Tradition Records
was started in the 1950s by
folk
song collector
Diane Hamilton
and
Patrick Clancy
of
the Clancy Brothers
, initially as an outlet for
Clancy
's group, but the label eventually recorded all manner of traditional artists and
folk revival
musicians, and even issued a few LPs of
field recordings
gathered by
Alan Lomax
. When
signed to
CBS
, the label was sold, and
Tradition
's catalog has surfaced ever since under countless imprints, including
Ember
,
Everest
Transatlantic
Ossian
, and most recently,
Rykodisc
. This
sampler, released by
V.I. Music
, suggests the wide range of
material the original label featured, all of it recorded simply and with few or no embellishments, giving most tracks the feel of
. Highlights include the great
Etta Baker
's slide guitar instrumental version of
"John Henry,"
Paul Clayton
's moody and nuanced
"Johnny's Gone to Hilo,"
the odd
John Jacob Niles
' thin, fragile, and deeply affected tenor on
"Lulle Lullaby,"
Odetta
's striking, slowed-down take on
"Sail Away Ladies,"
and the shaky, halting, and over-dramatic vocal approach by
to
"Ain't No More Cane on This Brazis."
There are also
sea shanties
flamenco
guitarists, and
brass bands
on this diverse, scattershot, and intriguing collection. ~ Steve Leggett