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| The Hard & The Easy | 
 enlarge | Artist: Great Big Sea
Label: Zoe Records
Category: Music
List Price: $18.98
Buy New: $11.91
You Save: $7.07 (37%)
New (31) Used (9) from $3.77
Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 21854
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 431080
UPC: 601143108020
EAN: 0601143108020
ASIN: B000B8I8ZK
Release Date: October 25, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles) | | • | Old Polina | | • | The River Driver | | • | The Mermaid | | • | Captain Kidd | | • | Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not) | | • | Concerning Charlie Horse | | • | Harbour LeCou | | • | Tishialuk Girls Set | | • | French Shore | | • | Cod Liver Oil | | • | Tickle Cove Pond |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A band that has made a name for itself since 1992 by updating the Celtic and, more specifically, Cape Breton tradition, Great Big Sea has long mixed poppy original tunes with traditionals goosed up to fit a more modern aesthetic. On the band's eighth album, The Hard And The Easy, the Canadians focus wholly on traditional Newfoundland folk tunes of all shapes and colors. All the music is acoustic and most (surprise!) have a seafaring theme to them. These are tunes that band-members grew up playing at home with family and friends, and there is no pretension or airs. The bands sense of humor comes through on gems like country-ish "Concerning Charlie Horse" and "The Mermaid," while "Graceful & Charming" is a sentimental ballad. The Breton tradition comes through strongest on "Harbour Le Cou" and "Tishialuk Girls Set." Adding its musicianship and excellent vocals to the Celtic continuum, Great Big Sea has come up with one for and of the ages. --Tad Hendrickson
Album Description
Includes bonus DVD -- an exclusive concert and conversation with the band! The Hard and The Easy is the ninth album from Great Big Sea, the Juno-nominated band that fuses Newfoundland traditional music with modern pop in a crowd-pleasing formula both heartfelt and vital. A pure force of nature - much like the ocean surge they take their name from - Great Big Sea's blend of instruments such as guitar, mandolin, bodhran, fiddle, and concertina, along with their vocal harmonies, revels in the melodies they create and the Newfoundland tunes they love. Their sound bellows joy. After almost thirteen years together, Great Big Sea is releasing a new kind of album, one that spans the spectrum of the Newfoundland songbook. This all-acoustic album of traditional and local songs is a first for singers and multi-instrumentalists Sean McCann, Alan Doyle, and Bob Hallett, but it's also a logical progression. Newfoundland music and Newfoundland culture are both their genesis and their raison d'etre.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 A thousand years of history in about 40 joyful minutes October 25, 2005
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
For a longtime fan, The Hard and the Easy is quite a memorable feat. On the one hand, you could say Great Big Sea is playing to their strengths with an all-traditional album. But on the other hand, many of the songs here do not resemble anything they've ever done, even on traditional-heavy discs like the seminal UP or their eponymous debut.
Although they've always leaned heavily (and successfully) on folk sounds, The Hard and the Easy breaks new ground for the band by being their first entirely acoustic album. The songs are lean, quick and at times vaguely familiar. The informative liner notes give the history of each tune. . .a welcome education for us faraway fans who may never set foot on the isle of Newfoundland.
It's nice to see Bob Hallet getting a couple of tunes, and Sean McCann continues to improve at balladry, something he sometimes faltered at on Something Beautiful. His rendering of Graceful & Charming ranks with the band's best love songs.
But for the most part, The Hard and the Easy is about having fun. The expected seafaring tales are there, but there is also further exploration of Newfoundland history in songs like Concerning Charlie Horse and darkly funny Cod Liver Oil. The Mermaid is guaranteed to put a smile on your face; Captain Kidd, Old Polina and the bittersweet Harbour Lecou are destined to be classics.
I confess, I like GBS's original songs every bit as much as the traditional stuff. And UP is still the standard for providing a mix of the old and the new. Which is why I've given this release 4 instead of 5 stars. For other longtime fans, especially those who felt letdown by the more pop-oriented Something Beautiful, this album will be a 5-star one.
And by the way, if you're new to Great Big Sea, this is a fine introduction. . .but there are MANY more joys to be found in their catalog. I'd recommend you get 'em all.
One last note: The DVD included in this release is a nice bonus, mostly footage of the 3 guys playing and talking about their love of their homeland's culture. Best part: Singer Alan Doyle points out that The Hard and the Easy is perhaps the only album in history to include not one, but TWO songs about a horse falling through the ice! It's ultimately nothing groundbreaking, but fans will certainly appreciate it.
 A Wonderful, Historical album October 26, 2005
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Hard and The Easy is a 100% traditional, acoustic album of enduring Newfoundland songs. This is GBS at their finest. It is truly a labour of love. This album is rich in Newfoundland history and culture. Their musical ablities and harmonies shine right through on this 12 song disc.
I just love the music on this CD, maybe because some of my ancestors are from Brigus, Newfoundland. It's been in my CD player non stop. You can't help but smile, while you listen to it.
Some of the topics sung about are: seafaring, logging, horses, ponds, ice, pirates, mermaids, infidelity, love, sexuality, and the dreaded cod liver oil.
All the songs were great, but my favourites were: "Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not)", "Old Polina", "Captain Kidd", "Concerning Charlie Horse", "French Shore" and "Tickle Cove Pond".
One of the highlights is Bob singing lead on "Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)". This is a counting song similar to the "Twelve Days of Christmas", but can be sung at any time of the year. The liner notes state that it is one of the oldest songs in "Newfoundland tradition".
Alan's rendition of a logging song called "The River Driver" is fantastic. His vocals are tinged with regret and sadness.
There's a tongue-in-cheek song called "The Mermaid" sung by Sean. It shows some of the earthier humour from Newfoundland. If you have heard it, you know what I mean. "Show me your fin!" ;) lol!
"Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not)" and the "French Shore" are beautifully sung by Sean and Alan, respectfully.
There are many fast tempo songs for singing and tapping your feet to in the pub: "Old Polina", "The Mermaid", "Captain Kidd", "Concerning Charlie Horse", "Tishialuk Girls Set", and "Tickle Cove Pond".
The liner notes give a brief description of every song included on the disc.
This is a 2 CD set, the first is a CD containing the music and the second a DVD with Alan, Sean and Bob explaining the origins of the songs and singing them in a relaxed, homey atmosphere.
This is a wonderful album! 5 outta 5 stars from me.
Cheers!!
Who else can make history so joyful! January 20, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Rains, gales, any kind of weather, the 'goofy Newfies' making up Great Big Sea add joy and inspiration to their musical tradition. Their eighth album covers the traditional ballads of Newfoundland and Cape Breton. When listening, the music flows as easily as the coastal waters on a calm day, but there's complexity and strength in the music--and harmony. This is one album to listen to on a down day--and keep you joyous even on good days!
Oops they did it again! October 25, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
"The Hard and the Easy" is perhaps GBS' most anticipated release in some time. I am here to say that the boys did not disappoint. GBS has an incredible knack for bringing an endless amount of energy and enthusiasm to traditional Newfoundland/Celtic music and they do it here with reckless abandon. McCann is back in fine voice on the rollicking sea shanty, "Old Polina" and equally impressive on "Cod Liver Oil". Doyle's tracks are every bit as impressive, notably, "Captain Kidd", "Here's to Charlie Horse" and "River Driver". Bob Hallett's two tunes, for the moment, appear to be hit or miss, but "The Mermaid" is one of the highlights of the entire disc; perhaps "Come and I will Sing You" will age like a fine wine. All in all, "The Hard and the Easy" gets high marks from this GBS fan and I could not more highly recommend it.
For anyone newly exposed to Great Big Sea, might I suggest checking out "Up", "Rant and Roar", "Turn" and their live disc "Road Rage". Also, they have another live disc that includes a DVD which is a tremendous way to get a feel for their live performances. Speaking of which, they are touring now and they are not to be missed live...they have put on some of the best shows I've ever seen.
can't wait to see it live... October 25, 2005
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
after a slightly disappointing last album, this is a solid response. although Something Beautiful was by no means a terrible album, it didn't measure up to GBS's extremely high standards. The Hard and the Easy is a great album by a great band, and i think it shows what the band does the best. By no means does this mean that they should stick only to traditional and public domain songs, but it is something that is good to see them touch on every now and then. Thanks again for another great album.
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