've decked your halls
Everything's all right. All is calm and all is bright
But in the dark where the flocks are no longer watched
And we're all kept out of sight
We don't sleep in heavenly peace, there is no silent night..."
On the lighter side, the playful "Looking For Livingstone" is a clever and
fun cut. Gordon sings:
"...Oh there's a deep dark continent
Between what I said and what I meant
it's as big as an elephant
The space between us when I try to talk to you
We hunt the wild thesaurus, you can hear his mighty roar
He is standing before us, he is screaming metaphors
Oh now this language is so unexplored, I fear I am lost
I don't know what I'm saying anymore, how will I get across..."
Gordon has a pleasing, enjoyable voice and is backed by a multitude of
instruments throughout this release. This is the release for both those
unfamiliar with Gordon's work to date and those who prefer 'Best Of'
compilations.
Track List:
Disc One - "Songs written for Tamarack":
* Frobisher Bay (3:34)
* Harvest Train (3:51)
* Home To You Once More (5:10)
* Oh Klondike (4:02)
* No Herring Left in the Bay (2:16)
* The Greenland Whale (5:03)
* Fields of Rock and Snow (3:20)
* Stuart and Lillian (3:30)
* Lonesome Cowboy's Lament (4:19)
* Pawpine (4:23)
* The Virginia Brand (3:44)
* Pioneer Tower Road (3:13)
* Leaving Inverarden (3:31)
* Banks of the Rocky Saugeen (4:15)
* Tugboat Days (2:58)
* Highway Seventeen (3:04)
* We Owe It To The Pioneers (4:28)
* Chippewa Smile (3:25)
* Mining For Gold (5:05)
Disc Two - "Songs Recorded As James Gordon":
* Looking For Livingstone (3:58)
* Your Wandering Gypsy Boy (3:49)
* Head Me Home (4:45)
* Caledonia Street (5:04)
* Farther Along (4:16)
* This Poor Old Village (3:40)
* Essequibo River (4:55)
* The Human Cannonball (2:28)
* Without You (3:29)
* Kootenay Mountains (3:11)
* God Snapped Her Fingers (3:18)
* Margaret's Waltz (4:54)
* Back Before Wal-Mart (3:18)
* Ivy (4:15)
* St. Patrick's Day (2:34)
* Anna's Dress (2:45)
* Harry In The Hole (3:17)
* Hockey Town (3:54)
* There Is No Silent Night (3:34)
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Send inquiries to: celtic-folk@surfnetusa.com.
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Kevin McCarthy
mailto:celtic-folk@surfnetusa.com
Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews
http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/index.html