by Gillian Welch List Price:$11.00 Our Price:$10.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Product Details
Media: Audio CD
Release Date: Tuesday, June 12, 2001
Label: Acony Records
Average Customer Review: 0 Based on 0 reviews.
Sales Rank: 500
Tracks
1.
Only One and Only
2.
Acony Bell
3.
Tear My Stillhouse Down
4.
Paper Wings
5.
By the Mark
6.
One More Dollar
7.
Barroom Girls
8.
Pass You By
9.
Annabelle
10.
Orphan Girl
Editorial Review
Gillian Welch has captured the ethos of mountain music in a way that few lowlanders have managed, and that's just a little disconcerting. Outsiders aren't supposed to be able to infiltrate tight-knit clans. Producer T-Bone Burnett creates intimacy by recording Welch live with a small cast of supporting players, including Welch's partner, David Rawlings. While many of the songs are built around duo acoustic guitars and two-part harmonies, Burnett spices up a few of them up with some neat tricks, mixing an upright bass above the vocals on "Pass You By" and getting a fat, dirty sound out of three instruments. Welch's vocals, meanwhile, are stoical and matter-of-fact as her songs, which are infused with a repressed dread and contrition that's utterly convincing. White gospel tunes like "Orphan Girl" and "By the Mark" feel as if they were culled from hymnals, yet they were written when Clinton, not Coolidge, was president. --Steven Stolder
Top Customer Reviews
Rating:
5 The World Belongs to Gillian
The world belongs to Gillian Welch if she wants it. She is an incredibly talented artist who refuses to fit into a neat little box, doing the same thing over and over again. Yes, the world belongs to Gillian...but I'll bet she doesn't want it. She'd probably settle for a small following of dedicated fans. She has no need to worry.'Revival' seems to refer to an older time, such as the Depression era days when all you had was inner hope. There was nothing much else to hope for. Many of these songs speak to a spiritual quality. Take the opener, "Orphan Girl," a simple, yet stunningly powerful song. What hope could an orphan possibly have in this cold, cruel world? Gillian knows and she tells us.If you insist on classifying Welch, I suppose a cross between folk and alt. country might work, but it doesn't do her justice. But don't worry about trying to put a label on her. Just enjoy the music. Gillian Welch and partner David Rawlings have together created a tribute to and an awakening of a style of music from a simpler time. This is what the Carter Family might have sounded like had they been born 50 years later. Sure, you'll find an electric guitar here and there and even some drumming, but it's mostly two guitars and two voices, barebones music with no-holds-barred lyrics that seem to deepen with each listen. How rare. And how refreshing. Let's hope Gillian and David are around for a long, long time.
Rating:
5 The more you listen the more you'll like
Simply put: You will not tire of this album. The music is anything but repetitive, and each song touches the listener in a different way. The more you hear of Welch and David Rawlings the more you appreciate their fine and carefully crafted work.Much is made about the fact that a girl from Los Angeles has such a feel for this type of music. I believe Welch's background actually gives her music an appeal beyond bluegrass and country. Yes, it's true that you can't get any more mountain-like than "Tear my Stillhouse Down", and the beautiful "By the Mark" is too deeply religious to make any big city album. But Welch's very best on this album appeals to the sensibilities of both city and country folk: The opening track "Orphan Girl" touches the loneliness in all of us and the hope of reunion; and the painfully sad "Barroom Girls" probably fits better in L.A. than Knoxville.I'm hoping that Welch stays true to this type of music. Her popularity is exploding as a result of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and she's getting air time on VH-1 Country with her incredible Elvis song. Please don't let us down Gillian.
Rating:
5 Essential Gillian Welch
Forget the hype of 'O Brother Where Art Thou'. Forget about "alt-country". Forget about "mountain music". This is the debut album from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. And its an experience.How can you NOT mention Rawlings every time you talk about Welch? It is only together, that they've created some of the most beautiful, haunting, melancholic songs I have ever heard. I've been fortunate enough to see them play on two occasions, they're also outstanding live musicians and they had the audience spellbound for the entire length of the concert. This is the perfect record to start your GW/DR collection with...
Rating:
4 Timeless, real music
Go ahead and do it: go to an online auction shop and type in "Gillian Welch," or go to a used music store and try finding one of Gillian Welch's cd's. They all go for close to retail price at auction sites, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a disk at a used shop. Why? As for "Revival," which of yet, is the only Gillian Welch cd I own, the music speaks for itself; this album contains timeless themes and timeless music. People who buy it listen to it, and don't want to give it up - give "Revival" a try, start with this, her first effort, and it's likely you'll feel the same.It's American music at its best. Real people playing real instruments; simple yet evocative; lyrics that evoke harsh images, that make a connection to what this country was not too long ago. With both the good and the bad that goes along with that reality.In my opinion, "One More Dollar" is the album's strongest track, taking you on the doomed journey of a young man who sets off for work far away with the promise to return home after earning enough money, only to fall by the wayside, victim of gambling and drink. "Orphan Girl," the first song, immediately hooks you, and "Annabelle," the second, is equally compelling.I've given this "only" 4 stars because I can't get over track #3 "Pass You By," which brings the album to a screeching halt and just never seems to fit in. It's not appealing to my ears along with the other great songs on the album; indeed, it wouldn't be appealing even on a album of that "type." All for creativity, but this one just misses.So go for it; whether you're a country music fan seeking refuge from the refuse streaming out of Nashville these days, an "O Brother" convert to this musical genre, or simply a music fan looking for some solid, good traditional music that you're going to like 10 years from now like you like today - you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
5 Beautiful alt-country debut album.
It's hard to believe this is Welch's first album: the songwriting is unbelievably solid, and the music is hauntingly reminiscent of early bluegrass and country music. She came from a musical family (her parents scored the music for "The Carol Burnett Show"), and she attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where she met her musical partner David Rawlings.Welch's and Rawlings's voice and instrumentations blend beautifully, and one of the standout songs on the album is "By The Mark", where you can hear Rawlings clearly echoing and harmonizing with Welch's voice. Other songs worth mentioning are the mournful "Annabelle" and "Tear My Stillhouse Down".It should be noted also that Emmylou Harris was so impressed with Welch and with this album that she later covered "Orphan Girl".
Rating:
5 "O Brother" Fans, Look No Further
Like many fans of Gillian Welch, I was first introduced to her work through her excellent contributions to the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack and the follow-up live album, "Down From the Mountain." This album is the closest "companion piece" to those blockbusters that I've heard. Like the "O Brother" albums, "Revival" is Depression-style American music (not quite country, not quite folk, not quite bluegrass) recorded with modern production values that provide a clarity and richness missing from actual Depression-era recordings. What's more, although they sound like they're at least 75 years old, the songs on "Revival" are all Gillian Welch/David Rawlings originals.I would also note that Christian music fans ought to be singing this album's praises. Several of the songs on "Revival" contain more doctrine, moral lessons, and mentions of Jesus Christ than many so-called "Gospel" or "CCM" recordings."Revival" is, quite simply, an American masterpiece.
Rating:
5 A gem buried in coal dust
Gillian Welch's "Revival" is the sort of album that you wish everyone--and no one--knew about. With songs of poignant clarity, vignettes that reveal neither too little nor too much, and a voice that knows how much each song needs and stops there, rather than pushing too far and spoiling the lyrics to showcase the artist, this is an album that deserves more attention than it has received--and yet, it is one where you can revel in its relative obscurity, as if you and Gillian were sharing an intimate secret, telling tales on the porch in old rocking chairs. "Revival" puts Gillian Welch in the class of such artists as Emmylou Harris and Over the Rhine's Karin Bergquist--singers who have, not coincidentally, both covered the opening track, "Orphan Girl." This is an album that should claim a special nook in your CD collection.
Rating:
5 if there's a better debut out there, i haven't found it.
every once in a while, when the stars are lined up just perfectly or something, there comes along an album that blows everything else out of the water. that's what this album did when it first came out. for the sheer poetry of the writing, for the incredibly incredible harmonies, for the intricacy of david rawlings's guitar playing, for the honesty of the emotions, this album has to be one of my all-time favorites. all three of gillian welch's releases are truly 5-star albums, but this one will always hold a special place in my musical heart. and, with any luck at all, or when the stars once again line up in that that magical arrangement, david rawlings just may put out something on his own. these two musicians are deserving of all the accolades they have received and more. this is one work of true inspiration and amazing beauty.
Rating:
5 Oh, what I've been missing!
I've been away from the country scene for a while, but the "Oh, Brother! Where Art Thou?" phenomenon brought me back to country and, particularly, bluegrass. From the movie soundtrack, it was a short hop to Gillian Welch's albums, and boy, am I glad I made the leap! This album combines the heart-wrenching sound of the "way back the holler" nightingale (think Dolly Parton at her bluegrass best) with the sophisticated blues/rhythm of New Orleans (think k.d. lang at her most hauntingly sorrowful). Gillian Welch and her co-writer/back-up singer Dave Rawlings twist the gut and turn the head with gospel influenced ballads like "Orphan Girl" as well as deep blues rockers like "Pass You By." This goes so far beyond "Hill-billy" music that they must not have a name for it yet. Buy it. Buy them all.
Rating:
5 old time music with an attitude
I bought this cd with some trepidation. I'm a serious fan of old time music and traditional bluegrass, and I was afraid most of the tracks on this cd would be singer-song-writerish. But although all the songs are originals, almost all are great. And I have to admit, these two Californians--Gillian Welch and David Rawlins--have those mountain-style harmonies down cold. It's also nice to see them get some recognition with the release of the O Brother soundtrack. I also hear there's a documentary in the works of a concert they and other artists from the soundtrack gave at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and I believe a companion cd as well. I can't wait for their new release at the end of July.
Rating:
5 Town Come To Country
Gillian Welch is a chameleon and she's damn good at it. To listen to her recordings one would think she arrived from the Appalachians a few hours before the session in an old broke-down truck. Never would one suspect she is actually from California and not some distant holler, she seems to have a natural feel for the music. The songs captivate the listener from the first note, she and partner David Rawlings have assembled a truly extraordinary batch of tunes here. Be sure and catch her cameo in "O Brother". It's no coincidence that T-Bone Burnett also happened to produce this album before gathering the musicians for the soundtrack for that film. He was obviously seduced by her music also.
Rating:
5 Best music I have heard in a long, long time..
I first came to listen to Gillian Welsh because I wanted to hear her own rendition of 'Orphan Girl', as she is the writer, after I heard Emmy Lou Harris cover it. I must say, I became entranced by the entire CD and listened to nothing else for over a month.I don't know who she is or how she does it, she and Ken Rawlings, but I hope she continues creating this musical magic. They can truly transport the listener back to a time and place that is not recent, not modern, even though the songs were borne of this decade and not generations ago in the mountains of East Tennessee. Every once in a while, she'll throw you for a loop by bringing you back to the present with a song like 'Pass You By' or 'Barroom Girl', even though it fits right in with the rest of the musical pieces.I have not been this impressed with the craftsmenship and pure creativity of ANY musicians for a very long time...maybe since I was a young woman and first heard Joan Baez sing. Every song here is peerless, a gem in it's own right.
Rating:
5 SIMPLY A STUNNING DEBUT
I first saw this cd just a few days after it was released in 1996 -- the cover caught my eye and I took it into a listening booth to give it some attention, away from the cacaphony of the store sound system, which at the moment, I think, was churning out Nirvana. When I closed the door and started the disc, everything outside went away -- it had been a long time since I had discovered someone who was as talented and captivating in style as the music on this cd revealed.Gillian Welch is not from Appalachia -- but you couldn't prove it by me that day. It was only later that I discovered this fact. Her style of songwriting, singing and playing never EVER comes across as false or contrived -- her heartfelt love of this music brings an honesty to it that is rare and refreshing in these times. The combination of her songs and voice with the stunning abilities and sensitivity of David Rawlings (who co-wrote many of these songs) makes listening to this music a powerful, transporting experience. His guitar work is simply (and I mean 'simply') exquisite -- I can't find a song on this disc where his accompaniment isn't perfect. The lines he plays provide just the right background and fill, targeting the mood dead-on. I never get the feeling that he's showing off or posing -- he's simply trying to do everything in his power to frame these songs and Welch's voice for the audience to enjoy and appreciate. On the tracks where he sings as well, their voices blend as if they were destined to do so.There are several standouts in this set, but every single track here is a 'keeper'. 'Orphan girl' is proably the best-known tune, being covered early on by no less an established performer than Emmylou Harris. 'Annabelle' is heartbreakingly beautiful, a mother relating the story of a child's death in the midst of an unimaginably hard life, trying to remain philosophical in the face of such tragedy: 'We cannot have all things to please us, no matter how we try -- until we've all gone to Jesus, we can only wonder why'. The third track, 'Pass you by', simply roars with power, underscoring the story of a desperate individual entering into a life of crime, finding herself enjoying the 'rush' of taking her share from the rich man. 'Barroom girls' paints a picture of one-night stands with incredible imagery: 'Oh the night came undone like a party dress, and fell at her feet in a beautiful mess'. 'By the mark' sounds for all intents and purposes like a well-travelled traditional gospel song -- but it's another fine Welch/Rawlings composition. Their vocal blend on this song is particularly effective. Welch sends chills up our collective spine on 'Paper wings' by channeling Patsy Cline, without for one instant sounding derivative, with another set of evocative lyrics: 'Angels were singing -- didn't you hear? If only I'd listened close when they whispered in my ear -- paper wings, paper wings, oh how could I expect to fly with only paper wings?' Welch stands in the shoes of a repentent moonshiner, advising those witnessing her final moments to 'Tear my stillhouse down', '...cause Satan he lives in my whiskey machine, and in my time of dying I know where I'm bound -- so when I die, tear my stillhouse down'.The album ends with two of my three favorite cuts ('Paper wings' being the third). 'Acony bell' is a gorgeous paean to '...a simple flower so small and plain' that heralds the springtime in the mountains -- a symbol of hope and new life after a hard winter. 'Only one and only' speaks of that one person in the singer's life who would leave the biggest hole if they left -- and we all have one of those.Special mention should also be made of the impressive and tasteful production talents of T-Bone Burnett. He provides just the right touch from where he sits in the recording process -- both on this release and Welch's sophomore effort HELL AMONG THE YEARLINGS (also an excellent cd).The impressive songwriting of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings is, over time, building into a treasure-house of contemporary American acoustic music -- and if she's not from the hills of Arkansas or Kentucky or Tennesse, yet can write and sing these songs like this, more power to her. She and David have a true sense of honesty and a genuine talent for this music -- and they obviously love what they're doing.Welch and Rawlings also put on a terrific live show -- if they come anywhere near your area, you owe it to yourself to see them. They are unpretentiously absorbed in this music, and it's a joy to behold.
Rating:
5 The more you listen the more you'll like
Simply put: You will not tire of this album. The music is anything but repetitive, and each song touches the listener in a different way. The more you hear of Welch and David Rawlings the more you appreciate their fine and carefully crafted work.Much is made about the fact that a girl from Los Angeles has such a feel for this type of music. I believe Welch's background actually gives her music an appeal beyond bluegrass and country. Yes, it's true that you can't get any more mountain-like than "Tear my Stillhouse Down", and the beautiful "By the Mark" is too deeply religious to make any big city album. But Welch's very best on this album appeals to the sensibilities of both city and country folk: The opening track "Orphan Girl" touches the loneliness in all of us and the hope of reunion; and the painfully sad "Barroom Girls" probably fits better in L.A. than Knoxville.I'm hoping that Welch stays true to this type of music. Her popularity is exploding as a result of "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and she's getting air time on VH-1 Country with her incredible Elvis song. Please don't let us down Gillian.
Rating:
5 Gillian Welch; powerful artist
Thanks to Amazon, I found Gillian Welch via their "customers also bought" information bar while purchasing an Emmylou Harris recording. Ms Welch posesses a sincere and refreshing approach to "country" music. Her soul searching lyrics are brought together with her haunting voice as a Hermann Hesse novel. They both express the human life experience. Ms Welch's diversity is far reaching with "Paper Wings" (Billy Holliday would love this song) to "Acony Bell" (a sweet and precious song). I used to write and play similiar songs to my daughter Amber Faith. If you desire an experience with soul searching music, purchase this recording.
Rating:
5 One I can't live without...
I walked into a record store one day and heard the first few songs off of Revival over the store speakers and they stopped me in my tracks. I immediately bought it (and I'm not the impulsive type) and my husband and I played it just about every morning for the first month we owned it. Gillian and David have somehow managed to channel the ghosts of Appalachian oldtimers through their souls and onto this disc. This music is as real and haunting as it gets. I can't say enough about it, it just gets under your skin and stays there. If you ever get a chance to see them live, you'll understand how incredibly gifted they are. If you like alt country or twangy folk, this is a must have!
Rating:
5 if there's a better debut out there, i haven't found it.
every once in a while, when the stars are lined up just perfectly or something, there comes along an album that blows everything else out of the water. that's what this album did when it first came out. for the sheer poetry of the writing, for the incredibly incredible harmonies, for the intricacy of david rawlings's guitar playing, for the honesty of the emotions, this album has to be one of my all-time favorites. all three of gillian welch's releases are truly 5-star albums, but this one will always hold a special place in my musical heart. and, with any luck at all, or when the stars once again line up in that that magical arrangement, david rawlings just may put out something on his own. these two musicians are deserving of all the accolades they have received and more. this is one work of true inspiration and amazing beauty.
Rating:
4 So She's From Southern California....and Your Point Is??
One of the stupider criticisms floating in the ether about Gillian Welch is that she somehow has no business singing in her Appalachian back country style because she hasn't lived it. Is Flannery O'Connor disqualified from writing A Good Man is Hard to Find because she spent most of her life sickly and living with her mother? But I digress...Revival is Welch's first CD and outstanding promise of what was -- and surely still is -- to come. It fires the mold of her work -- spare vocals in lovely harmony with her partner David Rawlings and strumming dual acoustic guiters. This quiet approach forces attention to her stories and, generally, her writing is strong enough to make those stories memorable. Faith is a constant, rock core element to her music and underlines two of the best cuts on Revival, Orphan Girl and By the Mark. Recurring too are an appreciation of the beauty and demands of nature (Annabelle and Acony Bell) and sympathetic accounts of souls clinging to the fringes of the American dream (Barroom Girls and One More Dollar). Pass You By is one of only a couple cuts here that revs up the basic sound and it's well-chosen, making the song throb like the V-8 engine it lauds. Welch's relative weakness, I think, is the occasional foray into a lost love song (on Revival that would be Paper Wings and Only One and Only) where she is not nearly so distinctive. Revival also lacks the expanded vision of her later CDs where she begins constructing her own take on American mythology (think Miss Ohio, April the 14th or Elvis Presley Blues). Still, this was a fine starting point to her career and is worth owning.
Rating:
5 I Can't Live Without - REVIVAL
I bought Revival without knowing much about GillianWelch. I am now a convert. It has been several yearsand I can stop listening to this album. There is justsomething about her voice and the folk music on thisalbum that touches my soul. I would recommend it toanyone interested in folk music. I now own all ofGillian's albums, but this one is the best by far.
Rating:
5 Walker Evans set to music.
When I first heard "Revival" in 1996, I was driving from my home in Torrington, Connecticut, to North Adams, Massachusetts. It's a two-hour trip through the hilltowns of the Berkshires, one of the most intensely rural areas of New England. I had just bought the CD after reading a review, and I decided to give it a spin on my trip. Why was I driving to North Adams? To begin the process of writing a book (Steeples) about the little city, once a milltown, and now struggling to revive itself by the installation of a major art museum in an old factory site. The songs on this CD, the spare sound of the arrangements, and the unaffected, sad voice of Gillian Welch provided a perfect background for the long, winding journey. It set the tone for my first visit, and after that, I played it every time I drove to North Adams. Gillian and David evoke, in a musical context, the great depression-era photographs of Walker Evans. And even though North Adams sits in the most northern region of the Appalachians, the songs created in me the very essence of the American struggle, and they colored every word I wrote. A few years later, while was working on my second book about North Adams, called Disappearing Into North Adams (see www.sevensteeples.com), I decided to include the lyrics to some of the songs on "Revival," because they had become so associated with my view of the city. I just had to let readers understand how they inspired my writing. It turned out that they fit perfectly into the narrative, almost like some sort of movie soundtrack. I am so grateful that Gillian's publisher gave me permission to use them.I now live in Massachusetts, about an hour away from North Adams, and I visit the city at least once a week. And on my CD player, "Revival" still accompanies me on that trip through the hilltowns. This amazing recording has been, in part, responsible for MY "revival," and I will never let it out of my sight.
