VA - The Folk Song Tradition (Tradition Records)

Tradition Records was started in the 1950s by folk song collector Diane Hamilton and Patrick Clancy of the Clancy Brothers, initially as an outlet for Clancy's group, but the label eventually recorded all manner of traditional artists and folk revival musicians, and even issued a few LPs of field recordings gathered by Alan Lomax.

When the Clancy Brothers signed to CBS, the label was sold, and Tradition's catalog has surfaced ever since under countless imprints, including Ember, Everest, Transatlantic, Ossian, and most recently, Rykodisc. This Tradition sampler suggests the wide range of folk material the original label featured, all of it recorded simply and with few or no embellishments, giving most tracks the feel of field recordings. Highlights include the great Etta Baker's slide guitar instrumental version of "John Henry," Paul Clayton's moody and nuanced "Johnny's Gone to Hilo," the odd John Jacob Niles' thin, fragile, and deeply affected tenor on "Lulle Lullaby," Odetta's striking, slowed-down take on "Sail Away Ladies," and the shaky, halting, and over-dramatic vocal approach by Alan Lomax to "Ain't No More Cane on This Brazis." There are also sea shanties, flamenco guitarists, and brass bands on this diverse, scattershot, and intriguing collection.

This is the real deal from one of the most overlooked catalogs in the music business, Tradition Records. This is where the great Sea Shanty records of Ewan MacColl first surfaced; Odetta made her first album for Traditon in 1956; folk enthusiasts of the 50's first exposure to "World" music were found on the LP's of Tradition. Ask Bob Dylan who mentions the Tradition label as being the only label in the mid-fifties to make available these kinds of records in his book "Chronicles". Among the many LPs Tradition released, in the early sixties they released 2 compilation LPs - "Traditon Folk Sampler" and "The Folk Song Tradition". This CD comprises both LPs on one disc.

VA - The Folk Song Tradition
(192 kbps, front cover included)