1. Po Lazarus - J Carter & The Prisoners 2. Big Rock Candy Mountain - Harry McLintock 3. You Are My Sunshine - Norman Blake 4. Down In The River To Pray 5. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow - Soggy Bottom Boys 6. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues - Chris Thomas King 7. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (inst.) - Norman Blake 8. Keep on the Sunny Side of Life - The Whites 9. I ll Fly Away - Gillian Welch & Alison Kraus 10. Didn t Leave Nobody but the Baby - Emmy Lou Harris,Gillian Welch & Alison Kraus 11. In The Highways - The Peasall Sisters 12. I Am Weary - The Cox Family 13. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (inst.) - John Hartford 14. O Death - Ralph Stanley 15. In the Jailhouse Now - Soggy Bottom Boys 16. I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow (with band) - Soggy Bottom Boys 17. Indian War Whoop - John Hartford 18. Lonesome Valley - The Fairfield Four 19. Angel Band - The Stanley Brothers 20. O Brother, Where Art Thou? / Enhanced Data - Soundtrack

Joel and Ethan Coen have long established themselves as film stylists without peer: from Blood Simple to Fargo, their movies have never been less than fascinating, and there has never been any question that their films could not have been made by anyone else. In T-Bone Burnett, the producer of the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, they have finally met their match: Burnett s work in assembling a collection of pieces for the Depression-set film is as skilled and entrancing as the film itself.Despite the presence of Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, the stars here are the songs themselves, a host of traditional songs augmented by archival recordings. The collection is also a showcase for a host of lesser known and forgotten bluegrass masters: The Cox Family, collaborators with Krauss, Norman Blake, a sideman for Bob Dylan and June Carter Cash, country gospel group The Whites, who once counted Ricky Skaggs as a member (and who, here,...

#Stunning, evocative music. (2008-04-14) I m not from the US, my family hail from Kashmir and I was born in the UK, grew up listening to punk rock but WOW! The soundtrack literally drips with the era and place it hails from, every time I hear a snippet I swear I can feel the heat and smell the wheat - so amazing!

#Diverse selection of old-time music (2005-07-01) The music here, like the film it provides the soundtrack for, is presumably intended to take us back to the thirties. Several songs from that era are featured along with traditional material that would have been popular then. Recorded mainly with state-of-the-art technology (except for some old recordings that are included and re-mastered), the sound quality is far superior to anything available in the thirties. Several different types of music can be found here - blues, gospel, country and folk - mainly performed by contemporary arti...

#a lovely mix of traditional music (2003-11-04) Performed by some of today s best singers, this multi-Grammy Award winner is a marvelous addition to any country/folk music collection. Some of these artists are at the top of their field, but some will be discoveries for most of us, like the beautiful rendition of Hard Time Killing Floor Blues by Chris Thomas King, a versatile young man who is versed in many styles, and here sings in the old blues tradition and does it brilliantly. The highlights for me are: The legendary Ralph Stanley, with his plaintive acappella chant of O Death, whic...

#oh brother where art thou (2002-07-13) first class traditional country and a bit of bluegrass. represents excelent value for money. so many good tracks its hard to pick one that shines above the rest. listen to YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE by norman blake if you are not tapping your toes then someone has nailed your feet to the floor. then there s I m a man of constant sorrow-Soggy bottom boys Wow!then for a real treat try The Stanley Bros. Angel Band Traditional country at its best. many other great tracks from Alison Krauss the queen of country and the Whites with keep on the sunny side...

#GREAT ALBUM . . . BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY (2002-06-06) Let me make one thing clear. ",O Brother. . . ", is one of my favourite films of all time. Not only that, but the musical soundtrack is one of its strongest features and stands as a valuable cultural document in its own right. In short, this is an album that anyone who loves country, bluegrass or folk music is likely to want in their collection. So why, as I write, am I tossing up whether to only give it four stars? The answer is that I m attempting to review it, not as a collector s item or a socio-historical document b...

1. Got My Mojo Working 2. Long Distance Call 3. Close To You 4. (I m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man 5. She Moves Me 6. Baby Please Don t Go 7. I Want You To Love Me 8. I m Ready 9. I Love The Life I Live (I Live The Life I Love) 10. I Just Want To Make Love To You 11. She s Alright 12. Mannish Boy 13. Young Fashioned Ways 14. I Want To Be Loved 15. Louisiana Blues 16. Forty Days And Forty Nights 17. Rollin Stone 18. Stuff You Gotta Watch 19. Garbage Man 20. Can t Get No Grindin

#Essential-hardly (2008-05-28) Depend who this is supposed to be essential do-the newcomer to the Urban blues which influenced the British blues bands or essential as the biggest songs are here. Big via other people not especially Muddy who I don t think troubled the pop charts. Which is besides the point-the pop charts are only a mirror to public taste. In the U K Muddy waters was represnted in the 50s by a solitary EP which retailed at the same price as Cliff Richard or Elvis so it died a death and was only there because Decca were licensing product from Chess having only just obttai...

#almost perfect (2005-05-19) This is a good record of a very great artist and it contains some of the most seminal and hard-hitting blues in the catalogue. However, there are a few essential recordings not represented here and these versions of Mannish Boy and Hootchie Cootchie Man are not the originals and a long way from being the best. Although HCM is a more than acceptable, this version of MB is frankly pants. All the same at this price, it s a good value cd as are the sister volumes by Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson. For serious Muddy fans however, the two cd Collection, t...

#perfect (2004-08-27) Absolutely perfect: raw vocals, blues in its purest form. The Grandfather of just about every type of music to follow. Can t pick one favourite, but if I had to, Hoochie Coochie Man, Mojo working, I Just Want to Make Love to You. . . buy it. You ll play it to death.

1. Rolling Stones - Muddy Waters 2. I Got Love If You Want It - Slim Harpo 3. Dust My Broom 4. You Can t Catch Me - Chuck Berry 5. Diddley Daddy - Bo Diddley 6. Not Fade Away 7. Boogie Chillun - John Lee Hooker 8. Honest I Do - Jimmy Reed 9. Rolling Stone - Part 1 - Robert Wilkins 10. When the Sun Goes Down - Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell 11. I m A King Bee - Slim Harpo 12. Mannish Boy - Muddy Waters 13. Three O Clock In The Morning - B. B. King 14. Who Do You Love? - Bo Diddley 15. (I m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters 16. Stop Breakin Down Blues - Robert Johnson 17. Get Your Yas Yas Out - Blind Boy Fuller 18. Catfish Blues - Robert Petway 19. Evil Is Going On - Howlin Wolf 20. That s No Way to Get Along - Robert Wilkins 21. Love In Vain - Robert Johnson 22. I Want To Be Loved - Muddy Waters

#Where it all began... (2008-04-21) Not a Rolling Stones album of course, but a fascinating source of information and exploration for anyone interested in finding out about the music that influenced the Greatest Rock n Roll Band in the World (and should nt that be Rhythm & Blues Band anyway?) when they were just a group of music mad teenagers scattered around various parts of North Kent, South London and Gloucestershire. Rumour has it that Mick Jagger was carrying some of this very music with him when he first met Keith Richards on Platform 3 of Dartford Railway Station c. 1962. Me...

1. Cross Road Blues 2. Terraplane Blues 3. Come On In My Kitchen 4. Walkin Blues 5. Last Fair Deal Gone Dow 6. 32-20 Blues 7. Kind Hearted Woman Blues 8. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day 9. Preachin Blues (Up Jumped The Devil) 10. When You Got A Good Friend 11. Ramblin On My Mind 12. Stones In My Passway 13. Traveling Riverside Blues 14. Milkcow s Calf Blues 15. Me And The Devil Blues 16. Hell Hound On My Trail 17. Traveling Riverside Blues

When this collection was first released, back in 1961, it soon became the bible of that decade s folk-blues revival, a set of songs which had scorched deep lines in the blues psyche, subsequently modified, electrified and boogie-fied. This reissue also includes a freshly exhumed alternative take of Travelling Riverside Blues, as good an excuse as any to upgrade from old vinyl. The original album pulled together all of Johnson s classic songs, his ghost suddenly made corporeal for a generation that had only heard of the rare 78s via whispered rumour. Cross Road Blues, Terraplane Blues, Hell Hound On My Trail: they re all tortured cries for help, Johnson most likely at the end of his teens when he recorded his only two sessions, first in 1936, then 37. He was a complete individual: these songs may well be fodder for countless cover versions, but few modern artists can hope to reproduce the originator s stylistic mannerisms. Johnson favoured uneven lines, unpredictable em...

#All the important recordings are on this album, the rest are just average blues (2008-11-07) Unlike the other reviewers I would say that if you want to have a collection that shows you can tell the difference between inspiration and the run-of-the mill then you should have this original release (at least on a major label) and if you must have the rest for purposes of comparison then it is best kept to one side. The rest does not demonstrate anything except the difference, and also that the basic blues can be pretty boring even when played by it s foremost artist. I bought this on vin...

#Sound Quality excells! (2007-06-17) Being a great fan of Robert Johnson I own most of his cds and this one has without doubt the best sound quality of them all. My only reservation is that unlike some of the other cds it does not include all of his tracks which is a pity. For true Robert Johnson fans I would recommend The Complete Recordings, the sound quality is not quite as good but it is more comprehensive and in my opinion represents better value.

#A Perfect Introduction To A Legend (2007-03-25) As a musician, I m always keen to explore new horizons in sounds, hence Johnny Cash, hence The Specials, hence Bob Dylan being in my collection, however I don t think any of those artists could have prepared me for the power of Robert Johnson. Armed with nothing more than his acoustic and his heart aching voice, Johnson defined the genre known as the blues. Whilst he may not be as popular as the likes of BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughn or T Bone Walker, he still stands a figurehead and this album could be seen as a history lesson in itself. ...

#Superb remastering (2004-02-05) This is the official 1998 CD edition of the first-ever Robert Johnson compilation, issued by Columbia in 1961. It has been remastered off the best-quality original 78s available, and Johnson s guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues (the equalization on this disc is extreme to a degree where it even sports some minute turntable rumble in the low end). This CD really brings Johnson s music alive, and if there is such a thing as a greatest hits package available on Robert Johnson, this landmark album would certainly be the one. I still ...

#Great but not the one to get (2002-10-28) This collection was the holy grail for folk blues fans for decades. The songs, lyrics, riffs and emotions contained within it were recycled with varying degrees of success by thousands of would-be bluesers, rock and rollers and pop stars. It remains the BLUEprint. But these days, and for only a few quid more - you can have Robert Johnson s Complete Works which has the songs here plus some alternative versions. This music is so important you should really have it all, so best buy the complete works.

1. Cross Road Blues - Johnson, Robert (1) 2. Whoopin The Blues - Terry, Sonny & Brownie McGhee 3. Frankie And Albert - Hurt, Mississippi John 4. That s All Right - Crudup, Arthur Big Boy 5. Walkin The Blues - House, Son 6. Good Morning Blues - Leadbelly 7. Key To The Highway - Broonzy, Big Bill 8. Statesboro Blues - McTell, Blind Willie 9. High Water Everywhere - Patton, Charley 10. Rocks In My Bed - Johnson, Lonnie 11. Fixin To Die Blues - White, Bukka 12. Blues Before Sunrise - Carr, Leroy & Scrapper Blackwell 13. Good Morning Judge - Lewis, Furry 14. Sittin On The Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks 15. Katie Mae - Hopkins, Lightnin 16. I Be s Trouble/I Can t Be Satisfied - Waters, Muddy 17. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Jefferson, Blind Lemon

#ALL THE SONGS YOU LL EVER NEED (2008-07-20) This is another great compilation from the Beginners series, from Robert Johnson all the way to Charlie Musselwhite. This is a great start for your blues colection.

#You won t be disappointed with this (2008-02-26) As a modern blues afficionado, I spent a long time choosing this: I was after a comprehensive compilation covering early acoustic roots to present day electric blues. There are so many compilations to choose from, but this one turned out to be as good as I d hoped - there is not a single track here that I didn t enjoy, and I think you will too. Some you will already know, some you won t, but there are no fillers here. CD1 features acoustic country blues, CD2 the electric sounds of classic urban blues and CD3 modern artists keeping th...