John hartford

**jaco** · Apr-22-2007, 7:47pm

A friend of mine traded me a copy of this for a Dan Hicks compilation. Was John Hartford a genius? Get a copy of this and convince yourself.

**Neil Gladd** · Apr-22-2007, 7:51pm

I treasure my vinyl copy of this album, but I think it is finally available on CD. (It wasn't for years.) I saw John Hartford in concert when I was in college, and have always been a big fan.

**Walter Newton** · Apr-22-2007, 8:06pm

"The First Girl I Loved" is a favorite song of mine...I think the CD is currently OOP, I've seen used ones for sale at pretty high prices online.

**Rick Schmidlin** · Apr-22-2007, 10:31pm

I bought a copy from David Bromberg who chilling out at music store in PA. after he produced AREOPLANE and did his first album.I still have copies of both and am still touch with David. Get his new CG and play along with it,it's him solo.

**guitar junkie** · Apr-22-2007, 10:31pm

I have been told I look a lot like him....

**Spruce** · Apr-23-2007, 9:55am

If you like "Aereoplane", get ahold of "Steam Powered Aereo-Takes"...

**allenhopkins** · Apr-23-2007, 10:07am

Saw Hartford with the "Aero-plain band" (Vassar Clements, Tut Taylor, Norman Blake) at the Fox Hollow festival (1971 or 72). During their set Bromberg and a Vermont fiddler named Alan Stowell (I think) joined them onstage. Totally amazing -- one of the best sets I've ever seen.

I also recommend the recording Hartford did with just Norman Blake, Morning Bugle.

**Will Kimble** · Apr-23-2007, 12:02pm

Yes, he was a genius.

Will Kimble

**Dale Ludewig** · Apr-23-2007, 1:06pm

ditto.

**sgarrity** · Apr-23-2007, 1:13pm

A musical genius and talented composer in his own right. The old time fiddle music he recorded is a virtual dictionary of good music.

Shaun

**Perry** · Apr-23-2007, 1:38pm

I'd say you made a good trade!

Every track's a winner. Aereo-Takes is a nice supplement. I think Bromberg did a great job of picking the final cuts that made it to the original album.

It was released on CD but I guess they all sold out so sadly it's now currently OOP.

Norman plays some real tasty understated mandolin parts on that album.

**Rick Schmidlin** · Apr-23-2007, 2:19pm

It is nice to see the respect that this album deserves.

**John Goodin** · Apr-23-2007, 11:28pm

For my money Aereo-Plain is just about a perfect record and Morning Bugle (which came right after it) is too. It may be that the CD versions are out of print but I just checked Rhapsody and you can hear them streaming there or buy uncompressed versions of them for, I think, $9.99 each. I imagine they're available at Itunes too.

Morning Bugle, released in 1972, is really a trio record with Hartford, Blake and the phenomenal Dave Holland on bass. This is not long after Holland left Miles Davis and shortly before he recorded the brilliant "Conference of the Birds". Producer John Simon's liner notes say:

"Three people made all the music in this album. They played facing each other in a circle. From left to right were John Hartford, Dave Holland and Norman Blake, and that's the way they should be coming back to you through your speakers....they listened to no playback during the recording and, as a result, the music flowed freely, 10 to 20 tunes a night, one or a few takes apiece."

John G.

**Soupy1957** · Apr-24-2007, 4:50am

Check out the "Archive" section of "Woodsongs.com" for links to shows with his son who is not bad either: Show #376

-Soupy1957

**Peter Hackman** · Apr-24-2007, 6:51am

The album with Vassar Clements and Dave Holland had some nice
and very unusual stuff
But I don't particularly care for his singing.

**John Goodin** · Apr-24-2007, 7:02am

I love that Hartford, Holland and Clements album too, although the songs aren't as strong. It does have a couple of beautiful Dave Holland tunes, including a waltz "Memories of Home" that our band plays from time to time.

I should have mentioned last night that my favorite mandolin piece on Morning Bugle is "My Rag". It's a simple tune but it's great to hear Hartford turn reciting the chord changes into a second verse.

John G.

**JEStanek** · Apr-24-2007, 7:27am

I lucked out and got a copy of Aero-Plain via the Cafe' Classifieds. It is a great record that should be re-released.

Jamie

**Dave Gumbart** · Apr-24-2007, 11:59am

I think it was Rounder Records that put out the anniversay edition of Aereo-Plain a few years back. Maybe they only had the rights to it for a short time? When they did the re-release, there were two clear reasons to buy it. 1) Sam Bush's liner notes that pay homage to how great the album is, and 2) the cover. I jumped on it at the time, along with Aereo-takes, then bought Morning Bugle shortly thereafter. All terrific.

I saw John play up at Grey Fox not too long before he passed away. At his workshop, the M.C. asked everyone to please afford him his space, since he didn't have the energy to accommodate everyone who wanted to say hi and ask for an autograph, and everyone respected that. And his main stage set that night (featuring Mike Compton on mando) was moving. Great music, sure, but John himself was inspiring. He would step off to the back of the stage when he as unable to play (due to coughing, I assume, from his illness), and then step back in when he was ready. No one missed a beat, and he gave all that he had.

Sort of related: after he died, most artists at Grey Fox the next year paid tribute to him one way or another. Yonder Mountain String Band (which I had not seen at that point) played No Expectations by the Rolling Stones, based on learning it from John Hartford. I loved it, and was not surprised at all that John continues to inspire.

**Blueglass** · Apr-24-2007, 2:12pm

Everytime I introduce this album to a lover of acustic music they freak. One of the great classics! Why it would ever bo out of print is beyond me. I treasure it right along with those columbia Bill Monroe albums.

**John Goodin** · Apr-24-2007, 2:22pm

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (one of John's best comedy tunes was "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun") I'll say again that these albums are still "in print" digitally. At Rhapsody for sure ($9.99 each I think) and probably many of the other similar sites as well.

It's true that you don't get the fine liner notes, at least not from Rhapsody. The original Aereo-Plane album came with a full size lyric sheet too.

John G.

**adgefan** · Apr-24-2007, 2:35pm

Originally Posted by (Blueglass @ April 24 2007, 15:12)

Everytime I introduce this album to a lover of acustic music they freak. One of the great classics!

I recently introduced a young picker to this, worried that they would not like it. They absolutely adore it, so much so I wondered if they were kidding when they told me how much they loved it.

I have a copy of John's last ever performance and it is very moving. You occasionally hear the strum of an open G on the banjo which I gather is all he was capable of at the time. So sad, but his banter and humour between (and during) songs doesn't hint at any problem at all.

**Rick Schmidlin** · Apr-24-2007, 2:53pm

At the time of Areoplane's release it opened many doors for me. I was also listening to Jim Kweskins Jug Band, Muleskiner, David Bromberg and American Beauty.

**Dale Ludewig** · Apr-24-2007, 6:59pm

The wheels went around and around and then back again.

I have close friends, one of which passed away at the end of February, that used to spend time on the steamboat, Julia Bell Swain, if memory serves, not far from here on the big Miss. I never took the time to go over and do it. John was certified as a riverboat pilot and as I understand, he was a damn good one. And he'd entertain the folks on board also. I regret not having ever taken the time to go spend the time and I'll never have a chance to do it now. John was a major influence on me musically and also as a human.

And Rick, I also knew Kweskin and such. I was so fortunate for them to have come through Jucy John Pinks', a coffee house here in DeKalb, IL. Vassar, Watson, Greg Brown, where can I stop? Life is an amazing thing and how people meet.

**Monte37** · Apr-24-2007, 9:06pm

I just have to add how nice a guy he was when our group had the opportunity twice to open for him. He was genuine and generous. We had received a nice ovation for our set, and as we came off stage he was right there tellin us to go back out and do another tune. No need for him to worry, as when he went out by himself, a portable platform with a pickup in it, his fiddle, and along with his feet he just carried the night. The next time he drove up in his bus...driving it. From that point on you couldn't say enough about this person. The guy was just a talent in everything he wanted to be it seemed, and a nice guy to boot. To be able to share a moment, and it was a short moment, of his life was a lasting impression.

**mandomick** · Apr-24-2007, 10:26pm

Wore out 2 copies on an 8 track player. Cruisin' the back roads with freinds in a '65 Econoline van with 4 cracklin' speakers, some old carpet and wood paneling. Found the CD a few years ago and now I can do it again, only this time with a decent stereo and no "fog" rolling out of the windows.

Aeroplain is a classic record in every sense of the word.