Dave Van Ronk – The Mayor Of MacDougal Street

Released to coincide with the book of the same name, this set covers Dave Van Ronk rarities from 1957-69, all but one previously unissued. Far from dredging the barrel or in any way just making due, this is a warm and resilient portrait of the man. The commitment of his performances links the varied recordings from clubs, coffeehouses, living rooms and studios, as well as transcending any deficiencies in fidelity. In fact, when his singing occasionally oversaturates the tape in live performance, it’s all the more riveting and real.

Van Ronk could perform material by everyone from Joni Mitchell to W. C. Fields. While his Fields routine is mostly a mark of the rambling, jaunty way in which he’d pace a show — dropping in stories and comedic interludes between songs — his version of Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” is one of the most earthy and stirring ever rendered.

This disc’s one flaw may not be an issue for everyone, but I’d be remiss in not addressing it. Van Ronk oozed classiness. He may have packaged himself in a work shirt and jeans, but he brought a regal bearing to whatever he was playing. He was uncompromising in his commitment, making even a war horse like “On Top Of Old Smoky” transcend the lackluster shape of its ubiquity. He understood the dramatic curve of this temporal art in which he lived his life. Unfortunately, the design of the sixteen-page booklet that accompanies the CD is too obviously fussed over, and makes visible a range of bad decisions, from font choices to inconsistencies in margins, gutters and type alignment. Good graphic design should aspire to the aims of Van Ronk’s music: Be sure and hit your mark, but also make it look easy.