If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope & Struggle (CD - 1998)

All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology.

Personnel: Pete Seeger (vocals, banjo).

Liner Note Author: Mark Greenberg.

Arranger: Pete Seeger.

Pete Seeger's repertoire was not limited to songs with specific sociopolitical goals, and the most familiar versions of his most popular tunes were done for Columbia. Still, it's hard to imagine doing better than this compilation of Folkways recordings (most from the late '50s and '60s) if you want evidence of Seeger's importance and skills as a spokesperson for worthy causes. Dividing into segments addressing "unions and labor," "peace," "civil rights," and "hope," this has the original 1956 versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," along with other tunes identified with Seeger like "We Shall Overcome" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" (the last from an unreleased tape of unspecified vintage). The liner notes explain the origins of each song, as well as how their structures have evolved over the years; a couple of 1998 tracks show his spirit intact, but his voice (as he himself admits) losing strength. ~ Richie Unterberger

Most of the many compilations of Pete Seeger's work avoid thematic cohesion, instead focusing on the remarkable breadth of his long and prolific career. This makes the excellent IF I HAD A HAMMER: SONGS OF HOPE AND STRUGGLE that much more interesting, as the 26 songs compiled here are arranged in four suite-like sections.

After the title track and the reverent "Banks of Marble," the section subtitled "Solidarity Forever" collects seven of Seeger's most powerful labor anthems, including the classic "Which Side Are You On." The "Study War No More" section includes possibly Seeger's most famous tune, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," alongside four other anti-war anthems. The four songs in the "We Shall Overcome" section, including that civil rights anthem, are among the set's most forceful. "I'd Hammer in the Evening" concludes the set with eight songs of hope and forgiveness. A most remarkable compilation. minimize