The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4

The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4

Album Description

This is the finest Woody Guthrie Collection ever assembled. These 105 songs, including many of his best-known compositions and some of his most unususal, were all recorded in the 1940s by Moses Asch, the founder of Folkways Records. Carefully selected, exquisitely remastered, and painstakingly annotated in over 100 pages of text in four illustrated booklets. Contains four CDs originally issued as separate volumes. Compiled and annotated by Jeff Place and Guy Logsdon.(4 hours and 43 minutes)

Amazon.com essential recording

Poland-born, Brooklyn-reared producer and folk enthusiast Moses Asch maintained a suitably slack but ultimately productive relationship with Woody Guthrie. The notoriously unbound folksinger was free to stop by the New York studio unannounced and Asch would record whatever was running through the folksingers fertile mind at the time. From the vast body of work the twosome came up with comes this cornerstone four-disc collection. All four CDs included in The Asch Recordings have been released individually--This Land is Your Land (something of a best-of set), Muleskinner Blues (a collection of the singers old favorites), Hard Travelin (a topical compilation), and Buffalo Skinners (Western-themed songs). If you have one or more of the aforementioned titles, finish off the set one by one. If youre interested in American folk music and you dont have the Guthrie/Asch collection, do yourself a favor and get it out of the box. --Steven Stolder
Rate Points :5.0
Binding :Audio CD
Label :Smithsonian Folkways
Manufacturer :Smithsonian Folkways
MPN :40112
ProductGroup :Music
Studio :Smithsonian Folkways
Publisher :Smithsonian Folkways
UPC :093074011225
EAN :0093074011225
Price :$49.98USD
Lowest Price :$32.34USD
Customer ReviewsAmerica in a boxed set
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :7
I chose this boxed set over the Library of Congress Collection because the latter did not list "This Land is Your Land." The re-mastered recordings are of good quality and the collection is comprehensive. Each of the four CDs contains a booklet of information about the songs and surrounding events.

The real motivation to own this set is, of course, Woodys songs. Using familiar melodies combined with wry narratives and heart-breaking stories, Woody paints a portrait of America from the turn of the century, through the depression and dust bowl years, to WWII and after. The songs are haunting while being deceptively complex and simple at the same time. In this collection, the gravity of his more serious work is artfully countered by his very funny narrative and nonsense songs (one of my favorites in the latter category is "Mean Talking Blues"). Folk music aficionados or not, this collection will contain that will touch everyones heart.

A final note: Woody Guthrie is perhaps one of the most under-rated guitar players in the genre. The recordings dont do justice to the subtly of his picking style. The same can be said of his abilities with the harmonica.

Guthrie Box Set
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :3
This is a great collection. The recordings are great, and there is a lot of information provided in each cd booklet.

This land was made for you and me.
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :9

Woody wrote "This Land is Your Land" on 23 February 1940.It is his best known song and one of the most widely sung songs in the United States.Woodys stated reason for writing it is possibly open to criticism--he said he was tired of hearing Kate Smith,one of the nations most popular singers during the 1930s,sing "God Bless America".So he voiced a different perspective on the United States,ending each verse with "God blessed America for me".Later he changed the last line to "This land was made for you and me".
Woody wrote six verses,of which two were about Great Depression
experiences and were not heard when the song was first issued in 1951.
They were:
Was a big high wall there that tried to stop me
A sign was painted said:Private Property
But on the back side it didnt say nothing-
God blessed America for me.

One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple
By the Relief Office I saw my people-
As they stood hungry,I stood there wondering if
God blessed America for me.

A seventh verse was added in 1945the verse is:

Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking my freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
This set of four discs contains 105 of Woodys songs.Each disc is accompained by a 36 page booklet giving all sorts of information and background on the songs and the people Woody worked with.There are many super photos of Woody and others.As an example,one of Woody,Fred Hellerman,Jean Richie and Pete Seeger in the recording studio.Then,how about one of Woody,s pen and ink drawings from April 23,1946"Hang down my head and cry".
This fantastic recording was put together by Smithonian Folkways Recordings and no matter how much you try you wont find anything else that comes close to it.
Whats your favorite Woody song?
Hobos Lullaby
Hard,Aint it Hard
Picture from lifes other Side
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
Worried Man Blues
I Aint Got No Home in this World Anymore
Pretty Boy Floyd
Blowing Down that Old Dusty Road

Whatever it is,Youll find it here in this collection.
If you like Folk music,and Woody in particular,this is for you.If you have a friend who knows some of Woodys songs,this will make a gift that will be highly treasured.
By the way,if you get it ,never lend ityoull never see it again!!!

Great Collection of Guthrie
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :8
No complaints other than the sound quality--which isnt very good. Its O.K. on some songs, but all in all, its pretty poor. Everything else is great and at about fifty cents a song its a really good deal. The liner notes are really great as well and theres a pamphlet for each CD. Ive just recently started to listen to Woody Guthrie but have been a Dylan fan for a long time. Its really neat to see all of the similarities in some of Dylans early work with Guthries. Dylans CD "Good as I Been to You" actually has a few songs that are on this CD. Thats a great album as well--1991 I believe. All in all a great deal and great music.

An American legend, captured on scratchy tape.
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :3
Like countless others, I started listening to Woody Guthries recordings as a fan of Bob Dylan. Im happy to say that listening to Woody has enhanced my appreciation for him as a singer and songwriter, and also has made me appreciate Dylan more once I was aware with what elements of Guthries influence he incorporated into his art and which he expanded upon. I highly recommend purchasing this entire collection (rather than just one or two discs, since theyre available individually) along with the essential Dust Bowl Ballads as a strong foundation for a Woody Guthrie collection (not to mention his amazing autobiography, Bound for Glory).

What can you say about a 4-disc retrospective of such a prolific, improvisational songwriter? In my reviews I generally talk about some specific songs, but there are so many here that Ill try not to get boring and long-winded with too many details. The discs are each loosely-based on a different theme and are named (1) "This Land is Your Land," (2) "Muleskinner Blues" (3) "Hard Travelin" and (4) "Buffalo Skinners." Although the track sequencing isnt too strict, the songs on each generally do fall in the categories of patriotic, interpretive ballads (mostly classic folk covers), topical/working class ballads, and cowboy ballads. As youll find out, though, these labels arent too exclusive, and Woody writes and sings about pretty much anything you could imagine, and he sure was good at it.

As the legend goes, Woody wrote on anything he could get his hands on, and composed songs on the fly (freestyle rap anyone?), so this historical document is also quite amazing considering Asch told Guthrie he could drop by and be recorded whenever he wanted. These off-the-cuff recordings not only represent the broadness of Woodys musical vision, but also a pretty accurate representation of the spontaneous singing he did while wandering the country, living (and hearing about first-hand) the lives of the characters in his songs.

And what great songs they are. The tracks range from classics you may or may not have known Woody wrote and sang "This Land is Your Land," "Grand Coulee Dam," "Pretty Boy Floyd," "So Long, Its Been Good To Know You," "Hard Travelin," and "Car song," to name a few. What makes the wealth of music here extraordinary is hearing Woody come up with social anthems, dark ballads, heartbreaking stories, and hilarious blues time and time again. Although folk music is simple (fans of more complex chord changes and instrumentation may take a few listens to appreciate what it is about Woodys music that makes it so classic), the magic is in the storytelling and lyrics. Some of his talking blues like "Talking Hard Work" and "Mean Talking Blues," for example, are laugh-out-loud funny, especially on repeated listens.

Some people have griped about the sound quality, but I personally wouldnt have it any other way. The scratchy, old-timey production fits perfectly, and that analog sound probably accounts for much of Woodys timbre. Ill bet it wouldnt sound half as good if recorded in digital. Woodys signature flat-picked acoustic and occasional harmonica makes most of the accompaniment, although Cisco Houston and a few others make appearances singing and playing acoustic instruments, so theres not really any complex overdubbing that is in danger of being covered up by the quality. As for Woodys voice, its like a warm blanket or the familiar sound of a grandfather telling a story. Even though its simple, theres a warmth and magic, subtle wit there all the time that only Woody could pull off so genuinely.

The liner notes only add to the quality of this treasure, providing info for each song, as well as great, informative biographical info. Taken together, this really is an academic historical document both on paper and on CD, but its also a real pleasure to listen to.

As you might have guessed, I highly recommend this collection, but if you dont have any Guthrie recordings yet, Id probably recommend the shorter Dust Bowl Ballads first, since its not as daunting in size or price. Once youre hooked, though, this is the next place to go. I hope you take the time to discover why Woodys such a legend, and treasure this set for years to come.

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