Cisco Houston - The Folkways Years 1944 To 1961 (c) 1994 Smithsonian Folkways
Artist....: Cisco Houston
Album.....: The Folkways Years 1944 To 1961
Type......: Album
Source....: CDDA
Tracks....: 29
Genre.....: Folk
Label.....: Smithsonian Folkways
Catalogue#: 40059
Encoder...: LAME 3.97
Quality...: VBR kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint-Stereo
URL.......: http://www.ciscohouston.com/CDs/folkways_years.shtml
Tracklist:
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01 I Ain't Got No Home 01:47
02 Hard Traveling 01:30
03 Rambling, Gambling Man 02:37
04 Hobo Bill 02:16
05 There's A Better World A-Comin' 02:02
06 The Strawberry Roan 03:16
07 The Great American Bum 01:46
08 The Intoxicated Rat 02:06
09 The Cat Came Back 02:17
10 The Frozen Logger 02:12
11 Pat Works On The Railroad 02:14
12 Dark As A Dungeon 02:36
13 Diamond Joe 02:27
14 The Girl In The Wood 03:03
15 Ship In The Sky 01:50
16 The Fox 01:56
17 What Did The Deep Blue Sea Say 02:40
18 Saint James Infirmary 03:04
19 Born 100,000 Years Ago 01:10
20 Pie In The Sky 03:12
21 Mysteries Of A Hobo's Life 01:14
22 900 Miles 03:37
23 Great July Jones 02:26
24 A Picture From Life's Other Side 02:56
25 Farmer's Lament 02:16
26 The Killer 04:41
27 I Ride An Old Paint 02:00
28 Zebra Du. 02:50
29 Passing Through 02:35
Total:54,9 MB / 70:36 min
Release Notes:
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This CD was commercially issued by The Smithsonian in 1994. That
wonderful Institute now owns all the old Folkways tapes and most of the
masters still existing for artists recorded by Moses Asch over 40
years. These performers laid down tracks beginning in the early '40's
which have been issued on a variety of labels in addition to Folkways,
including Asch, Stinson and Disc. On this compilation, there are a few
Woody Guthrie songs out of the 29 selections. Most are Cisco with
guitar, and there are also a couple of duets with Woody.
Except for a few tracks done for Decca between 1951 and 1952, and a
lengthy session for Vanguard in 1960, Cisco Houston did all of his
recording for Moses Asch's record labels, primarily for Folkways. This
comprehensive compilation packs 29 performances (eight of them
previously unreleased) into just over 70 minutes, revealing Houston to
be an unusually smooth-voiced folksinger with a straightforward
professionalism that earned him criticism for not sounding "authentic"
enough. Actually, Houston was so versatile that it's sometimes hard to
believe all of these recordings are by the same vocalist, especially
when he is fulfilling his best-known function of serving as a
high-voiced harmony singer behind his friend Woody Guthrie (for example
on "A Picture From Life's Other Side"). Houston's baritone, however,
which he usually employs when singing alone, proves a clear
interpretive device for his collection of folk songs, cowboy songs, and
topical material. Sound quality varies; the earliest tracks from the
1940s are crude recordings, while the later ones are better. Throughout
the album Houston remains a strong interpretive singer. Compiler Guy
Logsdon's liner notes are based on Houston's papers on file at the
Smithsonian along with other sources, and they paint one of the most
complete portraits yet of Houson's life and career, helping to make
this album the definitive survey of his work.