Woody recorded for a variety of labels, but the real meat of his repertoire rests in the 300 or so songs he recorded for Mo Asch’s Folkways label. And now that classic material is finally coming out on CD in four volumes, of which this is the first and probably the best witness this list of songs: This Land Is Your Land (unreleased and “hit” versions); Grand Coulee Dam; Philadelphia Lawyer; Hobo’s Lullaby; Pastures of Plenty; Do-Re-Mi; Hard, Ain’t It Hard; Going Down the Road Feeling Bad; Jesse James; I Ain’t Got Nobody, and 15 more.
The first in a series of four, this recording presents many of Woody Guthrie’s best known songs taken from the original masters. Included here is the original version of Woody’s anthem “This Land Is Your Land,” which contains never-before issued lyrics. A major force in the urban folk song revival, Guthrie created an intimate portrait of America—its land and people. He has influenced many contemporary artists, among them Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Billy Bragg, and Bruce Springsteen. During the 1930s and 40s, Woody Guthrie wrote more than a thousand songs, recording hundreds of them for Folkways founder Moses Asch. The surviving masters now reside in the Folkways archive at the Smithsonian Institution. Running time: 72 minutes; 36-page booklet includes historical and biographical notes on Woody Guthrie. Compiled by Jeff Place and Guy Logsdon.
“The single finest Guthrie Collection Available.” — Music Central
This Land Is Your Land
Car Song
Ramblin’ Round
Talking Fishing Blues
Philadelphia Lawyer
Lindbergh
Hobo’s Lullaby
Pastures of Plenty
Grand Coulee Dam
End of the Line
New York Town
Gypsy Davy
Jesus Christ
This Land Is Your Land
Do-Re-Mi
Jarama Valley
Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done
Picture from Life’s Other Side
Jesse James
Talking Hard Work
When That Great Ship Went Down
Hard, Ain’t It Hard
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
I Ain’t Got Nobody
Sinking of the Reuben James
Why, Oh Why?
This Land Is Your Land