Texas Campfire Tapes

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
The Original 15 Tracks that the Texas Folk Singer Born Michelle Johnston Recorded on a Four Track Cassette -- Digitally Remastered and Reissued on a Picture Disc CD. This Item Topped the UK Independent Charts in the Late 80's.

Tracks:

5 A.M. in Amsterdam
Secret Admirer
Incomplete Image
Who Cares?
Down on Thomas St.
Fogtown
Steppin' Out
Hep Cat
Necktie
(Don't You Mess Around With) My Little Sister
Ballad of Patch Eye and Meg
Secret to a Long Life (Is Knowing When It's Time to Go)
Chain Smoker
Stranded in a Limousine
Goodnight Irene

Album Details

The Original 15 Tracks that the Texas Folk Singer Born Michelle Johnston Recorded on a Four Track Cassette -- Digitally Remastered and Reissued on a Picture Disc CD. This Item Topped the UK Independent Charts in the Late 80's.

Customer Reviews:

A better CD for existing fans........2000-07-01

Too bad that this is the only recording offered these days by this absolutely terrific musician. This is a good CD for big fans like me but probably not the most approachable for new fans.

Simple, cálido, directo........2000-05-24

Lo que valoro de este album es la actitud. Una propuesta redonda, postura irónica, sencillez muy cruda y canciones para ser cantadas y recordadas siempre. Los grillos y camiones, como fondo sonoro, completan la idea de que lo simple, natural y espontáneo, unidos a una buena voz, puede ser lo más bello y efectivo.

'Remembering back when I was a kid, I'd sneak down to the do.......2000-05-23

Like so many other artists (see Tracy Chapman), Michelle Shocked's early music is consistently impressive, and consequently eclipses her more recent work. That's not to say her recent albums are rubbish - it's just that 'The Texas campfire tapes' and 'Short sharp shocked' were so so good.

The story goes that this album was recorded on a Walkman, sitting beside a campfire at an eighties folk festival. Listening carefully, you can believe it - the sound of people yelling, trucks revving and crickets chirping can be heard behind Shocked's singing and strumming. '5 a.m in Amsterdam', 'The ballad of Patch-eye and Meg' and 'The secret to a long life (is knowing when it's time to go)' are my favourites here. Get this for its chilled-out, reflective mood, then try to get hold of 'Short sharp shocked' for its sassiness!

Texas Campfire Thefts?.......2000-02-21

Michelle herself has called this the Texas Campfire Thefts since the people who recorded put it out without telling her and have never paid any royalties. While it is a wonderful thing, when you buy it you are helping them continue to snag an artists songs.

A must for any Michelle Shocked fan.......1999-11-13

Michelle belts out passion and beauty in many different musical styles - an incredible artist. Texas campire tapes show you her at the beginning - raw, without gloss, yet still giving goose-bumps. Honest, beautiful foundations.

Average customer rating:

very poor recording quality
Terrific songs by a talented songwriter
Great Folk
What a gem!
Unpretentious and great fun

The Texas Campfire Tapes
Michelle Shocked
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Urban Folk | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Alternative Folk | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Tracks:

5 A.M. In Amsterdam
The Secret Admirer
The Incomplete Image
Who Cares?
Down On Thomas St.
Fogtown
Steppin Out
The Hep Cat
Neck Tie
(Don't You Mess Around With) My Little Sister
The Ballad Of Patch Eye And Meg
The Secret To A Long Life (Is Knowing When It's Time To Go)

Customer Reviews:

very poor recording quality.......2003-07-02

I own several cd's by MS and find her work interesting if somewhat uneven. The sound quality on this cd is very poor I am surprised she allowed it to be released. The only redeeming aspect is a neat little book that is somewhat autobiographical and allowed me to win a bet with a friend MS is not her real name.

Terrific songs by a talented songwriter.......2002-10-22

Michelle Shocked was recorded in 1986 around a campfire in Kerrville, Texas. The occasion was the Kerrville Folk Festival, and the recording device was a Sony Walkman. Despite the lackluster equipment, Shocked's spiky, playful personality comes through in spades here, as does the astonishing assuredness of her singing. Though she sounds girlish here--and looks about fifteen years old on the cover--there is a maturity and depth to the songs and the phrasing that announce the presence of a mature musician.
Pete Lawrence, the man who recorded the songs, gets Shocked to explain some of the inspiration for the songs in between tunes, but for the most part you hear only Shocked, her guitar, and the crickets in the background. The effect is both immediate and intimate. "5:00 AM in Amsterdam" opens with Shocked sounding like an incredibly youthful Joan Baez or Joni Mitchell, but with a wry and boyish twist. On "Who Cares," there are little flashes of Billie Holiday, believe it or not, and a jut-jawed attitude of defiance that comes across loud and clear despite the primitive recording. "Down on Thomas St." is a brisk and frisky tune and "Fogtown" (about San Francisco, of course!) has a melancholy longing to it. Shocked is a master at conveying unspoken longing and mood without spelling everything out for her listeners. She's also got a great gift for getting your attention right off the bat, as she does with the opening lyrics to "Necktie":

There was a naked man standing in an alley
And he weren't wearing no clothes . . .

Fans of Shocked's later albums will recognize the Elvis-flavored tune "(Don't You Mess Around with) My Little Sister" and "The Secret to a Long Life (is Knowing When It's Time to Go)." Less successful is "The Incomplete Image," a spoken-word piece interspersed with propulsive guitar work. Overall, though, especially given the inauspicious circumstances under which the album was recorded, this is a terrific album hinting at the maturity and brilliance Shocked would display on later albums.

Great Folk.......2001-07-17

This record is simply a great folk album. It is Michelle Shocked at her most basic, with only a guitar, her voice, and a handful of songs. Despite being captured on a Sony Walkman, this recording captures the sheer power and talent that Shocked possessed even at this early point in her career. The performance is reminiscient of the the 1960s and the folk revival of the time. A listen to this album will give you a great collection of songs. All original and all good, I can say that this has been one of my favorite albums since I first listened to it. If you're a fan of folk or acoustic pop, do whatever you can to find a copy of this recording.

What a gem!.......1999-07-30

This collection of story telling songs, sung and told so engagingly, invites the listener to join Michelle at her campfire and enjoy the glow. Irony, sense of humor, characters painted with the brushstrokes of humanity bring the music alive in a way that production can't touch. My favorites are Secret Admirer and Necktie. Drive across the country with this CD and sing along with her, again and again.

Unpretentious and great fun.......1999-03-05

I would have loved to be sitting around that campfire. This isthe best album that Michelle Shocked has done. Indeed it is the ONLYalbum she had done that deserves three listens. It is just perfect folk.
... My recommendation. Buy this, which a unpretentious and written before she had many good songs. (But where those she had were excellent.)

Music: