Angola Prison Spirituals, by Various Artists

Angola Prison Spirituals

by Various Artists

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Slyyr The immortal Gil Scott-Heron once asked, why should the blues be so at home in America? The answer is revealed here. Favorite track: Let My People Go.

Herb Stevens Top quality pressing. I don't have the best setup but the vinyl sounds warm and clear. Perfect for the material.

Looking forward to future releases. Favorite track: Let My People Go.

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Limited Edition Cassette
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Limited Edition Vinyl LP
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Includes unlimited streaming of Angola Prison Spirituals via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	A. Mosely, Robert Pete Williams - I'm on My Way 02:40	buy track
2.	Robert Pete Williams - Church on Fire with the Word of God 03:01	buy track
3.	Robert Welch - What Shall I Do 02:52	buy track
4.	Angola Quartet - Brother Norah 02:50	buy track
5.	Tom Dutson, Robert Pete Williams - Little School Song 01:29	buy track
6.	Robert Pete Williams - Dyin' Soul 04:30	buy track
7.	Roosevelt Charles - Let My People Go 03:42	buy track
8.	Robert Pete Williams - So Much Is Happenin' in the News 04:14	buy track
9.	Tom Dutson, R.P. Williams - Dig My Grave with a Silver Spade 03:46	buy track
10.	Andy Mosely, Hogman Maxey - Brother Mosely Crossed the Water 01:27	buy track
11.	Angola Quartet - I'm Stranded on the Banks of Ole Jordan 01:55	buy track
12.	Robert Pete Williams - I'm Going Back with Him When He Comes 03:00	buy track
13.	Congregation Rev. Benjamin E. Osbourne - That Old Ship of Zion 06:59	buy track

about

We debut with a limited cassette release of folklorist Dr. Harry Oster's collection of recordings from Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, originally released in 1959 on the Folk-Lyric label.

For a brief period, the American South was full of musicologists keen to record and archive the great and expansive tradition of folksong. The context of these particular recordings conveys the contrast between the stark dignity of the performers and the unpleasant circumstances through which they found their way into Angola. Here amongst them appears one of Angola's most notable blues players Robert Pete Williams, having served time for murder in the 1950's and going on to enjoy a fruitful and wide-ranging recording career. For the most part though these voices belong to otherwise unknown inmates such as Tom Dutson, Andy Mosely, Roosevelt Charles and Robert 'Guitar' Welch.

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released June 13, 2014

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Death Is Not The End London, UK

Record label & NTS Radio show ~ global folk music, soundsystems, pirate radio + various wormholes.

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