Prime Cuts is a live recording by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 and blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 guitarist Peter Lang

Peter Lang (guitarist)

Peter Lang is an accomplished acoustic guitarist, from the same genre, American Primitivism, as the better-known guitarists Leo Kottke and John Fahey. All three artists shared the Takoma Records label, and a joint-titled album released in 1974 features a selection of songs from...

, released in 1977. It was recorded at the Maintenance Shop at Iowa State University and The Texas Tavern at the University of Texas.

Prime Cuts was reissued on CD in 2003 on the Horus label with additional tracks.

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Lang unless otherwise noted.

1. "Wide Oval Rip-Off" – 3:50
2. "Hello Baby Blues" (Danny Kalb
   Danny Kalb
   Danny Kalb is an American blues guitarist, and was one of the original members of the 1960s group, Blues Project.-Life and career:...
   
   ) – 2:18
3. "Methane Gas" – 1:21
4. "Better Things for You" (Traditional) – 2:30
5. "Angel of Baffins Baby" – 2:58
6. "Rally Round the Flag/The Battle Hymn of the Republic
   The Battle Hymn of the Republic
   "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a hymn by American writer Julia Ward Howe using the music from the song "John Brown's Body". Howe's more famous lyrics were written in November 1861 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. It became popular during the American Civil War...
   
   " (George F. Root
   George Frederick Root
   George Frederick Root was an American songwriter, who found particular fame during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
   
   , William Steffe
   William Steffe
   William Steffe collected and edited a camp-meeting song with the traditional "Glory Hallelujah" refrain, in about 1856. It opened with "Say, brothers, will you meet us / on Canaan's happy shore?" The tune became widely known....
   
   , Julia Ward Howe
   Julia Ward Howe
   Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
   
   ) – 2:33
7. "Brownsville Road" (Traditional) – 3:03
8. "That's All Right" (Dave Ray) – 3:20
9. "Muggy Friday/Adair's Song" – 2:08
10. "There Will Be a Happy Meeting" (Adger M. Pace) – 2:24
11. "Tuning" – 1:08
12. "Quetico Reel/Poor Howard" (Lang/Huddie Ledbetter
    Leadbelly
    Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
    
    ) – 4:02
13. "Future Shot at the Rainbow" – 5:14
14. "Round Worm Reel" – 2:20

    2003 reissue bonus tracks:

15. "Rally Round the Flag/Battle Hymn of the Republic" – 1:29
16. "That's Alright" (Ray) – 3:57
17. "There Will Be a Happy Meeting" (Traditional) – 2:29

Production

• Produced by Peter Lang and Gary Marx
• Editing and remastering by Michael McKern
• Design by Ted Sharpe
• Photography by Mike Zagaris