Live: Ralph's Last Show [Live]

Amazon.com
In their inimitable 1958 Wayne touring bus, stuffed with flea-market couches and a propane stove, Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels have spent the last decade descending from Canada to play any venue that will have them. These two discs generously capture the fury and fun of their live gigs, despite the track fade-outs and the absence of Eaglesmith's hilarious between-song storytelling. The set includes the previously unrecorded (for good reason) novelty tunes "White Trash," "Big Hair," and "How's Ernie?" yet another car song "Benchseat Baby," but also "John Deere" and "Carmelita," rare gems that stand with the best of Eaglesmith's working-class portraits. He growls and snarls through every line, while his cohorts--including human salvage yard Washboard Hank, distortion-pedal-loving mandolinist Willie P. Bennett, and harmony vocalist and bassist Ralph Schipper (whose last show the set documents)--rock like punks on a mission. --Roy Kasten

Live: Ralph's Last Show,Fred Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels,Signature Records,Americana,Country-Folk,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter,Unvarnished, tough, and raw songs of heartbreak, fast cars, hard times, and hard truths sunga nd played as if the whole world depends on it. The finest in alt.country songwriting and performing.

Live: Ralph's Last Show [Live]

Average customer rating:

a good'un
Torn between 4 and 5 stars.
Torn between 4 and 5 stars.
He's a pretty good guy.. with a great cd
TOP TEN FOR YEAR 2001

Live: Ralph's Last Show
Fred Eaglesmith & the Flying Squirrels
Manufacturer: Signature Sounds
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

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Contemporary Folk | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Live Albums | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Rock | Styles | Music

Country Folk | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Singer Songwriters | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00005BGKE
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

Intro
Freight Train
105
Mighty Big Car
White Trash
Good Enough
Livin' Out On the Road
Carter
Time To Get A Gun
Flowers In The Dell
He's A Good Dog
Lucille
How's Ernie

Tracks:

Pretty Good Guy
John Deere
Carmelita
Benchseat Baby
Spookin' The Horses
Crazier
Big Hair
I Like Trains
Rodeo Boy
Crashin' & Burnin'
Alcohol & Pills
49 Tons

Amazon.com

In their inimitable 1958 Wayne touring bus, stuffed with flea-market couches and a propane stove, Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels have spent the last decade descending from Canada to play any venue that will have them. These two discs generously capture the fury and fun of their live gigs, despite the track fade-outs and the absence of Eaglesmith's hilarious between-song storytelling. The set includes the previously unrecorded (for good reason) novelty tunes "White Trash," "Big Hair," and "How's Ernie?" yet another car song "Benchseat Baby," but also "John Deere" and "Carmelita," rare gems that stand with the best of Eaglesmith's working-class portraits. He growls and snarls through every line, while his cohorts--including human salvage yard Washboard Hank, distortion-pedal-loving mandolinist Willie P. Bennett, and harmony vocalist and bassist Ralph Schipper (whose last show the set documents)--rock like punks on a mission. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

a good'un.......2002-05-21

Just what you probably think you don't need--yet another two-disc thematic song suite on an indie label. "Ralph's Last Show" (named for the bandmate whose green card has since expired) sounds like the worst sort of treacle in theory--songs about trains, old cars, old loves, even, so help me, one about an old dog. In reality these are beautifully observed, sometimes sweet, often hilarious songs written by a journeyman Canadian folkie whose voice has just the right amount of road- (if not world-)weariness in it. All that and an Appalachian murder ballad that sounds more authentic than anything Gillian Welch has come up with. Docked a notch only for spreading two 40 min. sets across two cds when both would've easily fit on one.

Torn between 4 and 5 stars........2001-09-09

FOUR car songs, three train songs, a tractor song, and a bunch of awesome non-machinery songs too... I'd label it country/folk with an edge, with tons of fiddling in the background. Unless you hate that kind of music, what's not to like?

Well, it comes in a cardboard sleeve with no lyric sheets, and parts of it wouldn't play in my finicky old CD player, probably because the CDs got a little warped in transit because of the cheesy packaging. (The lyrics are pretty clear in the songs, so not having a lyric sheet isn't a crisis. The songs I could play on the old player were good enough to justify purchasing a new CD/DVD player the day after I got the CD, which plays both disks just fine.) "Flowers in the Dell" is a little creepy. And after a while the album's overall vocal and musical roughness got on my nerves, so I had to play something else for a bit.

Still, it's an amazing album, too good to knock down a whole star. But if 4.5 was an option, it'd be that.

Torn between 4 and 5 stars........2001-09-09

Still, it's an amazing album, too good to knock down a whole star. But if 4.5 was an option, it'd be that.

He's a pretty good guy.. with a great cd.......2001-08-30

I've seen quite a few live Fred shows, and this cd captures the band at its musical peak. Included are some very new songs, some standards, and some revived classics. The best news is that you can really hear Washboard Hank, who's been a major force in the live shows but sadly missing from the recordings. Pay close attention to Hank's excellent dobro work!
On the down side, the cd doesn't include the between-songs stories, quips, and banter that make a Fred Eaglesmith show a truly a wonderful experience.

TOP TEN FOR YEAR 2001.......2001-06-19

This is cd is more acoustic than his last cd's, you'll have to go back to "Paradise Motel" for the same feeling. The cd is full of raw energy, and Eaglesmith as always is amazing. It's his best cd (from the ones I've heard) and one of the best cd's this year.

Amazing!