The Epic Beauty of Tom Russell’s “The Rose of Roscrae”

tom russell

I’m a sucker for a good concept album, with albums like Willie Nelson’s Red-Headed Stranger (1975) and Marty Stuart’s The Pilgrim (1999) ranking among my favorite albums of all time. Now, I can add to that list with one of the best albums of 2015, Tom Russell‘s The Rose of Roscrae: A Ballad of the West.

My friend Sid introduced me to Tom Russell’s music many years ago, and while I have been a fan, his new album really blew me away. Spanning 2 CDs, the ambitious project tells the story of the character of Johnny Dutton, tracing his life from his teenage years in Ireland in the 1880s — when he is chased by the father of his love the Rose of Roscrae — through his travels through the American West, where he becomes an outlaw known as “Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce,” and through other parts of the world.

Like Nelson’s Red-Headed Stranger and Stuart’s The Pilgrim, Russell’s Rose of Roscrae features a broken-hearted man through troubled times as he seeks redemption, but the album also gives us the point of view of the central woman too. The title song is a haunting ballad that appears in various forms through the saga.

Russell weaves together an interesting story, including fictional and real-life characters. Although the main character appears to be fictional (even though there was a real-life Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce who inspired a character in a Kevin Costner movie), the story interweaves with real characters, as in the case of Johnny’s redemption through an encounter with Joseph Dutton leading him to a real American Saint, Father Damien.

The story is told with original songs interwoven with other songs you will already know, including contributions from other artists as well as older recordings. Thus, the album features the voices of Joe Ely, Dave Olney, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Gretchen Peters, Eliza Gilkyson, Jimmy LaFave, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Johnny Cash, and even the actual voice of Walt Whitman. The second CD gives us more of Rose’s view of events through the beautiful voice of Maura O’Connell.

Of course, despite the story and the guests, the album would not work if the music did not rise to the occasion, and it certainly does, covering a broad range of styles — including country, Irish, Mexican, and cowboy songs. As in the case of many other concept albums, certain musical themes are repeated throughout the set, so they need to be strong songs that bear repeated listening. Songs like “The Rose of Roscrae,” “She Talks to God,” and “Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce” carry their weight and hold up well beside classic ballads like “Red River Valley.” Another one of my favorites is “Midnight Wine.”

I first listened to the album on a long car drive, which may be the best way to take in the expanse of the story from beginning to end. I bought it through an Amazon download the day before the trip, but there is a booklet with more about the story that comes with the CD (and unfortunately, unlike other CD’s, there was no digital version of the booklet with the digital purchase).

In a fair and just world, Tom Russell’s The Rose of Roscrae would be played on radio stations, have high sales, and win Grammy and other music awards. For now, those of us lucky enough to discover the album will just have to thank Russell, who, freed from the pop music culture, could aim for something higher. As AllMusic notes, “This is his masterpiece.” Below is a video where Russell discusses the creation of the concept and the making of The Rose of Roscrae.

What do you think of “The Rose of Roscrae”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    O Me, Does That Apple Commercial About Poetry Sound Familiar?

    apple commercial robin williams
    You may have seen Apple’s new commercial for the iPad. The commercial romanticizes the electronic product, showing how people around the world use it to achieve their dreams — while a familiar voice talks about poetry and quotes Walt Whitman.

    The voiceover is from Robin Williams, and you might also recognize the words. The voiceover is taken from the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society, which was directed by Peter Weir. It is a wonderful scene about the importance of poetry. Here is the original scene.

    The Whitman quote is from the poem “O Me! O Life!“: “That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” The poem appeared in Leaves of Grass.

    As a fan of the movie who was moved by the teacher’s speech, I am not sure what I think of it being transformed into a commercial. I am not sure Walt Whitman really meant that we should go buy a commercial product. But maybe the commercial will inspire someone who has not seen the movie, so who am I to judge?

    What will your verse be? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Liberty: By the U.S. Post Office, Grateful Dead, & Walt Whitman

    Statue of Liberty and Flag Stamps
    They used the correct flag.

    In 2011, the U.S. Post Office issued a new Statue of Liberty stamp honoring the 125th Anniversary of the American symbol, which was dedicated on October 28, 1886. But the stamp’s image was not of the landmark in New York harbor. Instead, the stamp mistakenly featured a replica statue from the New York-New York Casino, which opened a little more recently in 1997 in Las Vegas.

    The Statue Mix-Up

    The real Statue of Liberty and the casino statue are similar.  But there are some small differences between the two, including the eyes.

    The Post Office subsequently reevaluated its stamp selection process, but it stuck with the Las Vegas statue. One representative said they like the stamp.  The rep claimed they still would have selected this picture even if they knew it was not the real statue. Somehow, I doubt that is true.  The Post Office would look worse if it intentionally selected the wrong statue for the tribute.

    I was not too upset about the mix-up.  It still is a nice looking stamp and nice tribute, although the error is funny. We do wish to assure Chimesfreedom readers, though, that the statue we sometimes use to promote this website is the real deal. Our new motto: “Chimesfreedom: More Authentic than the U.S. Post Office.”

    The Grateful Dead’s “Liberty”

    Below is something else that is the real deal. The Grateful Dead singing “Liberty,” with words by Robert Hunter and music by Jerry Garcia. “Ooo, freedom / Ooo, liberty / Ooo, leave me alone / To find my own way home.”

    Like the U.S. Post Office stamp, the Grateful Dead song also indirectly raises some questions about authenticity.  There is nothing wrong with the song, but such questions come up in relation to a quote connected to the song.

    Walt Whitman in the Liner Notes

    In David Dodd’s Annotated Grateful Dead, he wrote that in the original release of the song “Liberty,” Robert Hunter included the following alleged quote from Walt Whitman in the liner notes: “We must all be foolish at times. / It is one of the conditions of liberty.

    The Whitman quote pops up in several places around the Internet.  But nobody lists the original source.

    From what I can find, the quote appears in an April 21, 1888 letter from Whitman, which is included in With Walt Whitman in Camden, Volume 1, by Horace Traubel, Sculley Bradley, and Gertrude Traubel. In that letter, Whitman used the words in a parenthetical discussing another person.

    Statue of Liberty New York Gift Shop
    Future Post Office plans include a tribute to this NYC gift shop statue.

    Whitman’s actual language differs slightly from the Dead liner notes version, making foolishness “the one” condition instead of “one of” the conditions. Whitman really wrote, “[W]e must all be foolish at times — it is the one condition of liberty.”

    Interestingly, it seems the incorrect Grateful Dead version of the quote has spread more than the correct Whitman version, with the incorrect version appearing in various valedictorian speeches posted online. Even the best of us make mistakes.

    I am sure that somewhere Old Walt is smiling at the foolish mistake made by the Post Office. Me too. Have a good day.

    Do you think it is a problem that the Post Office used the wrong Lady Liberty? Leave a comment.

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