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Country Blues => Super Electrical Recordings! => Topic started by: misterjones on April 16, 2011, 08:29:47 AM

Title: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 16, 2011, 08:29:47 AM

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)?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 10:33:49 AM

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.

http://web.archive.org/web/20060223104318/http://cycad.com/cgi-bin/Leadbelly/discog/

It would be worth it to one day go through that and assign Document and Rounder volumes to the songs

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on April 16, 2011, 11:32:02 AM

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.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:21:57 PM

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.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:39:42 PM

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

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:41:08 PM

Library of Congress Recordings 1934

Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, Louisiana    July 1, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar

121-A	Mister Tom Hughes' Town	DOCD-5579
122-A-2	I Got Up This Morning, Had to Get Up So Soon	DOCD-5579
122-B	Western Cowboy	DOCD-5579
123-A	Blind Lemon Blues	DOCD-5579	RCD-1097
123-B	Matchbox Blues	DOCD-5579	RCD-1044
124-A-1	Midnight Special		RCD-1044
124-A-2	Irene	DOCD-5591
124-B-1	Irene	DOCD-5591
124-B-2	Governor O.K. Allen		RCD-1044
125-A	Frankie and Albert		RCD-1044
125-B	Ella Speed		RCD-1044
126-A-1	Julie Ann Johnson	DOCD-5591
126-A-2	You Can't Lose-a-Me Cholly	DOCD-5591
126-A-3	Take a Whiff on Me	DOCD-5591
126-B	I'm Sorry Mama		RCD-1044

Little Rock, Arkansas    September 27, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar

236-B-3	Mister Tom Hughes' Town	DOCD-5591	RCD-1097
239-A-3	Julie Ann Johnson	DOCD-5591

State Farm, Pine Fluff, Arkansas    September 29, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar; Unknown white man   vocal

240-A-4	Julie Ann Johnson	DOCD-5591
240-A-5	Lover in the Green Valley

   
State Farm, Tucker, Arkansas    October 1. 1934
Leroy Allen:   vocal-1; Huddie Ledbetter: vocal/guitar

246-B-1	Sweet Babe
246-B-3	Mister Tom Hughes' Town		RCD-1097

Gould, Arkansas    October 5, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter:    vocal/guitar

242-B-3

Julie Ann Johnson

DOCD-5591

Shreveport, Louisiana    October 15, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter:    vocal/guitar

273-A-1

Boll Weevil

DOCD-5591

Bellwood Prison Camp, Atlanta, Georgia    December 12, 1934
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal-1/guitar;
Sloan Wright:   dance calls-2

250-B-1	The Shreveport Jail-1		RCD-1097
250-B-2	Julie Ann Johnson-1	DOCD-5591
252-A-1	Dance Calls-2	DOCD-5591
252-A-2	This Morning-1

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:52:14 PM

Library of Congress Recordings 1935

Wilton, Connecticut    January 20, 1935
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar

143-A	Don't You Love Me No More
143-B	Henry Ford Blues

Wilton, Connecticut    January 21, 1935
Huddie Ledhetter:   vocal/guitar

44-A	Irene
44-B-1	Irene
44-B-2	Julie Ann Johnson

Wilton, Connecticut    February 1, 1935
Huddie Ledhetter:   vocal/guitar

45-A

Take a Whiff on Me

Wilton, Connecticut    January 20, 1935
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar with speech-1

45-B	Salty Dog
51-A	Angola Blues
51-B	Roberta
52-A	Careless Love
52-B	C.C. Rider
53-A	Governor Pat Neff
53-B	Thirty Days in the Workhouse
54-A	Ella Speed
54-B	Ella Speed
127-A	Frankie and Albert
127-B	Frankie and Albert
128-A	Which Way Do the Red River Run?
128-B	Got Up in the Mornin' So Doggone Soon
129-A	You Don't Know My Mind
129-B-1	The Western Cowboy
129-B-2	Becky Dean
130-A	Fort Worth and Dallas Blues
130-B	Got a Gal in Town with Her Mouth Chock Full of Gold
131-A	Mary Don't You Weep
131-B-1	Mary Don't You Weep
131-B-2	Way Over in the Promised Land
132-A	Death Letter Blues-1
133-A	Midnight Special
133-B	The Shreveport Jail
134-A	Easy Mr. Tom
134-B	I Ain't Bothered a Bit --Parts 1 and 2
135-A	Boll Weevil
135-B	Western Cowboy
136-A	The Titanic
136-B	Blind Lemon Blues
137-A	Mr. Tom Hughes' Town
137-B-1	Mr. Tom Hughes' Town
137-B-2	You Cain' Loose-a-Me Cholly
138-A	The Medicine Man
138-B	Red Cross Sto'
139-A-1	Green Corn
139-A-2	The Maid Freed from the Gallows
139-B	Po' Howard
140-A	Alberta Blues
140-B	Fo' Day Worry Blues
141-A-1	Hesitation Blues
141-A-2	Take Me Back
141-B	Matchbox Blues
142-A	Tight Like That
142-B-1	Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil in It
142-B-2	Old Man Settin' in the Corner Dyin'

Wilton, Connecticut    March 1, 1935 Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar or unaccompanied-1 47-B Blues I Got Make a New-Born Baby Cry 48-A-1 Ho Day-1 48-A-2 One Dollar Bill. Baby-1 Wilton, Connecticut    March 1935 Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar or unaccompanied-1 46-A Governor O.K. Allen 47-A De Kalb Blues 48-B Ain' Goin' Down to de Well No More-1 49-A Ha-Ha This-a-Way 49-B Alabama Bound 50-A In Dem Long Hot Summer Days-1 50-B Go Down, Old Hannah-l 144-A I'm All Out & Down 144-B De Kalb Blues 145-A Ha, Ha Thisaway 145-B-1 Dear Old Daddy-1 145-B-2 Dear Old Daddy-1 145-B-3 Dear Old Daddy-l 145-B-4 Dear Old Daddy-1 146-A I'm Gonna Hold It in Her While She's Young and Tender 146-B What You Goin' to Do with Your Long Tall Daddy:' 147-A Dicklicker's Holler-1 147-B Billy in the Lowlands/Heah, Rattler, Heah 148-A Frankie and Albert 148-B Frankie and Albert 149-A Send Down Your Hand 149-B Shorty George 150-A Shorty George 150-B-1 Pick a Bale o' Cotton 150-B-2 Elnora 151-A Ha, Ha Thisaway 151-B Send Down Your Hand 152-A Death Letter Blues 152-B Death Letter Blues [fragments] 153-A Where De Sun Done Gone 153-B Bring Me a Li'l Water Silvy 154-A Dicklicker's Holler 154-B Whoa Back, Buck Goddamn 155-A Billy in the Low Ground 155-B The Grey Goose 156-A Old Rattler 156-B I'm All Out and Down 157-A Frankie and Albert 157-B-1 I Walked Her and Talked Her 157-B-2 Billy the Weaver

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:53:36 PM

Library of Congress Recordings 1937

Washington, D.C.    June 22, 1937
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar or unaccompanied-1

993-A-1	Gwine Dig a Hole
993-A-2	Polly-Polly-Wee
993-A-3	Jawbone Walk
993-B	If It Wasn't for Dicky
994-A	Last Night in the Evening
994-B-1	Somethin', Somethin' Keeps a Worryin' Me
995-A	Monkey Men
995-B-1	I Ain't Gonna Ring Dem Yallow Women's Do' Bells-1
995-B-2	Rock Island Line-1
995-B-3	All Out and Down-l
996-A-1	Hello Central
996-A-2	Raccoon up the Simmon Tree
996-B	An' Goin' Drink No Mo
997-A	New York City
997-B	Queen Mary
998-A-1	Turn Your Radio On
998-A-2	Julie Ann Johnson
998-B-1	The Hindenburg Disaster
998-B-2	The Hindenburg Disaster

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 12:55:30 PM

Fewer recordings in the later years, so I've clumped them together here.

Library of Congress Recordings 1938-1942


New York City (probably)    December, 1938
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar; Sarah Garland:   vocal-1; Jim Garland:   vocal-2

2020-A-1	Old Time Religion-1
2020-A-2	He's Just the Same Today
2021-B	Git on Board
2023-A	Rock of Ages-1, 2

New York City    December 26, 1938
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar; Martha Ledbetter   vocal-1

2501-A	Mama, Did You Bring Me Any Silver?
2501-B	Leaving on the Morning Train Blues
2502-A-1	Scottsboro Boys
2502-A-2	Outshine the Sun-1
2502-B-1	Noted Rider Blues
2502-B-2	The Bourgeois Blues
2503-A-1	Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen-1
2503-A-2	Little John Henry
2503-B	John Henry
2504-A	John Henry
2504-B	Eva

Washington, D.C.    August 23, 1940
Huddie Ledbetter:   vocal/guitar/speech-l/unaccompanied-2; Alan Lomax:   speech-3

4469-A-(a)	Monologue on T.B.-1,3
4469-A-1	Last Night in the Evening
4469-A-2	T.B. Blues
4469-A-3	How Long?
4469-A-4	When the Train Comes Along
4469-B-(a)	Monologue on Square Dances (or) Sooky Jumps-1,3
4469-B-1	Po' Howard
4469-B-2	Dance Calls (including "A Dollar Bill: Baby Won't You Buy Any Shoes")
4469-B-3	Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil in It
4469-B-4	Tight Like That
4469-B-5	Green Corn
4470-A-(a)	Monologue On (The) Blues-1,2.3
4470-A-1	Sail On, Little Girl
4470-A-2	Red Cross Sto'-2
4470-B-(a)	Monologue on the Mourner's Bench-1,2,3
4470-B-1	Hallelujah-2
4470-B-2	Backslider, Fare You Well-2
4470-B-3	Amazing Grace-2
4470-B-4	Must I Be Carried to the Sky on Flowered Beds of Ease?-2
4470-B-5	Amazing Grace-2
4470-B-6	Down in the Valley to Pray-2
447 I-A-1	Meeting at the Building-2
4471-A-2	When That Train Comes Along-2
4471-A-3	The Blood Done Signed My Name-2
4471-A-4	Witness for My Lord-2
4471-A-5	Outshine the Sun-2
4471-B-1	Let It Shine on Me
4471-B-2	Way Over in the Promised Land
4471-B-3	Oh, Something on My Mind
4471-B-4	How Long?
4471-B-5	Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
4471-B-6	Ain't Goin' Study War No More
4471-B-7	Join the Band
4471-B-8	Old Time Religion
4471-B-9	Stand Your Test in Judgement
4471-B-10	Must I Be Carried to the Sky on Flowered Beds of Ease?
4472-A-1	Run, Sinners-2
4472-A-2	Ride On
4472-A-3	Prayer-1,2
4472-A-4	Christmas-1,2
4472-A-5	John Henry
4472-B-1	John Hardy
4472-B-2	Howard Hughes
4472-B-3	Bottle Up and Go
4472-B-4	Cowboy Song
4473-A-1	Leaving Blues
4473-A-2	The Roosevelt Song
4473-A-3	The Scottsboro Boys
4473-A-4	Don't You Love Me No More?
4473-B-1	Noted Rider Blues
4473-B-2	The Gallows Song
4473-B-3	So Doggone Soon
4473-B-4	Ham and Eggs-2
4473-B-5	Bottle Up and Go [fragment]

City College of New York    January 20, 1942
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar

6407-A-1	Dear Mr. President
6407-A-2	President Roosevelt
6407-B-1	Mr. Hitler

Washington, D.C    May 11, 1942
Huddie Ledbetter   vocal/guitar; Brownie McGhee   - guitar; Sonny Terry - harmonica

6502-A-3	How Long
6502-B-1	T.B. Blues

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 16, 2011, 03:30:16 PM

Quote from: Bunker Hill on April 16, 2011, 11:32:02 AM

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.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 16, 2011, 04:10:24 PM

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.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 16, 2011, 07:06:35 PM

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?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on April 17, 2011, 12:20:45 AM

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.

Lawrence Cohn

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 17, 2011, 09:43:52 AM

Quote from: misterjones on April 16, 2011, 07:06:35 PM

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.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 17, 2011, 10:59:16 AM

Thanks, but this might be limited to volumes 1-3.  That's better than nothing, though.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 17, 2011, 09:33:54 PM

I've managed to line up virtually all of the listed LOC recordings with the various Rounder and Document CDs.  At some point, I'll type up my notes an post the results.  For now, I'll note the following:

There are six Rounder CDs and six Document CDs containing Leadbelly LOC material, as follows:

ROUNDER
Midnight Special (Volume 1)
Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (Volume 2)
Let It Shine on Me (Volume 3)
Titanic (Volume 4)
Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (Volume 5)
Go Down Old Hannah (Volume 6)

DOCUMENT
Field Recordings Volume 5: Louisiana, Texas, Bahamas (1933-1940)
The Remaining ARC and Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 1 (1934-1935)
The Remaining Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 2 (1935)
The Remaining Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 3 (1935)
The Remaining Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 4 (1935-1938)
The Remaining Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 5 (1938-1942)

The liner notes to Rounder Vol.1 indicates that it is the first in a "comprehensive" three volume set.  The Rounder collection was neither, being six volumes and obviously not even being comprehensive as a six-volume set.  (The 12-LP Document set could not have been comprehensive either, as the material on the Rounder and Document CDs, which, save for two or three songs, do not overlap at all, would combine for significantly more than 12 LPs.)  

As was noted, the Rounder CDs, which are not chronological, likely "cherry picked" what Rounder thought were the best songs.  The first volume concentrates on Leadbelly's early work (mid-1934 through January 1935).  The second volume includes five 1935 works then takes the rest from 1937, 1938 and 1940.  All but one of the Volume 3 songs are from the August 1940 session.  Presumably, the original idea was to end there, but apparently a subsequent decision was made to add more volumes.  Volume 4 seems to return to where Volume 1 left off, taking all but one selection from 1934 and (mostly) January 1935.  Similarly, Volume 5 retraces Volume 2's steps, taking eight songs from March 1935 and the rest from 1937 and 1938.  And again, Volume 6 (like Volume 3) takes all but one song from the August 1940 session.

The Document CDs fill in virtually all of the gaps left by Rounder.  Field Recordings Volume 5 has the 1933 session (entirely ignored by Rounder) and some of the July 1934 songs.  The Remaining ARC and Library of Congress Recordings ? Volume 1 (1934-1935) picks up where Field Recordings Volume 5 leaves off, but adds 12 ARC 1935 recordings at the end.  The remaining Document CDs are all LOC recordings.  They are chronologically ordered.  Only a few songs are missing.

As far as assessing the quality, there are at least two songs that are on both collections.  And, of course, both include songs from the same sessions, so a comparison of sorts can be made in that respect.  I'll leave that for some other time, though.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 18, 2011, 06:16:27 AM

Quote from: misterjones on April 17, 2011, 09:33:54 PM

The liner notes to Rounder Vol.1 indicates that it is the first in a "comprehensive" three volume set.  The Rounder collection was neither, being six volumes and obviously not even being comprehensive as a six-volume set.  (The 12-LP Document set could not have been comprehensive either, as the material on the Rounder and Document CDs, which, save for two or three songs, do not overlap at all, would combine for significantly more than 12 LPs.)  

Actually, the Document LP series was nearly comprehensive. If you look at Blues & Gospel Records 4th Ed., the Document LPs cover all of Leadbelly's Library of Congress recordings save 10 titles or so, and cover far more than Rounder. So it seems possible to me now that <PURE SPECULATION> Rounder issued some kind of cease and desist, or some other lawyerly shenanigan, to Document, </PURE SPECULATION> and the LoC recordings now available on Document CDs cover those titles that did not appear on Rounder, perhaps with a few exceptions as you note.

I've got the above discographical lists in a table and have added the Document CD numbers for each track. Won't have time to post them for a bit but they're done. Rounder's another story.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 18, 2011, 06:37:42 AM

I realized I can post the Excel sheet right away for anyone who wanted to fill in Rounder disc numbers in column D.  :P  The code in column F is for posting on the forum and later Weeniepedia, so can be ignored for now.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 18, 2011, 07:33:43 AM

Quote from: uncle bud on April 18, 2011, 06:16:27 AM

Actually, the Document LP series was nearly comprehensive. If you look at Blues & Gospel Records 4th Ed., the Document LPs cover all of Leadbelly's Library of Congress recordings save 10 titles or so, and cover far more than Rounder. So it seems possible to me now that <PURE SPECULATION> Rounder issued some kind of cease and desist, or some other lawyerly shenanigan, to Document, </PURE SPECULATION> and the LoC recordings now available on Document CDs cover those titles that did not appear on Rounder, perhaps with a few exceptions as you note.

I've got the above discographical lists in a table and have added the Document CD numbers for each track. Won't have time to post them for a bit but they're done. Rounder's another story.

I recall reading that there were 12 Document LPs.  I haven't seen the track listing for the Document LPs, so my statement was merely based on the assumption that one could not fit 11 CDs worth of material on 12 LPs.

Legal shenanigans are always possible, but my guess is that Rounder just bought the rights to the recordings from whoever purported to own the copyright and/or "work product" of the material and issued what they wanted to issue.  I wouldn't be surprised if Document - far from being told to cease-and-desist - directly sold the rights to their masters to Rounder and later "re-issued" all that was left over.  Of course, there might have been others involved - the Leadbelly estate, Alan Lomax, and the Library of Congress itself - so the deal might have been far more complicated.

In any event, I think I can supply the information indicating where the various songs appear on Rounder.  Just let me know where I need to go to do so (unless you'd just prefer an e-mail including a list of my results).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 18, 2011, 08:29:31 AM

I'm not sure Document would actually own the rights to any of the recordings they've reissued.

For the Rounder titles, if you have Excel, you can download the sheet I attached above and enter the Rounder disc number in the Rounder column (column D).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on April 18, 2011, 08:32:03 AM

Quote from: misterjones on April 18, 2011, 07:33:43 AM

I recall reading that there were 12 Document LPs.

Yes you read it earlier in this discussion, they were issued in 1990 in one batch.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 18, 2011, 09:13:12 AM

Quote from: uncle bud on April 18, 2011, 08:29:31 AM

I'm not sure Document would actually own the rights to any of the recordings they've reissued.

For the Rounder titles, if you have Excel, you can download the sheet I attached above and enter the Rounder disc number in the Rounder column (column D).

Not "rights" in the sense of copyright, but rather the work a company puts into assembling and remastering the music.  Even with public domain works, this can have legally protectible value.  I was thinking more along the lines of Rounder purchasing or leasing Document's mastertapes to use as the basis for their CDs.

The copyright is more complicated.  I know John Lomax listed himself as the creator/co-creator of some of the songs and certainly Leadbelly (actually his estate) could still possess performance rights in the music.  The music also could have been considered a work-for-hire by the LOC, giving the government an interest in the music.  And who knows who assigned or sold what to whom over the years.

I have Excel and will give it a shot.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 20, 2011, 11:56:21 AM

Here's the spreadsheet with the Rounder designations added.  The designations are as follows:
RCD-1044 = Midnight Special (Volume 1)
RCD-1045 = Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (Volume 2)
RCD-1046 = Let It Shine on Me (Volume 3)
RCD-1097 = Titanic (Volume 4)
RCD-1098 = Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (Volume 5)
RCD-1099 = Go Down Old Hannah (Volume 6)

Perhaps a key with the desgnations is in order.

Also:
(1) I took the liberty of adding DOCD-5579 to 120-A-6, 120-A-7 and 120-B-5, because they appear to be included on that CD.
(2) Should "Soldier in the Army of My Lord" be added to the 8/23/40 session?  It is on DOCD-5595 and they list it as "4471-A-4(a)" after "Witness for My Lord-2".
(3) Because there were no discographical details for the last three Rounders (and none that I otherwise could find), I applied common sense to determine which tracks were included.  It was relatively easy, as Rounder clearly seems to have followed a chronological course.  In one instance ("Amazing Grace-2"), I couldn't tell which version was used.  I put a "?" after the two versions.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 20, 2011, 07:21:27 PM

Great, will start revising the lists.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 20, 2011, 09:27:39 PM

Quote from: misterjones on April 20, 2011, 11:56:21 AM

(3) Because there were no discographical details for the last three Rounders (and none that I otherwise could find), I applied common sense to determine which tracks were included.  It was relatively easy, as Rounder clearly seems to have followed a chronological course.  In one instance ("Amazing Grace-2"), I couldn't tell which version was used.  I put a "?" after the two versions.

I was able find additional details on the Rounder tracks, and they check out as I indicated.  Regarding "Amazing Grace", it is the earlier version (4470-B-3)that is on RCD-1099, so you can delete the two question marks and the designation listed for the subsequent version (4470-B-5).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 21, 2011, 07:34:10 AM

Quote from: misterjones on April 20, 2011, 11:56:21 AM

Here's the spreadsheet with the Rounder designations added.  The designations are as follows:
RCD-1044 = Midnight Special (Volume 1)
RCD-1045 = Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (Volume 2)
RCD-1046 = Let It Shine on Me (Volume 3)
RCD-1097 = Titanic (Volume 4)
RCD-1098 = Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (Volume 5)
RCD-1099 = Go Down Old Hannah (Volume 6)

Perhaps a key with the desgnations is in order.

Yes, definitely. Will do this at the formatting stage, after the data is dealt with.

Quote

Also:
(1) I took the liberty of adding DOCD-5579 to 120-A-6, 120-A-7 and 120-B-5, because they appear to be included on that CD.

I don't have this disc so was going by what Document lists on their website, where these titles are not shown as being included. Not that that means a whole lot. But where did you see they are indeed included?

Quote

(2) Should "Soldier in the Army of My Lord" be added to the 8/23/40 session?  It is on DOCD-5595 and they list it as "4471-A-4(a)" after "Witness for My Lord-2".

I'll add it in. With that accession number, it looks like "Soldier in the Army of My Lord" (4471-a-4[a]) was recorded on the same cut as "Witness for My Lord", hence the [a]. Document separates them into individual tracks of about a minute each. Basically, all of 4471-A was Lomax recording Leadbelly singing a series of 5 unaccompanied religious "shouts" one after another.

Quote

(3) Because there were no discographical details for the last three Rounders (and none that I otherwise could find), I applied common sense to determine which tracks were included.  It was relatively easy, as Rounder clearly seems to have followed a chronological course.  In one instance ("Amazing Grace-2"), I couldn't tell which version was used.  I put a "?" after the two versions.

I was able find additional details on the Rounder tracks, and they check out as I indicated.  Regarding "Amazing Grace", it is the earlier version (4470-B-3)that is on RCD-1099, so you can delete the two question marks and the designation listed for the subsequent version (4470-B-5).

Where did you end up finding the additional discographical info in the end?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 21, 2011, 09:12:57 AM

Quote from: uncle bud on April 21, 2011, 07:34:10 AM

[1]  I don't have this disc so was going by what Document lists on their website, where these titles are not shown as being included. Not that that means a whole lot. But where did you see they are indeed included?

[2]  Where did you end up finding the additional discographical info in the end?

Regarding [1] - Not that it is definitive, but Amazon lists them as being included in track 3.

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Recordings-Vol-Louisiana-1933-1940/dp/B000006NLB/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1303401709&sr=1-5

UPDATE - Actually, I initially saw it here:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Field-Recordings-Volume-5-Louisiana-Texas-Bahamas-1933-1940/release/2580551

Regarding [2] - I have downloaded versions of almost all of Volumes 4-6 and I noticed the numbers are listed next to the song titles.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on April 23, 2011, 01:09:17 AM

It looks like Rounder missed an opportunity by not including the stupendous (both in performance and sound quality) 9.50 minute Leavin' On The Morning Train. Perhaps the compilers regarded the length as detrimental. It was on Vol.9 in the Document LP series and fortunately somebody at JSP had the good sense to include it in their 2006 CD box set Leadbelly & the Library of Congress 1934-1939 (JSP 7764).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on April 23, 2011, 08:50:45 AM

Thanks for the info.  To clarify a bit, the JSP set is called "Important Recordings 1934-1949" and only disc A contains LOC material (with the title you note).

http://www.discogs.com/Leadbelly-Important-Recordings-1934-1949/release/1018965

I suppose those recordings could be included in the Leabelly LOC index.  (I don't have the set you are referring to, though.)  The particular song you mention is included in the Document series (vol. 4, track 22).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on August 02, 2011, 10:39:58 AM

Thought I'd bump this in light of the PWB posting a link to John Cowley?s revised version of his 1991 Blues & Rhythm article in downloadable, PDF form

http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/view/author/Cowley=3AJohn=3A=3A.html

In its day this article received much critical acclaim.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: dj on August 02, 2011, 11:57:59 AM

Quote

In its day this article received much critical acclaim.

As should the revised version today.  The article is a Leadbelly fan's/discographer's dream.  If you're trying to figure out how to get Leadbelly's complete LoC recordings, this article will tell you how to do it.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on August 08, 2011, 03:06:27 PM

Here's a link to an 1991 Blues and Rhythm article by John Cowley on Leadbelly's Library of Congress recordings. It is a direct link to a PDF:

http://sas-space.sas.ac.uk/3092/1/Cowley_-_Leadbelly_-_1991.pdf

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Blind Arthur on August 10, 2011, 03:43:54 AM

Thank you very much for the link, uncle bud :)

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on August 10, 2011, 07:15:43 PM

Quote from: dj on August 02, 2011, 11:57:59 AM

If you're trying to figure out how to get Leadbelly's complete LoC recordings, this article will tell you how to do it.

Or - if you're like me and you're not too interested in his 1940-42 work and prefer no song duplication - go with Rounder 1044, 1045, 1097 and 1098 and create further compilations from the relevant Document CDs of the best versions of songs not appearing on the Rounder CDs (about 40 additional songs from 1934 to 1938).  Makes for a solid (though not complete) collection.  My guess is Rounder would have basically done that had they decided (or been allowed) to issue additional CDs.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on August 10, 2011, 08:11:00 PM

Not sure how I missed two posts that already referred to the Cowley article. Oh well.  :P

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: LD50 on August 12, 2011, 10:21:15 AM

I'm more of a fan of the stuff he recorded for ARC around 1935, when they were trying to market him as a commercial 'blues singer'. Tho I realize this is a minority view.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on August 12, 2011, 11:08:27 AM

I've been thinking I should revisit the ARC recordings.  I have done this many times, but I always have concluded I did not like them.  Leadbelly seems to shout too much.  Perhaps the mike is just too close.

The recordings I recall listening to are the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Leadbelly/dp/B0000024W1/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_14

http://www.amazon.com/King-12-String-Guitar-Leadbelly/dp/B0000027DD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313172361&sr=1-1

I believe both of these are 1935 ARC recordings.  Is there a better version?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: LD50 on August 12, 2011, 11:56:52 AM

Quote from: misterjones on August 12, 2011, 11:08:27 AM

I've been thinking I should revisit the ARC recordings.  I have done this many times, but I always have concluded I did not like them.  Leadbelly seems to shout too much.  Perhaps the mike is just too close.

The recordings I recall listening to are the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Leadbelly/dp/B0000024W1/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_14

http://www.amazon.com/King-12-String-Guitar-Leadbelly/dp/B0000027DD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313172361&sr=1-1

I believe both of these are 1935 ARC recordings.  Is there a better version?

That first album is the one I have. I don't know what the sound on the Sony is like -- they sometimes screw up their albums with too much noise reduction.

I had the impression that Leadbelly always shouted, regardless of who was recording him. Am I mistaken?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on August 12, 2011, 02:09:48 PM

Yes, but I find the shouting less noticeable (and, for my tastes, less irritating) on the LOC tracks.  Maybe the Lomaxes' less sophisticated equipment required keeping the noise extremes to a minimum and they told Leadbelly to soften up his vocal delivery a bit.  Perhaps they just miked the recordings more distantly than ARC.  Just guessing.  (I've read the reason they didn't want Louis Armstrong's early recordings to include drums was the fear that the beats would make the recording needle jump out of the track.  So they used those stupid cymbals instead.  I never understood this reasoning, since Jelly Roll Morton used drums on his early recordings and they seemed to work out OK.)

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: CF on August 12, 2011, 06:50:16 PM

I'm a big fan of the ARC recordings. Leadbelly's playing is top notch. You get most of the sessions with those CDs you guys listed above. The later 'King of the 12 String' has the superior sound IIRC.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: misterjones on August 13, 2011, 10:21:49 AM

It appears you definitely need "King of the 12 String Guitar".  The above-referenced discography indicates that all but three of its tracks are not available elsewhere.  There is significant overlap between Columbia's "Leadbelly" CD (Co CK 30035) and Document's "remaining" LOC/ARC recordings, volume one (DOCD 5591).  I suppose the choice between the latter two would come down to sound quality.

I see many ARC recordings are listed as unissued and there is no indication of any release (78, LP or CD).  Do these even exist?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: LD50 on August 13, 2011, 10:35:05 AM

Quote from: misterjones on August 13, 2011, 10:21:49 AM

I see many ARC recordings are listed as unissued and there is no indication of any release (78, LP or CD).  Do these even exist?

Excellent question. Judging from D&G, most of the Leadbelly ARC tracks that have been issued on LP & CD were never issued on 78, but maybe half the tracks he recorded for them STILL haven't seen the light of day anywhere. It'd be nice if someone could do a proper Leadbelly ARC discography, since I'm not sure D&G is fully up to date for this.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: dj on August 13, 2011, 01:29:56 PM

Quote

I never understood this reasoning, since Jelly Roll Morton used drums on his early recordings and they seemed to work out OK.)

Armstrong recorded for Okeh, Morton for Victor.  In the teens and 20s, the Victor engineers and recording facilities were generally considered the best in the business.  Plus, a lot would depend on the individual drummer. 

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: banjochris on August 15, 2011, 10:23:38 AM

I'm not sure that needle jumping thing was a problem by the time electrical recording came around (and I know we're getting off topic) but maybe someone with more knowledge can jump in. Pretty sure all of the Red Hot Peppers were electrical recordings, but I don't know about the Hot Fives/Sevens.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: dj on August 15, 2011, 10:40:33 AM

All the Hot Five recordings through November 1926 were acoustic.  The remaining Hot Fives/Hot Sevens were recorded electrically.  It's my understanding (which means I could be wrong) that though the advent of electric recording was a great leap forward, it took a few years before recording engineers really figured out how to handle instruments like drums and string bass.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: banjochris on August 17, 2011, 10:01:28 AM

Thanks for the info, dj. And I think you're right, but the Victor engineers sure managed it (especially with bass) on the Morton sides.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: LD50 on August 17, 2011, 03:47:12 PM

Quote from: misterjones on August 12, 2011, 11:08:27 AM

I've been thinking I should revisit the ARC recordings.  I have done this many times, but I always have concluded I did not like them.  Leadbelly seems to shout too much.  Perhaps the mike is just too close.

The recordings I recall listening to are the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Leadbelly/dp/B0000024W1/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_14

http://www.amazon.com/King-12-String-Guitar-Leadbelly/dp/B0000027DD/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1313172361&sr=1-1

I just bought the 2nd album. After comparing the two, I can attest that there is actually extremely little overlap between them, since almost all the titles duplicated between the two (like a quarter of them) are in fact alternate takes. Looks like Sony specifically designed the album not to duplicate the Columbia release.

Together I think that those two albums contain all the Leadbelly ARC material that's ever been released. It may well be all that survives.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: alyoung on August 18, 2011, 08:11:28 AM

My understanding is that the Document LPs came first, then Rounder cherry-picked the best of the LofC recordings for its set. So when Document put out its CDs it followed its declared practice of not duplicating material available elsewhere, and issued only the material that was not on the Rounder set. And that's why they are "remaining" -- the remaining tracks not issued on Rounder. FWIW, I've got the LPs and intend to stick with them unless some one can tell me that CD sound repro is dramatically better.   

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Bunker Hill on August 18, 2011, 08:25:47 AM

Welcome Alan Young.

From your post above I'm fairly certain that you must be the author of The Pilgrim Jubilees (2001) and Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life (1997).

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: alyoung on August 19, 2011, 08:29:04 AM

Y'all got me. Quick as that. That was my first post. To whom do I have the pleasure....?

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: Rivers on August 20, 2011, 04:08:46 PM

Hey Al, Mark here, formerly of Laingholm NZ, now in Austin TX, great to see you on here.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: nutzaboutleadbelly on May 09, 2012, 11:30:06 AM

Hello People  :)

Only just joined so sorry if I cover anything already covered.

I some time ago worked out what I'm sure are the matrix numbers missing from volume four and five & Six of the Rounder Library Of Congress Recordings: -

The Titanic (Volume Four)
01 - Blind Lemon Blues - [123-A]
02 - Mr Tom Hughes' Town - [246-B-1]
03 - Shreveport Jail - [250-B-1]
04 - Don't You Love Me No More - [143-A]
05 - Henry Ford Blues - [143-B]
06 - Julie Ann Johnson - [44-B-2]
07 - Angola Blues (So Doggone Soon) - [51-A]
08 - Dallas And Fort Worth Blues - [130-A]
09 - Mary Don't You Weep - [131-A]
10 - Easy Mr Tom - [134-A]
11 - I Ain't Bothered A Bit - [134-B]
12 - Boll Weevil - [135-A]
13 - Titanic - [136-A]
14 - Red Cross Sto' - [138-B]
15 - Fo' Day Worry Blues - [140-B]
16 - Hesitation Blues - [141-A-1]
17 - Take Me Back - 141-A-2]
18 - Tight Like That - 142-A]
19 - Sail On Little Girl - [4470-A-1]

(Note: - The Numbers After Each Song Title Are The Matrix Numbers Assigned By The Library Of Congress)

RECORDIND DATES & PLACES
Track 1 was recorded at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola, 1st July 1934
Track 2 was recorded at the State farm, Tucker, Arkansas, 1st October 1934
Track 3 was recorded at Bellwood Prison Camp, Atlanta, Georgia, 12th December 1934
Tracks 4 & 5 were recorded in Wilton, Connecticut, 20th January 1935
Track 6 was recorded in Wilton, Connecticut, 21st January 1935
Track 7 to 18 were recorded in Wilton, Connecticut, 13th February 1935
Track 19 was recorded in Washington, DC, 23rd August, 1940

Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen (Volume Five)
01 - Ho day - [48-A-1]
02 - One Dollar Bill Baby ? [48-A-2]
03 ? Aint Goin? Down To The well No more ? [48-B]
04 ? Shorty George ? [150-A]
05 ? Ha Ha Thisaway ? [151-A]
06 ? Were De Sun Dun gone ? [153-A]
07 ? Bring Me A Li?l water Sylvy ? [153-B]
08 ? Monkey Men ? [995-A]
09 ? I Ain?t Gonna Ring Dem Yallow Womens Do? Bells ? [995-B-1]
10 ? Rock Island line ? [995-B-2]
11 ? Billy The weaver ? [157-B-2]
12 ? Ain?t Goin To drink No Mo ? [996-B]
13 ? New York City ? [997-A]
14 ? The Hindenburg Disaster ? [998-B-1]
15 - The Hindenburg Disaster ? [998-B-2]
16 ? Git On Board ? [2021-B]
17 ? Outshine The Sun ? [2502-A-2]
18 ? Nobody Knows The Trouble I?ve Seen ? [2503-A-1]
19 ? Little John Henry ? [2503-A-2]


Track 18 Features Vocals By Ledbelly & Martha Ledbetter.

(Note: - The Numbers After Each Song Title Are The Matrix Numbers Assigned By The Library Of Congress)

RECORDING PLACES AND DATES
Tracks 1 & 2 Were Recorded In Wilton, Connecticut, 1st March 1935
Tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 11 Were Recorded In Wilton, Connecticut During March 1935
Tracks 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14 & 15 Were Recorded In Washington, DC, 22nd June 1937
Track 16 Was Recored In New York Sometime During December 1938
Tracks 17, 18 & 19 Were Recorded In New York 26th December 1938

Go Down Old Hannah (Volume Six)
01 - T.B. Blues ? [4469-A-2]
02 - How Long? ? [4469-A-3]
03 - When The Train Comes Along ? [4469-A-4]
04 - Monologue On Square Dances Or Sookey Jumps ? [4469-B-(a)]
05 - Monologue On The Blues ? [4470-A-(a)]
06 - Amazing Grace ? [4470-B-3] or [4470-B-5]
07 - Old Time Religion ? [4471-B-8]
08 - Stand Your Test In Judgement ? [4471-B-9]
09 - Christmas (monologue) ? [4472-A-4]
10 - John Henry ? [4472-A-5]
11 - John Hardy ? [4472-B-1]
12 - Go Down Old Hannah ? [50-B]
13 - Oh, Something On My Mind ? [4471-B-3]
14- How Long? ? [4471-B-4]
15 - Swing Low Sweet Chariot ? [4471-B-5]
16 - Ain't Gonna Study War No More ? [4471-B-6]
17 - Join The Band ? [4471-B-7]
18 ? Prayer ? [4472-A-3]

Note: - Although I Have Been Able To Work Out Where Most Of The Tracks Come From, Amazing Grace Was Recorded Twice During The Same Session, I Am unable To determine Which One Of The two Versions Recorded Was Used On This CD.

(Note: - The Numbers After Each Song Title Are The Matrix Numbers Assigned By The Library Of Congress)

RECORDING PLACES AND DATES
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 Were Recorded In Washington, DC, 23rd August 1940
Track 12 Was Recorded In Wilton, Connecticut, During March 1935

I am also at the moment trying to list all the recordings that have been released by Leadbelly and where they can be found. If anyone is interested in what I've been working on or think they have any unreleased or very rare recordings by Leadbelly please get in touch. I'm always happy to hear from fellow music lovers  :) ;) :)

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: CF on April 11, 2014, 07:07:15 PM

JSP released a second 4 volume Leadbelly collection in February & it's supposed to have stuff never released on CD so maybe it's some of those titles that are only on the Document LPs. Hope so.

http://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Leadbelly-Selected-Sides-1934-1948-Volume-2-4CD-163405 (http://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Leadbelly-Selected-Sides-1934-1948-Volume-2-4CD-163405)

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: uncle bud on April 20, 2014, 09:04:03 AM

Anyone tried to figure out whether some of these tracks are indeed new to CD yet? I haven't but several titles aren't ringing a bell with me from my Leadbelly collection. Not that that means anything, and there's so many titles in his discography.

Title: Re: Leadbelly's Library of Congress Recordings
Post by: CF on April 20, 2014, 09:16:02 AM

Andrew, nope, looks like JSP are being dishonest here, all titles on the set are available on either the Document or the Rounder releases