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An evaluation of reviews compelled me to choose this cd over Absolutely The Best (my introduction to Leadbetter, the audio quality ok), though, I should have put more of a premium on sound. I'll get ATB now, even if Last Sessions has the clearest audio experience, but whose version of In New Orleans had traded its original bounce for the dirge qualities of the modern version.ps- if you want a galloping, if wholly unlike the original, interp of the modern version, listen to Tracy Chapman's go in the Elektra 40th anniversary Rubaiyat collection.
otherwise you just don't know what you're missing. buy this. buy the robert johnson and hank williams complete recordings as well. don't hesitate. it's necessary for you to own it and know it. then you're off to a good start. country blues, to me, is the direct predecessor to rock music, and it's some of the purest, most enjoyable music out there.
However, Leadbelly's almost primitive art (between vocals and guitar work) is still pretty compelling. It is a tale of returning home to New Orleans, "'cuz my race is almost run.""Goodnight Irene" is one of his best known works. But Leadbelly was the first rural African-American musician to receive media exposure." This statement is perhaps overstated a bit. Born Huddie Leadbetter, this singer was better known as Leadbelly. It's pretty loosely sung with an improvisational feel to it.This doesn't represent all of his best pieces, as some others have noted. The song has a hypnotic feel.
This is NOT the song made famous by the Animals, although some of the lines are similar.
One might also note that Pete Seeger spoke highly of him.A look at a handful of the cuts here can provide a sense of his work.One of my favorites is "The Bourgeois Blues." He has a rough, unpolished voice; his guitar playing is spare but effective.
This presents an interesting contrast to some of the songs dealing with darker issues (e.g., "The Bourgeois Blues").Finally, "Blue Tail Fly." Vocal only, no instrumentation.
The liner notes clarify his role in music history: "It would be foolish to try and rank Leadbelly as an influential force on today's modern blues practice.[N]either his style of playing or singing is germane to how we do business on the bandstand these days.
A golden oldie.
He sings of his bourgeois blues, facing racism.
One nice line:"Home of the brave, land of the free,I don't want to be mistreated by no bourgeoisie."Then, there is "In New Orleans (House of the Rising Sun)." An intriguing song.
He begins with "Jimmy cracks corn and I don't care; Martha's gone away." A strange little song.
But it does provide a nice entree into his body of work.
My suggestion. This single-disc compilation makes a pretty good introduction to the legendary folk/ blues musician, Lead Belly. The sound quality is good and comparable to the more recent collection Absolutely the Best, and this CD contains many of the same standards as that album, including "The Bourgeois Blues," "In New Orleans," "Goodnight Irene" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night," as well as additional classics such as "Yellow Gal," "Blue Tail Fly" and "The Boll Weevil Song." The only thing stopping this collection from being indisputably more definitive than Absolutely the Best is the unfortunate absence of "Midnight Special," a song famously covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival in the late 1960s, and probably one of Huddie's four or five most popular songs. If you're willing to shell out a bit more, then get this album along with Lead Belly Sings for Children, also available on Amazon. The latter contains the aformentioned "Midnight Special," as well as a number of wonderful children's songs, spirituals and medleys.
You can't go wrong with this compilation. (Is there a Leadbelly estate). For a longer review, see the other reviewer's remarks. Remember no "best of" is best without "Midnight Special", recorded by a kajillion other artists. Be prepared though for the sellers of any compilation including that song to stick a gun in your ribs for the CD(s). If you can afford more money, skip this one for the one with.you get up in the mornin', you hear the ding dong ring.
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