Track Listing

Disc 1:

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

Disc 2:

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108476 in Music
• Released on: 2000-05-23
• Number of discs: 2

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

Vol. 4, H. Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music
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.

I'd give this album six stars if I could!
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.

A must have for folkies
I was rather ecstatic when I came across this collection at a used CD shop. The two CD set contains some very important American folk music from 1935 depression. For completists out there or just pure fans of folk music, VOL.4 is a must have. There are more selections by the Carter Family, as well as some very fine jug band pieces. This collection gives listeners a stronger glimpse into the vision that Harry Smith was reaching toward in Vol 1-3. Add this to your collection ASAP.