Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith) [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This impressive--and frankly, fun--musical document is still sending out shock waves almost 50 years after its original 1952 vinyl release. The Smithsonian's six-CD reissue is painstakingly researched, annotated, and packaged (even boasting an enhanced disc for the techno-capable). Unlike field recorders, eccentric filmmaker/collector/musicologist Harry Smith assembled the Anthology from commercially released (though obscure) 78 rpm discs issued between 1927 and 1935. Its broad scope--from country blues to Cajun social music to Appalachian murder ballads--was monumentally influential, setting musicians like Bob Dylan down the path to folk fandom. The White House started its own national music library with the Anthology; anyone with more than a passing interest in American roots music should do the same. --Michael Ruby

Rolling Stone, Dec 11, 2003
Named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the 500 GREATEST albums of all-time!

Album Description
This deluxe 6-CD collector's boxed set contains a 96-page book featuring Harry Smith's original songbook framed by essays by Greil Marcus and other noted writers, musicians, and scholars. Play the enhanced sixth disc on your CD-ROM drive and access historic video footage, rare photos, artist interviews, and additional background information. Edited by Harry Smith. Reissue compiled by the staff of Smithsonian Folkways. Reissue liner notes by Greil Marcus, Neil Rosenberg, Jeff Place, Jon Pankake, Luis Kemnitzer and others. "...the missing link in rock's official history." -Newsweek ***** (five stars) -Rolling Stone

Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith) [Enhanced]

Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith), Music, Various Artists, Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Memphis Blues, Acoustic Texas Blues, Appalachian Folk, Blues Revival, Country Blues, Cowboy, Field Recordings, Folk, Folk & Traditional, Folk Collections, Folk-Rock, Folksongs, Gospel Choir, Jug Band, Old-Timey, Piedmont Blues, Pop, Prewar Country Blues, Prewar Gospel Blues, Singer/Songwriter, Slide Guitar Blues, Songster, Spirituals, Standards, Traditional Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Traditional Folk, Traditional Gospel
Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • THE Chronicles
  • totally essential listening
  • The grandfather of the reissue records
  • Necessary.
  • Essential
 Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
  2. The Harry Smith Project: The Anthology Of American Folk Music Revisited (2 CD/2 DVD BOX SET)
  3. The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4
  4. Good For What Ails You: Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937
  5. Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways

ASIN: B000001DJU
Release Date: 1997-08-19

Tracks:

  1. Henry Lee - Dick Justice
  2. Fatal Flower Garden - Nelston's Hawaiians
  3. House Carpenter - Clarence Ashley
  4. Drunkard's Special - Coley Jones
  5. Old Lady And The Devil - Bill & Belle Reed
  6. The Butcher's Boy - Buell Kazee
  7. The Wagoner's Lad - Buell Kazee
  8. King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O - Chubby Parker
  9. Old Shoes And Leggins - Uncle Eck Dunford
  10. Willie Moore - Richard Burnett And Leonard Rutherford
  11. A Lazy Farmer Boy - Buster Carter And Preston Young
  12. Peg And Awl - Carolina Tar Heels
  13. Ommie Wise - G.B. Grayson
  14. My Name Is John Johanna - Kelly Harrell

Tracks:

  1. Bandit Cole Younger - Edward L. Crain
  2. Charles Giteau - Kelly Harrel
  3. John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man - Carter Family
  4. Gonna Die With My Hammer In My Hand - Williamson Brothers And Curry
  5. Stackalee - Frank Hutchison
  6. White House Blues - Charlie Poole And The North Carolina Ramblers
  7. Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt
  8. When That Great Ship Went Down - William And Versey Smith
  9. Engine 143 - Carter Family
  10. Kassie Jones - Furry Lewis
  11. Down On Penny's Farm - Bently Boys
  12. Mississippi Boweavil Blues - Masked Marvel
  13. Got The Farm Land Blues - Carolina Tar Heels

Tracks:

  1. Sail Away Lady - Uncle Bunt Stephens
  2. The Wild Wagoner - Jilson Setters
  3. Wake Up Jacob - Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers
  4. La Danseuse - Delma Lachney And Blind Uncle Gaspard
  5. Georgia Stomp - Andrew And Jim Baxter
  6. Brilliancy Medley - Eck Robertson
  7. Indian War Whoop - Hoyt Ming & His Pep-Steppers
  8. Old Country Stomp - Henry Thomas
  9. Old Dog Blue - Jim Jackson
  10. Saut Crapaud - Columbus Fruge
  11. Acadian One-Step - Joseph Falcon
  12. Home Sweet Home - Breaux Freres
  13. Newport Blues - Cincinnati Jug Band
  14. Moonshiner's Dance (Part One) - Frank Cloutier And The Victoria Cafe Orchestra

Tracks:

  1. You Must Be Born Again - Rev. J.M. Gates
  2. Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting - Rev. J.M. Gates
  3. Rocky Road - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
  4. Present Joys - Alabama Sacred Harp Singers
  5. This Song Of Love - Middle Georgia Singing Conv. No. 1
  6. Judgement - Sister Mary Nelson
  7. He Got Better Things For You - Memphis Sanctified Singers
  8. Since I Laid My Burden Down - Elders McIntorsh & Edwards' Sanctified Singers
  9. John The Baptist - Rev. Moses Mason
  10. Dry Bones - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
  11. John The Revelator - Blind Willie Johnson
  12. Little Moses - Carter Family
  13. Shine On Me - Ernest Phipps & Holiness Singers
  14. Fifty Miles Of Elbow Room - Rev. F.W. McGee
  15. In The Battlefield For My Lord - Rev. D.C. Rice And Congregation

Tracks:

  1. The Coo Coo Bird - Clarence Ashley
  2. East Virginia - Buell Kazee
  3. Minglewood Blues - Cannon's Jug Stompers
  4. I Woke Up One Morning In May - Didier Hebert
  5. James Alley Blues - Richard 'Rabbit' Brown
  6. Sugar Baby - Dock Boggs
  7. I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
  8. Mountaineer's Courtship - Ernest And Hattie Stoneman
  9. The Spanish Merchant's Daughter - Stoneman Family
  10. Bob Lee Junior Blues - Memphis Jug Band
  11. Single Girl, Married Girl - Carter Family
  12. Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme - Cleoma Breaux & Joseph Falcon
  13. Rabbit Foot Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
  14. Expressman Blues - Sleepy John Estes & Yank Rachell

Tracks:

  1. Poor Boy Blues - Ramblin' Thomas
  2. Feather Bed - Cannon's Jug Stompers
  3. Country Blues - Dock Boggs
  4. 99 Year Blues - Julius Daniels
  5. Prison Cell Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
  6. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Blind Lemon Jefferson
  7. C'est Si Triste Sans Lui - Cleoma And Ophy Breaux And Joseph Falcon
  8. Way Down The Old Plank Road - Uncle Dave Macon
  9. Buddy Won't You Roll Down The Line - Uncle Dave Macon
  10. Spike Driver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
  11. K.C. Moan - Memphis Jug Band
  12. Train On The Island - J.P. Nestor
  13. The Lone Star Trail - Ken Maynard
  14. Fishing Blues - Henry Thomas

Amazon.com

This impressive--and frankly, fun--musical document is still sending out shock waves almost 50 years after its original 1952 vinyl release. The Smithsonian's six-CD reissue is painstakingly researched, annotated, and packaged (even boasting an enhanced disc for the techno-capable). Unlike field recorders, eccentric filmmaker/collector/musicologist Harry Smith assembled the Anthology from commercially released (though obscure) 78 rpm discs issued between 1927 and 1935. Its broad scope--from country blues to Cajun social music to Appalachian murder ballads--was monumentally influential, setting musicians like Bob Dylan down the path to folk fandom. The White House started its own national music library with the Anthology; anyone with more than a passing interest in American roots music should do the same. --Michael Ruby

More from Smithsonian Folkways

The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music
Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection

Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
Classic Blues From Smithsonian Folkways
Folkways: The Original Vision

Album Description

This deluxe 6-CD collector's boxed set contains a 96-page book featuring Harry Smith's original songbook framed by essays by Greil Marcus and other noted writers, musicians, and scholars. Play the enhanced sixth disc on your CD-ROM drive and access historic video footage, rare photos, artist interviews, and additional background information. Edited by Harry Smith. Reissue compiled by the staff of Smithsonian Folkways. Reissue liner notes by Greil Marcus, Neil Rosenberg, Jeff Place, Jon Pankake, Luis Kemnitzer and others. "...the missing link in rock's official history." -Newsweek ***** (five stars) -Rolling Stone

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars THE Chronicles.......2007-07-12

Great stuff. Yet some of the singing is almost too real, too raw. Bob Dylan cites this album as a main inspiration, and you can hear his singing and songwriting style in a lot of the songs. Not for everybody, and may be even too much for casual folk music fans. Has to be listened to in the context of a historical document.

5 out of 5 stars totally essential listening.......2007-02-15

This CD compilation set is more than just an album of music--it's a historical document. I first heard of the AAFM in a Bob Dylan biography--after buying this and listening to it, I can understand how Bob was inspired to ditch his Little Richard aspirations and travel the rugged road of folk. Through the three sections--Ballads, Social Music (mostly instrumentals), and Songs (kind of like ballads, but less story-oriented), this collection not only contains some great, timeless music and performances, it's also steeped in pure humanity--the real essence of true folk music. The people Harry Smith collected and anthologized were mostly just that: folk. People like you and me who love music, and play the songs they've been handed down. You don't have to be Bob Dylan to appreciate and be moved by songs that have been passed down through the generations and soulfully interpreted by many different artists.

Aside from some essential listening ("Coo Coo Bird," "Stackalee," "Mississippi Boweavil Blues," "I wish I Was a Mole in the Ground," etc. etc.), the package has some great supplementary material. It's very interesting to learn about the song information and performer information that Smith collected with his anthology, but it's also interesting to get a glimpse into his project, seeing how he relentlessly collected and chose which songs to represent. He was a true lover of music, and that love is reflected in his project.

Please don't come to this compilation expecting pristine sound quality--it was assembled in the 50's, which means that the recordings come from then as well as much earlier--it's about the music and performers anyway, and a little bit of scratch really doesn't detract that much from the organic, down home experience. It IS a bit of a shame that there are 6 CDs, but really only about 4 full CDs worth of music--it would have been OK with me if the Ballad/Social Music/Songs organization was not cleanly divided between discs to save space, since the division isn't very efficient, but I suppose the reissuers wanted to emulate the original vinyl collection. I don't really find the material to be homogeneous like the second spotlight reviewer does, although I do agree that Roots and Blues: A Retrospective is also a great compilation--I'd recommend getting both for a great complementary experience.

Hopefully this set never goes out of print, as it's a great piece of art that any music fan or musician can learn a lot from--and enjoy, too! It's a shame that Smith had to preserve this music as it was beginning to die out even as he was collecting it, but it's also heartwarming that such classic sounds can be preserved for us to hear so many years later and keep the tradition alive. Enjoy the living history!

5 out of 5 stars The grandfather of the reissue records.......2005-02-21

This collection led to the "re-discovery" of many artists who had dissapeared after when the depression crippled the recording industry. Mississippi John Hurt is probably the most famous as of now, but others, like Clarence Ashley were major finds at the time - and when Folkways sent a field crew to do a new record by Ashley he requested some assist from a young friend named Doc Watson. Watson was unknown outside his home town at the time but went on to become a major star in a field which has very few stars.
Listening to many cuts on this album you can hear the source of much material for folk groups as diverse as the New Lost City Ramblers and The Holy Modal Rounders, rock groups like Canned Heat, and The Grateful Dead. Some of the melodies will be familiar to fans of Dylan, others to Jorma Kaukonan listeners. There are otehrs -- many many others.
This set is the source, the headwaters of reissues, and revivals. An essential part of any folk music collection.

5 out of 5 stars Necessary........2003-05-28

I dont think there is a need to go into to much detail about this *6 CD* set. If you can fork over the cash, just buy it. If you have any interest in roots music, just buy it. If you thought ol' Bobby Dylan and the Band made some great weird music in the basement of big pink in '67 .. for the love of god, BUY THIS! strange, unadorned, raw music , just buy it.

5 out of 5 stars Essential.......2002-11-30

Much ink & many electrons have been devoted to explaining both Harry Smith (and a lot of explanation is necessary -- very interesting man) and this wonderful collection of recordings from the 1920's and 30's, so I won't go into too much detail here. If you'd like a good treatise on the work itself as a cultural object, and how it relates to other thematically similar items, I would reccomend Griel Marcus' book Invisible Republic.
This is the greatest mix tape ever made, and an essential cultural artifact, not only of the vernacular music of the hills & highways of pre-electrification America, but also of the folk movement ofthe fifties and sixties (the primer fromwhic all else was derived) and by extension of the hippy movement following closely thereafter.
SOme of this music is really wild...
Heartland: An Appalachian Anthology
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A piece of heaven
  • Great CD
  • A bit of a yawn-er
  • Exquisitely good music!
  • Great Music!
 Heartland: An Appalachian Anthology

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Appalachian Journey
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  4. Uncommon Ritual
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ASIN: B00005KIZP
Release Date: 2001-07-03

Tracks:

  1. Short Trip Home
  2. Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier
  3. 1B
  4. Appalachia Waltz
  5. Soldier's Joy
  6. Sliding Down
  7. BT
  8. Butterfly's Day Out
  9. College Hornpipe
  10. Fancy Stops and Goes
  11. Old Tyme
  12. Emily's Reel
  13. Slumber My Darling
  14. Death by Triple Fiddle
  15. Amazing Grace
  16. Song of the Liberty Bell (folk version)

Amazon.com

The likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell, and Mark O'Connor can be heard on Heartland, a compilation featuring the best tracks from Sony's ongoing Appalachian-themed series of CDs. Individually, these folk and classical stars have little in common, but when they meet to play these new bluegrass-meets-chamber-music arrangements, the results are pure magic. It's hard to pinpoint these Americana-tinged tunes--they could fit in either Carnegie Hall or a grange hall--but they're all great; this is as much Aaron Copland's version of roots music as it is Bill Monroe's. Whether on fast-and-furious breakdowns such as "Death by Triple Fiddle" or on mellow, almost New Agey instrumentals such as "Sliding Down" (featuring Bela Fleck on the banjo), these musicians excel. Guest vocals by James Taylor and Alison Krauss break up the instrumentals, though instrumental virtuosity is the real highlight of this disc. If you like what you hear on this sampler, check out the Grammy Award-winning Appalachian Journey next. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A piece of heaven.......2006-02-01

Heartland is a haven and a piece of heaven. I was transported.

5 out of 5 stars Great CD.......2004-03-16

Great violin, appalachian music, brings out your country roots, beautiful song by Allison Krauss, good mix of slow and up beat songs, excellent cd!

3 out of 5 stars A bit of a yawn-er.......2003-04-22

If you are planning to open up a high-end gift shop specializing in handcrafted wind chimes and micro-bakery scone mixes and the like, then you must have this CD playing for your customers. It might have a certain appeal there that it did not find in my living room. Not to say that the musicianship is not utterly outstanding, which it is most certainly. Aside from Short Trip Home, which is why I purchased this CD in the first place, I found the rest of the pieces somewhat vapid considering the caliber of the artists. Again, it has its appeal in an easy listening realm, but this was not what I was looking for.

5 out of 5 stars Exquisitely good music!.......2002-05-04

Didn't expect an outstanding cd, don't know exactly why i got it,maybe because of yo yo and bela, but every piece is played
beautifully, even the vocal piece by James Taylor. The album is almost too good to be called Heartland, every piece is a class act. Bravo!

5 out of 5 stars Great Music!.......2001-11-09

I drive alot commuting to and from my job. This music has served as the perfect backdrop to an lovely Indiana fall! I'm sure I'll recall those colorful images as I continue to listen to this CD through the colorless days of winter!
The Harry Smith Project: The Anthology Of American Folk Music Revisited (2 CD/2 DVD BOX SET)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Very interesting souvenir of a once in a lifetime experience...
  • Some good some not so good
  • David Johansen, take a bow
  • Fantastic--the "folk process" documented!
  • A nice collection: but a lot less than perfect.
 The Harry Smith Project: The Anthology Of American Folk Music Revisited (2 CD/2 DVD BOX SET)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Shout Factory
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000ICLTMS
Release Date: 2006-10-24

Tracks:

  1. Old Dog Blue - David Johansen
  2. Prison Cell Blues - Steve Earle
  3. James Alley Blues - Wilco
  4. Frankie - Beth Orton
  5. Last Fair Deal Gone Down - Beck
  6. Sugar Baby - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
  7. The Butcher's Boy - Elvis Costello
  8. Way Down The Old Plank Road - David Thomas
  9. The Coo Coo Bird - Richard Thompson with Eliza Carthy
  10. My Baby Done Left Me - Ed Sanders
  11. John The Revelator - Nick Cave
  12. Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting? - Eric Mingus with Gary Lucas
  13. Dry Bones - Roswell Rudd with Sonic Youth
  14. No Depression In Heaven - Garth & Maud Hudson
  15. K.C. Moan - Geoff Muldaur
  16. When That Great Ship Went Down - Gavin Friday with Maurice Seezer

Tracks:

  1. A Lazy Farmer Boy - Robin Holcomb
  2. Sail Away Lady - Van Dyke Parks with Mondrian String Quartet
  3. Poor Boy Blues - Geoff Muldaur
  4. Spike Driver Blues - Marianne Faithfull
  5. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Lou Reed
  6. Ommie Wise Part 1 & 2 (What Lewis Did Last...) - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
  7. Fatal Flower Garden - Gavin Friday
  8. I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground - Bob Neuwirth with Eliza Carthy
  9. Fishing Blues - David Thomas
  10. He Got Better Things For You - Mary Margaret O'Hara
  11. Harry Goes A Courtin' (The Mowo! Live Hootenanny Throw-Down) - Mocean
  12. The House Carpenter - Robin Holcomb & Todd Rundgren
  13. This Song Of Love - Don Byron, Percy Heath & Bill Frisell
  14. Shine On Me - Nick Cave
  15. James Alley Blues - David Johansen
  16. Single Girl Married Girl - Petra Haden

Amazon.com

Revisionism can be as rewarding as rediscovery; indeed, they often make a compelling duo. Those sentiments drive veteran producer Hal Willner's tribute to pioneering musicologist Harry Smith's documentation and preservation of American folk forms--music that was already an endangered species by the time he originally compiled them for Folkways Records in the early '50s. As he's done on similar tributes to musicians as varied as jazz giants Monk and Mingus, Italian film scoring legend Nina Rota, and songwriters Kurt Weill and Leonard Cohen, Willner puts together a group of musicians as intriguingly eclectic as the vintage songs they're covering. That Smith's own original efforts helped fuel the '60s folk boom that in turn inspired more than a few of the musicians here helps give the collection the warm sensibility of musical traditions coming full circle.

Spread across two CDs and a pair of DVD's are a rich slate of performances captured in Los Angeles, New York, and London in 1999 and 2001, as well as documentary material about Smith's own pioneering efforts that helped inspire them. Beck and Lou Reed spin spare, harrowing takes on blues godfathers Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson, respectively, while Elvis Costello, Wilco, Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, Van Dyke Parks, the McGarrigles, and others offer up covers characterized by varying degrees of reverence. But, as is typical of most Willner projects, it's the more unlikely musical pairings here that yield the greatest intrigues, be they Pere Ubu's David Thomas recasting "Fishin' Blues" in his forceful persona or Bill Frisell's distinctive jazz sensibilities--the latter also suffusing Gavin Friday's "Fatal Flower Garden" with ghostly elegance. A welcome sense of playfulness also surfaces throughout, one whose good humor even makes room for a relevant clip from Chris Guest's A Mighty Wind folk mockumentary, as well as amusing recollections by some of the artists influenced by Smith's original musical archaeology. More than merely revering history, this is a collection that cheerfully revels in its reinvention. --Jerry McCulley

Album Description

Disc 1 - Live CD:
Highlights include exclusive live performances by Beck, Elvis Costello, Wilco, Nick Cave, Beth Orton, Steve Earle and more! Complete tracklist and song samples are above.

Disc 2 - Live CD:
Highlights include exclusive live performances by Lou Reed, Marianne Faithful, Todd Rundgren, Nick Cave, David Johansen, Van Dyke Parks and more! Complete tracklist and song samples are above.

Disc 3 - Live DVD:
The Harry Smith Project Live featuring highlights from the concerts:
1. Elvis Costello, THE BUTCHER'S BOY
2. David Johansen, OLD DOG BLUE
3. Nick Cave, JOHN THE REVELATOR
4. Beck, LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN
5. Ed Sanders, ONE HOT SUMMER NIGHT WITH HARRY SMITH
6. Kate & Anna McGarrigle, SUGAR BABY
7. Lou Reed, SEE THAT MY GRAVE IS KEPT CLEAN
8. Beth Orton, FRANKIE
9. Rosewell Rudd with Sonic Youth, DRY BONES
10. The Folksmen, OLD JOE'S PLACE
11. Robin Holcomb & Todd Rundgren, THE HOUSE CARPENTER
12. Gavin Friday with Maurice Seezer, WHEN THAT GREAT SHIP WENT DOWN


13. Philip Glass, ETUDE NO. 10
14. David Johansen, JAMES ALLEY BLUES
15. Eric Mingus with Gary Lucas, OH DEATH WHERE IS THY STING?
16. Petra Haden, SINGLE GIRL, MARRIED GIRL
17. Richard Thompson with Eliza Carthy, THE COO COO BIRD
18. Bob Neuwirth with Eliza Carthy, I WISH I WAS A MOLE IN THE GROUND


19. Geoff Muldaur, POOR BOY BLUES
20. Don Byron, Percy Heath & Bill Frisell, THIS SONG OF LOVE
21. Kate & Anna McGarrigle with Elvis Costello, OMMIE WISE PART 1 & 2 (WHAT LEWIS DID LAST...)
22. Steve Earle, PRISON CELL BLUES
23. David Thomas, FISHING BLUES

Disc 4 - Documentary DVD:
The brand-new documentary, The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith Anthology Of American Folk Music, will take you on an eclectic musical journey through "The Old, Weird America." Hal Willner's Harry Smith Project concerts celebrate the eccentric genius collector and his influential Anthology Of American Folk Music. Instrumental in helping inspire the urban folk revival of the 1960s, the Anthology's continuing impact on modern music is incalculable. This film is available nowhere else.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Very interesting souvenir of a once in a lifetime experience..........2007-04-22

I attended the concert on the first night in LA, from which a majority of the material here was drawn (I actually stuck it out 'til the 2:00 am conclusion!) What drew me to the show is much the same as the appeal of this set - the chance to see 30 or more of your favorite singers and musicians on the same stage (and a few who you could do without), playing songs from what just might be the greatest and most influential compilation (or "mix tape") of all time! At the very least, this is a very nice souvenir of the event. The interviews and backstage/rehearsal footage in the DVD are very illuminating and are ample testimony to the mad genius of Hal Willner (creator/producer).
Some of the performances here are a lot less impressive that my memory of them, while others (David Johansen, Richard Thompson and Elvis Costello, among others) hold up very well. Willner should be commended for showcasing criminally underrated artists like Robin Holcomb and Van Dyke Parks, as well as for pushing some people (like Beck and Beth Orton) out of their comfort zone material-wise, resulting in some very memorable performances. Some of my other favorites here: Sonic Youth (with trombonist Roswell Rudd) burn up the stage on "Dry Bones", David Thomas is an insane genius, Bob Neuwirth, Geoff Muldaur and Steve Earle all individually show they are up to the task.
There were some classic moments from the night I attended that didn't make it to this release, including Garth Hudson's bizarre and amazing "Recessional Music" on the Royce Hall pipe organ, and Daniel Lanois' mini-set of the Anthology's Cajun songs (accompanied by his super-loud electric guitar). The pre-Mighty Wind Folksmen, introducing some much needed perspective, are rightfully represented here. However, not included was their version of "Flashdance," which somehow said it all (the audience were larfing). Also, not to be forgotten was Mary Margaret O'Hara's train wreck version of "Better Things" (which is represented here by a less chaotic version from a different night). It caused a mass exodus - as it was about midnight at that point, a lot of people were probably suddenly remembering they had babysitters or jobs to go to in the morning!
Being a lot more familiar with the original Anthology recordings now than I was prior to the concert, I am probably a lot more critical of these interpretations, some of which are frankly a bit superficial. Also, it is a bit more noticeable, especially on the DVD, which performers hadn't done their homework and learned the songs thoroughly before the show! On the other hand, some of the versions here caused me to have new appreciation for the songs themselves and really focus on the brilliance and bizarreness of the lyrics. A lot of contemporary songwriters could stand to check them out..
On the technical end, the camera work on the DVD is a bit "on the fly" but not too bad considering there was probably very little rehearsal/blocking. Audio-wise, the recording quality is much better than expected (I'm guessing there was a litlle bit of post-production repair, including fixing some fluffed lyrics). The second DVD ("Old Weird America") that delves a bit more into Harry Smith and the origins of the Anthology, has been shown a bit in art house theaters around the country and is almost worth the price of the set by itself.

3 out of 5 stars Some good some not so good.......2007-02-08

Overall worthwhile,although I won't be listening to it often.

5 out of 5 stars David Johansen, take a bow.......2007-02-07

There are many good things in this package, but none better than David Johansen's two mighty contributions, 'Old Dog Blue' and 'James Alley Blues'. He's come a long, long way since the New York Dolls and Buster Poindexter, and it seems to me that he's finally where he should be.

Petra Haden's 'Single Girl' is pretty good as well. But Johansen's performances (both captured on the dvd) are nonpareil. Can't help but feel that of all the artists here, he and Haden are the ones Harry Smith would have recognised at once as belonging to the American tradition he curated.

5 out of 5 stars Fantastic--the "folk process" documented!.......2007-01-22

If you are curious about this but are not familiar with the original "Anthology of American Folk Music"--GET IT, and listen. It is like looking back in time, sort of like the Hubble telescope, only we are looking at images from our own human heritage, and perhaps ourselves.

As Hal Willner says, there are pieces you will love and pieces you might not like. But in truth, this is how the artists in this collection interpreted the originals. And even in the ones I was less than enthusiastic about, I saw something, and went back with a greater appreciation of the original. As a result I developed more enthusiasm for the new performance. This is something to be savored over and over.

I had been listening to Folkways LPs and subscribing to Singout! since the early '60s, and aquired the anthology in the early '70s. I had no previous knowledge of many performers in this set. So this was an eye-opener for me. I even read a review of a person, although generally positive, who wondered why "The Folksman" were in this. My answer is, "we perhaps should not take anything too seriously, and what if the gift of life itself is just a joke?"

4 out of 5 stars A nice collection: but a lot less than perfect........2007-01-03

No collection will please everyone. That being said, this one left me a little cold in that the coices about what to include and what to leave out were not the choices I would have made were I producing this collection.
Without going into details and whys - suffice it to say that before buying this set, you need to take a close look at the playlist so that you will not wind up buying something that is appreciably different than what you were hoping it would be.
Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume 4 (Edited By Harry Smith)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I'd give this album six stars if I could!
  • Way Overpriced but...
  • My 2 cents
  • Vol. 4, H. Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music
  • Overdue Closure for Harry's American Folk Masterpiece
 Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume 4 (Edited By Harry Smith)
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Revenant Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. American Primitive, Vol. 1: Raw Pre-War Gospel (1926-36)
  2. Anthology of American Folk Music (Edited by Harry Smith)
  3. American Primitive, Vol. 2
  4. Good For What Ails You: Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937
  5. Key to the Kingdom

ASIN: B00004SUA0
Release Date: 2000-05-23

Tracks:

  1. Memphis Shakedown - Memphis Jug Band
  2. Dog And Gun (An Old English Ballad) - Bradley Kincaid
  3. Black Jack David - The Carter Family
  4. Down On The Banks Of The Ohio - Blue Sky Boys
  5. Adieu False Heart - Arthur Smith Trio
  6. John Henry Was A Little Boy - J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers
  7. Nine Pound Hammer Is Too Heavy - Monroe Brothers
  8. Southern Casey Jones - Jesse James
  9. Cold Iron Bed - Jack Kelly And His South Memphis Jug Band
  10. Packin' Trunk - Lead Belly
  11. Baby Please Don't Go - Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers
  12. Last Fair Deal Gone Down - Robert Johnson
  13. Parchman Farm Blues - Bukka White
  14. Mean Old World - Heavenly Gospel Singers

Tracks:

  1. Hello Stranger - The Carter Family
  2. Stand By Me - Sister Clara Hudmon
  3. West Virginia Gals - Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters
  4. How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live? - Blind Alfred Reed
  5. Wreck Of The Tennessee Gravy Train - Uncle Dave Macon
  6. Governor Al Smith - Uncle Dave Macon
  7. Milk Cow Blues - John Estes
  8. No Depression In Heaven - The Carter Family
  9. I'll Be Rested (When The Roll Is Called) - Roosevelt Graves And Brother
  10. He's In The Ring (Doing The Same Old Thing) - Memphis Minnie
  11. The Cockeyed World - Minnie Wallace
  12. Barbecue Bust - Mississippi Jook Band
  13. Dans Le Grand Bois (In The Forest) - Hackberry Ramblers
  14. Aces' Breakdown - The Four Aces

Amazon.com

Originally released in 1952, Harry Smith's landmark three-volume Anthology of American Folk Music literally instigated a revolution in music--suddenly, this collection of scratchy 78 sides made "folk" cool again (it would stay that way forever after). But Smith--filmmaker, guru, and alchemist--originally intended for a fourth volume of the set to be created. Thanks to Revenant, we have it now--nearly five decades after its gathering. Smith's two-CD collection takes works from the Blue Sky Boys, the Carter Family, Bukka White, Robert Johnson, and a dozen or so forgotten blues and old-time artists, mostly from the '20s and '30s. In the copious liner notes, the late Smith confesses that this volume was "lost" because his original liner notes went missing; he had hoped to create a thorough analysis of how each song's theme was interrelated. Thus, there are some truly great transitions--"John Henry Was a Little Boy" by J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers leads ironically into "Nine Pound Hammer Is Too Heavy" by the Monroe Brothers; Lead Belly's breakup ode "Packin' Trunk" segues into Big Joe Williams's "Baby Please Don't Go." Gorgeous packaging and thorough liner notes by Dick Spottswood, Greil Marcus, Ed Sanders, and others makes this set even more essential. Like so many of the musicians he admired and promoted, Harry Smith's real genius wouldn't be recognized till after he died. Here it is, folks. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I'd give this album six stars if I could!.......2001-07-29

It's hard to imagine that anything could be better than the original Folkways box set (Volumes 1-3), but this album is. Everything I love about V1-3, there is even more of here. The eerie juxtaposition of darkness and jubilation pretty much sums up the whole 20th Century in an hour and a half. Yes, it's short and pricey, but better in my mind to preserve Smith's original vision - after all, he scuttled the original release of this album in order to stay true to that vision.

5 out of 5 stars Way Overpriced but..........2000-10-10

it's an excellent collection. I mean, for about the price of two of these you can almost buy the original 6-CD Anthology. Fortunately, the songs are beautiful, and like the original Anthology, way weird. The Carter Family cuts are scary in their dead-pan beauty; Bukka White's Parchman Farm Blues is one of the saddest blues ever and the Blue Sky Boys' On the Bank of the Ohio is sort of like Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me meets Bill Monroe. A great selection.

Is it worth the hefty price though?

4 out of 5 stars My 2 cents.......2000-09-07

The price is too high and the discs too short. It really does lack the magic of the original mainly due to the lack of Harry Smith's original notes and overall design. What it does have is a brilliant biography of Smith who was an all around oddball and flake (he refused to release this originally because the label wanted to include a pro FDR song!). However he came about compiling this list from his enormous collection (shortly before he sold it the New York Public Library), the result is a brilliant mix of obscure and known tracks from the depression.

So, if you liked the original, you know you are going to buy this someday (where else can one find such an appreication for jug band music?). If you are a fan of "Race and Hillbilly" like me you'll give blood to get this.

5 out of 5 stars Vol. 4, H. Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music.......2000-07-20

Volume 4 fits very well with the previous three. There are a lot of old-time music anthologies out there these days but there's something going on with Mr. Smith's work that seems to be lacking in the others. I find all of the tracks of Vol-4 to be memorable performances. The Leadbelly cut particularly sticks in my mind, but on another day I might single out any of the others as well.

The accompanying notes are extensive & well-presented although it's black ink on dark brown paper in tiny font, so the reading can be tough. And you are paying for the presentation in the pricetag.

I was half-expecting to be disappointed by this album because the earlier release was so important to me, but it turns out that this one makes for great listening as well i.e. it has the elusive 'HS-factor' going for it too. If you are the type of person who got changed by the 3-Volume Folkways Anthology, then you will dig Volume 4. Really, it's been a rumor for so long .. it's incredible that it is now generally available.

5 out of 5 stars Overdue Closure for Harry's American Folk Masterpiece.......2000-06-21

Thanks to John Fahey and The Harry Smith Archives 'The Anthology' has now been respectfully completed (sans Harry's original liner notes and design). Volume 4 is a well qualified supplement to 'Smithsonian Folkways' volumes 1 through 3, and is very close to what Harry originally intended. The Monroe Brothers, The Carter Family, The Memphis Jug Band, Leadbelly, Sleepy John Estes, Bukka White, Uncle Dave Macon, Robert Johnson---the forgotten folk masters who became American icons after Harry shared his record collection with us in 1952---are represented here with outstanding performances. Not to mention the several artists you possibly haven't heard---just revel in the acapella beauty of The Heavenly Gospel Singers 'Mean Old World'. Aside from wondrous historic music 'Volume 4' is another loving tribute to the eccentric genius of the irascible Harry Smith. Without this offering, you certainly don't have the entire 'Anthology', and although the packaging doesn't match the Smithsonian set, it is very nicely done---just don't try to put it in your plastic CD rack. If you're into your folk roots don't miss this one!

Jim Otterstrom
Anthology of American Folk Songs: Tradition Years
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • the real deal.
  • What a nice discovery!
 Anthology of American Folk Songs: Tradition Years
Barbara Dane
Manufacturer: Empire Musicwerks
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000FCUYBI
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Tracks:

  1. When I Was A Young Girl
  2. Little Maggie
  3. Nine Hundred Miles
  4. Turkey Reveille
  5. Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot
  6. Ramblin'
  7. Girl Of Constant Sorrow
  8. Gypsy Davy
  9. Single Girl
  10. I Know Where I'm Going
  11. The Danville Girl
  12. Stung Right
  13. Greensleeves
  14. La Le Too Dum
  15. Don't Sing Love Songs

Album Description

When Barbara Dane first burst upon the scene in the late fifties, she was described as "a voice as rare as a twenty carat diamond" by Time Magazine, and "Bessie Smith in stereo" by the late, great music historian Leonard Feather. Blues writer Lee Hildebrand calls her "perhaps the finest living interpreter of the classic blues of the 20's" and Louis Armstrong invited her to appear with him on national television. Primarily known as a blues singer, TRADITION issued her only pure folk LP entitled "When I Was A Young Girl" in 1959. The LP garnered considerable attention and led to a seven page article in Ebony magazine that same year - the first feature story about a white woman (Nov. 1959) to grace the magazine. Artists from Janis Joplin to Tracy Chapman have cited Barbara as a main influence. This classic Tradition recording features liner notes written by the grand diva herself and is finally available again on CD.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars the real deal........2007-04-13

you could look at the cover of this album, see a white woman with blonde hair and an acoustic guitar, and think, "from 1959, huh? this has a high probablity of being hokey." you could think that. but i want to chase such thoughts from your mind. this is the real deal. powerful, down to earth folk music, sung by a woman with an amazing voice that's rich in tone and full of confidence. tom paley, from the new lost city ramblers, is the lone accompaniment here, playing acoustic guitar on all but two tracks ("little maggie" and "the danville girl" are decorated by wonderful banjo work from mr paley). these are stark and beautifully done recordings. "greensleeves," in particular, is rendered here in a glorious heartfelt performance. anyone with an interest in folk music should pick up a copy of this fantastic recording from 1959.

5 out of 5 stars What a nice discovery!.......2007-01-21

Sometimes one person's tragedy is another's good fortune. Don't know if any of you scored any good deals from Tower Records sad going out of business sale, but we were surprised at some of the finds still available on the second to last day. Of course the Rock and the Hip Hop sections were long plundered, but if you ventured into the Folk, World, and 20th century composer section, you could still find a $35 import for just 4 bucks of some obscure koto avant-jazz or take a chance on an old folkie that we had never heard of which is the case with this gem.

Who is Barbara Dane? Well we thought she would be some songbird like Carolyn Hester or Texas Gladden, but Dane's voice is truly a force to be reckoned with, not a collegiate howler, like Judy Henske or Dorris Henderson but husky, low and tainted with regret. Here on her first recording on the Tradition label (home of John Jacob Niles) she delivers some of the loneliest sounding interpretations of songs from the folk cannon including the Carter Family's "Single Girl", "Girl of Constant Sorrow", and Woody Gutherie's "Ramblin'". Moonshinin', the painful bedevilment of men and standing tall on one's own are consistent themes in these songs, accompanied by guitar and banjo. Dane, who is still alive and still singing is now known for being more of a Blues singer, but she entered that particular world through these amazing folk interpretations. What a nice discovery! Fans of John Jacob Niles, Cat Power, and Karen Dalton will find lots to love here. Since not everybody was as lucky as one of us happened to be to find this at the Tower sale, we thought we'd order 'em in -- even at full price, it's well worth it!!
The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • A labor of love
  • Not enough Roger McGuinn
 The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  4. Good For What Ails You: Music of the Medicine Shows 1926-1937
  5. Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival 1961 - 1965

ASIN: B000009Q0L
Release Date: 1998-08-18

Tracks:

  1. East Virginia Blues - Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, And Jay Bennett
  2. I'm On The Battlefield For My Lord - Ethel Caffie-Austin
  3. John Henry - John Jackson
  4. A Lazy Farmer Boy - Greg Hooven String Band
  5. Old Dog Blue - Lonnie Pitchford
  6. Home Sweet Home - The New Lost City Ramblers
  7. The Butcher Boy - Ginny Hawker
  8. John The Revelator - Ethel Caffie-Austin
  9. His Tapes Roll On - Peter Stampfel
  10. Minglewood Blues - John Sebastian And The J-Band With Geoff Muldaur
  11. The Coo Coo Bird - Ella Jenkins
  12. Frankie And Johnny - John Jackson
  13. Sugar Baby - Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy And Jay Bennett
  14. Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme - Balfa Toujours
  15. Spike Driver Blues - Dave Van Ronk
  16. Darling Corey - Greg Hooven String Band
  17. The Coo Coo Bird - Toshi Reagon
  18. James Alley Blues - Jeff Tweedy, Roger McGuinn, And Jay Bennett
  19. Nothing - The Fugs

Amazon.com

If you just couldn't get enough of The Anthology of American Folk Music, here's the perfect companion CD. The Anthology is, of course, the celebrated 1997 reissued six-disc box that became the touchstone for modern folk music when it was originally put out by filmmaker and record collector Harry Smith in 1952. The Harry Smith Connection is culled from two October 1997 concerts at which performers tackled tracks from The Anthology, which consists of 84 recordings made between 1926 and 1933. Contributors include Roger McGuinn (backed by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett and sounding great), Dave Van Ronk, Ethel Caffie-Austin, and the New Lost City Ramblers. The affection the performers feel for these earthen songs is palpable. The songs themselves are unassailable. --Steven Stolder

Album Description

Powerful new interpretations of Southern musical traditions, recorded live in October, 1997, at the Barns of Wolf Trap. These contemporary versions of songs that either appeared on the Grammy-Award winning Anthology of American Folk Music or are associated with its compiler, Harry Smith (tracks 9 and 19), are a wild mix of styles from "gangsta folk" to gospel, blues, Cajun, country rock, jug band, and more. A stellar group of musicians pays tribute to the past and dramatically demonstrates the enduring vitality of America's traditional music. Extensive notes, discographies, and photographs. Produced by Pete Reiniger, Jeff Place and Bob Santelli, annotated by Jeff Place and Bob Santelli.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A labor of love.......2000-09-28

These live recordings of songs from the AAFM offers warm, loving renditions of a handful of the armload of American musical heritage sent through the years to us by Harry Smith. It's yet another reminder of how important Smith's contribution was. Peter Stampfel's ode to Harry makes me want to hear the rest of the epic and "Nothing" by the Fugs is nothing short of wonderful.

3 out of 5 stars Not enough Roger McGuinn.......1998-08-29

Roger McGuinn is the shinning light of this CD. There should be more selections by him offered in this collection.
Ramillete: A Garland Of Choral Songs
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Ramillete: A Garland Of Choral Songs
    Melinda de Jesús , John Kendall Bailey [baritone] , Michael Prichard , American Anonymous , Bolivian Anonymous , Juan de Araujo , Martin Cruzelaegui , Francisco Delgado , Juan Pedro R. Gaffney , Francisco Guerrero , Juan de Lienas , Alonso Lobo , Jose-Luis Orozco , Juan Gutierrez de Padilla , Antonio de Salazar , Narciso Serradell , Spanish Traditional , Wendell Whalum , Kenneth Fitch , Conjunto Nuevo Mundo , Claire Kelm , Helen Dilworth , Mimi Ruiz , Jesús Guillén , Marcos Ramón Hernandez , and Coro Hispano de San Francisco
    Manufacturer: pro música
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B0000V8G1Y
    Release Date: 2003-10-01

    Tracks:

    1. TE DEUM LAUDAMUS: Francisco Delgado
    2. FECIT POTENCIAM from the Magnificat in D: Francisco Delgado
    3. LAUDATE DOMINUM for solo quartet, chorus and orchestra: Fray Martin Cruzelaegui
    4. Anon.: CTICO DEL ALBA
    5. GLORIA from the Misa al segunda ton: Juan de Lienas
    6. AGNUS DEI from the Misa Encarnacion: Anon. Jesuit, 18th c.
    7. VlRGEN SANCTA: Francisco Guerrero
    8. PLAZA, PLAZA!:Juan Gutierrez de Padilla
    9. LAS MANANITAS GUADALUPANAS: Mexican Traditional
    10. LOS COFLADES DE LA ESTLEYA: Juan de Araujo
    11. KERESIMESI ODUN DE O: Nigerian folk carol
    12. O QUAM SUAVIS: Alonso Lobo
    13. DIGAN, DIGAN: Antonio de Salazar
    14. EL TILINGO-LINGO: Traditional melody
    15. LA GOLONDRINA: Narciso Serradell
    16. CUANDO UNO QUIERE A UNA: Anon. 19th c.
    17. TE QUIERO PORQUE TE QUIERO: Anon. 19th c.
    18. CORRIDO DE CESAR CHAVEZ: Jose-Luis Orozco
    19. ES BUENO DARTE GRACIAS, SER Psalm 91: Juan Pedro Gaffney R.:

    Album Description

    The Coro Hispano present the ESSENTIAL Latin American Choral Music Collection

    A "Ramillete" is a bouquet or a garland of the rarest and most beautiful flowers that can be found. And "Ramillete" is an appropriate title for the current collection of Latin American choral music from the 16th to the 21st century. Lovely melodies, sweet harmonies and snappy rhythms will charm even the most discriminating listener play after play. This is the essential CD to begin your discovery of Latin American Choral Music.
    Anthology in Motion, Vol. 1
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • An unbiased review
    • The SAMPLES are MORE than past due for wide acceptance!!!!!!
    • incredibly underrated band!
    • GREAT and revealing album..!
    		 Anthology in Motion, Vol. 1
    The Samples
    Manufacturer: Apache Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

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    ASIN: B00006AGCP
    Release Date: 2002-08-13

    Tracks:

    1. Last Straw 1983 Stagger Inn New Year's Countdown
    2. Little Silver Ring
    3. Could Be Another Change
    4. Faces
    5. Blue
    6. Class Of 1979 (Live)
    7. Seventeen
    8. Nature (Acoustic)
    9. Here And Somewhere Else
    10. Purple Rose (Garden Ghost)
    11. St. Mary's Bell
    12. Who Am I? (Live)
    13. Nature Of The Beast (Demo)
    14. Lonely Soul
    15. Hypocrite

    Tracks:

    1. Sacred Stones
    2. Radio Song (Live)
    3. November (Demo)
    4. Little Silver Ring (Acoustic)
    5. Last Summer
    6. Feel Us Shaking (Demo 1983)
    7. Birth Of Words (Live)
    8. Area Code
    9. Castle Walls (Alt. Version)
    10. Ocean Of War
    11. Feel Us Shaking (Rap Version)
    12. Dreams Come True (Demo)
    13. Pioneer Square (Acoustic)
    14. Lear Jet (Acoustic)
    15. Walking Through The Snow (Acoustic)
    16. Return Of Earth

    Tracks:

    1. Mahu Megabytes (Demo)
    2. Falling In Love
    3. Going Through Changes
    4. Giants Without Hearts
    5. Indiana (Live)
    6. Radio Song
    7. Nature
    8. Water Under The Bridge
    9. Streets In The Rain (Live)
    10. Lullaby
    11. African Ivory
    12. Here And Somewhere Else (Alt. Version)
    13. Any Other Day (Alt. Version)
    14. Nothing Lasts For Long
    15. Tom Joad

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars An unbiased review.......2005-06-07

    Sorry Sample fanatics, but I have to break it down for those that aren't insanely into the Samples.

    As a music fan and a Samples fan I have to give this album 3 stars. If we are going by content I'd give it 2 stars since only %50 of this compilation is good. However there are 46 songs on the disc so based on the fact that there are about 20 or so songs worth listening to, I give it 3 stars.

    The Samples have a unique sound, that is easy to love after you have been to one of their concerts. But unless you have already heard the album versions of classics like "Little Silver Ring", "Feel us Shaking", Weight of the World, then you would be completely disappointed with the first absolutely disastrous tracks of CD1. I'm sure for the sample enthusiast, demo versions are great, but for a new listener, it is silly to think that someone could enjoy these tracks. They probably couldn't tell the difference from these dubbed 1985 Maxell tape versions of the songs from covered versions that a BAD high school band might try to sell you out of the trunk of their car.

    If you are new to the Samples and want a good representation of their music I HIGHLY recommend their Transmissions from the Sea of Tranquility album. You'll be hard pressed to find a more complete disc of there most well known work. 90% of the 2 disc album is great. Or buy the more recent "Best Of".

    Better than that would be to see these guys in concert. 7 concerts and counting form 93-05 and I've never been to a bad show :) And now they have video screens of past concerts etc! Fun stuff!

    5 out of 5 stars The SAMPLES are MORE than past due for wide acceptance!!!!!!.......2003-10-30

    Listen, everyone...The Samples are one of my favorite bands (if not my absolute favorite band)!! The members that have been involved are extremely talented, write wonderfully meaningful songs and perform them masterfully!

    This anthology does a great job of documenting and accenting their many MANY years of hard work of touring and promoting their flawless albums. You HAVE to see them live. GO SEE THEM LIVE!!!

    This is a MUST HAVE for anyone who likes The Samples in the least (at least one song). It takes you from their humble but impressive beginnings to their road tested sound of today. I promise you won't be disappointed with this or any other bodies of work composed and recorded by this band!

    5 out of 5 stars incredibly underrated band!.......2003-04-24

    The Samples continue to put out wonderful music album after album, amidst label and line-up chaos. This is a great compilation, and is highly recommended to new and old fans alike. Support the Samples; get this album and check them out live if they are in your area they are even better live!

    5 out of 5 stars GREAT and revealing album..!.......2002-08-15

    I anxiously waited for weeks for this album to come available. The wait was painful but well well worth it. I can't seem to bring myself to remove the album from my cd player!

    With material ranging from new recordings you have never heard before, to powerful live recordings of previously released material, to skratchy demos dating as far back as 1982, this album is truly a real treat!

    After listening to this album, you will have a much deeper perspective on a truely great and talented band of musicians. This is an excellent 3-disc album and well worth the money.
    An American Folk Song Anthology
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • What a surprise.
    		 An American Folk Song Anthology
    John Stewart
    Manufacturer: Delta
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
    Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
    Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
    Soft RockSoft Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
    Folk RockFolk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
    CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    CDs Under $7CDs Under $7 | Soft Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Soft Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. American Sketches

    ASIN: B000001VC6
    Release Date: 1996-05-14

    Tracks:

    1. Medley: Old Riley/Pick A Bale Of Cotton/Sail Away Ladies
    2. Pretty Peggy-O
    3. Rider
    4. The Streets Of Loredo
    5. John Hardy
    6. Take Her Out Of Pity
    7. Corrina Corrina
    8. Bay Of Mexico
    9. East Virginia
    10. Molly Malone
    11. Paddy Works On The Railway
    12. Ain't No More Cane On The Brazos

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars What a surprise........2002-02-14

    I know. It's "LaserLight", and it seems too cheap to be true. But this is a great CD, one of Stewart's best. It has John Stewart's voice (always a plus), a wonderful selection of songs, and arrangements that give the whole thing a mood all its own. Best songs are "The Streets of Laredo" and "Take Her Out of Pity", but they're all good.
    Anthology: The Original King of Pop
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A pioneer of American popular music finally gets his due
    		 Anthology: The Original King of Pop
    Henry Burr
    Manufacturer: Archeophone Records
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
    CanadaCanada | North America | International | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
    Tin Pan AlleyTin Pan Alley | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
    Similar Items:
    1. 1912: Waitin' on the Levee
    2. 1913: Come and See the Big Parade
    3. 1916: "The Country Found Them Ready"
    4. Anthology: The Denver Nightingale
    5. 1908: Take Me Out with the Crowd

    ASIN: B0008D5HTS
    Release Date: 2005-03-17

    Tracks:

    1. The Holy City
    2. Come Down, Ma Evenin Star
    3. Silver Threads Among the Gold
    4. Loch Lomond
    5. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
    6. Love Me and the World Is Mine
    7. Mighty Lak a Rose
    8. Women (with the Peerless Quartet)
    9. Shine on, Harvest Moon (with Frank C. Stanley)
    10. I Wonder Whos Kissing Her Now
    11. Ive Got the Time, Ive Got the Place, But Its Hard to Find the Girl
    12. Last Night Was the End of the World
    13. Peg O My Heart
    14. What Do You Mean, You Didnt Want to Do It? (with Ada Jones)
    15. Everything Reminds Me of that Old Sweetheart of Mine (with Albert Campbell and Will Oakland)
    16. Stay Down Here Where You Belong
    17. MOTHER (A Word That Means the World to Me)
    18. America, Heres My Boy! (with the Peerless Quartet)
    19. A Babys Prayer at Twilight (For Her Daddy Over There)
    20. Hush-A-Bye, Ma Baby (Missouri Waltz) (with the Sterling Trio)
    21. When You and I Were Young Maggie
    22. Im Forever Blowing Bubbles (with Albert Campbell)
    23. My Buddy
    24. I Wonder Where My Baby Is To-Night? (with Billy Murray)
    25. Always
    26. Are You Lonesome To-Night?
    27. Cross Roads

    Product Description

    This collection of 27 songs takes the listener on an expansive trip, following Burr’s career from one of his earliest recordings, made in 1903, to one of his last commercial releases, cut in 1928. It demonstrates the variety of material Henry recorded, shows his ease with sacred, Scottish, and sentimental material, and it even highlights his fun side, joking around with Ada Jones in 1914 and with Billy Murray in 1925. Also included are two standout performances with the legendary Peerless Quartet, one from 1908 and another from 1917, along with a beautiful rendering on Burr’s own label of “The Missouri Waltz” by the Sterling Trio, and representative duets with Henry’s best known partners, Frank Stanley and Albert Campbell. For 25 years, Henry Burr proved himself "The Original King of Pop."

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A pioneer of American popular music finally gets his due.......2005-04-02

    Who was Henry Burr and why would anyone spend good money to listen to recordings that were made 75 to 100 years ago? According to the liner notes provided with the just released CD simply titled "Anthology", Henry Burr is perhaps the most prolific recording artist of all-time. Burr himself "participated in over 5000 recordings, issued and reissued on somewhere between 8000 and 12000 discs and cylanders, on well over 100 labels--whether as a solo artist, in duets, trios or quartets." Indeed, during the first quarter of the 20th century, when the recording industry was in its infancy, Henry Burr was the undisputed "king" of popular music. Yet for the past 50 years or so his recordings have been "scarce as hens teeth". Now, more than 100 years after Henry's first recording made the charts, Archeophone Records presents an incredible collection featuring 27 of Henry Burrs best and most popular recordings. In the making for several years now, this disc was well worth the wait.
    As I mentioned earlier, this collection presents not only Burr's work as a solo artist, but also features duets with popular artists of the day like Albert Campbell, Frank Stanley and Ada Jones as well as a sample of his work with the legendary Peerless Quartet. There are tunes you will surely recognize like "In The Shade of The Old Apple Tree", "Shine On Harvest Moon", "Peg O' My Heart" and "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" to name but a few. Mitch Miller would revive many of these tunes in the 1950's but this is the real deal folks. Among the other tunes you are sure to enjoy are Irving Berlin's "Always" from 1926 as well as "My Buddy" and "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles". I must report that I was absolutely captivated by this stuff.
    Archeophone Records, based in St. Joseph, Mo., is a small company dedicated to bringing back to life music that many of us assumed was lost forever. The company takes a great deal of care to produce the best sound quality possible. They have done a remarkable job here. And the 24 page booklet is chock full of information about not only the artist, but also about each of the songs presented. "Anthology" would be a wonderful addition to the music collection of any city or town, high school or college library. What a great way to expose young people to our rich musical heritage! And needless to say it would be a worthwhile addition to your collection as well.
    Hats off to the folks at Archeophone records for yet another job well done. Very highly recommended!

    Music:

    1. Anything Goes
    2. As I Am
    3. Beauty And The Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Soundtrack]
    4. Bette Midler - Greatest Hits-Experience the Divine
    5. Blossom Dearie
    6. Boys Night Out
    7. Come Dream with Me
    8. Come Rain or Come Shine
    9. Divine Miss M [Original recording remastered]
    10. Duets [Original recording remastered]

    Music

    Music