The Fun of Open Discussion

• Artist: Bob Carlin & John Hartford
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 17, 1995
• Total Time: 53:18
• Genre: Country

Review

Bob Carlin plays banjo in the old-timey clawhammer style, and John Hartford has a scratchy, laconic fiddle technique that sounds like it was formed on the humid, mossy banks of the Mississippi River that he loves so much. The disc's title is apt: This album is the musical equivalent of two guys chatting over a beer. There are no rip-roaring displays of virtuosity in this collection; instead, Carlin and Hartford linger lovingly over a set of midtempo numbers, mostly traditional but some composed by Hartford and one an Irish tune by Turlough O'Carolan. Chestnuts like "Shortenin' Bread" and "Dry and Dusty" nestle next to such obscure fare as "Lantern in the Ditch" and "Bull at the Wagon." Carlin's playing is not quite as down-home traditional as you might expect -- his strict melodic style is an old-sounding modern innovation. Banjo players who covet his licks will wish the banjo were more clearly recorded, but that's the only flaw on this wonderful record. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Big John McNeil	J. Scott Skinner	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:07)
The Fun of Open Discussion	John Hartford	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(2:53)
Jenny on the Railroad		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:22)
Hy Patitian		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(2:34)
Tishomingo County Blues		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(2:11)
Lantern in the Ditch		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:33)
Greenback Dollar	Traditional	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(4:16)
M.I.S.I.P.	John Hartford	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:17)
Doc Chapman's Breakdown		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:37)
Chinquapin		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:10)
Bull at the Wagon		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:01)
Mrs. Maxwell	Turlough O'Carolan	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:04)
Indian War Whoop	Hoyt "Floyd" Ming	John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(2:45)
Shortenin' Bread		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(5:24)
Dry and Dusty		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:11)
Kitty Puss		John Hartford, Bob Carlin	(3:53)

Credits

John Hartford (Fiddle), John Hartford (Vocals), John Hartford (Producer), John Hartford (Performer), John Hartford (Foot Stomping), Bob Carlin (Banjo), Bob Carlin (Producer), Bob Carlin (Main Performer), Bob Carlin (5-string Banjo), Nancy Given (Design)