Hard Times Come Again No More, Vol. 1 (1998)

About this title: Another fine Yazoo collection of vintage American recordings of the '20s and '30s. The theme here of first-hand hardship experience makes for some amazing music, whether by white or black artists. The buoyant "Down on Penny's Farm" is beautifully offset by Blind Alfred Reed's baleful complaint "How Can a Poor Man Stand," complete with fragile fiddle work and loping guitar work. And that's just the first two tracks. It's amazing stuff: part oral history, part entertainment and all priceless, though both volumes together may make for more hard times than you want to experience. Tim Sheridan, ... read more

Tracks:

1. Down on Penny's Farm
2. How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? [Reed]
3. Hard Time Blues
4. All I Got's Gone
5. Bread Line Blues
6. Miss Meal Cramp Blues [Williams]
7. My Name Is John Johanna
8. Serves 'Em Fine
9. It's Hard Time
10. All In, Down and Out Blues [Macon]
11. Richmond Blues
12. Hard Times
13. Georgia Hobo
14. One Dime Blues [Jefferson]
15. Dixie Boll Weevil
16. See the Black Clouds A'breakin' over Yonder
17. Down and Out Blues
18. Starving to Death on a Government Claim
19. We Sure Got Hard Times
20. Georgia Blues
21. Blue Harvest Blues [Hurt]
22. Weaver's Life [Dixon]
23. Hard Times Come Again No More

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.