"Mark Twang" is a delightfully quirky album by bluegrass musician John Hartford. First released in 1976, it may be Hartford's finest recording. The thematic center of the album is the Mississippi River; the songs involve steamboats and river towns, and the sound is decidedly more "old-timey" than most of Hartford's other work. There are also a couple of bizarre cuts, the most notable of which is "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun", during which Hartford does his best impression of a warped, skipping record.
Track listing:
Skippin' in the Mississippi Dew
Long Hot Summer Days
Let Him Go on, Mama
Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun
Tater Tate and Allen Mundy
The Julia Belle Swain
Little Cabin Home on the Hill Waugh Waugh
Austin Minor Sympathy
The Lowest Pair
Tryin' to Do Something to Get Your Attention
The only musician on the album is Hartford, who sings and accompanies himself on the fiddle, banjo, and guitar. He also rhythmically stamps his feet on a miked 1/4" thick piece of plywood (who needs a drummer?). Mark Twang earned Hartford a Grammy for best Ethnic/Traditional album.