In 20th Century America, folk singing meant Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie was America's troubadour, plain and simple, the man whose picture goes with the encyclopedia entry on "Folk Singer." Like the poets who recited Homer in ancient Greece, Guthrie recreated his songs as he performed then, changing then as occasion demanded and memory allowed. As performed by those who came in his formidable wake, such as Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Odetta and Joan Baez, the songs of Woody Guthrie probably sound better than they ever did before, but their authenticity still rings through and that is what makes them powerful. The concerts from which these performances were taken were intended as celebrations of Guthrie's work. The program was developed by Millard Lampell, who had been a member of the Almanac Singers with Guthrie, and who created a script from Guthrie's songs and writings (narration is provided by Will Geer, Robert Ryan and Peter Fonda). Lampell also wrote the liner notes about Guthrie, "A little guy sloping down a dusty road, looking for something he couldn't name."

Guthrie wrote so many songs that I have no doubt there will be many tracks on this album you have never heard before. My favorite is Tom Paxton's version of "Pastures of Plenty," although I also like the section on the Pacific Northwest, where Bob Dylan sings about "The Grand Coulee Dam" and Judy Collins leads the audience in "Roll on Columbia," while Robert Ryan's narration fills in the gaps. Plus, of course, there is something fundamentally enjoyable about hearing Arlo Guthrie sings his father's songs. This 2-record set on highlights from concerts at Carnegie Hall in 1968 and the Hollywood Bowl in 1970 was condensed to a single CD by eliminating three songs, all of which were written by the artists who performed them rather than Guthrie. All this means is that nothing important was lost in the transition. "A Tribute to Woody Guthrie" is a necessary part of any serious collection of American folk music.

Not quite a complete trbute

As much as I love both albums, which I have treasured for a long time, this collection is sadly missing two songs. The version of Vigilante Man by Richie Havens is a great omission considering it is probably the only version available. The other song by Odetta would had made this collection truly complete.

With so many re-issues of LP's onto CD formatt I would had expected a better presentation of two unique events for the fans of Woody's music & those performers who took part.

I have given it 4 stars although without the missing songs I would not buy it.

Proper tribute to a legend

As a Woody fan for many years,I've had this recording in every possible form and still love it.Aside from marking Dylan's first performance since his accident in '67, the rest of the line-up is filled with people who belong there.Many tributes have performers who have no reason (other than internal politics)to be included.These performances show people who knew and loved Woody and his songs.Not important but the previous reviewer states that the excluded songs were not written by Woody but by the performers.That is most certainly WRONG."Vigilante Man" by Richie Havens,"So Long (It's Been Good To Know Yuh)" by Judy Collins and "Why Oh Why" by Odetta are all written by Woody obviously.This comes from the original album.The truth shall set you free.....