HIGHWAYMEN

A folk quintet who had huge hits with heavily sanitized versions of folk-gospel tunes "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" and "Cotton Fields" in the early 1960s, the Highwaymen could be poster boys for all that was great about the commercial folk revival and for all that wasn't so great about it, as well. They, like the countless other collegiate folk groups from the era, certainly rescued dozens of folk songs and gave them new exposure and utility, but they also watered them down for the greatest commercial effect, which essentially turned songs with long historical time lines into pop commodities. That said, the Highwaymen were professional about it, and in concert their good-time, hootenanny, harmony-laden approach was crowd-approved. This two-disc set catches the Highwaymen at a college gig at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from October 26, 1963. The audience knew most of songs -- they had probably even sung them at parties back in the dorms -- so the good will and community feel of the Highwaymen's show, its very accessibility, makes it a perfect timepiece for the era. "Michael," a fun romp through "The Gypsy Rover," a bluesy "Abilene," and a version of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "The Universal Soldier" are among the highlights of the show. Steve Leggett.

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