Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits [2002]

1	Little Boxes
2	Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
3	Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
4	Abiyoyo
5	The Bells Of Rhymney
6	Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
7	Talking Union
8	Which Side Are You On
9	We Shall Overcome
10	Living In The Country
11	Darling Corey
12	Guantanamera
13	Waist Deep In The Big Muddy (Bonus Track)
14	Barbara Allen (Bonus Track)
15	This Land Is Your Land (Bonus Track)
16	Michael Row The Boat Ashore (Bonus Track)

Barnes & Noble

Listening to Pete Seeger’s Greatest Hits feels a little like watching the movie of our lives. We have heard the voice of Pete Seeger in many dark times. His voice over the years has been a reflection of the sounds of the American labor movement, a voice for miners, steel workers, autoworkers. His was one of the great voices of anti-fascism, along with fellow icon Woody Guthrie's. Seeger raised his voice in the civil rights movement, the anti-Vietnam War struggle, the anti- nuclear crusade, and the cause for clean water. His has been the voice of our better side, the patriotic dissident, a crusader -- American to the core, in part because he constantly reminds us of the responsibilities that come with democracy. His career has always been ‘on message’; he has never lost his way -- or his sound -- and has always maintained his integrity as a singer, an artist, and a citizen. But what this album reinforces is Seeger's sheer musicianship. First and foremost, Seeger is a storyteller. His lyrics are topical, yes, but they always possess that metaphoric quality that makes them outlast their immediate subject matter. And the melodies, simple and straightforward as they often have been, are more than just catchy tunes. As this collection reminds us, over and over again, they have often been anthems. Many of those anthems are included in this collection: "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," "The Bells of Rhymney," "Turn! Turn! Turn!," "Which Side Are You On," "Guantanamera," Guthrie’s "This Land Is Your Land," and the extraordinary "We Shall Overcome." This last song, lovingly performed for decades as the song of the '60s civil rights struggle, has found new meaning in the days following the horror of September 11th. This CD is so filled with the resonant, classic Seeger sound that chances are, even if you never considered yourself an old folkie, you know and have sung these songs. It’s a collection of music that is something like a mirror: When we look and listen, we can hear America singing. And that will be the great Seeger legacy. His is the voice of a 20th-century Whitman, overpowering the voices of negativity around him. Even when he is criticizing, we know it is for our own good; he cajoles us to bring out our very best. Elena Pinto Simon

All Music Guide

"Greatest Hits," as Seeger himself wryly wrote in his liner notes, is a misnomer considering that he never had hit singles or huge-selling albums as a solo artist, though actually "Little Boxes" (included here) made the lower reaches of the charts. In reality this 1967 compilation (since reissued on CD) collects the most popular tracks of his 1962-1966 output for Columbia, which was a pretty small slice of his prolific career. Nonetheless, these were among his most popular recordings ever, whether as done by him or covered by others. To begin with, it has the original 1962 version of "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)," made into a number one folk-rock hit in 1965 by the Byrds (and covered to good effect by Judy Collins in 1963). There's also "The Bells of Rhymney," also covered by the Byrds in 1965, and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," a hit for the Kingston Trio, although the 1962 version here is a disappointingly thin a cappella one. Other tracks were among the most popular staples of his repertoire: "We Shall Overcome," "Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)," and "Guantanamera." His controversial "Waist Deep in the Muddy" is also included, as well as some songs that might be identified more with other performers, like "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land." Though it might not qualify as an ideal career survey given its narrow chronology, certainly it's among the one or two best anthologies for those who just want one or two Seeger comps, as it has many of the most renowned songs he wrote or popularized in their most popular recorded versions. Richie Unterberger