Tradition Masters [Original recording remastered]

Odetta | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 3, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Tradition Records
• ASIN: B00006FIBK
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,906 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Santy Anno

2. If I Had A Ribbon Bow

3. Muleskinner Blues

4. Another Man Done Gone

5. Shame And Scandal

6. Jack O' Diamonds

7. 'Buked And Scorned

8. Easy Rider

9. Joshua

10. Hound Dog

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Gallows Tree

2. Lowlands

3. The Fox

4. Maybe She Go

5. Midnight Special

6. Deep River

7. Chilly Winds

8. Greensleeves

9. Devilish Mary

10. Take This Hammer

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful, Comprehensive Retrospective, February 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Tradition Masters (Audio CD)

So what's to be said about Odetta that hasn't been said before a thousand times? Her adaptations of traditional music of all genres, from spirituals to protest songs to work songs to English folk music and beyond, has long ago earned its place as the classic, unique and personal adaptations that they are, unforgettable because of her resonant, booming contralto, virtuoso yet understated guitar accompaniment, and the feeling imbued in her interpretations.

The big deal about Ryko's new release is that it makes available work previously unavailable on CD, much of it Odetta's very finest recordings--of the 31 songs on this double-disc, I've been looking for her wonderful "Maybe She Go" to appear for years, for example--and the songs are presented in all their monaural glory, without the overbearing digital remastering we've all grown so regretfully accustomed to. This work sounds on these discs the way it was intended to when recorded--immediate, warm, and timeless. One gets the sense of Odetta singing in your very *room*--and for those of us old enough to remember the LPs (and I played mine ceaselessly), this disk recaptured the spirit of the original masters in full, because these *are* the original masters.

For those new to Odetta, this release is a perfect place to start--it is, really, the "definitive" collection. Younger listeners who wonder why someone would want to listen to "Greensleeves" or "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" again will probably understand, once they hear Odetta take songs that have become (and which to some degree even were when these songs were recorded in the late 50s and 60s) trite with uninspired repetition, what these masterpieces are (or can be, with Odetta) *really* about.

The songs so important in a historic contect to both the Folk Revolution and the Civil Rights Movement ("'Buked and Scorned", "Take this Hammer", etc.) are just as poignant here as today, when other performers of that era seem hollow and dated in retrospect. And the deep sadness and romance of "All the Pretty Horses" or "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" still rivet the listener--it's what even the great, like Nina Simone, *wished* they could do. And it's all here.

Finally, in 2003, one hears the remarkable, unequivocal and intensely pervasive influence Odetta had (and continues to have) on performers of all genres. Variations of several of these traditional classics are best known in renditions by other artists ("Easy Rider", "Hound Dog", "Gallows Tree", "Midnight Special", "Timber", to name just five) and you haven't even *heard* then if you haven't heard Odetta. The range and scope of her artistic impact is to broad to even begin to examine in a review.

Of all recent folk re-releases, I consider this to be the finest and most important I've heard. It's a must for every collection--of anything.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars powerful, April 2, 2009

By 

Joshua D. Wisniewski "j$" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tradition Masters (Audio CD)

i love listening to these 2 cds. mostly acoustic guitar and vocals only. very simple and stripped down but an incredibly beautiful collection. the songs just soar as does her voice. greatly gifted artist that sings straight from her soul! folk songs/blues/spirituals they're all great!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, March 14, 2011

By 

D. L. Childress "the Closet Monk" ("the Community") - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tradition Masters (Audio CD)

Tradition Masters

It was so good to hear my "old" friend after all of these years. Odetta has never sounded better. Quality of sound is great and if you are a fan the "Tradition Masters" this is for you.