The Best of the Vanguard Years

• Artist: Odetta
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 26, 1999
• Total Time: 68:41
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Folk

Review

Odetta began recording in the mid-'50s but her best known work (and easiest to find) is from her early-'60s stay with Vanguard Records, the period that this introductory compilation is drawn from, and these clear, uncluttered and focused tracks make a fine introduction to this dedicated singer. Odetta, like so many other great American singers, discovered her voice in church, but she also has a background in theater, so when the folk revival hit with commercial force in the '60s, she knew exactly how to present her traditional material in concert for the greatest dramatic effect, a trait that made her a striking figure on the scene. These recordings brim with sincerity and power and underscore the fact that Odetta, much like Harry Belafonte before her, works the artful end of folk song, interpreting to theatric taste rather than reproducing a facsimile of the source material. She remains a riveting and intellectually fulfilling performer, all of which comes through in this anthology. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Midnight Special	Traditional	Odetta	(3:21)
Cotton Fields	Leadbelly	Odetta	(3:21)
Special Delivery Blues	Traditional	Odetta	(2:37)
Rambling Round Your City	Woody Guthrie	Odetta	(4:02)
Cool Water	Bob Nolan	Odetta	(3:04)
Down on Me		Odetta	(2:55)
I've Been Driving on Bald Mountain/Water Boy	Avery Robinson	Odetta	(6:53)
Saro Jane		Odetta	(2:46)
Battle Hymn of the Republic	William Steffe, Julia Ward Howe	Odetta	(3:51)
If I Had a Hammer	Pete Seeger, Lee Hays	Odetta	(1:53)
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho	Traditional	Odetta	(2:20)
Meetin' at the Building	Traditional	Odetta	(2:35)
No More Auction Block	Traditional	Odetta	(2:17)
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child	Traditional	Odetta	(3:22)
Spoken Introduction: He Had a Long Chain On		Odetta	(6:22)
Another Man Done Gone	Alan Lomax, John A. Lomax, Vera Hall, Ruby Pickens Tartt	Odetta	(2:31)
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands	Traditional	Odetta	(2:05)
Make Me a Pallet on the Floor [#]	Traditional	Odetta	(3:21)
Livin' with the Blues [#]		Odetta	(3:39)
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out [#]	James Cox	Odetta	(2:12)
House of the Rising Sun [#]		Odetta	(3:14)

Credits

Odetta (Main Performer), Samuel Charters (Liner Notes), Bill Lee (Bass), Milton Okun (Conductor), Captain Jeff Zaraya (Engineer), Tom Vickers (Producer), David Gahr (Photography), Drew Cartwright (Design)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)