My Dusty Road [Box set]

Woody Guthrie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Rounder / Pgd
• ASIN: B0025XV1LW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,381 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Released in coordination with the Woody Guthrie Archives, this 4 disc boxed set is the definitive edition of Woody Guthrie¹s mid-1940s recordings. The sound quality is superb, taken from newly discovered original metal masters. The set includes many of Woody's best-known songs, along with traditional material and collaborations with fellow guitarist Cisco Houston and harmonica player Sonny Terry. To complement and enhance enjoyment of the recordings, the discs are packaged in a replica of a vintage suitcase, complete with handle and latches. Inside the box are a full-color 68 page book that includes extensive notes and many rare or previously unpublished photos, as well as illustrations and illuminated lyric sheets by Guthrie himself. Also included are facsimiles of Woody's business card, a postcard sent from Florida to his wife, and a booking card from the 1940s.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I bought the download, but..., August 26, 2009

By 

Robert R. Roberts (EL PASO, TX United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Dusty Road (Audio CD)

I get a kick out of listening to Woody, and this collection of recently unearthed master recordings from 1944 is like a letter from home. The sound is clear and clean and crisp, a big step up from previous issues of this material. But there's the rub: the majority of these performances are already available in the box set of Asch recordings. There are a couple of "new" songs, and some previously unreleased every-man-for-himself instrumentals with Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry, but it's mostly well-covered territory. And, there's not that much of it: 54 songs on four CDs, none of which runs longer than 45 minutes, tucked into elaborate packaging, priced at almost $60.00. The download, however, is a bargain: all 54 songs for $19.98. At that price, you can afford to help support the Woody Guthrie Foundation, and enjoy sound so clear you'll think Woody's right there in the room with you. (Change chords, Woody!)

Addenda: Amazon's download price has gone up to $36 and change since I wrote this review, so the hard copy now looks less extravagant, but still formidable. You might try to buy it used, or get someone who loves you to give it to you as a Christmas present.

"Take it easy, but take it!" -- Woody

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful package, a true collector's item, August 26, 2009

By 

Music Lover "Old School" (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Dusty Road (Audio CD)

There is no question, if you are a fan you need this one for your collection. It's a beautiful package, the recordings are great and the presentation is wonderful. Nice job Rounder for delivering something that showcases this national treasure with a quality product. Worth the purchase, worth being one of the early adopters in order to make sure you get the first generation of this package. The limited number manufactured also makes it that more special.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For Rich People Only, January 30, 2010

By 

Donald S. Handy "Mud" (Motor City, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Dusty Road (Audio CD)

The much-vaunted sound quality is an improvement, but only about a grade higher - i.e., an A rather than a B - than what is otherwise available. The question one has to ask oneself is how big of a Woody Guthrie fan are you? Is it really worth the investment to hear marginally better-sounding versions of songs that, in all likelihood, you already have?

The disks are rather skimpy in length. This entire collection could have fit nicely onto two disks. The extravangance of the packaging is at best ironic, given Woody Guthrie's famous proletarianism. This is a person, after all, who walked-out of a job at the Rockefeller Center because it was too far away from his beloved working-class. I'm certain that he would have objected to this fancy, pricey offering, especially in today's economic conditions.

Since my mother taught me not to say anything if I couldn't say something good, the liner notes are excellent.

That said, I wonder how well they did with the song selection. There are a great many songs from these sessions that are on the Asch Recordings Series that are simply better than what's on here. I have a sneaky suspicion that they selected more non-controversial material for inclusion on here. Disk four, in particular, seems laden with too many instrumentals. Woody may be an underated guitarist, but that's not what he's famous for.

I would advise beginners to get individual albums such as "Dust Bowl Ballads" or "Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs," rather than this collection. I would advise everyone else to get The Asch Recordings first. And then, of course, only if you have a secure job.