The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1-4
Poland-born, Brooklyn-reared producer and folk enthusiast Moses Asch maintained a suitably slack but ultimately productive relationship with Woody Guthrie. The notoriously unbound folksinger was free to stop by the New York studio unannounced and Asch would record whatever was running through the folksinger's fertile mind at the time. From the vast body of work the twosome came up with comes this cornerstone four-disc collection. All four CDs included inThe Asch Recordingshave been released individually--This Land is Your Land(something of a best-of set),Muleskinner Blues(a collection of the singer's old favorites),Hard Travelin'(a topical compilation), andBuffalo Skinners(Western-themed songs). If you have one or more of the aforementioned titles, finish off the set one by one. If you're interested in American folk music and you don't have the Guthrie/Asch collection, do yourself a favor and get it out of the box.--Steven Stolder