ARLO GUTHRIE: "Outlasting The Blues"

Original released on LP Warner Bros BSK 3336

(UK, 1979)

In 1979, Arlo Guthrie was no longer just Woody's kid, having a made his own mark on folk and popular music throughout the '60s and '70s. He was also approaching the age where he would discover whether or not he would be struck with Huntington's chorea, the hereditary nerve disease that killed his father. "Outlasting the Blues" deals with this sense of mortality, as well as faith, family, and time gone by. Guthrie refuses to ignore his possible fate, while examining the way things are, were, and should be. Musically, John Pilla's production, which lacks the vitality of his work on the superb "Amigo", doesn't do much for Guthrie's folk-rock, though the material on side one is all first-rate and certainly strong enough to stand on its own. Guthrie had recently converted to Catholicism, and his beliefs run through much of "Outlasting the Blues". "Which Side," the record's hardest rocker, begins as if it were just another '60s protest song, before you realize that it has more in common with "Gotta Serve Somebody" than "Blowin' in the Wind." "Wedding Song" is a beautiful tale of marriage, while the warm domesticity of "World Away From Me" and the record's best song, "Epilogue," round out the first side. "Epilogue" is a poignant baring of the soul by a man sure of his faith, if not his future, while at the same time at ease with his past. Whereas the first five songs are among Guthrie's best, the remaining tracks, though not without their pleasures, aren't quite as consistent and nearly atrophy under Pilla's lightweight production and the MOR backing of Shenandoah. Despite its flaws, there's plenty to admire about "Outlasting the Blues", which, at its best, is about as honest and mature as folk or pop songwriting gets. (Brett Hartenbach in AllMusic)

ARLO GUTHRIE: "Washington County"

Original Releasd on LP Reprise RS 6411
(US, December 1970)

I first heard this album when I was a hippie. Now that I'm a responsible adult I get up and make coffee instead of rolling something in paper. But, somehow this is still in my music player some 30 to 40 years latter. I probly bought it 3 or 4 times over the years as it was lost, stolen, and went from LP to 8-track to CD. It is an astonishing record - deep, melodic, intelligent and oh so pretty. For anyone who enjoys Dylan, or Sheryl Crow, or anyone in between, the lyrics are profound, the instrumentation complex and powerful, the joy unavoidable. This was a favorite album for many "hippies" in the early 70's. Still basking in the idealistic, post Woodstock belief that simplifying life can solve all of man's problems, Arlo released this album of uplifting, well played, almost spiritual songs. Listen to this album a few times and you'll be scanning the real-estate ads for some country acreage. This is a feel good album that was released during a time of social turmoil. It was a salve for the spirit at the time and even now soothes the nerves and offers simple rest and some cool shade. Just looking at the album makes me want to grab my overalls and hoe and head for the country. Great memories of a way of life that promised escape from what was perceived as a corrupt, materialistic society. Too bad the majority of the people of that time now live the same lives they rebelled against 40 years ago. Want a break from the complexities of life? Next sunny day, grab this CD; jump in the car; and take a drive in the country. (in Amazon)

Some of the cream of Los Angeles's better roots rock players supported Guthrie on his first album of the 1970s, including Ry Cooder, Chris Ethridge, Richie Hayward, Doug Dillard, Clarence White, and Hoyt Axton. Occasionally, he went back to purer folk arrangements, with the banjo-driven instrumental title track and the cover of father Woody Guthrie's "Lay Down Little Doggies." But for the most part, it was in the newly emerging singer/songwriter mold, mellow yet committed. While the results had Guthrie continue his process of more comfortably integrating contemporary rock into his music, it's also a little too low-energy on the whole in its mildly countrified singer/songwriter folk-rock. "Gabriel's Mother Hiway Ballad #16 Blues," "If You Would Just Drop By," and "I Want to Be Around" are all above average for the genre, but some of the other material was blander. The highlight, actually, was one of the few non-originals, a cover of Bob Dylan's "Percy's Song" (which Dylan himself had not released at that point). Few have picked up on it, but it's one of the better Dylan interpretations, Guthrie's reading a fine vehicle for the slightly weary contemplation of the lengthy lyric, given a sympathetic light string arrangement. (Richie Unterberger in AllMusic)