Tom Rush Best Of: No Regrets CD

Recorded between 1962 and 1998. Includes liner notes by Dave Marsh and Tom Rush.

Singer/guitarist Tom Rush came out of the fertile early-1960s Cambridge, MA folk scene, and made his mark not as a songwriter but as an interpreter of others' songs. Rush's plainspoken, versatile singing has some of the roughness of Dave Van Ronk and some of the mellowness of Eric Anderson and Tom Russell, and he effectively puts across a variety of songs--traditional acoustic blues, contemporary songs, country--in a convincing assortment of moods.

Rush was among the first to cover songs by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Brown, Lee Clayton and James Taylor before they became well-known. NO REGRETS is the first collection to cover Rush's entire career, from 1962's "San Francisco Bay Blues" to 1998's previously-unreleased "River Song." The highlights here are many, one in particular being a bleak but luminous version of Joni Mitchell's "Urge For Going." This collection is worth seeking out for fans of Rush as well as of contemporary singer/songwriters.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

Compilation producers: Tom Rush, Steve Berkowitz, Al Quaglieri.

Personnel: Tom Rush (vocals, acoustic guitar); Trevor Veitch (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dulcimer); Eric Lilljequist (vocals, acoustic guitar); Gary Mallaber (vocals, drums); Dean Adrian, Marc Cohn, Rupert Holmes , Shawn Colvin, Carly Simon (vocals); Bruce Langhorne (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Elliott Randall (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); John Leventhal (electric guitar, harmonium, percussion); Jeff Baxter, Al Kooper (electric guitar); David Bromberg (dobro); Paul Armin (violin, viola); Robin Batteau (violin); David Darling (cello); Kathryn Moses (flute); Andrew Love, Ed Logan (tenor saxophone); James Mitchell (baritone saxophone); Wayne Jackson (trumpet); Jack Hale (trombone); Leon Pendarvis (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); David Buskin, Joe Mennonna, Bill Stevenson (piano); Paul Griffin (organ); Paul Harris (vibraphone); Andrew Smith, Shawn Pelton, Herb Lovelle, Allan Schwartzberg, Bobby Gregg (drums); George Devens (percussion).

Liner Note Authors: Dave Marsh; Tom Rush.

Recording information: 02/16/1962-11/??/1998.

Photographers: Mickey Dobó; David Gahr; Sandy Speiser; Elliott Landy; Jon Sievert.

Personnel includes: Tom Rush (vocals, guitar); Shawn Colvin, Carly Simon, Marc Cohn, Rupert Holmes (vocals); Trevor Veitch (acoustic & electric guitars, dulcimer, background vocals); Bruce Langhorne (acoustic & electric guitars); Jeff Baxter, Elliott Randall (guitar, pedal steel guitar); Al Kooper, Elliott Randall (guitar); David Bromberg (dobro); Paul Armin (violin, viola); Robin Batteau (violin); David Darling (cello); Leon Pendarvis (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); David Buskin, Bill Stevnson, Paul Harris (vibraphone); Bill Lee (acoustic bass); James Rolliston (bass, background vocals); Harvey Brooks, Jonathan Raskin, Bob Babbit (Kreinar), Bob Boucher (bass); Gary Mallaber (drums, background vocals); Bobby Gregg, Allen Schwartzberg (drums); Memphis Horns

Producers include: Tom Rush, Paul Rothchild, Mark Spector, David Briggs, John Leventhal.