Mark Twang

Background

During the four-year break since the end of his contract with Warner Bros. Records and the release of Morning Bugle, Hartford earned his riverboat pilot's license, played live or sat in on others' records, and signed with the independent label Flying Fish. He accompanied himself alone in the studio with either banjo, guitar and fiddle as well as a sheet of plywood for clogging.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, critic Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. wrote of the album "The songs, as usual, run from sentimental to strange, from the romantic to the weird... Mark Twang may not be the first stopping place for the new Hartford fan, but for those already familiar with his unique talent, it's a must have." Music critic Robert Christgau wrote "These days he sings mostly about the mighty Mississip (too thick to navigate, too thin to plow) and records eccentric river music for a folk label. He's slightly the better for it, on the whole—but I wouldn't say his living sounds so secure that he should turn down a gig on the Proud Mary. A gig playing, or a gig navigating"

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Hartford; except where indicated

1. "Skippin' in the Mississippi Dew" – 3:01
2. "Long Hot Summer Days" – 4:48
3. "Let Him Go On, Mama" – 3:49
4. "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun" – 2:26
5. "Tater Tate and Allen Mundy" – 2:42
6. "The Julia Belle Swain" – 4:48
7. "Little Cabin Home on the Hill Waugh Waugh" (Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Hartford) – 1:13
8. "Austin Minor Sympathy" – 6:42
9. "The Lowest Pair" – 0:45
10. "Tryin' to Do Something to Get Your Attention" – 4:39

Personnel

Production