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Going Back to Brooklyn
Studio album by
Released
1985
Genre
Folk
Length
41:12
Label
Reckless
Producer
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk chronology
Dave Van Ronk in Rome (1983)
Going Back to Brooklyn (1985)
Hesitation Blues (1988)
Going Back to Brooklyn is an album by American folk and blues singer Dave Van Ronk, released in 1985.
4Personnel
History[edit]
Although Van Ronk was primarily an interpretive singer of traditional folk and blues songs along with covers of the songs of others, he still wrote a number of songs over his long career. Going Back to Brooklyn is the only album he made that is devoted entirely to his own compositions. Many of the songs were written, and some recorded, years and even decades previous to this release; however, all of the songs on this release were re-recorded specially for this album.[1]
Going Back to Brooklyn was re-released on CD twice, in 1991 by Gazell Records and in 2006 by Hightone Records.
Reception[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source
Rating
Allmusic
[1]
Robert Christgau
[2]
Writing for Allmusic, critic William Ruhlman wrote of the album 'Van Ronk is primarily an interpretive singer with a repertoire of traditional folk-blues songs along with covers of the songs of his peers... Even when he writes a well-developed original, he basically adapts one of his favorite folk-blues fingerpicking patterns to accompany a lyric idea... Van Ronk uses his raspy, expressive voice, which contrasts with the sweetness of his guitar playing, to get across harsh, bitter feelings... Going Back to Brooklyn is unique among Dave Van Ronk albums for the portrait it provides of the artist, even if on the surface it sounds like many of this other records.'[1] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention indicating 'a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like' and called Van Ronk 'the most steadfast of the folkies—and the funniest.'[2]
Track listing[edit]
All songs by Dave Van Ronk.
'Losers' – 3:14
'Blood Red Moon' – 4:06
'Honey Hair' – 3:22
'Head Inspector' – 2:29
'Luang Prabang' – 1:36
'Antelope Rag' – 5:21
'Tantric Mantra' – 0:39
'Gaslight Rag' – 2:06
'Last Call' – 2:37
'Garden State Stomp' – 3:30
'Zen Koans Gonna Rise Again' – 3:42
'The Whores of San Pedro' – 0:33
'Left Bank Blues' – 3:39
'Another Time and Place' – 4:37
Personnel[edit]
Dave Van Ronk – vocals, guitar
Production[edit]
Design by Johnny Bartlett
Engineered by Bruce Bartone and Alan Mattes
Back Cover by Nora Charters
Photography by John W. Seraphin
Liner Notes by Rosalie Sorrels
Photography, Cover Design, Cover Art by Andrea Vuocolo
References[edit]
^ abcRuhlman, William. 'Going Back to Brooklyn > Review'. Allmusic. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
^ abChristgau, Robert. 'Going Back to Brooklyn > Review'. Robert Christgau. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Going_Back_to_Brooklyn&oldid=864183971'
Real Name
Dave Van Ronk
Profile
Born 30 June 1936, Brooklyn, NY, USA Died 10 February 2002, New York, NY, USA Nicknamed the Mayor of MacDougal Street, New York City native Dave Van Ronk was considered by many to be music's raconteur, troubadour and provocateur. Arriving at Washington Square Park in the mid 1950s during the folk revivalist boom, Van Ronk lived hand-to-mouth while teaching himself to play guitar and dabbling in communist political circles. By 1958, he and life-long friend, musicologist , released their first album, 's 'Skiffle in Stereo' as members of . After a stint in the Merchant Marine, tireless gigging in most every cabaret in the city, and a one-off collaboration as a on 's album of sea shanties, Van Ronk settled on the lower west side Manhattan, in Greenwich Village. Referred to as “the great, grizzled, guitarist” by , Van Ronk’s music eluded classification. As a self-described ‘moldy fig’ who eschewed the term “folk artist”, Dave Van Ronk’s eclectic blend of dixieland jazz, ragtime, blues, vaudeville and other styles were often in direct conflict with the format-conscious world of the commercial music business. Reminding listeners his only constant was, 'I've always been inconsistent”, his recordings followed one rule, “anything that I like and that I think I can find a handle to, I'll take a whack at. And as it has been, so shall it be.' Though more an arranger than a songwriter, Van Ronk was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers toward the end of his four plus decade career in December of 1997. Debuting on 's label in the early 1960s, Van Ronk moved onto with Dixieland revivalists and with . At the close of the 1960s, released his sole rock album with the . As the folk boom ebbed, Van Ronk’s gravelly voice was relatively quiet, releasing an album for in 1972, another the following year on , then landing on the roster in 1976. By the early 1980s, Van Ronk was recording several one-off projects with assorted independent folk labels, including a handful for ' New England-based imprint. Joint ventures with and followed in the 1990s. Van Ronk continued performing live right up to his death from complications following colon cancer surgery in Winter 2002. His auto-biography, written with , and live album, ', which was recorded at the end of his life, were both posthumously released. In the early Summer of 2004, the City of New York commemorated it’s unofficial mayor’s passing by permanently renaming the eastern side of Sheridan Square on Washington Place as Dave Van Ronk Street. Throughout his life, MacDougal Street’s mayor served as a mentor to countless up-and-coming artists that migrated to New York. , who met Van Ronk upon his arrival from the Midwest, remembers him as 'Greenwich Village’s king of the street' where 'he reigned supreme.' Singer-songwriters such as , , and have all sung his praises as a mentor, teacher and friend. Dave Van Ronk’s younger, west coast contemporary, , paid homage when stating, 'In the engine room of the New York Folk Scene shoveling coal into the furnace, one Big Man rules; Dog-faced roustabout songster, bluesman Dave Van Ronk. Long may he howl.'