''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by folk singer/guitarist Greg Brown, released in 1986. Brown sets the poetry of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

(see ''

Songs of Innocence and of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...

'') to music.

Reception

Writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, music critic Tim Sheridan called the album "Some of the tunes are outstanding, such as the easy lines of "Lamb," while some poems refuse to adjust to Brown's melodic structures. However, it is an effort to be commended."

Track listing

All song by Greg Brown. # "Introduction" – 2:40 # " The Lamb" – 2:54 # "

Infant Joy "Infant Joy" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was first published as part of his collection ''Songs of Innocence'' in 1789 and is the counterpart to "Infant Sorrow", which was published at a later date in '' Songs of Experi ...

" – 2:02 # "

The Chimney Sweeper "The Chimney Sweeper" is the title of a poem by William Blake, published in two parts in '' Songs of Innocence'' in 1789 and ''Songs of Experience'' in 1794. The poem "The Chimney Sweeper" is set against the dark background of child labour that ...

" – 4:54 # " The Echoing Green" – 2:57 # "

Night Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends ...

" – 4:06 # "

On Another's Sorrow "On Another's Sorrow" is a poem by the English poet William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figu ...

" – 2:15 # "

The Tyger "The Tyger" is a poem by the English poet William Blake, published in 1794 as part of his '' Songs of Experience'' collection and rising to prominence in the romantic period. The poem is one of the most anthologised in the English literary can ...

" – 3:23 # " The Angel" – 2:13 # " The Garden of Love" – 0:47 # " Infant Sorrow" – 1:33 # "

Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...

" – 2:47 # " Ah! Sun-Flower" – 2:27 # " The Little Vagabond" – 2:55 # " A Poison Tree" – 2:30 # "

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

" – 3:08

Personnel

*Greg Brown – vocals, guitar * Michael Doucet – violin *Angus Foster – bass *

Peter Ostroushko Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program ''A Prairie Home Companion'' and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul an ...

– mandolin, violin *Dave Moore – harmonica, accordion, pan flute, button accordion, pan pipes

Production

*Produced by Greg Brown and Bob Feldman *Engineered and mixed by Scott Rivard

References

{{Authority control Greg Brown (folk musician) albums 1986 albums Red House Records albums Musical settings of poems by William Blake