WOODY GUTHRIE
The Very Best Of (Purple Pyramid)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Drawn from some of the hundreds of tracks he recorded for Folkways in the 1940s, this disc blends some of Woody Guthrie's Dustbowl Ballad material with songs freely adapted from traditional sources. Ten of the tracks feature the accompaniment of Cisco Houston, one of Guthrie's more sympathetic, if lesser known, collaborators. In fact, while the material and performances are well presented and worthwhile in their own right, it's the presence of Houston that lifts this one into the should, if not must, have category for fans and collectors of American folk music.

Whether the other collaboration here, producer Danny Harvey's electrified augmentation of "Worried Man Blues," truly constitutes a bonus or not, it's listed here as a bonus track. It's somewhat less vital that the rest of the material, but doesn't detract enough to lower the value of this CD, which is also a fine introduction to Guthrie's performance style and personality for those who only know him as lyrics and a legend.

Track List:

Worried Man Blues * Hard, Ain't It Hard * Buffalo Skinners * Pretty Boy Floyd * Columbus Stockade Blues * Gypsy Davy * Blowing Down That Old Dusty Road * John Henry * More Pretty Girls Than One * Rangers Command * Danville Girl * Bury Me Beneath The Willows * Lonesome Day * Bonus Track - Worried Man Blues (Buffalo Version)

© 2002 - Shaun Dale