Track Listing

1. Sylvie - Sweet Honey in the Rock
2. Pretty Boy Floyd - Bob Dylan
3. Do-Re-Mi - John Mellencamp
4. I Ain't Got No Home - Bruce Springsteen
5. Jesus Christ - U2
6. Rock Island Line - Fishbone, Little Richard
7. East Texas Red - Arlo Guthrie
8. Philadelphia Lawyer - Willie Nelson
9. Hobo's Lullaby - Emmylou Harris
10. Bourgeois Blues - Taj Mahal
11. Gray Goose - Sweet Honey in the Rock
12. Goodnight Irene - Brian Wilson
13. Vigilante Man - Bruce Springsteen
14. This Land Is Your Land - Little Red School House Chorus, Pete Seeger, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Doc Watson

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53542 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
One of the more creative, successful tribute albums, A Vision Shared was originally released to coincide with a PBS program that premiered in 1988. Packing some serious heavyweights onto one CD, the record features covers of Guthrie and Leadbelly tunes by, among others, Little Richard, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and U2. The 14 tracks consist of mostly well known tunes, and it's fascinating to hear what the artists have done to them. Particularly exciting is a supercharged version of Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line" by Little Richard with Fishbone and U2's take on Guthrie's "Jesus Christ." --Ian Landau

Customer Reviews

Excellent Compilation
To my mind, the problem with many 'tribute' albums revolves around the selection of particular musicians to perform particular songs. They often do not match well. In this case, the selections were excellent. The result is a wonderful CD that brings out not only the best of Guthrie and Leadbelly but also of the artists covering their songs. Sweet Honey in the Rock open with a warm, evocative rendition of Sylvie. Bob Dylan's Pretty Boy Floyd is as good as Dylan has ever sounded. It is reminiscent in tone and content to his own Hurricane Carter. Little Richard's Rock Island Line was terrific as was U2's Jesus Christ. Springsteen, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Arlo Guthrie round out the CD with other excellent tracks. It evokes the era in which the songs were written. The CD is well worth buying.

Had to have it...
I borrowed this album from my Father-in-Law for a Folk music show I was preparing. After raving about how much I enjoyed it I shouldn't have been surprised when my own copy showed up at Christmas.

This album pays tribute to two great pioneers who truly paved the way for Rock and R&B. The blending of Folk and Blues is easy to listen to and the stories are tremendously compelling.

If you have any interest in Folk or Blues, pick this up.

A rare breed: the quality tribute album.
Can't stand tribute albums. Hate 'em! But this little beauty really shines. The secret is in the wide-open, folksy nature of Woody Guthrie's and Ledbelly's work--they wrote songs that are *made* to be sung by other folks, made to be reinterpreted and resung by new generations. The other secret is in the line-up here: great talents, from top to bottom.

When this lp came out in the late 1980s I bought it on a whim. I was in my late teens, and didn't know much about the music. I don't even know why I bought the album. But time and time again, I played it instead of my rock and punk albums. I really endured for a couple of years. I don't play it so often anymore, so I had to give it four stars.

Not much to criticize here: Little Richard//Fishbone's tune is out of place--it's kind of a sour moment in an otherwise sweet ensemble. Willie and Emmylou shine, as do U2. But the album's true gem is by Bruce: "Vigilante Man." It's one of the best recordings the Boss has ever set to vinyl.

Fans of folk, folk-rock, country-rock, southern-fried rock, and alt.country should line up for this one, but even a teen like me who was into punk rock can saddle this horse up for a good long ride.