Joel and Ethan Coen have long established themselves as film stylists without peer: from Blood Simple to Fargo, their movies have never been less than fascinating, and there has never been any question that their films could not have been made by anyone else. In T-Bone Burnett, the producer of the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, they have finally met their match: Burnett's work in assembling a collection of pieces for the Depression-set film is as skilled and entrancing as the film itself.

Despite the presence of Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, the stars here are the songs themselves, a host of traditional songs augmented by archival recordings. The collection is also a showcase for a host of lesser known and forgotten bluegrass masters: The Cox Family, collaborators with Krauss; Norman Blake, a sideman for Bob Dylan and June Carter Cash; country gospel group The Whites, who once counted Ricky Skaggs as a member (and who, here, cover the Carter Family); and young bluesman Chris Thomas King among them. All bring life to their songs, and the results are sublime--and, at times (Krauss and a choir's take on "Down To The River to Pray", Blake's instrumental version of the oft-repeated "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow"), downright entrancing.

Some of these songs can be found on Alan Lomax collections. If you enjoy this album, we also highly recommend the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music and Woody Guthrie's Asch Recordings series. --Randy Silver

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Essential-hardly, 28 May 2008
Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here.Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don't think troubled the pop charts.
Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste.
In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttained the catalog.
Muddy Waters was also a very unlikely artist to aim his music at the charts for the simple reason that while he may have introduced Chuck Berry to Chess he was not aiming his music at teenagers like Berry but doing his own thing like Bo Diddley.Berry it was said had only about 3 tunes and 3 rghtms -Muddy Waters had just one-the 12 bar blues.
Fats Domino he wasn't and never would be.In the mid 50s Joe Turner was about where he might have been but Chess was more interested in promoting Chuck Berry
By the time the Stones discovered Waters and named their band after a song he cut there was still a long way to go before America found out about its own musical past.For Waters that had begun in the mid 40s when his music was rural rather than urban.
To the America of the 50s Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley were seen as threats because the songs were about sex and not about high school life.
After all you can't get much more blatant than i just wanna make love to you!!
That's if they were ever heard of in the times of Pat Boone and Elvis These blues guys were artists who would begin to be appreciated after the Stones era had begun.
Muddy Waters and his contemporaries were simply waiting for the climate to change

almost perfect, 19 May 2005
This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it's a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd 'Collection, though more expensive, is a better deal in the long run.

perfect, 27 Aug 2004
Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can't pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You...buy it. You'll play it to death.

When this collection was first released, back in 1961, it soon became the bible of that decade's folk-blues revival, a set of songs which had scorched deep lines in the blues psyche, subsequently modified, electrified and boogie-fied. This reissue also includes a freshly exhumed alternative take of "Travelling Riverside Blues", as good an excuse as any to upgrade from old vinyl. The original album pulled together all of Johnson's classic songs, his ghost suddenly made corporeal for a generation that had only heard of the rare 78s via whispered rumour. "Cross Road Blues", "Terraplane Blues", "Hell Hound On My Trail": they're all tortured cries for help, Johnson most likely at the end of his teens when he recorded his only two sessions, first in 1936, then 37. He was a complete individual: these songs may well be fodder for countless cover versions, but few modern artists can hope to reproduce the originator's stylistic mannerisms. Johnson favoured uneven lines, unpredictable emphasis, strumming and plucking around an implied central melody. For the experienced listener, it's probably wise to invest in Complete Recordings, but as an introduction to Johnson's unique art, this disc has certainly stood the test of time. --Martin Longley

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Essential-hardly, 28 May 2008
Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here.Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don't think troubled the pop charts.
Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste.
In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttained the catalog.
Muddy Waters was also a very unlikely artist to aim his music at the charts for the simple reason that while he may have introduced Chuck Berry to Chess he was not aiming his music at teenagers like Berry but doing his own thing like Bo Diddley.Berry it was said had only about 3 tunes and 3 rghtms -Muddy Waters had just one-the 12 bar blues.
Fats Domino he wasn't and never would be.In the mid 50s Joe Turner was about where he might have been but Chess was more interested in promoting Chuck Berry
By the time the Stones discovered Waters and named their band after a song he cut there was still a long way to go before America found out about its own musical past.For Waters that had begun in the mid 40s when his music was rural rather than urban.
To the America of the 50s Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley were seen as threats because the songs were about sex and not about high school life.
After all you can't get much more blatant than i just wanna make love to you!!
That's if they were ever heard of in the times of Pat Boone and Elvis These blues guys were artists who would begin to be appreciated after the Stones era had begun.
Muddy Waters and his contemporaries were simply waiting for the climate to change

almost perfect, 19 May 2005
This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it's a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd 'Collection, though more expensive, is a better deal in the long run.

perfect, 27 Aug 2004
Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can't pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You...buy it. You'll play it to death.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Essential-hardly, 28 May 2008
Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here.Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don't think troubled the pop charts.
Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste.
In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttained the catalog.
Muddy Waters was also a very unlikely artist to aim his music at the charts for the simple reason that while he may have introduced Chuck Berry to Chess he was not aiming his music at teenagers like Berry but doing his own thing like Bo Diddley.Berry it was said had only about 3 tunes and 3 rghtms -Muddy Waters had just one-the 12 bar blues.
Fats Domino he wasn't and never would be.In the mid 50s Joe Turner was about where he might have been but Chess was more interested in promoting Chuck Berry
By the time the Stones discovered Waters and named their band after a song he cut there was still a long way to go before America found out about its own musical past.For Waters that had begun in the mid 40s when his music was rural rather than urban.
To the America of the 50s Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley were seen as threats because the songs were about sex and not about high school life.
After all you can't get much more blatant than i just wanna make love to you!!
That's if they were ever heard of in the times of Pat Boone and Elvis These blues guys were artists who would begin to be appreciated after the Stones era had begun.
Muddy Waters and his contemporaries were simply waiting for the climate to change

almost perfect, 19 May 2005
This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it's a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd 'Collection, though more expensive, is a better deal in the long run.

perfect, 27 Aug 2004
Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can't pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You...buy it. You'll play it to death.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Where it all began..., 21 Apr 2008
Not a Rolling Stones album of course, but a fascinating source of information and exploration for anyone interested in finding out about the music that influenced the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World (and should'nt that be Rhythm & Blues Band anyway?) when they were just a group of music mad teenagers scattered around various parts of North Kent, South London and Gloucestershire.

Rumour has it that Mick Jagger was carrying some of this very music with him when he first met Keith Richards on Platform 3 of Dartford Railway Station c.1962. Meanwhile down in Cheltenham, Brian 'Elmo' Jones was perfecting his Elmore James licks and working his way through the Muddy Waters songbook, including noting that Rolling Stone Blues might make a useful band name one day.

This excellent album is the latest release from Snapper Music in their ongoing 'Blues Roots' series, and contains a top quality mix of both well-known and extremely-rare tracks. It is wonderful to see Rev. Robert Wilkins, Leroy Carr and Robert Petway placed side-by-side with Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, as well as the aforementioned Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Naturally, with an undertaking of this complexity - the licensing alone must be a nightmare - there are a few omissions. There is no Willie Dixon (Pain in my Heart), Amos Milburn (Down the Road Apiece), Gene Allison (You can make it if you try) or Alvin Robinson (Down Home Girl). And sadly there is nothing either from a man who is one of the least credited influences on the Stones - Jimmy Rogers. Not alone did they base their version of I Can't Be Satisfied directly on his interpretation, but he also gave them the title of one of their biggest early hits (The Last Time), and his 1951 number My Little Machine became the template for several of the band's early r'n'b based recordings.

However these quibbles aside - and who knows, perhaps there is a Volume 2 on the way?? - this budget-priced album is a very worthwhile investment for any genuine Stones fan. A word of appreciation too for Michael Hendon's precise and informative liner notes. Clear, straightforward and very much to the point.

Go on, get yer ya ya's out!

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Essential-hardly, 28 May 2008
Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here.Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don't think troubled the pop charts.
Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste.
In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttained the catalog.
Muddy Waters was also a very unlikely artist to aim his music at the charts for the simple reason that while he may have introduced Chuck Berry to Chess he was not aiming his music at teenagers like Berry but doing his own thing like Bo Diddley.Berry it was said had only about 3 tunes and 3 rghtms -Muddy Waters had just one-the 12 bar blues.
Fats Domino he wasn't and never would be.In the mid 50s Joe Turner was about where he might have been but Chess was more interested in promoting Chuck Berry
By the time the Stones discovered Waters and named their band after a song he cut there was still a long way to go before America found out about its own musical past.For Waters that had begun in the mid 40s when his music was rural rather than urban.
To the America of the 50s Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley were seen as threats because the songs were about sex and not about high school life.
After all you can't get much more blatant than i just wanna make love to you!!
That's if they were ever heard of in the times of Pat Boone and Elvis These blues guys were artists who would begin to be appreciated after the Stones era had begun.
Muddy Waters and his contemporaries were simply waiting for the climate to change

almost perfect, 19 May 2005
This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it's a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd 'Collection, though more expensive, is a better deal in the long run.

perfect, 27 Aug 2004
Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can't pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You...buy it. You'll play it to death.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Where it all began..., 21 Apr 2008
Not a Rolling Stones album of course, but a fascinating source of information and exploration for anyone interested in finding out about the music that influenced the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World (and should'nt that be Rhythm & Blues Band anyway?) when they were just a group of music mad teenagers scattered around various parts of North Kent, South London and Gloucestershire.

Rumour has it that Mick Jagger was carrying some of this very music with him when he first met Keith Richards on Platform 3 of Dartford Railway Station c.1962. Meanwhile down in Cheltenham, Brian 'Elmo' Jones was perfecting his Elmore James licks and working his way through the Muddy Waters songbook, including noting that Rolling Stone Blues might make a useful band name one day.

This excellent album is the latest release from Snapper Music in their ongoing 'Blues Roots' series, and contains a top quality mix of both well-known and extremely-rare tracks. It is wonderful to see Rev. Robert Wilkins, Leroy Carr and Robert Petway placed side-by-side with Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, as well as the aforementioned Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Naturally, with an undertaking of this complexity - the licensing alone must be a nightmare - there are a few omissions. There is no Willie Dixon (Pain in my Heart), Amos Milburn (Down the Road Apiece), Gene Allison (You can make it if you try) or Alvin Robinson (Down Home Girl). And sadly there is nothing either from a man who is one of the least credited influences on the Stones - Jimmy Rogers. Not alone did they base their version of I Can't Be Satisfied directly on his interpretation, but he also gave them the title of one of their biggest early hits (The Last Time), and his 1951 number My Little Machine became the template for several of the band's early r'n'b based recordings.

However these quibbles aside - and who knows, perhaps there is a Volume 2 on the way?? - this budget-priced album is a very worthwhile investment for any genuine Stones fan. A word of appreciation too for Michael Hendon's precise and informative liner notes. Clear, straightforward and very much to the point.

Go on, get yer ya ya's out!

ALL THE SONGS YOU'LL EVER NEED, 20 Jul 2008
This is another great compilation from the Beginners series, from Robert Johnson all the way to Charlie Musselwhite. This is a great start for your blues colection.

You won't be disappointed with this, 26 Feb 2008
As a modern blues afficionado, I spent a long time choosing this: I was after a comprehensive compilation covering early acoustic roots to present day electric blues. There are so many compilations to choose from, but this one turned out to be as good as I'd hoped - there is not a single track here that I didn't enjoy, and I think you will too. Some you will already know, some you won't, but there are no fillers here. CD1 features acoustic country blues, CD2 the electric sounds of classic urban blues and CD3 modern artists 'keeping the tradition alive'. Nice.

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that this soundtrack would provide a resurgence of interest in traditional music. While this soundtrack was a big commercial success, it seems that the majority of people who bought it (and continue to buy it) regard it as something of a novelty. Nashville record labels signed some traditional singers (Elizabeth Cook, though not featured here, is one that comes to mind) but they didn't get enough airplay on American country radio, so such artists were dropped and Nashville returned to its contemporary format. I'm sure that this soundtrack helped to win some new fans for traditional music, but not as many as the Coen brothers would like.

a lovely mix of traditional music, 04 Nov 2003
Performed by some of today's best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be "discoveries" for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly.

The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of "O Death", which carries with it all the pain and soul of Appalachia, and the purity of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by the Soggy Bottom Boys, who consist of Union Station member Dan Tyminsky on lead vocals and guitar, backed by Harley Allen and Pat Enright. For anyone who likes traditional music, you can't get any better than this.
Another acappella gem is "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby", with Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch harmonizing like an angels from another era. Everything on this disc recalls days gone by; there is a refreshing simplicity, and a lot of the songs are filled with faith.

There is exquisite musicianship on this CD, and it is a nice long one at 60'34 minutes. The booklet insert is something I appreciate too; it is a collage of yellowed stained paper on peeling walls, with a terrific layout, and as it says on one of its pages, "Old-Time Music Is Very Much Alive".

oh brother where art thou, 13 Jul 2002
first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest.listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor.then there's I'm a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side,backings are fantastic. This is one CD you won't be dissapointed with

GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY, 06 Jun 2002
Let me make one thing clear. "O Brother..." is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection.

So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I'm attempting to review it, not as a collector's item or a socio-historical document but as an album of music for repeated listening in the comfort of your own home. For that reason I'm not going to review the film rather than the album, as some reviewers here have done, because I don't assume that every listener is going to have the movie playing back in their heads as they listen to the music.

Rather, my comments are based on how this album will sound to someone who has picked up on the hearsay, or watched the Grammy ceremony, and is tempted to go out and buy this as a musical compilation. And in that setting, many listeners are going to be disappointed. The fact that a song has integrity, emotion, historical importance or great musicianship doesn't automatically make it great entertainment.

There are some standout contributions: The title song is long-term loveable (although why four different renditions of the tune are needed on the album is a mystery - a couple of the "period" instrumental versions which work well on the movoe soundtrack are somewhat less successful as pure listening music. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch are as usual faultless. Ralph and the other Stanleys are devastating. But how many times will you want to listen to the 4+ minutes of prison chant that opens the album? Or the squeaky kiddy song (the Peasalls)? Or the ancient ditties like "Big Rock Candy Mountain"? After a couple of spins, you may find yourself reaching for the skip button more than is comfortable.

I'm not really knocking this record - in a sense it's a masterpiece. And it's rightly selling by the millions. But if you haven't seen the film I'd give it a whirl in the listening booth before you part with your cash.

Essential-hardly, 28 May 2008
Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here.Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don't think troubled the pop charts.
Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste.
In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttained the catalog.
Muddy Waters was also a very unlikely artist to aim his music at the charts for the simple reason that while he may have introduced Chuck Berry to Chess he was not aiming his music at teenagers like Berry but doing his own thing like Bo Diddley.Berry it was said had only about 3 tunes and 3 rghtms -Muddy Waters had just one-the 12 bar blues.
Fats Domino he wasn't and never would be.In the mid 50s Joe Turner was about where he might have been but Chess was more interested in promoting Chuck Berry
By the time the Stones discovered Waters and named their band after a song he cut there was still a long way to go before America found out about its own musical past.For Waters that had begun in the mid 40s when his music was rural rather than urban.
To the America of the 50s Muddy Waters,Howlin' Wolf and Bo Diddley were seen as threats because the songs were about sex and not about high school life.
After all you can't get much more blatant than i just wanna make love to you!!
That's if they were ever heard of in the times of Pat Boone and Elvis These blues guys were artists who would begin to be appreciated after the Stones era had begun.
Muddy Waters and his contemporaries were simply waiting for the climate to change

almost perfect, 19 May 2005
This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it's a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd 'Collection, though more expensive, is a better deal in the long run.

perfect, 27 Aug 2004
Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can't pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You...buy it. You'll play it to death.

All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues, 07 Nov 2008
Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it's foremost artist. I bought this on vinyl in 1968 and can still remember how disappointed I was a year or so later when I got vol.2. There was a lot more of the same but without the intensity. Whoever compiled this first album did a very good job and got it right every time.
The reason is simply that there is no contrapuntal tension in the other recordings and without that there is nothing worth listening to. Johnson's best tracks belong to the 'neo-contrapuntal' category of music with their jumpy, unpredictable Dionysian rhythms in unstable time signatures, and with him playing and singing in different rhythms. He shares this category with the best of Cream's music live, and Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring'. When live and playing in their most exciting manner, Led Zeppelin and Tom Verlaine's Television sometimes also belong in this category. Studio recordings usually iron out this valuable and rare quality so that the 'life of the body' is removed from the music.

Sound Quality excells!, 17 Jun 2007
Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend "The Complete Recordings", the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

A Perfect Introduction To A Legend, 25 Mar 2007
As a musician, I'm always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don't think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson.

Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself.

Recorded in the late 1930's and remastered for the new millenium, Johnson's songs talk about broken relationships, sadness and satanism. Of course, if you have read the stories then you will have heard about how Johnson sold his soul to become a fantastic musician. However, you should not let this put off, songs like Cross Road Blues, 32-20 Blues, Come On In My Kitchen and Last Fair Deal Gone Down are testaments to his talents.

It must be noted there are some glitches, particularly in Terraplane Blues, where Johnson's voice scratches (don't forget this was in the 1930's so there wasn't the technology we have today) but again its almost like finding an ancient artifact.

If you like your music to be relaxed occasionally, with smooth playing and soulful singing, then here you'll be in for a treat. Never has anyone played an acoustic with such skill and remain distinctive, simply put there will never be another like him.

Go on treat yourself :-)

Superb remastering, 05 Feb 2004
This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961.
It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end).

This CD really brings Johnson's music alive, and if there is such a thing as a "greatest hits" package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one.
I still say that there is no really good reason to buy this CD instead of Columbia's 1990 box set "The Complete Recordings", but if you are looking for a single-disc overview, this one has almost all of Johnson's best songs, and the sound quality is as good as that on any Robert Johnson album, and better than most.

Great but not the one to get, 28 Oct 2002
This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars.

It remains the BLUEprint.

But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson's Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

Where it all began..., 21 Apr 2008
Not a Rolling Stones album of course, but a fascinating source of information and exploration for anyone interested in finding out about the music that influenced the Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World (and should'nt that be Rhythm & Blues Band anyway?) when they were just a group of music mad teenagers scattered around various parts of North Kent, South London and Gloucestershire.

Rumour has it that Mick Jagger was carrying some of this very music with him when he first met Keith Richards on Platform 3 of Dartford Railway Station c.1962. Meanwhile down in Cheltenham, Brian 'Elmo' Jones was perfecting his Elmore James licks and working his way through the Muddy Waters songbook, including noting that Rolling Stone Blues might make a useful band name one day.

This excellent album is the latest release from Snapper Music in their ongoing 'Blues Roots' series, and contains a top quality mix of both well-known and extremely-rare tracks. It is wonderful to see Rev. Robert Wilkins, Leroy Carr and Robert Petway placed side-by-side with Chuck Berry, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, as well as the aforementioned Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Naturally, with an undertaking of this complexity - the licensing alone must be a nightmare - there are a few omissions. There is no Willie Dixon (Pain in my Heart), Amos Milburn (Down the Road Apiece), Gene Allison (You can make it if you try) or Alvin Robinson (Down Home Girl). And sadly there is nothing either from a man who is one of the least credited influences on the Stones - Jimmy Rogers. Not alone did they base their version of I Can't Be Satisfied directly on his interpretation, but he also gave them the title of one of their biggest early hits (The Last Time), and his 1951 number My Little Machine became the template for several of the band's early r'n'b based recordings.

However these quibbles aside - and who knows, perhaps there is a Volume 2 on the way?? - this budget-priced album is a very worthwhile investment for any genuine Stones fan. A word of appreciation too for Michael Hendon's precise and informative liner notes. Clear, straightforward and very much to the point.

Go on, get yer ya ya's out!

ALL THE SONGS YOU'LL EVER NEED, 20 Jul 2008
This is another great compilation from the Beginners series, from Robert Johnson all the way to Charlie Musselwhite. This is a great start for your blues colection.

You won't be disappointed with this, 26 Feb 2008
As a modern blues afficionado, I spent a long time choosing this: I was after a comprehensive compilation covering early acoustic roots to present day electric blues. There are so many compilations to choose from, but this one turned out to be as good as I'd hoped - there is not a single track here that I didn't enjoy, and I think you will too. Some you will already know, some you won't, but there are no fillers here. CD1 features acoustic country blues, CD2 the electric sounds of classic urban blues and CD3 modern artists 'keeping the tradition alive'. Nice.

Back to the Future, 27 Dec 2003
Some of the songs in this massive collection make you shake your head with wonder - surely this one can't have been released as a record for people to buy in a record shop? Imagine the conversation from 1929 - "Excuse me, have you got I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground, by Bascom Lamar Lunsford?" "Why certainly young sir, it's right here, that'll be 30 cents!" But apparently ALL of these songs, ballads, fiddle tunes, gospel shouts, shape-note choirs, blues, string bands, cajuns and hot sermonising were indeed issued on 78s, and the public did buy them. Well - the rural folk in the Southern states, not those sophisticates in New York.
A guy called Ralph Peer found out by accident that white people down in the South would buy records by Uncle Bunt Stephens in their hundreds and thousands - he couldn't understand it either, being a city slicker himself, but he knew a good thing when he saw it. So what became the country music industry started up. Then Ralph deduced that the black folks would also like the opportunity to buy their own kind of music, and so began to issue country blues. Between 1925 and 1933 an amazing kaleidoscope of country, folk, blues and jazz was released and some of it's right here in this big box.
And at least half is just as enjoyable now as it was then - although you probably need to be a bit of a folkie or a blues fan to really love it. Or maybe you went to see O Brother Where Art Thou and got the brilliant soundtrack album - well, Harry Smith's Anthology is where you find the original recordings of that kind of stuff. It's often raw and harsh, but it cuts through. It has power and magic, and a crazy happiness to it. This music is not show business.

Not in Kansas anymore, 20 Jan 2003
This collection gives most people a huge culture shock on first hearing. The music comes from a different time and place. Weird does not cover it. These people lived different lives and believed different things from most of us who dodge along today.

The cds are by no means easy listening. You would hardly get back from work on a Friday night, grab a beer and stick this on. Despite myself I cannot help but treat this as an academic resource. It is a historical document rather than entertainment.

I find it to be essential however, for anyone wishing to understand how American music developed in the 20th century.

Wierd Old America, 24 Jan 2001
If you thought that Bob Dylan's sound was new way back in the early 60's (as I did) then think again. That sound goes back much further to an even wierder time. Harry Smith pretty much bootlegged this cross section of American music ranging from blues through jug and gospel to early Dylan style harmonica howls from recordings on obscure labels, which begs the question, how did this very strange music attract a commercial audience in the USA of the 20's and thirties? The roots of all modern music are here and this stuff certainly did influence a generation or two or three. It's a good game spotting who subsequently ripped off what. To own it is to love it. Peg and Awl defies description, but Smith has a go at it, as he does all of these tunes with wonderfully concise tongue in cheek summaries.

The source of it all, 01 Dec 2000
This is the collection of songs and music that inspired almost everybody on the hip side of life in the 60's. Published in 1952 by Folkways, this has survived brilliantly and is still a major source of inspiration for roots musicians. This 6 CD set was compiled out of true love to the music, and has made Harry Smith a legend like Ralph Peer, Sam Phillips or Don Law - For the record collector , this is a "MUST HAVE!"

Nils Maaetoft

Muddy Waters should need no introduction. Not only did he provide a name for the world's greatest rock & roll band, but he also created the Chicago electric blues sound that's dominated the genre since he first hit the windy city in the late 1940s. His bands also featured what would become a who's who of electric blues: Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and the list goes on. The Anthology covers Waters's most important period: his first years at Chess through the late 1960s. All his best-known songs are featured in their definitive versions, providing the perfect introduction to a blues master who doesn't need one. --Mike Johnson

Stunning, evocative music., 14 Apr 2008
I'm not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from; every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

Diverse selection of old-time music, 01 Jul 2005
The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary artists with a deep respect for tradition. I'll just pick out some of them although there are many excellent songs here.

Even Alison Krauss sticks firmly with tradition here - she often brings contemporary influences into her music these days but not here. Alison can be heard here on Down to the river to pray (as a solo singer), I'll fly away (providing harmony vocals for lead singer Gillian Welch) and Didn't leave nobody but the baby (joining Gillian and Emmylou in three-part harmony).

The inclusion of two Carter Stanley songs on a soundtrack such as this is predictable but welcome, with the Whites performing a superb version of the oft-recorded Keep on the sunny side, while the Peasall children (Hannah singing lead with Sarah and Leah providing harmony vocals) are in great form on In the highways. Children's recordings rarely impress me but this track does.

One song here that surprised me (though perhaps it shouldn't have) is Big rock candy mountain. It can be found on plenty of albums of children's songs, when it is invariably presented as an up-tempo song that children can (if they wish) sing along to. Here we get the original 1928 recording by Harry McLintock, who sings it at a more measured, reflective pace, showing that there is more to this song than I originally thought. I still prefer it as an up-tempo song generally but I'm glad I heard this version. I wonder what the Peasall sisters would have done with this song.

The Coen brothers clearly hoped that t