The Asch Recordings

The Asch Recordings
Compilation album by Woody Guthrie
Released	1997–1999
Recorded	1944–1949 [1]
Genre	Folk Americana country
Label	Smithsonian Folkways
Producer	Moe Asch
Woody Guthrie chronology
The Columbia River Collection (1944) The Asch Recordings (1997) Ballads of Sacco & Vanzetti (1947)

The Asch Recordings, recorded between 1944 and 1949, ^[1] are a series of albums featuring some of the most famous recordings of US folk musician Woody Guthrie. These sessions were recorded by Moses "Moe" Asch in New York City.

Background

The songs recorded by Asch comprise the bulk of Guthrie's original material and several traditional songs. They were issued on a variety of labels over the years under the labels Asch, Asch-Stinson, Asch-Signature-Stinson, Disc, Folkways and Smithsonian Folkways. The tracks for Guthrie's Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child and Nursery Days were from these sessions.^{[ citation needed ]}

Many recordings have unknown session dates. ^[2] These are included in a list available at the United States Library of Congress titled "Surviving Recordings in the Smithsonian Folklife Archive Made by Woody Guthrie for Moses Asch". Moe Asch says Woody's kids songs were recorded sometime in early 1947 and the Sacco and Vanzetti ballads were recorded January 1947.^{[ citation needed ]}

Folkways volumes

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic Volume 1	[3]
Allmusic Volume 2	[4]
Allmusic Volume 3	[5]
Allmusic Volume 4	[6]

The Smithsonian Folkways label repackaged and arranged these sessions in a series of 4 discs between 1997 and 1999. The first volume focuses on Guthrie's original compositions, ^[3] the second on folk and country covers, ^[4] the third on topical songs, ^[5] and the fourth on cowboy and western music. ^[6]

Year	Title	Record label
1997	This Land Is Your Land, The Asch Recordings, Vol.1 [7]	Smithsonian Folkways
1997	Muleskinner Blues, The Asch Recordings, Vol.2 [8]	Smithsonian Folkways
1998	Hard Travelin', The Asch Recordings, Vol.3 [9]	Smithsonian Folkways
1999	Buffalo Skinners, The Asch Recordings, Vol.4 [10]	Smithsonian Folkways

List of songs

• Note: A blank cell below a date indicates that the date is repeated on that row.

Title	Catalogue No.	Recording Date	Notes / Instrument
"Hard Ain't It Hard"	LM-1	April 16, 1944
"More Pretty Girls Than One"	LM-2
"Golden Vanity"	MA 1	April 19, 1944	Recordings on this date w/ Cisco Houston
"When the Yanks Go Marching In"	MA 2
So Long, It's Been Good to Know You	MA3
Dollar Down Dollar a Week	MA4
Hen Cackle	MA5
I Ain't Got Nobody	MA6
Ida Red	MA7
Columbus Stockade	MA8
Whistle Blowing	MA9
John Henry	MA10
Hammer Ring ("Union Hammer")	MA11
Muleskinner Blues ("New Road Line")	MA12
What are We Waiting On ("Bloody Fight")	LM-2
More Pretty Girls Than One	MA13
Ship in the Sky ("My Daddy")	MA14
The Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done	MA15
Stewball	MA16
Grand Coulee Dam	MA17
Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine")	MA18
Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine")	MA19
Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine")	MA20
New York Town ("My Town")	MA21
Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine")	MA22
Reckless Talk	MA23
Reckless Talk	MA24
Last Nickel Blues	MA25
Guitar Rag	MA26
Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet ("Don't Need No Man")	MA27
(Those) Brown Eyes	MA28
Chisholm Trail	MA29
Sowing on the Mountains	MA30
Sowing on the Mountains	MA31
Right Now	MA32
Train-Harmonica	MA33
Sally Don't You Grieve	MA34
Take a Wiff on Me	MA35
Philadelphia Lawyer	MA36
Kissing On ("Gave Her Kisses")	MA37
Little Darling	MA38
Baltimore to Washington ("Troubles Too")	MA39
Poor Boy	MA40
Poor Boy	MA41
Ain't Nobody's Business	MA42
Take Me Back Babe	MA43
Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues")	MA44
Bed on the Floor	MA45
One Big Union ("Join It Yourself")	MA46
Worried Man Blues	MA47
What Did the Deep Say?	MA48
Foggy Mountain Top	MA49
21 Years	MA50
Roving Gambler ("Gambling Man")	MA51
Cindy	MA52
Into Season	MA53
Red River Valley	MA55
Dead or Alive ("Poor Lazarus")	MA56
Pretty Boy	MA57
John Hardy	MA58
Bad Lee Brown ("Cocaine Blues")	MA59
Whistle Blowing	MA66
Billy The Kid	MA67
Stagger Lee	MA68
Down Yonder	674	April 20, 1944
Guitar Blues	675
Harmonica Breakdown	676
Fox Chase	677
Train	678
Lost John	679
Pretty Baby	680
Old Dog a Bone	681
Turkey in the Straw	687
Give Me That Old Time Religion	688
Glory ("Walk and Talk with Jesus")	689
Hard Time Blues	690
Bus Blues	691
Devilish Mary	692
Cripple Creek	693
Sandy Land	694
Old Dan Tucker	695	April 24, 1944
Bile Them Cabbage Down	696
Old Joe Clark	697
Buffalo Girls	698
Rain Crow Bill	699
Skip to my Lou	700
Lonesome Train	701, 702
Blues, Harmonica Breakdown	703, 704
Harmonica Rag	705,706
Crawdad Hole	707
Bury Me Beneath the Willow	708
I Ride an Old Paint	709
Blue Eyes	710
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues")	711
Old Dog a Bone	712
Having Fun	713
Blues	714
Talking Fishing Blues	MA75	April 25, 1944
Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine")	MA76
Union Burial Ground	MA77
Jesse James	MA78
Rangers Command	MA79
Sinking of the Ruben James	MA80
Put My Little Shoes Away	MA81
Picture From Life's Other Side	MA82
Will You Miss Me	MA83
Bed on the Floor	MA84
900 Miles	MA85
Sourwood Mountain	MA86
Hoecake Baking	MA87
Ezekiel Saw the Wheel	MA88
Little Darling	MA89
Lonesome Day	MA90
Cumberland Gap	MA91
Fiddling Piece	MA92
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny	MA93
Step Stone	MA94
House of the Rising Sun	MA96
Browns Ferry Blues	MA98
What Would You Give in Exchange For Your Soul?	MA99
When That Ship Went Down	MA99-1
Dust Bowl	MA100
Guitar Rag	MA101
I Ain't Got Nobody	MA102
Going Down This Road Feeling Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues")	MA103
Polly Wolly Doodle	MA104
Guitar Rag	1230
Blowin' Down This Old Dusty Road	1231
Hey Lolly Lolly	MA105
Budded Roses	MA106
House of the Rising Sun	MA107
I Don't Feel at Home in the Bowery	MA108
Hobo's Lullaby	MA109
Froggy Went a Courtin'	MA110
Bad Reputation	MA111
Snow Deer	MA112
Ladies Auxiliary	MA113
This Land is Your Land	MA114
Hang Knot ("Slip Knot")	MA115
Breakdown	MA116
Go Tell Aunt Rhody	MA117
Union Going to Roll	MA118
Who Broke the Lock on the Hen House Door	MA119
What Did the Deep Sea Say	MA120
Strawberry Roan	MA121-1
When the Yanks Go Marching in	MA122-1
Bed on the Floor	MA123-1
We Shall Be Free	MA124-1
Right Now	MA125-1
Jackhammer John	MA126-1
Woody	MA127-1,127-2
Keep Your Skillit Good and Greasy	MA129-1
Home	MA130-1
Lost You	MA131
Slip Knot ("Hang Knot")	MA134
Jesus Christ	MA135
Hobo Bill	MA136
Little Black Train	MA137
Cannon Ball	MA138
Gypsy Davy	MA139
Bile Them Cabbage Down	MA140
Woody	MA1240	May 8, 1944
Get Along Little Dogies	860	March 1, 1945
Waltz	861,862
Union Breakdown	863
Cackling Hen	864
Chishom Trail	865
Bed on Your Floor	866
Rye Whiskey	867
Old Joe Clark	868	March 23, 1945
Long Way to France	869
Woody Blues	870
Down Yonder	871
Gal I Left Behind	872
Mean Talking Blues	900	May 24, 1945
1913 Massacre	901
Ludlow Massacre	902
Buffalo Skinners	903
Harriet Tubman	904,905
Lindbergh	106

References

1. Cahill, Greg (September 9, 1999). "Voice of America: Singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie". North Bay Bohemian. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
2. Santeli, Davidson, Robert and Emily (1999). Hard Travelin' the Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie. Wesleyan, Hannover and London. pp. 247, 181–243. ISBN   0-8195-6391-9.
3. Burger, Jeff. "This Land Is Your Land: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1 Review". allmusic.com . Retrieved September 18, 2023.
4. Burger, Jeff. "Muleskinner Blues: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2 Review". allmusic.com . Retrieved September 18, 2023.
5. Unterberger, Richie. "Hard Travelin': The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3 Review". allmusic.com . Retrieved September 18, 2023.
6. Burger, Jeff. "Buffalo Skinners: The Asch Recordings, Vol.4 Review". allmusic.com . Retrieved September 18, 2023.
7. "This Land Is Your Land, The Asch Recordings, Vol.1". SFW40100 1997. Folkways.
8. "Muleskinner Blues, The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2". SFW40101 1997. Folkways.
9. "Hard Travelin', The Asch Recordings, Vol 3". SFW40102 1998. Folkways.
10. "Buffalo Skinners, The Asch Recordings, Vol. 4". SFW40103 1999. Folkways.