- Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection / Various

I am a long time blues fan and for whatever reason, I never really explored Lead Belly before...he wasn't your typical Delta, Chicago or Texas Bluesman and he didn't record for Chess, Sun or any of the other famous pre/post war blues labels...so I just never had an excuse to dive in...until now...this deluxe package, and the hype/press coverage that came with it encouraged me to take the leap...and I am glad I did...First things first, the overall package is absolutely beautiful...in fact, this might be the best domestic package ever dedicated to a single blues artist.. nether, Muddy, Wolf, or BB ever had their music put out this luxuriously....if you want to see it yourself, check out the unboxing video the Smithsonian posted on Youtube,,they also have some behinds the scenes stuff posted that's pretty cool as well...With regards to the actual music in this set...I think it's perfect! I'm not really a greatest hits guy...and similarly tend to shy away for the everything including the kitchen sink box sets as well...so I really like that this set aims for the middle...5 CD's is still a lot of Lead Belly...but he recorded more than twice that much.. So you aren't getting everything he ever cut, but you getting all his best stuff...plus a good bit more...so it will probably be all the Lead Belly you ever need unless you REALLY get into him. Overall, the packaging and content combine to make this an excellent release and a pretty good value....it doesn't hurt that you get to support Smithsonian Folkways at the same time....Goodnight Irene!!

For the price and physical size of this item, it should have a lot more material (Lead Belly claimed to know up to 500 songs). The book is large and makes it difficult to display. My discs came with some sticking to the book, which left a small mark on the back of the discs. A couple of the discs were skipping at certain parts. This set was also a confusing mix of songs with no information on the recordings. This set is seemingly advertised as a complete collection, but is really just a random collection of mostly radio recordings. Returned this order but will probably order again if I can get it in actual new condition.

This collection is phenomenal, every blues fan will love it! The CD's have so much music! The one gripe I would have is they used too small a font for the captions on the pictures, I had to get out the magnifying glass to read some of it.

Nobody who loves good music and appreciates the expressions of this fabulous native son should be without this compendium of his works. Pop version of his Good Night, Irene trivialized the anguished expression of forbidden love, which in the original had a final verse:" I love Irene, God knows I do, love her 'til the sea runs dry. If Irene turns her back on me, I'm gonna take morphine and die". Pathos is the right word for this and many of his songs, starting with the ballads that got him out of Texas prison. The World misses this giant of American life.

When I ordered this I was not expecting to receive a massive book, I thought it was just going to be a CD collection...so the book was a pleasant surprise. With the book proving to be a fascinating and interesting read. The CDs themselves are excellent(I can't list any favorites here, the list would be too long if I did), and the sound quality here has blown me away. If you are a fan of the blues or interested in music history this is an absolute must.

A masterpiece of perfection for a old (me) or new Leadbelly fan. I am a lifetime fan of his and was a friend of Will Geer who introduced Leadbelly and Wood Guthrie on the first concert they played. I also own the first many of Leadbelly recording including the first for Folkways and Stinson sets and this the best set that brings live to you!

Absolutely essential for any fan of Lead Belly or great blues. This has everything that he ever recorded plus a fantastic companion book. My only regret is that I didn't buy this a long time ago.

As advertised and on time

Bought this for my Dad and he absolutely loves it. The book is great quality and the CDs are tremendous. Although expensive fully worth it.

Beautifully remastered, complete albums of Lead Belly; a must have for every music lover and collector. The book that goes with it, takes you back in time just as much as the music does.Reading the book you can almost hear the music, feel the soul of the time Lead Belly grew up in, feel the the hard way of life in the first half of the twenties in twentieths century.The music shows how folk music reaches out to blues and how it joins together, being the base for all blues hero's, the masters of rhythm and blues, but also good old rock and rock ballads.

Un libro di grande formato, che contiene i 5 cd in due pagine speciali in cartone. Bellissime fotografie e un saggio esaustivo e affascinante sulla vita, la musica e il tempo di Lead Belly. Note esaurienti per ogni canzone. Un viaggio nel tempo e nella storia della canzone popolare americana. Fantastico.

Contents great but marked down because of condition on arrival. Pages not properly cut. Expected better for the price