LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 5 · 1944-1946 | DOCD-5311 (1994) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Austrian Document Records label continues its series of CDs presenting Leadbelly's commercial recordings in chronological order from 1939 with this fifth volume, which picks up at the end of the singer's series of recordings for Capitol Records in Los Angeles in October 1944. Although the next batch of performances (tracks three through 14) come from a live performance for children in San Francisco in February 1945 that was broadcast on the radio, they fit into the "commercial recordings" framework because the tape was later pressed onto a disc by Folkways Records. By June 1946, Leadbelly was back in New York doing informal sessions for Moses Asch, soon to found Folkways, though most of these tracks were issued on its predecessor, Disc Records. Here, the singer is joined by such friends as Brownie McGhee, Woody Guthrie, and Cisco Houston, as well as jazz musicians Willie "The Lion" Smith and George "Pops" Foster. Many of Leadbelly's better-known songs are included in these sessions (in many cases as re-recordings), among them "Irene, Goodnight," "John Henry" (two versions), "Boll Weevil," "Rock Island Line" (a version that served as a blueprint for Lonnie Donegan's hit cover), "Alabama Bound," and "Midnight Special." The singer is in prime shape, and his guitar playing is typically forceful. The tracks have been transferred from old vinyl discs, with hiss and crackles audible occasionally, but the sound quality is generally good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.        Sweet Mary Blues    2:55
2.        Grasshoppers In My Pillow    2:46
3.        Irene, Goodnight    1:22
4.        John Henry    3:59
5.        Boll Weevil    3:20
6.        When A Man's A Long Way From Home    3:00
7.        Good Morning Blues    2:51
8.        By And By When The Morning Comes    1:50
Medley    (3:23)
9a.        Everytime I Feel The Spirit    
9b.        Swing Low Sweet Chariot    
9c.        They Hung Him On The Cross    
10.        Swing Low Sweet Chariot    1:02
11.        Rock Island Line    2:30
12.        Julie Ann Johnson    3:20
13.        Haul Away Joe    2:19
14.        Christmas Is Coming    1:04
15.        We're In The Same Boat Brother    2:38
16.        Diggin' My Potatoes    2:33
17.        Defense Blues    3:16
18.        Easy Rider    2:47
19.        Pigmeat    2:16
20.        John Henry    2:20
21.        Alabama Bound    2:22
22.        Ham And Eggs    2:42
23.        Yellow Gal    2:23
24.        Stew Ball    2:27
25.        Gray Goose    1:33
26.        Midnight Special    2:12
27.        Green Corn    1:14
28.        Fiddler's Dram    2:27
Credits : 
Bass [String Bass] – Pops Foster (tracks: 16 to 19)
Chorus [Children Singing] – Unknown Artist (tracks: 5, 8, 9b, 9c, 15)
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Guitar – Brownie McGhee (tracks: 16 to 20)
Harmonica – Sonny Terry (tracks: 17, 18, 20)
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Piano – Willie "The Lion" Smith (tracks: 16 to 20)
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Trumpet, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Bass [String Bass], Drums – Unknown Artist (tracks: 7, 8)
Vocals, Guitar – Cisco Houston (tracks: 21 to 28), Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie (tracks: 21 to 28)

LEDBELLY — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order Volume 7 · 1947–1949 | DOCD-5640 RM (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The six earlier volumes in Austrian reissue label Document Records' unlicensed series of albums featuring Leadbelly's commercial recordings are given the date range of 1939 to 1947. But this seventh volume runs up to the year of Leadbelly's death, 1949, after having started with a couple of airchecks from a broadcast of the This Is Jazz radio series from June 14, 1947 ("Green Corn" and "John Henry"). These tracks are followed by four recorded for the Library of Congress, and the rest of the album consists of more radio broadcasts or concert performances that were issued on LPs by Folkways Records or, in the case of the last two, "Old Ship of Zion" and "I Will Be So Glad When I Get Home," from Playboy Records' album of one of the singer's last concert at the University of Texas on June 15, 1949. This is not really a "complete" account of Leadbelly's last couple of years of recording, since it deliberately excludes the material from the Folkways albums of Leadbelly's Last Sessions, because Smithsonian Folkways has reissued those tracks on CD recently. Rather, this is a kind of addendum of odds and ends. Still, it does present mature performances of some of Leadbelly's better-known songs, including "Pick a Bale of Cotton," "Go Down, Old Hannah," "Take This Hammer," and "Good Morning Blues." Of course, by the time of the University of Texas show, he was suffering from the effects of Lou Gehrig's disease, which would kill him in December, and he was joined by his wife, Martha, on the two spirituals, apparently included here because they were left off a CD reissue of the album by Magnum in Europe. Surface noise is audible on many tracks, but the overall sound is good. William Ruhlmann
Tracklist :
1.    Leadbelly–    Green Corn ("This Is Jazz" Broadcast)    0:54
2.    Leadbelly–    John Henry ("This Is Jazz" Broadcast)    2:58
3.    Leadbelly–    Tell Me Baby What Was Wrong With You    3:15
4.    Leadbelly–    Noted Rider    3:28
5.    Leadbelly–    Take A Whiff On Me    3:24
6.    Leadbelly–    Ox Driving Moan    2:39
7.    Leadbelly–    John Henry 3:09
Guitar [2nd], Speech – Brownie McGhee
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
8.    Leadbelly–    Pick A Bale Of Cotton 1:23
Guitar [2nd], Speech – Brownie McGhee
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
9.    Leadbelly–    Go Down, Old Hannah    2:04
10.    Leadbelly–    Ain't Going Down To The Well No More    1:05
11.    Leadbelly–    Shout On (Honey I'm All Out And Down) 2:09
Vocals – Sonny Terry
12.    Leadbelly–    It Was Soon One Morning    1:12
13.    Leadbelly–    Whoa Back Buck 2:09
Vocals – Sonny Terry
14.    Leadbelly–    Birmingham Jail (Down In The Valley)    1:48
15.    Leadbelly–    Take This Hammer    2:15
16.    Leadbelly–    It Was Early One Mornin' (Jail House Blues)    2:23
17.    Leadbelly–    Going Back To Mary (If I Had You Governor/Governor Pat Neff)    3:39
18.    Leadbelly–    Come And Sit Down Beside Me    1:02
19.    Leadbelly–    Ha, Ha This A Way    1:32
20.    Leadbelly–    You Can't Lose Me, Charlie    1:32
21.    Leadbelly–    Rooster Crows At Midnight (Christmas Day)    1:19
22.    Leadbelly–    Skip To My Lou    1:29
23.    Leadbelly–    Parting Song (When You Smile-o)    2:50
24.    Leadbelly–    Good Morning Blues (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:53
25.    Leadbelly–    Ain't Gonna Let You Worry My Life No More (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:16
26.    Leadbelly–    Pretty Papa (WNYC Jazz-Festival)    2:36
27.    Leadbelly With Martha Ledbetter–    Old Ship Of Zion (Live)    1:57
28.    Leadbelly With Martha Ledbetter–    I Will Be So Glad When I Get Home    2:07
Credits : 
Compiled By, Producer – Johnny Parth
Liner Notes – Ken Romanowski
Remastered By – Gerhard Wessely
Vocals – Leadbelly (tracks: 5, 10, 12), Martha Ledbetter (tracks: 27, 28)
Vocals, Guitar – Leadbelly (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11, 13 to 28)

BUDDY MOSS — Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order ★ Volume 3 • 1935-1941 | DOCD-5125 (1992) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This disc contains the Georgia Cotton Pickers songs on which Buddy Moss played on December 7, 1930. Although he is playing harmonica rather than guitar, they're necessary for any completists, and Bob's work is so closely related to Moss's music, that it's impossible to overlook any of it. Bruce Eder

Abridged from  the original booklet notes. By 1935 Buddy Moss’s star was definitely in the ascendency and with Blind Willie McTell moving to Decca the record company had in Moss an established artist with all the sales potential of McTell. In August he was recalled to the studio and, unlike the previous year, was back with an accompanist – Josh White. As such this alliance was probably one of convenience since White, another Piedmont artist, had been in the studio most of the year recording blues (as Pinewood Tom) and spirituals (as the Singing Christian). It was therefore a logical step to pair them. At one of these sessions White, in his Singing Christian guise, duetted with Moss. Despite all the positiveness on the part of the record company, Buddy Moss’s career was to suffer a serious setback. Alan Balfour Copyright 1992 Document Records  DOCD-5125
Tracklist :
1    Buddy Moss–    Gravy Server 2:53
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
2    Buddy Moss–    Going To Your Funeral In A Vee Eight Ford 3:00
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
3    Buddy Moss–    My Baby Won't Pay Me No Mind 3:02
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
4    Buddy Moss–    Undertaker Blues 3:10
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
5    Buddy Moss–    Oh Lordy Mama No. 2 3:05
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
6    Buddy Moss–    Worrysome Woman 3:04
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
7    Buddy Moss–    Your Hard Head Will Bring You Sorrow Some Day 2:53
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
8    Buddy Moss–    Can't Use You No More 3:08
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
9    Buddy Moss–    See What You Done Done 2:50
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
10    Buddy Moss–    Stop Hanging Around 3:18
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
11    Joshua White (The Singing Christian)–    On My Way 3:00
Vocals [vocal duet], Guitar [guitar duet] – Buddy Moss, Joshua White
12    Joshua White (The Singing Christian)–    How About You? 2:58
Vocals [vocal duet], Guitar [guitar duet] – Buddy Moss, Joshua White
13    Joshua White (The Singing Christian)–    Talking About My Time 2:55
Vocals [vocal duet], Guitar [guitar duet] – Buddy Moss, Joshua White
14    Buddy Moss–    You Got To Give Me Some Of It  3:08
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss, Joshua White
15    Buddy Moss–    Mistreated Boy 2:55
Guitar – Joshua White
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
16    Buddy Moss–    You Need A Woman 2:48
Guitar [possibly] – Brownie McGhee
Vocals, Guitar [possibly] – Buddy Moss
17    Buddy Moss–    Joy Rag 2:33
Piano – Brownie McGhee
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
Washboard [Either/Or] – Oh Red, Robert Young
18    Buddy Moss–    Little Angel Blues 2:44
Piano – Brownie McGhee
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
19    Buddy Moss–    Struggle Buggie 2:42
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
Washboard [Either/Or] – Oh Red, Robert Young
20    Buddy Moss–    I'm Sittin' Here Tonight 2:46
Harmonica – Sonny Terry
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
Washboard [Either/Or] – Oh Red, Robert Young
21    Buddy Moss–    Baby, You're The One For Me 2:44
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss
22    Buddy Moss–    Unfinished Business 2:48
Vocals, Guitar – Buddy Moss