Description
OUT OF PRINT
Real railroads haul pasengers, freight, and mail. The trains of our music and literature also carry symbols: they can represent freedom and wanderlust, eros, machismo, escape, work, the ultimate journey that marks life’s end, or nostalgia for a bygone age. This collection of songs about trains and railroads offers some of each of these, from the turn-of-the-century tale of Casey Jones to the “disappearing railroad blues” of the 1970s’ City of New Orleans.
Rounder’s Roots of Americana series proudly presents some of the best and most beloved train songs recorded since 1930. Norm Cohen, author of Long Steel Rail: The Railroad in American Folksong shares his extensive knowledge in the booklet notes.
Artists include: Mary McCaslin, Hank Snow, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Flatt & Scruggs, the Delmore Brothers and Wayne Raney, Steve Goodman, Sleepy LaBeef, Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, the Whitstein Brothers, the Carter Family, Tony Rice, Jim & Jesse, and the Stanley Brothers.
Although all of these albums are out of print, used copies can be found online.
Tracks
Casey Jones (3:00)
Johnny Cash
Freight Train Boogie (2:31)
Whitstein Brothers
City of New Orleans (3:50)
Steve Goodman
Mystery Train (1:47)
Sleepy LaBeef
The Cannonball (2:57)
Carter Family
Big Black Train (2:24)
Flatt & Scruggs
Red Ball to Natchez (3:04)
Delmore Brothers & Wayne Raney
Take the “A” Train (3:07)
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Waiting for a Train (2:16)
Hank Snow
Life’s Railway to Heaven (2:50)
Patsy Cline
Old Train (2:09)
Tony Rice Unit
Bringin’ in the Georgia Mail (2:03)
Jim & Jesse
Train 45 (2:44)
Stanley Brothers
Last Cannonball (2:10)
Mary McCaslin
Reviews
Steel Rails and Mystery Train were released in February 1997. Excellent sales and reviews followed.
“A musical celebration of both train legends and actual stories has been evocatively assembled by Rounder Records. . . . The young have little, if any, sense of what has been lost with the trading of trains for automobiles and airplanes. But these recordings may evoke some of the romance of the rails for those whose imaginations were expanded by trains calling to them through the night.”
Nat Hentoff, Wall Street Journal
“The canon of American railroad songs is so rich, so vast that it would be impossible to do little more than just skim the surface of the genre in two compact discs. Leave it to Rounder Records, the respected label of roots and acoustic music, to do the impossible with this pair of anthologies of country and bluegrass recordings. The charm of this set is the way the producers have mixed classic recordings from country stalwarts with material from contemporary artists . . . put these discs in the player, pull out the excellent liner notes by musicologist Norm Cohen, and settle back for a great ride.”
Kevin P. Keefe, Trains Magazine
“This compilation listens like a connoisseur’s who’s who of country’s finest. . . . It’s obvious that it was not just slapped together — a lot of care went into picking the selections and performers. It’s very refreshing to hear stuff by these artists that hasn’t been played to death. Every cut is a gem. . . .”
Grant Britt, ESP Magazine
“Compiler Michael Hyatt picks a great crop of classic material. . . . Extensive liner notes by historian Norm Cohen supply lots of tidbits about song origins and artists.”
Bob Tarte, The Beat
“How many good songs do you know about airplanes or air travel? We all fly, but since they took away our meals there’s no romance left, it’s just a way to get there. Rounder Records’ collection of train songs reminds you why trains, especially steam locomotives, loom so large in our minds. . . . The 28 tunes are full of rhythms . . . the driving clickety-clack, clickety-clack beat found in many of the songs . . . came from train wheels hitting the joints in rails laid in short lengths . . . and those in which a fiddler or harmonica player imitates the sounds of the steam locomotive, from the hissing steam itself to wheels turning faster and faster and then the train’s whistle trailing off into the distance. The notes that accompany the music are themselves worth the price of the CDs.”
Edging West Magazine
“These two 14-song compilations detail the history of American roots music in the thematic context of trains – a popular topic for songwriters throughout the ages.”
Chuck Molgat, Uptown
“These two discs feature a delightful soundtrack to the heritage of one of the world’s first industrialized modes of transportation.”
Joshua Boyd, The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
“Classic Railroad Songs…works as a concept as well as a compilation. The most satisfying aspect of this set is that it recalls a bygone era mostly lost on a generation brought up on the internet, cellular phones and home theaters.”
Joshua Mills, No Depression
“A ribbon of steel courses through American music, crossing over genres: folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz, country and rock alike have ridden it. KXCI disc jockey Michael Hyatt has been collecting railroad music for years, and in this two-CD set he offers some of his favorites. Every cut is a standout. This collection will delight rail buffs and roots-music fans alike.”
Gregory McNamee, Tucson Weekly