Sowing the Seeds: The 10th Anniversary -- Appleseed Recordings

Product Description A 2-CD set featuring 9 all-new tracks recorded specifically for this compilation by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen (their first collaboration ever), Ani DiFranco, Donovan and four additional newly recorded songs by Seeger himself. The rest of the tracks are classics gleaned from Appleseed's 85-CD back catalog. 37 tracks in all! Artists include Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Eric Anderson, Wyclef Jean, Tim Robbins, Tom Paxton, Lizzie West & the White Buffalo, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle and more. Amazon.com From small seeds, the 10-year-old label has harvested an abundant orchard of folk music, as this anniversary anthology attests. With Pete Seeger providing the spoken-word invocation and benediction that frame the two-disc set, while serving as the collection's patron saint throughout, it mixes highlights from the Appleseed catalog with new tracks featuring fellow travelers Bruce Springsteen (in duet with Seeger on "Ghost of Tom Joad" and Ani DiFranco (on Seeger's "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy"). The music not only revives folk tradition but renews it, as the pairing of Eric Andersen with Lou Reed on "You Can't Relive the Past" sounds recognizably like the work of both. The compilers pay as much attention to sequencing as to selection of material, with the first disc more often demanding justice, while the second one offers hope. With a roster that now includes veterans such as Donovan and Tom Paxton as well as relative newcomers like the Kennedys and Lizzie West, the anthology traces the legacy of folk tradition while offering indications of where the music's going. Here's wishing for many happy returns (and future anthologies). --Don McLeese Review "Some pretty heavy hitters are singing out for peace and justice on 'Sowing the Seeds - The 10th Anniversary'(B+) -- Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 11, 2007 "'Sowing the Seeds' offers an excellent introduction to folk music for someone looking to discover this most original American artform..." -- Blogcritics, August 17, 2007 "...a well packed double disc that hits a lot of highlights, as well as sneaks in some new, exclusive tracks..." -- Midwest Record, August 19, 2007 "...makes a solid argument that folk and folk-derived music is alive and well in the 21st century..." -- All Music Guide "...these musicians still know how to captivate, educate, and entertain the listener." -- PopMatters, Sept. 19, 2007 About the Artist Appleseed Recordings was founded in 1997 by consumer rights lawyer Jim Musselman and is based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Among the label's most respected releases are its three multi-artist tributes to Pete Seeger and new releases by legendary musicians Donovan, David Bromberg and Roger McGuinn. The company, which has earned five Grammy nominations, backs up its altruistic outlook by contributing a percentage of its profits to environmental, human rights, and other progressive organizations. The label's next release, "Give US Your Poor," due in late September 2007, is a multi-artist CD, frequently pairing famous and currently or formerly homeless musicians, designed to raise funds and public awareness of the national homelessness crisis. Of "Sowing the Seeds," Musselman says, "In celebrating Appleseed's tenth anniversary, we want to pay tribute to the politically active artists here - and to non-musical activists as well, who are unafraid to fight the good fight for social justice and positive change. Many of the musicians on this compilation were on the front lines of the major social movements of the last 50 years. We salute all who have challenged our skewed domestic and foreign policies and have championed peace, environmental preservation, civil rights, the women's movement and other vital issues."