Book Reviews
From Dirty Linen #75
Book Reviews
From Dirty Linen #75
Ballads
by Charles Vess
Green Man Press ISBN 0-9657769-0-5; $9.95 (1997)
If you’re a fan of both traditional folk music and comic books, there’s no way you should miss Charles Vess’ book Ballads. Compiled from the first four issues of Vess’ Ballads and Sagas comic, the book features adaptations of nine traditional ballads by Vess and some of the top writers of comic books and fantasy literature. Ballads include such favorites as "Demon Lover," "King Henry," "False Knight on the Road," "Sovay" and "Thomas the Rhymer." The adaptations are by Vess, Charles DeLint, Neil Gaiman, Sharyn McCrumb, Jeff Smith, Midori Snyder, Delia Sherman and Jane Yolen.
Despite the literary heavy-hitters, most of the tales are fairly straightforward renderings of ballad stories in comic book settings. This is not intended as criticism; the writers involved recognized how powerfully archetypal the ballad stories are, and decided not to fuss with them too much. Still, some stories here are modernizations of ballads; De Lint’s vision of "The Twa Corbies" in a modern city is an example. Others don’t stick to the usual ballad story or the normative comic book style; Vess’ own adaptation of "Tam Lin" is a kind of illustrated play in which Tam Lin’s tale of capture is a lie and his rescue by Janet is a metaphor. All of these nuances keep readers, even ones with fairly extensive ballad knowledge, on their toes.
As for the artwork, Vess has a terrific command of the pen-and-ink medium. His black and white drawings bring lamplight, sunlight, moonlight, candlelight and firelight to life on the page. He understands human bodies, animal bodies and even little fairy bodies, and is able to balance a clean approach to basic form with a sharp eye for detail. The result is that characters are believably human, and both natural and urban settings are credible. The only artworks sadly absent from Ballads are the original full-color covers of the four comic book issues; some of Vess’most breathtaking art is in those covers, especially the wraparound, poster-quality painting of Janet rescuing Tam Lin from the Fairy Ride that graced issue #4. In general, though, Ballads is a visually rich and superbly rendered book.
For comic book fans who get converted into ballad listeners by these books, Vess has invited along a knowledgeable guide, journalist Ken Roseman. Roseman provides a discography of the ballads adapted in the book, as well as thumbnail biographies of the singers, musicians and bands most important in the ballad world. He provides addresses of publications covering folk music, and even provides reviews of "some recent ballad-oriented releases," apparently just for the heck of it. Those of us involved in folk music can only commend him, and of course Vess, for trying to pull in a few more listeners from the comic book world. - Steve Winick (Philadelphia, PA)
Let the Good Times Roll: A Guide to Cajun & Zydeco Music
by Pat Nyhan, Brian Rollins, and David Babb
Upbeat Books ISBN 0-9658232-0-2; $16.95
The first book ever to review the recorded legacy of Cajun and zydeco music, Let the Good Times Roll has truly taken the kingdom of Louisiana French music by surprise. The three authors, Nyhan, Rollins and Babb, are (surprisingly) not Louisiana residents but live in Portland, Maine, where they have been avid fans and local radio show hosts for over two decades. With those credentials firmly established, the trio of authors does a superb job of reviewing nearly 600 recordings, (including LPs, since those are likely to be reissued as CDs) that span 132 artists who have recorded before the cutoff date of January 1, 1997. The book is well organized and easy to reference. Chapter One covers the Cajun recording artists and neatly dovetails Creole musicians like Canray Fontenot whose music is closer to its Cajun cousins than today’s zydeco. Chapter Two is the zydeco chapter, while Chapter Three covers C&Z collections.
Besides the professional writing and eye-pleasing layout, Let the Good Times Roll offers a novel approach on how they review. Each artist information section starts with a bio, followed by a ranking (Best, Excellent, Other) of each of their records that is relative only to that artist’s recorded output. Therefore, unfair comparisons between artists are avoided, letting each artist’s catalogue stand on its own. Overall, the trio pretty much covers everything that’s been released except for an occasional omission like a Beau Bassin [Sound of Orleans] or Jackie Caillier and the Cajun Cousins [Lanor], both of which were released in the first half of 1996. To their credit, their wealth of knowledge is amazing — sometimes even baffling, considering that rarities like the Cajun records recorded by French folklorist Gerard Dole are included. Additionally, the introduction gives a straightforward, "just the facts, ma’am" history of Cajun and Creole music. Best of all, their writing of this invaluable guide was inspired solely by their love for the music. - Dan Willging (Denver, CO)