''The Mayor of MacDougal Street: Rarities 1957-1969'' is a compilation album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

folksinger

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Mac ...

, released in 2005.

History

''The Mayor of MacDougal Street'' contains previously unreleased songs and is presented in chronological order. It contains both solo material and songs recorded with session musicians and bands that either backed Van Ronk or he was a member of. It was included with the memoir of the same title before being released as a separate CD. The title refers to

MacDougal Street MacDougal Street is a one-way street in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. The street is bounded on the south by Prince Street and on the north by West 8th Street; its numbering begins in the south. Betw ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

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 databas ...

, critic Steve Leggett wrote of the album "Van Ronk was never a part of the tradition-at-all-costs wing of the folk movement, and he readily embraced the young songwriters of the day, frequently covering their songs, as evidenced by the hushed, nuanced version of

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's "

Bird on the Wire "Bird on the Wire" is one of Leonard Cohen's signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album ''Songs from a Room''. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, titled "Like a Bird", was added to ...

" that is included here. A skilled raconteur, Van Ronk had the timing of a jazz hornman, and that timing and his wide-ranging musical interests are everywhere apparent on this lovingly assembled look behind the curtains."

Track listing

#"New Orleans Hop Scop Blues" (Thomas) – 2:08 #"On Top of Old Smoky" (Traditional) – 3:31 #"

All My Trials "All My Trials" is a folk song which became popular during the social protest movements of the late 1950s and 1960s. Alternative titles it has been recorded under include "Bahamian Lullaby" and "All My Sorrows." The origins of the song are unclea ...

" (Traditional) – 3:48 #"Buddy Bolden's Blues" (Morton) – 2:48 #"The Butcher Boy" (Traditional) – 2:56 #"Salty Dog" (Jackson) – 3:21 #"Two Trains Running" (

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

) – 3:34 #"Way Down in Lubyanka Prison" (Berkeley) – 4:00 #" Willie the Weeper" (Traditional) – 3:07 #"Shaving Cream" (Bell) – 3:11 #"The Cruel Ship's Captain" (Traditional) – 2:39 #"As You Make Your Bed" (

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

) – 4:21 #"

" (

) – 3:29 #"

Both Sides Now "Both Sides, Now" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. First recorded by Judy Collins, it appeared on the US singles chart during the fall of 1968. The next year it was included on Mitchell's album '' Clouds'', and became one ...

" (

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

) – 5:14 #"In Conditional Support of Beauty" (Van Ronk) – 4:00 #"W.C. Fields Routine

poken Poken is a cloud-based event management platform, utilized by trade shows and exhibitions, corporate and association events, as well as sports and youth events. The modular platform includes features and services such as registration and badging, ...

(Traditional) – 1:36 #"Romping Through the Swamp" (live) (Stampfel) – 2:03

Personnel

*Dave Van Ronk - vocals, guitar

Production notes

*Produced by Elijah Wald *Mastered by Geoff Brumbaugh *Editing and pre-mastering by Mark Greenberg *Compilation and annotation by Elijah Wald *Digital transfers by Dave Palmater *Executive producers - Nick Fritsch and Stephen McArthur *Graphic design by Nick Fritsch

References

External links

''The Mayor of MacDougal Street''
Dave Van Ronk's memoir of the folk revival. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayor of MacDougal Street, The 2005 compilation albums Dave Van Ronk compilation albums