Leadbelly - Complete Recorded Works Vol. 1 (1939-40)

Artist:

Leadbelly

UPC:

714298522624

See Also:

White, Josh Carter Family (The) Woody Guthrie/Leadbelly - Folkways: The Original Vision [Remaster]

Description:

Full title: Complete Recorded Works 1939-1947 In Chronological Order Volume 1: 1 April 1939 to 15 June 1940.
Personnel includes: Huddy "Leadbelly" Ledbetter (vocals, guitar); Willis Johnson, William Langford, Henry Owens, Arlandus Wilson (vocals).
Recorded in New York, New York between 1935 & 1940. Includes liner notes by Ken Romanowski.
The Austrian Document Records label begins its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly`s commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939, although annotator Ken Romanowski acknowledges that the singer "had recorded a combined total of well over two hundred titles" prior to that date, tracks made either for the Library of Congress or ARC Records under the auspices of John Lomax. Still, most of those tracks had not been issued, and, contrarily, most became readily available later on either Elektra or Columbia Records. Two exceptions are 1935 alternate takes of "Daddy I`m Coming Back to You" (take three) and "Shorty George" (take two), which lead this album off as bonus tracks. Otherwise, the remaining 23 tracks comprise two sets of sessions from 1939 and 1940, first a bunch of recordings Leadbelly made as a solo performer for Musicraft Records, which issued them as an album called Negro Sinful Tunes, and second the first group of tracks for RCA Victor, some featuring the Golden Gate Quartet, and issued either on the album The Midnight Special and Other Prison Songs or on singles on the discount-priced Bluebird Records subsidiary. Many of Leadbelly`s better-known songs are included in these sessions, among them "The Bourgeois Blues," "The Boll Weevil," "The Gallis Pole," "Pick a Bale of Cotton," "Midnight Special," "Alabama Bound," "Rock Island Line," and "Good Morning Blues." The singer is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible throughout, but the sound quality is generally good. ~ William Ruhlmann

Track Listing:

COMPLETE RECORDED WORKS VOL. 1 1939-47:

1. Daddy I`m Coming Back to You - (alternate take, bonus track)
2. Shorty George - (alternate take, bonus track)
3. Fannin Street
4. Frankie and Albert - (First Half)
5. Frankie and Albert - (Completion)
6. De Kalb Blues
7. Looky Looky Yonder / Black Betty / Yellow Women`s Door Bells (On A Monday)
8. Bourgeous Blues, The
9. Poor Howard / Green Corn
10. Boll Weevil, The
11. Gallis Pole, The
12. Ain`t Goin` Down To The Well No Mo` / Go Down Old Hannah
13. Pick a Bale of Cotton
14. Whoa Back, Buck
15. Midnight Special
16. Alabama Bound
17. Rock Island Line
18. Good Morning Blues
19. Leaving Blues
20. T.B. Blues
21. Red Cross Store Blues
22. Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On
23. Roberta
24. Alberta
25. I`m on My Last Go-Round

Album Information

Release Date:

09/01/2000

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Blues

Subgenre:

Country Blues

Label:

Document (USA)

Producer:

Johnny Parth (Compilation)

Catalog Number:

5226

Original Release Year:

1995

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Mono

Runtime:

76 : 33

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