Lee Murdock Live with the Blue Water Band
Two-CD set [ 118 minutes of live music, solo and with band ]
Disc 1
The Great Lakes Song [shel silverstein/pat dailey]
The Persia’s Crew [traditional]
Low Bridge, Everybody Down [thomas allen]
Lost on the Lady Elgin [henry clay work]
Queen of the Beach [lee murdock]
The Mules That Walked the Fo’c’s’le Deck [traditional]
White Squall [stan rogers]
Shores of Lake Michigan/May Day (Bannockburn) [traditional / larry penn]
No Nets Will Be Found [lee murdock]
The Christmas Ship [lee murdock]
Disc 2
Cold Winds/Living Gale [tom kastle]
Requiem for the Mesquite [lee murdock]
Illinois & Michigan Canal [kevin o'donnell]
The Ghost of Red Monroe (recitation) [lee murdock]
Watching Lake Michigan Roll [larry penn]
Banks of Cold Waters [craig johnson]
Voices Across the Water [lee murdock]
The Longing That I Feel [lee murdock]
Safe in the Harbor [eric bogle]
Encore: Christmas Medley
Liner Notes
Great Lakes Chronicle is a unique item in the Lee Murdock collection, a live two-CD set including 8 solo performances, and 12 songs recorded with his band. But it is the stories, intermingled with the songs, that makes this recording special, and so different from all the other releases. Almost all the songs on this CD have appeared on earlier CDs, released prior to 1998. But in many cases, the arrangements on this CD are radically different from what you’ll hear on the earlier recordings.
Released 1998
Total Playing Time: 01:58:41 (2 hours)
2-CD set
Featured musicians in the Blue Water Band are the same folks Lee uses in the recording studio, including Drew Carson (mandolin, mandola, guitar), Jim Cox (bass), Peter Seman (violin, harmonica), with appearances by Don Stiernberg (violin, mandolin, harmony vocals) and Dave Humphreys (bass).
Review of Great Lakes Chronicle…Live, from Dirty Linen Magazine (Issue #82, June/July ’99)
“As the premier interpreter of songs and tales about the Great Lakes region, Murdock has certainly found his niche. This might seem like a dubious distinction, but it’s actually a worthy and rewarding pursuit, and he lives up to the challenge. This live double album, nearly two hours long, is Murdock’s ninth and, although almost all of the material is drawn from previous albums, it’s a good representation of his live act.” —Paul-Emile Comeau (Comeauville, NS, Canada)