This album was originally released by
Moses Asch, founder of the Folkways label, on Asch Records in 1941 as
Struggle: Documentary No. 1. It was released by him in 1976 to commemorate the bicentennial of the American Revolution with a special series of liner notes by
Asch explaining the importance of
Woody Guthrie's history of the working class through song. Both
Guthrie's songs and the liner notes are stuff of supreme cultural importance. In the notes,
Asch lays out a theory that the American Revolution has not yet been completed and there is a need for a "continuing struggle for human rights and equality." As a collection of songs, this is surely one of the best
Guthrie collections, especially once it's known how important it was to him personally. In many ways, it seems as if this album was the fulfillment of a very personal vision, which starts with the songs but is only realized in their collectivity. Included here are such excellent songs as the unsettling "Hang Knot," the elliptic "Union Burying Ground," and the finely spun "Pretty Boy Floyd." These songs define
Guthrie at his best, never didactic in tone but supreme in import. The album also features the
Cisco Houston (
Guthrie's sometime tramping companion) number "Get Along Little Doggies," as well as his vocal accompaniment on several tracks.
Sonny Terry guests on "Lost John," lending his harmonica to
Guthrie's tale of a chain gang escapee. Both as a historical artifact and as an amazing
Guthrie album, this is required listening.