Hero's folk

Album Of The Week

"Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger" (Appleseed Records)

These days, it seems everybody who stays the course of popular music is deemed worthy of a tribute. A collection of major and minor worthies is rounded up to stamp their imprint on their hero's work. Nobody complains. It's a good deal all round. The hero's royalty cheques get a timely boost and his/her disciples get a chance for a bit of non-pressurised self-expression. This double CD contains all those elements, but there is something special about the 39 performances which sets this collection apart. It is as if the artists - from Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne to Dick Gaughan and Tommy Makem - are paying their dues to a man who helped make it all possible. And indeed he did. Pete Seeger is a living legend; now approaching his 80th year, his life's work is tied inextricably to the history of folk song, in particular that of his native US. But the US has not always appreciated his voice. A onetime Communist Party member, he was blacklisted, bullied and banned, especially during the McCarthy era. Yet like his friend and contemporary, Woody Guthrie, many of the songs he popularised have entered the repertoire of common usage; having started out as rallying cries in the fight for social justice. We Shall Overcome, If I Had A Hammer and The Water Is Wide are three examples of his ability to turn a simple tune into an anthem. This is truly a fitting tribute, with younger voices such as John Gorka, Billy Bragg and the Indigo Girls joining more grizzled performers such as Odetta and Richie Havens, to sing out in earnest appreciation.