AMG Review of House Carpenter

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

British reissue label Hallmark's The House Carpenter is the umpteenth version of an album that was released originally by Stinson Records under the title A Pete Seeger Concert. It contains 11 live recordings apparently made in the early '50s. (The first version had 12; "Road to Eilat" is missing.) No date is given, but Seeger sings "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," a 1951 hit for his old group the Weavers, and since the initial release was in 1953, that tends to narrow the time period. Although this is a live recording made with a warm audience willing to sing along, the tracks have had the applause largely edited out. Seeger turns in a characteristic set that mixes folk songs from around the world -- Korea ("Ariran"), Germany ("Die Gendanken Sind Frei"), and Africa ("Bayeza") -- along with more familiar British/American fare touching on whaling, railroads, and factories. As much teacher as singer and song leader, he frails his banjo or strums his guitar while explaining the origins of the songs, then encourages his listeners to join him on the choruses. There's no telling how many generations of copies were made before this particular disc was mastered, but the sound is poor to fair. In a sense, it is appropriate that this recording keeps reappearing, since it presents the sort of performance Seeger gave throughout his career. Of course, in practice, it would be easy for a fan to buy it without realizing it is the same recording as earlier discs.