Dust Bowl Ballads [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Woody Guthrie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00004TY8S
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,749 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"If you'll gather 'round me children, a story I will tell," sings Woody Guthrie in "Pretty Boy Floyd." Children of all ages have never stopped gathering 'round Woody Guthrie since he recorded these songs in the spring of 1940, and that most-famous line tells us a lot about his approach: his songs are for all people, simple and direct enough to be understood by young ones, irresistibly catchy, yet devilishly clever and cutting. His ability to boil down complex emotions and issues to their very core has rarely been matched. "So long it's been good to know yuh," he sings in "Dusty Old Dust," and its childlike sing-along quality only serves to reinforce his very serious points. Across these 14 songs, Guthrie recounts and relives his experience as an Okie forced from his home by the Depression and drought of the 1930s, chronicling the arduous journey in brilliant, sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying detail. The characters that inhabit his stories are sincere, sympathetic, and brutally alive. Originally released in 1940 on two albums, and again in 1964 for the benefit of salivating folk revivalists, Dust Bowl Ballads returns once again in 2000 freshly remastered, full of new photos and boasting one alternate take. If there is one album of modern American folk music that deserves to be reissued for the benefit of each generation, it is this collection. In terms of the singer-songwriter concept, it is truly the river's source; in historical terms, it's to the New Deal what the Declaration of Independence is to the American Revolution. --Marc Greilsamer

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For the eager listener, this is a miracle July 11, 2000

By Eric Antonow

Format:Audio CD

If you're willing to listen and imagine the time, place and circumstance of this recording, its as remarkable a musical thing can be. This very modest voice coming out of what must seemed an Old testament plague, to tell us stories, sing us a simple song. It is almost like the world was starting again, with its uniquely American voice to piece itself back together, without the trappings of history beyond the memories of this man and his companions. Pretty damn beautiful, Woody.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant April 23, 2001

By Sean M. Kelly

Format:Audio CD

I have had this release on lp for a number of years now, and am thrilled to see it on cd. There is little that a 30 year old can say about Woody Guthrie that hasn't been said by someone who lived in his generation, went through the hardships that he did, and understands all the nuances of his music. But what I CAN say is that his music resonates wonderfully with ME!

The songs flow wonderfully from one to the next, painting the desolate picture of the Dust Bowl during the drpression. The sorrow, pain, hope, and hopelessnesss that each person must have felt is all right there. From "Tom Joad" to "Pretty Boy Floyd" (covered by the Byrds, among others), the songs are pure and honest- as all of Woody's dittys were.

A brilliant gem of the highest order, "Dust Bowl,Ballads" is essential listening for everyone. Such grace, purity, and honesty rarely shows on lps any more. Woody shows why they should. God bless you, Woody.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and wonderful recording November 1, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Audio CD

I got a vinyl copy of this on RCA some time around 1970 and I am grateful to whichever label[s] has/have taken the initiative to make available on CD. It is an essential item in my collection, and I love to listen to it, i.e. not just academically interesting, IMHO.

This is great recording. Many of Woody's best songs are represented in fine fashion, and I must admit that every time I put it on and hear him start out singing cut #1 " ... On the 14th day of April in 1935 ..." it starts me out on a musical journey that lasts til the last song. Never fails. He was an indominable spirit, and when I think of Woody at his best, I think of this record.

PS If you are ever doing some long-haul driving and you are in the middle of nowhere at 3 in the morning, try putting this CD on your mobile hi-fi. It's an American experience.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Woody Guthrie: "Sing as loud and as long as you like" March 26, 2002

By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

"Dust Bowl Ballads" was apparently the most successful album Woody Guthrie ever made, especially since it gained him public acclaim. This reissue of the 1940 album contains Guthrie's original liner notes in which he declares: "This bunch of songs . . . are 'Oakie' songs, 'Dust Bowl' Songs, 'Migracious' songs, about my folks and my relatives, about a jillion of 'em, that got hit by the drought, the dust, the wind, the banker, and the landlord, and the police, all at the same time . . . and it was these things all added up that caused us to pack our wife and kids into our little rattletrap jalopies, and light out down the Highway--in every direction, mostly west to California."

What stands out most for me on this album are the two parts of "Tom Joad." Obviously Guthrie was impressed by both John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath," and John Ford's motion picture, which followed quickly on the heels of publication. In just under 7 minutes time Guthrie relates the story of Tom Joad, in many ways a story song similar to "The Great Dust Bowl (Dust Storm Disaster)" or "Pretty Boy Floyd." What strikes me is that there is no explicit argument as to the meaning or import of the story, as if in telling the tale the point is obvious. Like reading scripture or even the old poets reciting the epic poems, the audience (or congregation if you will), recognizes the moral of the tale. Of course the Oakies would not have to be told the lesson of their lives. Singing the songs and hearing them sung validates their pain and suffering by making sure it is remembered and not blown away on the winds. Once you start thinking along these lines it is hard not to think of Guthrie's folk songs as the most sacred of our secular music....

Whatever they did to remaster these songs is great; they are clear and clean but still retain a sense of the time in which they recorded. In addition to Guthrie's original linear notes, which are quite extensive and extremely insightful, Dave Marsh provides a more contemporary take on the man and his songs, making a compelling argument that "Dust Bowl Ballads" was when the singer "became the voice of his people and in a way that remains intelligible many years later." It is always said that Guthrie was not inclined to sing the same song the same way twice, and this album offers proof of that with an alternate version of "Talking Dust Bowl Blues." In many ways an album like this, where there is a clear thematic unity, represents Guthrie at his best better than a greatest hits collection. If you all you have head of the American folk tradition are Dylan and Springsteen, those who carry on the tradition, then it is about time you went back to the beginning and listed to the stories and songs of Woody Guthrie. Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars To understand Woody, you should own this for sure... December 15, 2001

By William E. Adams

Format:Audio CD

Woody got a record deal with RCA Victor, and miraculously they let him be himself and do his own songs on a multi-record set of 78-RPM discs. In the spring of l940, this collection hit the stores.It didn't sell much in that Depression year...some say 500 sets, some say l,000...but those who responded to these songs must have been changed forever, musically if not politically. It can be argued that Woody, with this effort, invented the "singer/songwriter" genre, the "concept album" and contemporary folk-protest style, all at once. It is offered now on CD with great sound for a wonderful price. I cannot imagine anyone who likes "folk music" or who has an interest in Depression-era America not choosing to buy it. NOW. Today. From this site. On impulse. Because I said so. Because it is the right thing to do.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars GODFATHER OF FOLK October 23, 2000

By BeatleBangs1964 TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

I admit it. I'm a folkhound from the get go and I love this collection. The selection of songs not to mention the strong lyrics and emotions they evoke is truly a masterpiece. Woody Guthrie was a musical purist in the truest sense of the word. He had a real gift for stirring one's conscience. His songs were widely played at unions, peace marches and other gatherings for generations. He is the Balladeer of the People; the Voice for All.

Please, please, listen to this collection. I really think you will be glad you did. This is truly high caliber work.