Wouldn't you believe it (Arlo Guthrie) (LP 2666 - 2673)

Arlo Guthrie  Alice's Restaurant (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1967) ****  

Arlo Guthrie Arlo (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1968) ****  

Arlo Guthrie  Alice's Restaurant (Original Motion Picture Score) (Vinyl, United Artists Records, 1969) **  

Arlo Guthrie  Washington County (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1970) ****  

Arlo Guthrie  Last Of The Brooklyn Cowboys (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1973) ****  

Arlo Guthrie  Arlo Guthrie (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1974) ***  

Arlo Guthrie  Amigo (Vinyl, Reprise Records, 1976) **** 

Arlo Guthrie  One Night (Vinyl, Warner Bros Records, 1978) ***   

Genre: Folk; folk rock

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Alice's Restaurant Massacree

Gear costume: The Motorcycle Song (Arlo); Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues (Washington County)

Active compensatory factors: I seem to pick up Arlo's albums on a regular basis. I'm never actively looking for them, but I come across them and if they are in good condition, I grab them.

That explains why I've already written posts about 1969's Running Down The Road and 1972's Hobo Lullaby. And now here's a treasure trove of his other albums to catch up with.

It was Margo and Clay that got me started by playing me the song - Alice's Restaurant Massacree, which is a brilliant live recording and a deserved classic. I picked up his Best of Arlo album while working at Marbecks Records in the late seventies.

Since then, it's been a case of picking up albums when I see them, as I've already said.

The Alice's Restaurant album gets four stars because side two doesn't have the same relaxed brilliance as the title track on side one.

Arlo is a live album from 1968. It kicks off with The Motorcycle Song. Arlo does his usual comic attempt at audience participation along the way and tells the hilarious tall tale of how he came to write the song. Another classic!

That gets the listener firmly on board for the more straightforward folk rock songs to come because we like and trust him as a performer. 

With Arlo Guthrie you are in good hands!

The Original Motion Picture Score of the Alice's Restaurant film is a tough one because it includes material from the film soundtrack and Arlo's alternative studio version of the Alice's Restaurant Massacree. On the album it's split into two halves. It's not as good (it lacks the spark and fizzle) as the live one but still worth hearing.

Washington County was his third studio album. It has a variety of styles with the clear standout song being the haunting Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues. Not far behind is his version of Bob Dylan's Percy's Song. I just love his easy delivery on these songs.

Last Of The Brooklyn Cowboys comes from 1973 with Arlo now deep into a successful career. Rather than being comfortable though, he's still trying new things and new textures.

For this one he's much more in country rock territory. It's a successful excursion and a wonder he hasn't done more albums in this genre.

The players are all excellent musicians. Consistent with his other seventies albums - Jim Keltner, Ry Cooder, Doug Dillard, and Lee Sklar feature on this one. The fiddle and banjo (and yodelling) are noteworthy ingredients.

Like Ry and Van Dyke Parks, Arlo manages to conjure up sounds and rhythms from the past in a contemporary setting that is utterly captivating.

His sixth studio album, Arlo Guthrie, is from the next year. Again featuring a large supporting caste of brilliant musicians. Ry Cooder's presence always indicates quality and he's a consistent participant.

The string arrangements take a little getting used to but the album features a brilliant version of Deportees so I shouldn't be so niggly. It's another strong album but not quite up there with his best.

Speaking of which - Amigo is surely a contender, along with Washington County and Last Of The Brooklyn Cowboys.

The music and the songs are terrific throughout. It even has a good version of a Rolling Stones song - Connections.

The final album in this collection is the live album, One Night. Usually, Arlo live is a sure bet but I'm not really a fan of the lengthy monologue about clams on side two. The rest of the album is fine, with musical backing by Shenandoah. It's not an essential one though.

Where do they all belong? Always keen to add to the Arlo collection, but I think I've now got the cream of the crop.