It's My Way! is the first album by folk musician and songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. It was released in April 1964 through Vanguard Records.[1][2] It was later released in Britain in early 1965 by Fontana Records.[3][4] The album would become influential in the folk community. It is most famous for two widely covered folk standards, "Universal Soldier" and "Cod'ine", as well as "Now That the Buffalo's Gone", a lament about the continued confiscation of Indian lands, as evidenced by the building of the Kinzua Dam. The cover features a mouthbow, which was to be a trademark of her sound on her first three albums.
| It's My Way! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1964[1][2] | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 40:35 | |||
| Label | Vanguard | |||
| Producer | Maynard Solomon | |||
| Buffy Sainte-Marie chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2016, It's My Way! was inducted by the Library of Congress into the National Recording Registry.[5] In 2020 the album was named as one of two jury vote winners, alongside Main Source's Breaking Atoms, of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.[6]
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [7] |
Writing for Allmusic, music critic William Ruhlman gave the album 5 of 5 stars and wrote "This is one of the most scathing topical folk albums ever made ... Even decades later, the album's power is moving and disturbing."[7]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Now That the Buffalo's Gone" | 2:45 | |
| 2. | "The Old Man's Lament" | 3:55 | |
| 3. | "Ananias" | Adapted by Buffy Sainte-Marie | 2:35 |
| 4. | "Mayoo Sto Hoon" | 1:19 | |
| 5. | "Cod'ine" | 5:01 | |
| 6. | "Cripple Creek" | Folk song | 1:45 |
| 7. | "The Universal Soldier" | 2:15 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Babe in Arms" | 2:30 | |
| 9. | "He Lived Alone in Town" | 4:35 | |
| 10. | "You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond" | Traditional | 2:45 |
| 11. | "The Incest Song" | 4:11 | |
| 12. | "Eyes of Amber" | 2:16 | |
| 13. | "It's My Way" | 3:29 |
Personnel edit
- Buffy Sainte-Marie – vocals, guitar, arrangements
- Patrick Sky – second guitar on "He Lived Alone in Town"
- Art Davis – bass on "Now That the Buffalo's Gone"
References edit
- ^ a b Zhito, Lee, ed. (April 11, 1964). "New Album Releases". Billboard. Cincinnati: The Billboard Publishing Co. p. 80. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Ostrow, Marty; Howard, Ira, eds. (April 4, 1964). "It's My Way" (PDF). Cash Box. New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 29, 2022.
- ^ Fontana Records (April 1965). "Fontana New Releases (advertisement)". Sing. London: The London Youth Choir.
- ^ Editorial Staff, Gramophone (May 1965). "It's My Way!". The Gramophone. Compton Mackenzie.
- ^ "National Recording Registry Recognizes "Mack the Knife," Motown and Mahler". Library of Congress.
- ^ "2020 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Winners Named". FYI Music News, November 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Allmusic review