Vanguard Sessions

Product Description:

Looking back at the US folk scene of the 1960s, it's easy to keep in mind the impact of Bob Dylan, the Kingston Trio, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, but there were others who had a notable influence, such as Ian and Sylvia Tyson. They were a Canadian duo with a unique vocal harmony (his voice deep and smooth, hers raw and gently piercing) who absorbed the breadth of traditional music: Appalachian ballads, French-Canadian folk songs, British Isles, blues, country music, gospel. VANGUARD YEARS collects the cream of their '60s recordings.

Ian & Sylvia redefined songs by Bob Dylan ("This Wheel's On Fire") and fellow Canadian Joni Mitchell ("The Circle Game"), and wrote songs that would become oft-covered classics ("Four Strong Winds, Someday Soon"). They also covered cowboy ballads, Johnny Cash ("Come In Stranger"), and Phil Ochs ("Changes") with equal aplomb, making each song their own. Ian & Sylvia were among the performers who laid the groundwork for folk-rock (Sylvia's "You Were On My Mind," subsequently a hit for the We Five), but more importantly, their recordings have a down-to-earth exuberance that has not faded with time.