Monday, January 26, 2026

Album #13: Arlo Guthrie - Far Out at Woodstock

    Yes, Arlo takes after his father. His country music has a strong rooting in counter-culture, with a heavy emphasis on distancing morality from the law. Woody sung Pretty Boy Floyd about a man who does good and charitable work despite being an outlaw, and Arlo uses the plot point of getting arrested to satirize injustice in Alice's Resturaunt Massacre. While I have heard people say Arlo did not play what his father did, I think his style was actually extremely reminiscent of Woody's humourous talkin' blues. Their morality and politics are similar, and they use songs that are almost like stand-up comedy to get out these points. But what makes Arlo unique is their sprawling length, which gives him the freedom to tell any story however he wishes, which sometime is also just a regular country song. You hear a lot less talking in this concert than his usual sets, but it still is an important part of it. Long talking songs are style that is not for everyone, but I love it. What's a better way to write a counter-culture song than to decide when you want to sing or not sing your words?

    1.  intro
    2.  Coming Into Los Angeles 
    3.  talk
    4.  Wheel of Fortune
    5.  Walking Down the Line
    6.  The Story of Moses
    7.  Oh Mary, Don't You Weep
    8.  talk
    9.  Every Hand in the Land
    10.  Amazing Grace

DOWNLOAD: Google Drive

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