# The Asch Recordings

The Asch Recordings, recorded between 1944 and 1949, are a series of albums featuring some of the most famous recordings of US folk musician Woody Guthrie. These sessions were recorded by Moses "Moe" Asch in New York City.

## Background

The songs recorded by Asch comprise the bulk of Guthrie's original material and several traditional songs. They were issued on a variety of labels over the years under the labels Asch, Asch-Stinson, Asch-Signature-Stinson, Disc, Folkways and Smithsonian Folkways. The tracks for Guthrie's Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child and Nursery Days were from these sessions.
Many recordings have unknown session dates. These are included in a list available at the United States Library of Congress titled "Surviving Recordings in the Smithsonian Folklife Archive Made by Woody Guthrie for Moses Asch". Moe Asch says Woody's kids songs were recorded sometime in early 1947 and the Sacco and Vanzetti ballads were recorded January 1947.

## Folkways volumes

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic Volume 1 | |
| Allmusic Volume 2 | |
| Allmusic Volume 3 | |
| Allmusic Volume 4 | |
The Smithsonian Folkways label repackaged and arranged these sessions in a series of 4 discs between 1997 and 1999. The first volume focuses on Guthrie's original compositions, the second on folk and country covers, the third on topical songs, and the fourth on cowboy and western music.
| Year | Title | Record Label |
| 1997 | This Land Is Your Land, The Asch Recordings, Vol.1 | Smithsonian Folkways |
| 1997 | Muleskinner Blues, The Asch Recordings, Vol.2 | Smithsonian Folkways |
| 1998 | Hard Travelin', The Asch Recordings, Vol.3 | Smithsonian Folkways |
| 1999 | Buffalo Skinners, The Asch Recordings, Vol.4 | Smithsonian Folkways |

## List of songs

* Note: A blank cell below a date indicates that the date is repeated on that row.
| Title | Catalogue No. | Recording Date | Notes / Instrument |
| "Hard Ain't It Hard" | LM-1 | April 16, 1944 | |
| "More Pretty Girls Than One" | LM-2 | | |
| "Golden Vanity" | MA 1 | April 19, 1944 | Recordings on this date w/ Cisco Houston |
| "When the Yanks Go Marching In" | MA 2 | | |
| So Long, It's Been Good to Know You | MA3 | | |
| Dollar Down Dollar a Week | MA4 | | |
| Hen Cackle | MA5 | | |
| I Ain't Got Nobody | MA6 | | |
| Ida Red | MA7 | | |
| Columbus Stockade | MA8 | | |
| Whistle Blowing | MA9 | | |
| John Henry | MA10 | | |
| Hammer Ring ("Union Hammer") | MA11 | | |
| Muleskinner Blues ("New Road Line") | MA12 | | |
| What are We Waiting On ("Bloody Fight") | LM-2 | | |
| More Pretty Girls Than One | MA13 | | |
| Ship in the Sky ("My Daddy") | MA14 | | |
| The Biggest Thing Man Has Ever Done | MA15 | | |
| Stewball | MA16 | | |
| Grand Coulee Dam | MA17 | | |
| Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine") | MA18 | | |
| Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine") | MA19 | | |
| Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine") | MA20 | | |
| New York Town ("My Town") | MA21 | | |
| Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine") | MA22 | | |
| Reckless Talk | MA23 | | |
| Reckless Talk | MA24 | | |
| Last Nickel Blues | MA25 | | |
| Guitar Rag | MA26 | | |
| Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet ("Don't Need No Man") | MA27 | | |
| (Those) Brown Eyes | MA28 | | |
| Chisholm Trail | MA29 | | |
| Sowing on the Mountains | MA30 | | |
| Sowing on the Mountains | MA31 | | |
| Right Now | MA32 | | |
| Train-Harmonica | MA33 | | |
| Sally Don't You Grieve | MA34 | | |
| Take a Wiff on Me | MA35 | | |
| Philadelphia Lawyer | MA36 | | |
| Kissing On ("Gave Her Kisses") | MA37 | | |
| Little Darling | MA38 | | |
| Baltimore to Washington ("Troubles Too") | MA39 | | |
| Poor Boy | MA40 | | |
| Poor Boy | MA41 | | |
| Ain't Nobody's Business | MA42 | | |
| Take Me Back Babe | MA43 | | |
| Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues") | MA44 | | |
| Bed on the Floor | MA45 | | |
| One Big Union ("Join It Yourself") | MA46 | | |
| Worried Man Blues | MA47 | | |
| What Did the Deep Say? | MA48 | | |
| Foggy Mountain Top | MA49 | | |
| 21 Years | MA50 | | |
| Roving Gambler ("Gambling Man") | MA51 | | |
| Cindy | MA52 | | |
| Into Season | MA53 | | |
| Red River Valley | MA55 | | |
| Dead or Alive ("Poor Lazarus") | MA56 | | |
| Pretty Boy | MA57 | | |
| John Hardy | MA58 | | |
| Bad Lee Brown ("Cocaine Blues") | MA59 | | |
| Whistle Blowing | MA66 | | |
| Billy The Kid | MA67 | | |
| Stagger Lee | MA68 | | |
| Down Yonder | 674 | April 20, 1944 | |
| Guitar Blues | 675 | | |
| Harmonica Breakdown | 676 | | |
| Fox Chase | 677 | | |
| Train | 678 | | |
| Lost John | 679 | | |
| Pretty Baby | 680 | | |
| Old Dog a Bone | 681 | | |
| Turkey in the Straw | 687 | | |
| Give Me That Old Time Religion | 688 | | |
| Glory ("Walk and Talk with Jesus") | 689 | | |
| Hard Time Blues | 690 | | |
| Bus Blues | 691 | | |
| Devilish Mary | 692 | | |
| Cripple Creek | 693 | | |
| Sandy Land | 694 | | |
| Old Dan Tucker | 695 | April 24, 1944 | |
| Bile Them Cabbage Down | 696 | | |
| Old Joe Clark | 697 | | |
| Buffalo Girls | 698 | | |
| Rain Crow Bill | 699 | | |
| Skip to my Lou | 700 | | |
| Lonesome Train | 701, 702 | | |
| Blues, Harmonica Breakdown | 703, 704 | | |
| Harmonica Rag | 705,706 | | |
| Crawdad Hole | 707 | | |
| Bury Me Beneath the Willow | 708 | | |
| I Ride an Old Paint | 709 | | |
| Blue Eyes | 710 | | |
| Going Down the Road Feeling Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues") | 711 | | |
| Old Dog a Bone | 712 | | |
| Having Fun | 713 | | |
| Blues | 714 | | |
| Talking Fishing Blues | MA75 | April 25, 1944 | |
| Talking Sailor ("Talking Merchant Marine") | MA76 | | |
| Union Burial Ground | MA77 | | |
| Jesse James | MA78 | | |
| Rangers Command | MA79 | | |
| Sinking of the Ruben James | MA80 | | |
| Put My Little Shoes Away | MA81 | | |
| Picture From Life's Other Side | MA82 | | |
| Will You Miss Me | MA83 | | |
| Bed on the Floor | MA84 | | |
| 900 Miles | MA85 | | |
| Sourwood Mountain | MA86 | | |
| Hoecake Baking | MA87 | | |
| Ezekiel Saw the Wheel | MA88 | | |
| Little Darling | MA89 | | |
| Lonesome Day | MA90 | | |
| Cumberland Gap | MA91 | | |
| Fiddling Piece | MA92 | | |
| Carry Me Back to Old Virginny | MA93 | | |
| Step Stone | MA94 | | |
| House of the Rising Sun | MA96 | | |
| Browns Ferry Blues | MA98 | | |
| What Would You Give in Exchange For Your Soul? | MA99 | | |
| When That Ship Went Down | MA99-1 | | |
| Dust Bowl | MA100 | | |
| Guitar Rag | MA101 | | |
| I Ain't Got Nobody | MA102 | | |
| Going Down This Road Feeling Bad ("Lonesome Road Blues") | MA103 | | |
| Polly Wolly Doodle | MA104 | | |
| Guitar Rag | 1230 | | |
| Blowin' Down This Old Dusty Road | 1231 | | |
| Hey Lolly Lolly | MA105 | | |
| Budded Roses | MA106 | | |
| House of the Rising Sun | MA107 | | |
| I Don't Feel at Home in the Bowery | MA108 | | |
| Hobo's Lullaby | MA109 | | |
| Froggy Went a Courtin' | MA110 | | |
| Bad Reputation | MA111 | | |
| Snow Deer | MA112 | | |
| Ladies Auxiliary | MA113 | | |
| This Land is Your Land | MA114 | | |
| Hang Knot ("Slip Knot") | MA115 | | |
| Breakdown | MA116 | | |
| Go Tell Aunt Rhody | MA117 | | |
| Union Going to Roll | MA118 | | |
| Who Broke the Lock on the Hen House Door | MA119 | | |
| What Did the Deep Sea Say | MA120 | | |
| Strawberry Roan | MA121-1 | | |
| When the Yanks Go Marching in | MA122-1 | | |
| Bed on the Floor | MA123-1 | | |
| We Shall Be Free | MA124-1 | | |
| Right Now | MA125-1 | | |
| Jackhammer John | MA126-1 | | |
| Woody | MA127-1,127-2 | | |
| Keep Your Skillit Good and Greasy | MA129-1 | | |
| Home | MA130-1 | | |
| Lost You | MA131 | | |
| Slip Knot ("Hang Knot") | MA134 | | |
| Jesus Christ | MA135 | | |
| Hobo Bill | MA136 | | |
| Little Black Train | MA137 | | |
| Cannon Ball | MA138 | | |
| Gypsy Davy | MA139 | | |
| Bile Them Cabbage Down | MA140 | | |
| Woody | MA1240 | May 8, 1944 | |
| Get Along Little Dogies | 860 | March 1, 1945 | |
| Waltz | 861,862 | | |
| Union Breakdown | 863 | | |
| Cackling Hen | 864 | | |
| Chishom Trail | 865 | | |
| Bed on Your Floor | 866 | | |
| Rye Whiskey | 867 | | |
| Old Joe Clark | 868 | March 23, 1945 | |
| Long Way to France | 869 | | |
| Woody Blues | 870 | | |
| Down Yonder | 871 | | |
| Gal I Left Behind | 872 | | |
| Mean Talking Blues | 900 | May 24, 1945 | |
| 1913 Massacre | 901 | | |
| Ludlow Massacre | 902 | | |
| Buffalo Skinners | 903 | | |
| Harriet Tubman | 904,905 | | |
| Lindbergh | 106 | | |