Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' — Freedom Ride (w/ The Chieftains)
Album: LargoAvg rating:
Your rating:
Total ratings: 1769
Length: 4:54
Plays (last 30 days): 4
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Goin’ away it might be long
Know they’ll miss me when I’m gone
May be gone for a long long time
Won’t know till I cross that line
Goin’ way down the underground
Train’ll take me freedom bound
Go down Moses shine a light
I see you I’ll be alright
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider
Ride on a train goin’ woo woo woo
I wanna be your rider
Take me on a freedom ride with you
Well I don’t know but I been told
Streets in Harlem paved with gold
Well I know where I’m goin to
Sweet chariot gonna pull me through
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider….
Steel away the preacher cried
We’re goin’ on a freedom ride
Don’t know when it’s gonna be
But down the line we will be free
Know they’ll miss me when I’m gone
May be gone for a long long time
Won’t know till I cross that line
Goin’ way down the underground
Train’ll take me freedom bound
Go down Moses shine a light
I see you I’ll be alright
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider
Ride on a train goin’ woo woo woo
I wanna be your rider
Take me on a freedom ride with you
Well I don’t know but I been told
Streets in Harlem paved with gold
Well I know where I’m goin to
Sweet chariot gonna pull me through
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider….
Steel away the preacher cried
We’re goin’ on a freedom ride
Don’t know when it’s gonna be
But down the line we will be free
Comments (127)add comment
mgoldman wrote:
Definitely hear the Bazilian/Hyman fingerprint on this.
One of the voices sounds a little like Chris Cornell, but I reached out to Eric in an email asking who it was (not divulging who I thought it was) and surprisingly, he got right back to me and said he wasn't certain, but thought it was David Forman.
Got to see the Hooters in their infancy, at a club in Avalon NJ right before they went big.
This is a great album, Very diverse with a lot of great performances. Based on the New World Symphony, Largo is a 1998 various-artists concept album inspired by classical composer Dvorak's 9th symphony. The project was initiated, assembled, and produced by Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, respectively producer and singer/multi-instrumentalists with The Hooters.
Largo started as the recording sessions for a new Hooters album, but evolved into a collaboration between The Hooters and great guest artists like Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Joan Osborne, The Chieftains, Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, David Forman, and Willie Nile. The Band's Levon Helm and Garth Hudson both appear on the album, on separate tracks. Levon does a duet with David Forman on "Gimme a Stone", while Garth plays an atmospherically dreamy piece titled "Garth's Largo," together with his wife Maud.
Definitely hear the Bazilian/Hyman fingerprint on this.
One of the voices sounds a little like Chris Cornell, but I reached out to Eric in an email asking who it was (not divulging who I thought it was) and surprisingly, he got right back to me and said he wasn't certain, but thought it was David Forman.
Got to see the Hooters in their infancy, at a club in Avalon NJ right before they went big.
JFL wrote:
“There are many, many crap songs out there with Freedom Rider in the title.”
And this is one.
Love this song! First heard it here on RP, and took me forever to find out where I could legally download it. FYI - There are many, many crap songs out there with Freedom Rider in the title.
“There are many, many crap songs out there with Freedom Rider in the title.”
And this is one.
I want to ride on a train goin' woo woo woo
love this song, i can't find it anywhere
Taj is awesome
EXCELLENT!! Thanx RP! 
Love that measure of 4/4 then right back to 3/4 in the chorus.
ah... a swing song
its got swing
its got swing
There was a YouTube video of Taj Mahal singing this live on Letterman in the '90s with Joan Osborne that I listened to about once a week until they took it down a year or two bacik. It just blew me away. No Joan on this original version, but it's still great.
Funny. I really don't hear the Chieftains and the strong instrumentals, they're known for.
bkrontz wrote:
it's I don't know but I've been told
The first round is on me if I could get a nickel for every time I hear "I don't know what I've been told" in a song.
it's I don't know but I've been told
lily34 wrote:
No.
do i hear a dog barking in parts of this song?
No.
What a ride!
do i hear a dog barking in parts of this song?
wtango wrote:
+1
Love it.
+1
Eh
why o why isn't there a –10 rating available?
Taj Mahal is the official blues artist of Massachusetts, enough said.
Taj Mahal ist einer der ganz Grossen.
Ive been to a couple of live shows with Taj, the most memorable in Taos, N.M. in the late 80's! He got the entire crowd dancing! Great fun.
Very good song ! J'adore. 9
bttcld66 wrote:
I do not want to offend anyone and the work of each person must be respected but the taste is not commanded and for this song I would need negative votes.
This is as safe a place on the internet as exists. You do not have to like every song. You don't have to like every artist. But the experience as a whole is worth the occasional donation.
I do not want to offend anyone and the work of each person must be respected but the taste is not commanded and for this song I would need negative votes.
This is as safe a place on the internet as exists. You do not have to like every song. You don't have to like every artist. But the experience as a whole is worth the occasional donation.
I substitute my motorbike for train and I like this anew.
I do not want to offend anyone and the work of each person must be respected but the taste is not commanded and for this song I would need negative votes.
At this point in this song's existence, I'd have to say that 6.1 seems rather generous. Any time the 1's and 3's outnumber the 10's, its a pretty good indication that something has gone horribly wrong.
Didn't like it much at the start, but it kinda keeps on going and eventually the foot starts tapping :)
kazoo wrote:
Did he borrow some vocalists from the group that did Who Let The Dogs Out? woof woof woof
Did he borrow some vocalists from the group that did Who Let The Dogs Out? woof woof woof
AliGator wrote:
This song is still terrible, but I left my rating as is.
I had to check my rating (3), because this song brought me out of what I was doing. That's how terrible it is. I changed my rating to 2. I hate this song.
This song is still terrible, but I left my rating as is.Please back off the crash cymbal...
make me think of the Pogues and Johnny Clegg
Good !
Good !
bkrontz wrote:
Technically it's "Well I don’t know but I been told" so don't order that Mercedes just yet. :)
The first round is on me if I could get a nickel for every time I hear "I don't know what I've been told" in a song.
Technically it's "Well I don’t know but I been told" so don't order that Mercedes just yet. :)
Any time I‘be heard this I have been where I couldn’t find out who it was and what album it was from. Glad it came around in the rotation so I could learn.
how aboutsome Sonny and Brownie? Arlo Guthrie, John Mayall, and Sugarcane Harris all played on this CD
I worked on a workshop of a staged musical of Largo in 2001 it was a great experience. that was at NY stage and Film in Poughkeepsie NY. Got to meet Cyndi Lauper and Martha Wainright as part of the experience and many other musicians of note, but Cyndi and Martha were special, as I spent the most time around them.
Weirdly likeable!
Love this song! First heard it here on RP, and took me forever to find out where I could legally download it. FYI - There are many, many crap songs out there with Freedom Rider in the title.
This song plays when you put "K-9" into the jukebox.
katherinenz wrote:
This comment didn't age so well... but please, if you're not feeling it, at least have your temperature checked - especially if you've been hanging out with your mates at a beach bar.
I can see how this song would be awesome to listen to live at a beach bar with a few coronas and mates around, but just not feeling it right now
This comment didn't age so well... but please, if you're not feeling it, at least have your temperature checked - especially if you've been hanging out with your mates at a beach bar.
haretic wrote:
I LOVED my Irish Wolfhound when I was a child. Such sweet dogs!
It's too bad they edited out that pooch chorus finale in the studio; when those Irish Wolfhounds finally caught up with Taj...
I understand that he hit some amazing high notes!
I understand that he hit some amazing high notes!
I LOVED my Irish Wolfhound when I was a child. Such sweet dogs!
A 7 just cause of all the hate. Make that an 8.
SHITE
I had to check my rating (3), because this song brought me out of what I was doing. That's how terrible it is. I changed my rating to 2. I hate this song.
Traaaaash
MrStatenIsle wrote:
Tom Waits?
Sounds like Cookie Monster there at the end.
Tom Waits?
Sounds like Cookie Monster there at the end.
Goin’ away it might be long
Know they’ll miss me when I’m gone
May be gone for a long long time
Won’t know till I cross that line
Goin’ way down the underground
Train’ll take me freedom bound
Go down Moses shine a light
I see you I’ll be alright
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider
Ride on a train goin’ woo woo woo
I wanna be your rider
Take me on a freedom ride with you
Well I don’t know but I been told
Streets in Harlem paved with gold
Well I know where I’m goin to
Sweet chariot gonna pull me through
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider….
Steel away the preacher cried
We’re goin’ on a freedom ride
Don’t know when it’s gonna be
But down the line we will be free
Know they’ll miss me when I’m gone
May be gone for a long long time
Won’t know till I cross that line
Goin’ way down the underground
Train’ll take me freedom bound
Go down Moses shine a light
I see you I’ll be alright
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider
Ride on a train goin’ woo woo woo
I wanna be your rider
Take me on a freedom ride with you
Well I don’t know but I been told
Streets in Harlem paved with gold
Well I know where I’m goin to
Sweet chariot gonna pull me through
I wanna be your rider, rider, rider….
Steel away the preacher cried
We’re goin’ on a freedom ride
Don’t know when it’s gonna be
But down the line we will be free
Ihatethissong wrote:
Saw Taj with Bonnie Raitt - that was darn good! This song is great!
I like this very much.
I would love to hear Taj Mahal & Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
I would love to hear Taj Mahal & Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Saw Taj with Bonnie Raitt - that was darn good! This song is great!
This is a great album, Very diverse with a lot of great performances. Based on the New World Symphony, Largo is a 1998 various-artists concept album inspired by classical composer Dvorak's 9th symphony. The project was initiated, assembled, and produced by Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, respectively producer and singer/multi-instrumentalists with The Hooters.
Largo started as the recording sessions for a new Hooters album, but evolved into a collaboration between The Hooters and great guest artists like Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Joan Osborne, The Chieftains, Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, David Forman, and Willie Nile. The Band's Levon Helm and Garth Hudson both appear on the album, on separate tracks. Levon does a duet with David Forman on "Gimme a Stone", while Garth plays an atmospherically dreamy piece titled "Garth's Largo," together with his wife Maud.
Largo started as the recording sessions for a new Hooters album, but evolved into a collaboration between The Hooters and great guest artists like Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Joan Osborne, The Chieftains, Carole King, Cyndi Lauper, David Forman, and Willie Nile. The Band's Levon Helm and Garth Hudson both appear on the album, on separate tracks. Levon does a duet with David Forman on "Gimme a Stone", while Garth plays an atmospherically dreamy piece titled "Garth's Largo," together with his wife Maud.
really good album, too
Great song 
Jamunca wrote:
At first I thought "really, 'Who Let the Dogs out?' on RP...and then I got over it and enjoyed the track enough to rate it a 7
That refrain is ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff.
At first I thought "really, 'Who Let the Dogs out?' on RP...and then I got over it and enjoyed the track enough to rate it a 7
boring
repetitive
sophomoric lyrics
repetitive
sophomoric lyrics
Love it.
It's too bad they edited out that pooch chorus finale in the studio; when those Irish Wolfhounds finally caught up with Taj...
I understand that he hit some amazing high notes!
I understand that he hit some amazing high notes!
Love Taj.-This not so much. he is touring w/ Keb Mo this summer. Catch him while you can!
Outrageously bad.
Love those lyrics!
Awesome song that gets me going in the morning at commute time. You can download from ITunes. I like the ruff, ruff. It makes the song and the Celtic style of rock is good too. I think Taj Mahal did the right thing to show that they're good at other styles as well as Blues.
Love Taj.... Hate Chietans...
bark bark... really?
bark bark... really?
That refrain is ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff.
Definitely an early Springsteen vibe going on. You almost expect them to segue into "Rosalita".
Randomax wrote:
Great minds think alike!
I see Peter posed almost the exact same question in Feb! lol
Great minds think alike!
The first round is on me if I could get a nickel for every time I hear "I don't know what I've been told" in a song.
Voff voff,,,,#7
vicariance wrote:
The barks absolutely kill the song.
Absolutely. Not a bad song, but the barking .... mute the mutts.
The barks absolutely kill the song.
Absolutely. Not a bad song, but the barking .... mute the mutts.
peter_james_bond wrote:
I see Peter posed almost the exact same question in Feb! lol
Is there anybody The Chieftans didn't record with?
I see Peter posed almost the exact same question in Feb! lol
Is there anyone the Chieftans haven't collaborated with? it's all good though!!
fredriley wrote:
See also The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Love that effect.
what's with the barking the background?
See also The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Love that effect.
Bruce Springsteen meets Bob Dylan. Not a marriage made in heaven from the Nottingham jury's viewpoint, but might be the dog's bollox for Springsteen and Dylan fans. Talking of dogs, what's with the barking the background? Who let the dogs out? Ruff, ruff, ruff-ruff!
Where can I buy this?
Taj sounds like he's trying to channel Van the Man with a Celt bit. It's not happenin' for me.
Stick to the blues.
Stick to the blues.
ott wrote:
The barks absolutely kill the song.
... speaking of dogs, those barks are ridiculusly out of control. ...
The barks absolutely kill the song.
Is there anybody The Chieftans didn't record with?
This is lovely and invigorating! Thanks Bill!
I can see how this song would be awesome to listen to live at a beach bar with a few coronas and mates around, but just not feeling it right now
brighthue wrote:
File is over-modulated.
Nope. But it is pretty dense, which will accentuate problems with your audio settings. The usual culprit is the EQ section on your player (especially Winamp). If you feel the need to turn any bands (especially bass) up by any significant amount, you need to compensate by turning the 'preamp' slider down.
ott wrote:
you know how when you mix beer with milk it tastes like dog poop?
I didn't, but thanks, I learned something new today.
An unusually low point for RP - put the dog out of its (and our) misery - turn this rubbish off!
I'm with the prevailing sentiment of this thread. I love the Cheiftains and I like Taj, but just don't know about the two collaborating.
It pains me to rate this low, so to assuage my guilt let me say very plainly that more Chieftains on RP would be a welcome thing.
File is over-modulated.
You guessed right. It does suck. However, I managed not to turn the volume down this time... those tolerance lessons are really paying off!
Ugh! This sounds like the CD is skipping or something.
Although I don't think that's the only problem... Maybe the song sucks too.
rah wrote:
who let the dogs out?
Stop it, you're making me laugh too hard!
This is great. Can anybody upload it for me please?
spartan wrote:
And yet, it does. Strange.
Although this song seems much better the second time. Maybe I was wrong. :?
two of my all time favs...how could it go wrong?!!
And yet, it does. Strange.
manbirdexperiment wrote:
When I die I want them to play the Chieftains at my funeral
When I die I want the Chieftains to play AT my funeral. Let's die on different days, they can play at yours, too.
i'm usually a fan of taj and also the chieftons. but you know how when you mix beer with milk it tastes like dog poop? well some great things just shouldn't be mixed. speaking of dogs, those barks are ridiculusly out of control. good to know the music business is still producing crap and taj has absolutely lost his musical experimentating-mind.
Put me down as hating it.
who let the dogs out?
two of my all time favs...how could it go wrong?!!
Taj Mahal & the Chieftains?!? I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't hear it myself... This song should stay in the mix if only because of the sheer improbability of this collaboration.
:highfive.gif:
Pogues then Chieftans? Makes me happy to have found this station. Cheers! :D
When I die I want them to play the Chieftains at my funeral
I love this song. The first time I heard it was on the David Letterman Show. I was lucky enough to record it on good old VHS. I bought the cd; however, it was stolen when my car was stolen too. Evetually I gained my "Freedom Ride" after the police recovered my Ford, but my cd was long gone.
redeyespy wrote:
utterly ridiculous
beyond utterly ridiculous. utterly ridiculous is so far back in the rear view mirror that it is another zip code.
utterly ridiculous
Put me in the "Love it" group....
I love this song. It gets me moving, please keep it on the playlist. :D
aharamanx wrote:
Each subsequent hearing I care for this less......and less. 
Would be great heard no more than twice annually. 
I'll second that. Argh. It's gawd-awfuller each time. Would be great heard no more than twice annually.
I do without the woof, woof. But for bagpipes and blues check out Bourne & MacLeod.
I never get tired of this one. Just cranked it, about to get off my butt, throw open the curtains, and get busy(away from my keyboard.
WOOF! - to quote the movie rating system of Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever (the system rates best movies at 4 bones, and gives worst ones a "WOOF!" ie. no bones).
This song is cacophonous. Make no bones about it. I had to turn the volume down, and I don't do that very often with RP. And I like Taj Mahal, and the Chieftains, and bagpipes. Just not together, not in this song. 
I want you to shuuuuuuut up... shuuuuuut up... shuuuuuuut up..... shuuuuuuut up.......
damn I'm tired of this one... "I wanna be your ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... ride'a... WOOF WOOF WOOF"
ugg :headache.gif:
wow, so many differing opinions on this one -- either love it or hate it. It's from a collaboration/compilation called Largo inspired by that movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony.
I happen to be among the "Love It" group; this album has pulled me out of a very bad mood many a time! .... I don't know who all are in the Chieftains exactly, but I do own this album, and can tell you that Taj Mahal is singing and *barking* and playing the harmonica, Rob Hyman is on the Farsifa Organ (not the bagpipes!), David Forman is singing, Eric Bazilian plays the Hurdy-Gurdy (also not the bagpipes!) and David Uosikkinen plays Drums.
But, if you all are indeed tiring of this song, maybe we should campaign to get some others of of this great compilation played. I'll try my best to upload some more, but RP already has some of its greatest hits, like Hand in Mine with Joan Osborne, Cyrus in the Moonlight and White Man's Melody with Cyndi Lauper.
My favorite is Gimme a Stone. :-({|=
Taj Mahal or Bob Seger?
Ehhh..5 or 6.
Should that be The Chieftains?
Hannio wrote: 
(Not that I think it's that bad a song, but I like a good burn when I see one!)
Yeah, I got up and went to the bathroom.
(Not that I think it's that bad a song, but I like a good burn when I see one!)
Are those bagpipes??!!!?? Aghhhh!!!! :?:
Originally Posted by Frosty:
Wow! How can anyone remain seated when hearing this? Gotta buy this CD.
Yeah, I got up and went to the bathroom.
who let the dogs out?
Wow! How can anyone remain seated when hearing this? Gotta buy this CD.
i USED to like it...but now I have reached terminal capacity for this one. Please put it on the shelf for a while.
THANK YOU so much for having this song on the playlist!
Brilliant "thinking out of the box"...just perfect!