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Author Topic: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music  (Read 14364 times)

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Offline jostber

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #60 on: January 08, 2014, 06:07:09 AM »
Mississippi Records will reissue this set in the original vinyl format and packaging next month.


Offline LucyStag

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #61 on: January 10, 2014, 02:09:50 PM »
Mississippi Records will reissue this set in the original vinyl format and packaging next month.

Oh man, I had better not fix my record player or I might find myself accidentally buying that.

Offline frailer24

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #62 on: January 13, 2014, 02:10:06 PM »
For the questioned phrase, I've always heard "swamp rabbits".
That's all she wrote Mabel!

Offline Johnm

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #63 on: January 13, 2014, 03:15:27 PM »
Good on you, Larry, that is spot on!  Not only is it "swamp rabbits", he actually enunciates it very cleanly.  I don't know what my problem was, probably lack of imagination.  Thanks so much, and I will make the change.
All best,
Johnm

Offline frailer24

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #64 on: January 13, 2014, 04:03:54 PM »
Anytime, John.
That's all she wrote Mabel!

Offline Gilgamesh

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #65 on: May 05, 2014, 08:00:39 PM »
Mississippi Records will reissue this set in the original vinyl format and packaging next month.

Did this ever come out?

Offline Forgetful Jones

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #66 on: May 18, 2022, 11:25:17 AM »
Reviving an old thread....
I first listened to the Anthology about 5 years ago, long after being familiar with pre-war material. I knew probably 25-30% of the songs from other albums/compilations (Yazoo etc.). I was aware of the Anthology's historical significance when I first dove in. Still, and maybe because of the well-documented affect the AAFM had on many people, my expectations were tempered. I was ready to be let down by the hype.

The "new" songs that grabbed me the most are the very first songs on the comp: Dick Justice's "Henry Lee" & Nelstone's Hawaiians' "Fatal Flower Garden."  It's not like I'm unfamiliar with the subject matter of this music we love, but I was not expecting the program to open with two vividly-told murder ballads. Both of these songs are extremely visual to me- I see them almost as much as I hear them. I instantly understood and embraced the AAFM experience and couldn't imagine two better songs to open with.

Many have mentioned Harry Smith's sequencing of tracks on the Anthology in general terms, but I wonder if there are some specific songs, moments, themes, lyrics etc. that anyone would like to share regarding this matter. Sticking to the opening tracks, I find it interesting that both songs contain the phrase "lily white hand(s)." There is also a sort of verbal symmetry in the lines "I can't get down. I won't get down" from Henry Lee and the lines "I won't come in. I shan't come in." from Fatal Flower Garden.

Unfortunately, the copy I borrowed from the library did not include the booklet or liner notes, so I've yet to explore that aspect of the Anthology. Perhaps it's time to check eBay for a copy of my own. I've also never had a 5 hour block of time to listen to the whole thing in one sitting. I'm sure some people have done so. Anyone here?

Cheers!


Offline banjochris

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #68 on: May 18, 2022, 05:40:16 PM »
One of the things I love about the Anthology is that it's by no means a "greatest hits" of pre-war folk/country/blues. There are tracks on there, "Fatal Flower Garden" is one of them, that are every bit as obscure today as they were then, even to folks who are super familiar with the music.
Chris

Offline Johnm

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #69 on: May 18, 2022, 06:34:51 PM »
I congratulate you on discovering the Anthology, Forgetful Jones. There are a lot of interesting posts earlier in this thread and earlier discussions, if you've not had a chance to read them yet. It sounds like you're already making your own discoveries, which is great to hear.
All best,
Johnm

Offline Stuart

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #70 on: May 19, 2022, 01:07:58 PM »
I'll second what John says. Last night I read through it from the beginning and it's definitely worth reading through and/or revisiting when time permits.

I checked and found that some of the links no longer work. I'll go through my posts to either update the links that no longer work or try to find alternatives.

The link to "The Other AAFM" no longer works so I attached track lists to my original post as an FYI for those who might be interested re: what it contained. They are attached to this post as well.
« Last Edit: May 20, 2022, 01:43:03 PM by Stuart »

Offline Forgetful Jones

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #71 on: May 24, 2022, 07:02:29 AM »
Thanks for the links, Stuart. I hadn't looked into it yet, so I'm glad new copies are still available.

JohnM- Yes, I've read through this thread, but I need some quiet time to do some deep listening to some of the specific tracks mentioned, especially yours regarding guitar rhythms. I agree with your take on Sail Away Lady. It's perfect. I never want it to end. For a while my then-3-year-old daughter would regularly request to watch a YouTube video of a father/daughter combo who pull of a nice rendition of the tune. I'll link below.

BanjoChris- Listening to the Anthology is what prompted me to learn to play overhand banjo, and your Coo Coo tutorial on YouTube was the main tool I used. Your open string pull-off explanation was a game changer!

Cheers!



Offline Stuart

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #72 on: May 24, 2022, 12:27:43 PM »
Hi Forgetful Jones:

Thanks for the link to the video of Rafe and Clelia Stefanini. It's a great rendition, IMHO.

I recommend buying the AAFM, budget permitting. It has Harry Smith's original book that came with the LPs. He put together the AAFM over 70 years ago and the book gives an insight into how he thought about the music, along with other things. One thing that's been stressed is that when he began collecting and listening to the "old" records on the Anthology, they really were not very old.

In your other post you mentioned his sequencing and the content of songs. I have never read anything in which he discussed this. However, I haven't read everything about the AAFM and Harry Smith. Maybe it's simply the way he heard things, I don't know. It's one of the great intangibles of artistic genius--Something that's beyond yours truly.

Offline Johnm

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #73 on: May 24, 2022, 03:00:48 PM »
Hi Forgetful Jones,
Even apart from the great music, it's great to pick up the notes for the set for the newspaper headline-type one-line synopses of the plots of the ballads. They are really droll and some are laugh-out-loud funny.

Offline David Kaatz

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Re: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
« Reply #74 on: June 01, 2022, 08:42:43 AM »
I just revisited this entire thread. Great stuff. I'm disappointed to find that my music collection only includes parts of the anthology. I would have sworn I had all four volumes, ripped from a library copy. Let it be a warning to you: keep your digital collection backed up. Anyway, I just placed the library version on hold!

But also, early in thread the "Other Anthology of American Folk Music" was mentioned, and Stuart could not find it still available online a couple weeks ago. This is another I would have bet that I had, I distinctly remember looking for it and/or downloading it, probably about the time this thread started. But no, it doesn't show up in my collection.
Does anyone have it that can be shared from a Dropbox account among us friends here?

PM me,
Thanks,
Dave

 


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