Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage See Latest Price & Discount EAN: 0775743047826 Customer Reviews: Review #1: The Bard of Canada 2008-01-18 Anyone who ever had the good fortune to experience Stan Rogers in concert would never, ever forget him. He seized my attention from the first time I heard him; when I hear him now, on vinyl or CD, it still sends chills down my back. I credit him for sparking an interest in musical tales told well that endures to this day; I am saddened that I only got to see him perform once. He commanded the stage; he commanded your attention; and he gained an allegiance from people that he still owns. He has been gone now for 25 years, the victim of an electrical fire that went undetected until far too late on a flight he was taking home from Texas - a very dark day in my musical past - and I can still get into discussions about him at festivals. He is an enduring presence. "Northwest Passage" has some of my favourite Stan Rogers songs on it. The title song, about Franklin's tragic abortive effort to find a passage to the Pacific, is done a capella, and the power of the intertwined voices on the chorus is spine-tingling. "Lies", another favourite, details a farmer's wife poignantly, her thoughts during the day as her man goes out to tend the land, and her hopes for the future. "Working Joe" is a droll treatise about a remarkably unburdened man not taking working life too terribly seriously; "The Field Behind The Plow" is another paean to farming, and is one I really took to heart;"The Idiot", the tune of which is Stan's jab at Morris dancing, which he thought unbearably silly, deals with an expatriot who has gone West to work in the oil fields rather than go on the dole; "Free In The Harbour" is another expatriot song, as the workers in the song discuss all the money they will be making, far away from their homes. Stan was taken away from us far too young, but he left a wealth of work behind him that should not be missed by anyone who appreciates song-tales. And that voice, once heard, will never leave you. Review #2: Proudly and Resolutely Canadian 2007-01-28 First off, Stan Rogers has not been served well by the cover art for his recordings which misleadingly spin your mind into the direction of some 1950s time capsule. To have tradition in mind is not misplaced, and Roger's work certainly observes traditions. But he shouldn't be regarded as something unearthed from an archelogical site. This is definitely my favourite from the Rogers' catalogue, and I remember the pangs of sadness at the news of his early death. 'Northwest Passage' is a perennial winner; that big voice in premium fettle. There's a healthy choice of Roger's writing on show, the ballads, the shanty feel, the domestic observations of,'Lies' a very beautiful and tender thing. It seems the baritone register finds it harder to crack the pop idiom, and I can think of other fine voices(David Wiffen and Joe South spring to mind) that don't get the reach they deserve.'California' is another song I find on my lips when the spirit(Rogers') moves me. All in all, a great disc. If machismo writer of mid-western sagas, Jim Harrison, were singer/songwriter, he'd be of the Stan Rogers cut. Try that for size! Review #3: What can I say 2007-01-10 What can I say - Stan Rogers is the best, and this is a terrific album. A definite must for any Stan junkie. Review #4: Song Excellent/Album not really my thing 2007-01-09 To be honest I bought this for the song Northwest Passage only. I had heard it around 12 years ago played in a bar whilst I was in Canada. Finally managed to find it and bought it from the Amazon US site which turned out to be cheaper than Amazon UK even taking account of postage to UK! Anyway, my family may have connections with John Franklin the explorer who is mentioned in the song hence the reason I bought it. I like the song Northwest Passage a lot and I'd give it 5 out 5. The other notable song is The Field Behind The Plow but to be honest, the rest of the album is a bit too Country and Western for me. Review #5: Stan Rogers Rocks 2006-07-10 I first heard the song "The Northwest Passage" back in the early nineties on public radio, but I missed out on the artist and album identification. After over a decade of searching, I finally tracked down the source of that song on Amazon. I bought this album for that one song, but was pleasantly surprised to find the other songs on the album were excellent folk songs too. Most heartily recommended for any folk music afficionado.