The King of the Twelve-String, Lead Belly, is focus of new compilation

X5 Music Group | 2009 | List price: $6.99 | Get it for less at Amazon

There are a plethora of Lead Belly albums on the market, with new compilations popping up regularly, especially since 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the musician’s passing. While many people are quick to categorize Lead Belly as a “blues” artist or a “folk” singer, the fact is, he was something unique and someone who pioneered his own style of music, creating a hybridization of the various styles that influenced him growing up in the American south at the beginning of the twentieth century. Still today, Lead Belly is referred to as “The King of the Twelve-String,” but he was not just confined to being a guitarist, but instead learned to play instruments ranging from stringed examples such as the mandolin, to keyboard based instruments like the piano and the accordion.

Lead Belly’s influence was far-reaching, extending long after his death in 1949, and served as inspiration for many of the British Invasion artists of the 1960s including The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards who all listened to his music to learn the roots of the American sound. American folk artists such as Pete Seeger and folk groups like The Weavers continued building upon the foundation established by Lead Belly as they sought to create their own distinctive sounds as well. The songs of Lead Belly are so vitally important to understanding the burgeoning music scene in America that the Library of Congress has many in its permanent collection to help preserve them for future generations.

With this revitalization in Lead Belly’s music, yet another compilation of songs was released at the end of July entitled, LEAD BELLY: BAD MOTHERF****R. Issued as only a digital edition on iTunes or on sites like Amazon as MP3 downloads, LEAD BELLY: BAD MOTHERF****R is as basic a release as could be imagined. Consisting of twenty-one tracks, including some of Lead Belly’s most famous hits like, “Midnight Special,” “Goodnight Irene” and “Rock Island Line,” LEAD BELLY: BAD MOTHERF****R contains a great sampling of Lead Belly’s career and will be a good and inexpensive starting point to those who are unfamiliar with the artist’s work. There are some glaring problems with this release however.

LEAD BELLY: BAD MOTHERF****R contains no information whatsoever. There is no digital booklet describing when each song was recorded, no linear notes giving the listener a bio on Lead Belly and no notes to put the music into a social context. Instead, it is just the songs, and there is no way for a first time listener to know if the songs follow any progression of theme or are arranged chronologically to show a progression in the development of Lead Belly’s style. Even a simple, one-page digital file giving the date of the original recording of each song along with what instruments Lead Belly played on each track would have been monumentally helpful. The listener though will be left in the dark unfortunately.

Misleading too is the title. Referring to Lead Belly as a “bad motherf****r” really serves to perpetuate an incorrect stereotype of the artist. Yes, Lead Belly did serve time in prison, but it was through the intricacies of his songwriting that he was able to have his sentenced pardoned. Even on songs such as “Bourgeois Blues” where Lead Belly talks about racial and social inequality in lyrics such as, “Me and my wife went all over town / And everywhere we went people turned us down / Lord, in a bourgeois town / It’s a bourgeois town / I got the bourgeois blues / Gonna spread the news all around,” there is a more didactic nature to be found and not a rage or anger that might be associated with a “bad motherf****r.” This is not to say that Lead Belly is not powerful in the message he delivers, in fact it’s just the opposite, but labeling him with such a dismissive misnomer does not help to convey what he was truly about. Looking at the album artwork as well, one has to wonder what the producers were thinking. Lead Belly, such a prominent African-American musician is presented in an illustration that makes it appear as if he’s a caucasian from an offensive minstrel show. This is absolutely unacceptable.

While the music chosen for LEAD BELLY: BAD MOTHERF****R provides a good insight into his career, there are better compilations to spend money on, including the just released import 60th Anniversary Box-set from Proper Box UK. If you’re interested in hearing what Lead Belly was all about though, this compilation is inexpensive enough to allow you to sample his works and satisfy a curiosity.

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