ALICE'S RESTAURANT SPECIAL

ALICE'S RESTAURANT SPECIAL

One of the most famous folk-rock songs of all time and certainly the song that Arlo Guthrie will forever be known for, the 18 and a half-minute "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is as much a minor classic of standup comedy as it is a song. The song itself, a quick verse and a catchy chorus, is merely prologue to a monologue that's equal parts social satire, political commentary and gut-busting one-liners, based on Guthrie's real-life arrest for littering near Northampton, Massachusetts and its eventual repercussions on his draft physical. Although some of the references are dated to modern audiences, this hippie-era classic, this was one of those albums simply everyone had circa 1968, has aged surprisingly well, thanks to Guthrie's impressive comedic timing (The infamous "father rapers" scene is still a masterpiece of tossed-off, underplayed lines). In 1969, to coincide with the release of the film based on the song, Reprise Records released to radio stations a single called "Alice's Rock and Roll Restaurant," which is simply the song repeated endlessly to a vamping, aimless blues-rock boogie. It's not worth seeking out, but if you must, it appears on Time-Life's Lost Hits of the '60s compilation.

ARLO GUTHRIE
ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1967)
320 KBPS

Although he'd been a fixture on the East Coast folk circuit for several years, Arlo Guthrie did not release this debut album until mid-1967. A majority of the attention directed at Alice's Restaurant focuses on the epic 18-plus-minute title track, which sprawled over the entire A-side of the long-player. However, it is the other half-dozen Guthrie compositions that provide an insight into his uniformly outstanding — yet astoundingly overlooked — early sides on Warner Bros.. Although arguably 100 percent factual, "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" — which was recorded in front of a live audience — is rooted in a series of real incidents. This decidedly anti-establishment saga of garbage dumps closed on Thanksgiving, good ol' Officer Obie, as well as Guthrie's experiences with the draft succeeds not only because of the unusual and outlandish situations that the hero finds himself in; it is also his underdog point of view and sardonic delivery that maximize the effect in the retelling. After decades of refusing to perform the work in concert, he trotted it back out in the late '80s, adding fresh perspectives and side stories about the consequences that the song has had, such as the uncanny role that the track played in the Watergate tape cover-up. In terms of artistic merit, the studio side is an equally endowed effort containing six decidedly more traditional folk-rock compositions. Among the standouts are the haunting "Chilling of the Evening," which is given an arrangement perhaps more aptly suited to a Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell collaboration. There is a somewhat dated charm in "Ring-Around-a-Rosie-Rag," a sly, up-tempo, and hippie-friendly bit of jug band nostalgia. "I'm Going Home" is an underrated minor-chord masterpiece that is not only reminiscent of Roger McGuinn's "Ballad of Easy Rider," but also spotlights a more sensitive and intricate nature to Guthrie's craftsmanship. Also worth mentioning is the first installment of "Motorcycle Song" — which was updated and discussed further on the live self-titled follow-up release Arlo (1968) — notable for the extended discourse on the "significance of the pickle." None of the performances on this disc were used in for the Alice's Restaurant (1969) film. However, the soundtrack — which was issued on CD by Rykodisc in 1998 — contains a full-length studio version of the "Massacree." In 1995 Guthrie marked the 30th anniversary of the original Thanksgiving Day incident which sparked the need for a Massacree in the first place. He re-recorded this entire album to uniformly superior results. Alice's Restaurant: 30th Anniversary Edition is a fun update as well as a stirring reminder of what a national treasure Guthrie's music and lyrics really are.

1. Alice's Restaurant Massacree
2. Chilling of the Evening
3. Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag
4. Now and Then
5. I'm Going Home
6. The Motorcycle Song
7. Highway in the Wind

ALICE'S RESTAURANT
THE MASSACREE REVISITED (1996)
320 KBPS

At the outset of his second recorded performance of the anti-war shaggy-dog story-song "Alice's Restaurant," Arlo Guthrie notes that 30 years have passed since the events described in the song. That anniversary may serve as a useful touchstone for this only slightly revised retelling, but a more likely explanation for why Guthrie would re-record not only his most famous song, but also his entire first album in soundalike fashion is simply that, unlike most of his records, Alice's Restaurant is still owned by Warner Bros. Records and not by Guthrie's own Rising Son label. The new version of the title song has a few new jokes in it (it's even longer than the original), and Guthrie faithfully re-creates such songs as "Ring-Around-A-Rosy Rag" and "The Motorcycle Song," but the original album is still the one to own.

1. Alice's Restaurant Massacree
2. Chilling of the Evening
3. Ring-Around-a-Rosy Rag
4. Now and Then
5. I'm Going Home
6. The Motorcycle Song
7. Highway in the Wind

ALICE'S RESTAURANT:
THE MOVIE
DVDrip (1969)
Runtime: 1hr 51mns

Synopsis: Arthur Penn's film, based on Arlo Guthrie's famous song of the same name, takes an exuberant look at the 1960s counterculture, draft dodging, social intolerance, law enforcement, and the hardships... Arthur Penn's film, based on Arlo Guthrie's famous song of the same name, takes an exuberant look at the 1960s counterculture, draft dodging, social intolerance, law enforcement, and the hardships of growing older. Like the 18-minute song itself, ALICE'S RESTAURANT follows Arlo Guthrie (played by Arlo Guthrie) as he gets kicked out of school and travels back east to visit his old friends Alice and Ray Brock. After a huge Thanksgiving feast, Arlo is assigned the duty of disposing of the garbage. When he finds the local dump closed, he tosses the mound of garbage over a cliff, which leads to his arrest for littering. When Arlo is eventually drafted into the army and is filling out the paperwork, he finds a simple question on the back of one of the forms: Kid, have you ever been arrested? Arlo quickly discovers that the U.S. Army has a very low opinion of litterbugs. The rambling song "Alice's Restaurant" was Guthrie's greatest success. The film version maintains the freewheeling spirit of the song while adding some new layers of character development and subplots, with Alice becoming a more central character to the story. Arlo Guthrie gives a fine performance as himself, and Pat Quinn is outstanding as the aging but bright-eyed Alice. Penn's direction balances a wild, fun-loving spirit with frank seriousness to make for a multi-layered and moving film.