The woman I love, stole from my best friend. Same joker got lucky, stole her back again. You better come on in my kitchen 'cause it's gonna be raining outdoors - Robert Johnson, Come On In My Kitchen
I have a few of the Rounder volumes. I've been listening to the Document Records collection confusingly titled "Leadbelly: The Remaing [remaining from what?] ARC and Library of Congress Recordings" with dates that would seem to coincide with the Rounder recordings. I'm finding no connection between the two. Song titles may be the same, but the times don't match up and the songs I have compared sound different (some more than others). Anyone know the difference between these sets? Is there any overlap? Are the Rounder volumes those entirely recorded under the auspices of the LOC while the Document volumes are those represting the efforts of some sort of ARC/LOC joint venture? I'm finding the internet to be very unhelpful in this regard. Anyone have any insight into this mess (or my misunderstanding of something more simple)?
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 08:31:19 AM by misterjones »
Sorting out Leadbelly recordings on CD is a messy job, IMO. It is unclear to me what is meant by Document using "Remaining" in the disc titles.
Quoting myself from an old Leadbelly thread:
Quote
One thing to keep in mind about Leadbelly is he is discographically complicated. He recorded so much, and so much is available on different CDs. I should point out that the Wolfe/Lornell biography The Life and Legend of Leadbelly is invaluable for many reasons, not least of all the discography at the back. Highly recommended -- essential for Lead-heads -- and while I'm not sure it's currently available from the publisher, there are some cheap used copies available through Amazon right now.
Armed with that, you will also benefit from Chris Smith's section on Leadbelly in the Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings, in which he does his best to sort through the many Leadbelly recordings currently available and provides valuable info as usual, even if you don't agree with all of his comments. He notes that the Document CDs of the 1935-42 material for the LoC and ARC are generally better than the Rounder LoC discs. Apparently Document copied it from an early tape being prepared for a boxed LP set and the Rounder discs were done later, by which point the original recordings had deteriorated and transfers were iffy. So here's a case where Document clocks in with apparently better sound. Relatively speaking, of course. The book does not deal with the Leadbelly set from JSP that Stuart mentioned and about which I know nothing, discographically speaking. Nor would it deal with the recent release from World Arbiter, obviously, which includes some unreleased radio recordings.
However, like you I find no overlap on the one Rounder disc I have when compared with the Remaining series. So Document means those titles not on the Rounder series? The discography in Wolfe and Lornell notes Document released virtuallyall LeadBelly LoC recordings on 12 LPs. Perhaps Rounder took issue with that.
There is a bare bones discography online, leftover from the late Harry Lewman's site. Only song titles, LoC numbers, recording dates.
I own the 12 Document LPs (released in one batch June 1990) and are in chronological session order. B&GR4 very helpfully identifies which songs were reissued on the Document LPs and which on Rounder CDs. At a glance Rounder seemed to have cherry picked songs from all across the sessions.
I thought I read a review of a JSP Leadbelly box, which stated it gap filled those songs which Rounder didn't release. If that was the case JSP must have dubbed from the Document LPs.
For interest each Document LP carries the following not:
These recordings were originally made for the Library of Congress during the period extending from 1933 to 1942, under the supervision of John A. Lomax and/or Alan Lomax. The initial session took place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola while Leadbelly was still a prisoner and the final one was made in Washington, D. C. in 1942. Along the way there were numerous sessions and they occured in a varied number of locations: Wilton, Conn., New York City, Pineville. Ky., Cummings State Prison Farm, Arkansas and Bellwood County Prison Camp. Atlanta, Ga. among them. The sound reproduction is, by today's high fidelity stereophonic standards, rather dim. A great many of the recordings were made in field settings on early, primitive portable disc cutting equipment. This equipment along with various aluminum and acetate discs, though not of the highest quality insofar as sound is concerned, has served to preserve the many brilliant performances of Huddie Ledbetter. A further factor which must he mentioned is that many. if not most, of the recordings hadn't been played for many years prior to our rerecording them onto tape at the Library of Congress. The conditions of these original recordings were, for the most part. extremely had and in some cases had partially deteriorated thus destroying portions of a particular performance. These old recordings were not meant for extended preservation or long life, that appears to be a certainty. In a number of cases the records in this set suffer from various scratches, digs and general uneveness. It should be borne in mind, however, that this set is not offered as an exercise in high fidelity but rather as a musical document worthy of preservation because of it's inherent value as a historical portrait of an important folk artist. Inasmuch as the discs were recorded within time limitations, something which the subsequent advent of tape recording has overcome, duration was of the essence. On some of the longer performances, when the disc would run out Leadbelly would evidently keep performing and in the process of turning the record over some of the performance would be lost. At other times the break between parts of a song would result in a change in Leadbelly's tempo. During many of the sessions it is apparent that the microphone is being moved up and down, from mouth to guitar, with a resultant uneveness. It is sincerely hoped that this will not deter the listener from enjoying the outstanding performances. Huddie Lebetter was frequently recorded by various commercial companies during the same time span in which he made this material for the Library of Congress. Unfortunately the commercial recordings, with few exceptions, do not show Leadbelly at his best. There was a stiffness and an exaggeration which was fortuitously absent from the Library of Congress sessions. It is felt that Leadbelly never sounded as well anywhere else as he did when he was recording for the Library. He appeared relaxed, strong, crisp and creative and it is not unlikely that a totally new evaluation of his artistry will be forthcoming as a result of the release of these, his finest performances.
Thanks for that, BH. I neglected to look in B&GR4. However, doing so now, I notice they list appearance on Document LP vs. Rounder CD. So we still end up comparing apples and oranges, or perhaps oranges and tangerines. As far as I can tell from a preliminary look at the Document CD catalog online, not all of the Leadbelly LoC recordings appear on Document CDs currently. Haven't gone through the whole list but as an example, from February 1935 Angola Blues (51-A), Roberta (51-B), Careless Love (52-A) don't appear, though did appear on Document LP and on Rounder CDs.
Worth noting that some, though not all, of the earliest LoC recordings from 1933 now appear on Field Recordings Vol 5 Louisiana Texas Bahamas 1933 - 1940 DOCD-5579, not on a dedicated Leadbelly disc.
Hell, why not start a list. It can later be migrated over to Weeniepedia. I'll break up the posts by year. Later we can fill in what song appears where. These are copied and pasted from the discography referenced above, so will need to be checked against B&GR4 as well.
Library of Congress Recordings 1933
Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, Louisiana July 16, 1933 Huddie Ledbetter: vocal/guitar
119-B-1
The Western Cowboy
DOCD-5579
119-B-2
Honey Take a Whiff on Me
DOCD-5579
119-B-4
Angola Blues
DOCD-5579
119-B-5
Angola Blues
DOCD-5579
119-B-6
Frankie and Albert
DOCD-5579
120-A-1
Irene
DOCD-5579
120-A-2
Take a Whiff on Me
DOCD-5579
120-A-3
You Can't Lose Me Cholly
DOCD-5579
120-A-6
Irene
DOCD-5579
120-A-7
Irene
DOCD-5579
120-B-5
Ella Speed
DOCD-5579
« Last Edit: April 22, 2011, 09:21:10 AM by uncle bud »
For interest each Document LP carries the following note:
. . . Huddie Lebetter was frequently recorded by various commercial companies during the same time span in which he made this material for the Library of Congress. Unfortunately the commercial recordings, with few exceptions, do not show Leadbelly at his best. There was a stiffness and an exaggeration which was fortuitously absent from the Library of Congress sessions. It is felt that Leadbelly never sounded as well anywhere else as he did when he was recording for the Library. He appeared relaxed, strong, crisp and creative and it is not unlikely that a totally new evaluation of his artistry will be forthcoming as a result of the release of these, his finest performances.
[emphasis added]
I agree 100% with the above assessment. Leadbelly's (at least early) LOC recordings have an emotional expressiveness I have not been able to find in any of his other recordings, where he just seems to shout and strum his guitar like a folk and blues music machine. I can't speak to the quality of the transfers made by Rounder, but those recording (the ones I have, at least) have that expressive quality in the performances. The Document recordings I've listened to so far have the harshness of the commercial recordings. I'm guessing Rounder has the rights to the true LOC recordings (like Document once did for their LPs) and the current Document CDs represent the result of some sort of separate LOC/ARC commercial venture. I'll listen to more of the Documents, but I'm liking what I hear so far.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 03:31:40 PM by misterjones »
ARC and Library of Congress recordings are separate in all the discographies. ARC was a commercial contract. Document combines them on CD presumably because of chronology.
Also, as noted above, Document released all or nearly all of the LoC recordings on LP. A look at Blues and Gospel Records shows LoC titles appearing on both Document LP and Rounder CD, with far more titles appearing on Document LP, showing Rounder cherrypicking as Bunker Hill points out. But those Doc LP releases do not seem to have survived through to Document CDs.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 05:47:38 PM by uncle bud »
Then all I can say is what a shameful mess. Some industrious soul needs to do a vinyl rip of that 12 LP set. Despite the haphazard nature of the Rounder CDs (they don't appear to be in chronological order and there are no discographical details included), I wouldn't mind them so much if I knew the sound quality was good. Something tells me the Document LPs are superior. Anyone know?
« Last Edit: April 16, 2011, 07:12:42 PM by misterjones »
I guess the first attempt at issuing this material was the 1966 Elektra 3 LP box set compiled and annotated by Lawrence Cohen. The twenty five page booklet contains several illustrations that were being published for the first time (e.g. the equipment used to record Leadbelly) along with transcriptions of all songs. Cohn obviously had a lot of cooperation:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Mrs. Rae Korson, Head, Archive of Folk Song, The Library of Congress; her assistant Joseph Hickerson and Robert Carneal, Chief Engineer, Recording Laboratory, The Library of Congress for their constant cooperation, learned assistance and warm personal friendship.
Mr. John Reynolds: for opening his vast collection of Leadbelly lore and memorabilia to me.
Mr. Jac Holzman: for the confidence and understanding displayed in allowing me to carry this project through "in my own way."
Mrs. Martha Ladbetter who graciously assisted in the transcribing of some of the more difficult texts.
Mr. Alan Lcsmax and the late John A. Lomax; for having had recorded Huddie Ledbetter.
COMPILERS NOTE: The omission of Leadbelly's renditions of childrens' tongs and play-party material has been a purposeful one because of their ready availability on numerous commercial recordings.
Despite the haphazard nature of the Rounder CDs (they don't appear to be in chronological order and there are no discographical details included)
The Rounder disc I have, Volume 1 - Midnight Special, does include the Library of Congress numbers (accession numbers) after each title on the back cover of the booklet. So assuming the others have the same, to determine further discographical details for songs on the Rounder series, you can match the LoC number on the booklet to the numbers in the lists above or in Blues and Gospel Records.