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Harry Belafonte

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really real

unread,
Aug 23, 2012, 8:44:50 PM8/23/12
to
ER had a video of Harry Belafonte doing Forever Young. I think he does a
terrific job of a song that tends towards the maudlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wULEhuZqrzA


Harry's version of Tomorrow is a Long Time is not, imo, as successful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeJMa2hPbFU


Harry has been very controversial throughout his life, not only for his
radical politics, but for his schlocky music. I forget what Joan Baez
said about him way back then, but Harry was sort of the symbol for fake
folk music back in the 60s.

For me, Harry has always been a hero. My very first concert was when my
parents took me to see Harry Belafonte. His first albums were constantly
played in our house, and I think his calypso music had a strong
influence on my musical taste.

It's quite amazing to find how hard it is to get Belafonte albums on cd.
His first two albums never came out as cds. His third, The Calypso album
was the first record to sell a million copies and it is available. His
two fine albums that came after are not available.

Belafonte's next album was Belafonte Sings the Blues, his highest
praised and weakest selling album of them all. There was a gold cd made
of it, though it was not released until last year. Now there are a few
different cd versions, including one with bonus tracks.

Harry Belafonte should be the kind of artist who has a huge Bear Family
Box set, and RCA should have a box set of his RCA albums. And the album
that has him singing Forever Young should have a cd release.

Just Walkin'

unread,
Aug 23, 2012, 8:59:00 PM8/23/12
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He also does a Darlin' song...

Dr_dudley

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Aug 24, 2012, 3:10:58 AM8/24/12
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of course the hippopotamus in the bathtub here:

Harry Belafonte Midnight Special w Bob Dylan on Harmonica
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYw40uxjbGI

as it saids, bob got fifty bucks for the session. that was a lot of money back then.

of course there are available the entire session. i forget how many takes there were, in the twenty range. i'm fondest of the one where bob's boot-tapping led harry to ask if he might want to take his boots off.

i'm guessing a stocking-footed bob yielded the final output.

bless your hearts, if any,
rdd
___
Harry Belafonte - Midnight Special #1 (1961) Harp: Bob Dylan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj0IHtfUY-g

If you ever go to Houston 19.06.2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsXnBf2iMc

nate

unread,
Aug 25, 2012, 3:13:03 AM8/25/12
to
On Aug 24, 3:10 am, Dr_dudley <dud...@cloud9.net> wrote:
>
> bless your hearts, if any,
> rdd
> ___
> Harry Belafonte - Midnight Special #1 (1961) Harp: Bob Dylanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj0IHtfUY-g
>
> If you ever go to Houston 19.06.2010http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AsXnBf2iMc


dollar a days worth. Thank you, our kind Dr. Dudley. innarestin how
bob reaches back in time to snatch up these snippets of his past these
days.

like i said many years ago here (in some way or another), it aint
anymore the fitting of the words into a song, like he mighta done in
"It's All Right, Ma", no, no, now the deal is slidin' in longer
connected fragments of american song. If you ever go to Houston,
indeed. A larger puzzle piece picture with fewer places to go that
work out right. HARDER TO DO. And he don't always hit the water
smooth like somem Greg Luganis. But he tried.


- nate

Dr_dudley

unread,
Aug 29, 2012, 2:15:29 AM8/29/12
to
it might be the acid flashback talking, but:

On Saturday, August 25, 2012 3:13:03 AM UTC-4, nate wrote:
> innarestin how
>
> bob reaches back in time to snatch up these snippets of his past these
>
> days.
>

i wonder if bob "reaches back in time" or if he has a different perspective of time, not unlike Vonnegut's Tralfamadorian mountain range.

and how different the world might be if bob's lyric had read "i wish i was on some / tralfamadorian mountain range".

i'm sure he cd've made those words fit.

>
>
> like i said many years ago here (in some way or another), it aint
>
> anymore the fitting of the words into a song, like he mighta done in
>
> "It's All Right, Ma", no, no, now the deal is slidin' in longer
>
> connected fragments of american song. If you ever go to Houston,
>
> indeed. A larger puzzle piece picture with fewer places to go that
>
> work out right. HARDER TO DO. And he don't always hit the water
>
> smooth like somem Greg Luganis. But he tried.
>
>

a) Neil seems to be mining that same vein.

b) i watched a lot of olympics while on vacation. my young'uns like those kinds of sporting events.

i don't know that a smooth entry on a degree of difficulty is all that noteworthy.

like it says on a t-shirt i have "goals are deceptive - the unaimed arrow never misses".

that said, the other night i had a strangest dream, i dreamt i was in a local independent record store and lo and behold! in their racks was Tempest, well before its release.

might be a nomen.

then again yesterday morning i dreamt i was in the ocean and driven deep beneath the waves and breathing saltwater and i woke up right quick.

(acknowledging the absurdist tenor, or baritone, of this post. i'm actually heartened by some of the activity in these 1/4s.)

> - nate

tearing throughly,
rdd
___
}
I must have thought that there was nothing more
Absurd than that love is just a four letter word
{

Joan Baez - Love is just a four letter word (from NDH)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrZ0Ww7qXEA

Earl Scruggs & Joan Baez-Love Is Just...(subtítulos-español)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVz-g2DZt7I

The Great Society - Outlaw Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XZfcllYyZA

Coulson, Dean, McGuinnes, Flint - Lo And Behold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_iE_RqiljQ

McGuinn, Hilman, Crosby and Dylan perform Mr. Tambourine Man.wmv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxKIWcuLWHA

really real

unread,
Aug 31, 2012, 11:06:23 AM8/31/12
to
My copy of Belafonte Sings the Blues + Bonus Tracks arrived this week
and it sounds wonderful. Belafonte sings three Ray Charles songs on this
album. It looks like the gold version, promised for the last ten years,
also came out this year

And I also got my 10cd box set of Belafonte Sings Calypso Blues and Folk
Songs, which cost me $15. It's got all the songs Belafonte did up til 50
years ago when European royalties kick in. The sound quality is not all
that bad for this cheapie box set.
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