Vanguard Records werd in 1950 opgericht door de broers Seymour en Maynard Solomon. Beiden hebben een achtergrond in de klassieke muziek en het is daarom wat onverwacht dat hun label een cruciale rol zal spelen in de ontwikkeling van de folk, country en blues naar de popmuziek. De broers kregen de rechten van het legendarische Newport Festival en daarmee ontstond een catalogus die zijn weerga niet kent. De eerste twee schijven laten vooral de traditionele kant van de Amerikaanse roots stijlen horen; disc 1 met het accent op de blues en disc twee op de folk en country. Met disc 3 begint de nieuwe tijd. Openers Bob Dylan en Joan Baez staan voor een nieuwe generatie muzikanten en hun invloed is op het vervolg van deze box overal aanwezig. We horen de hippie-psychedelica met een folk randje van Country Joe & The Fish, de country-bluegrass met een rockrandje van The Dillards en viola, Americana was geboren.
DISC ONE:
1. I’M SO GLAD - Skip James 2. DONE GOT WISE - Big Bill Broonzy 3. STAGOLEE - Mississippi John Hurt 4. GOSPEL TRAIN - Golden Gate Quartet 5. OH MARY, DON’T YOU WEEP - Swan Silvertones 6. THE PRODIGAL SON - Rev Robert Wilkins 7. BOSCO STOMP - Cajun Band 8. BLUES IS A BOTHERATION - Otis Spann 9. TOO MUCH ALCOHOL - J.B. Hutto & His Hawks 10. BLUES AFTER HOURS - Pee Wee Crayton 11. I CAN’T BE SATISFIED - John Hammond 12. WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH THE MILL - Koerner Ray & Glover 13. COCAINE - Dave Van Ronk 14. SAMSON AND DELILAH - Rev Gary Davis 15. COTTON CROP BLUES - James Cotton 16. CLAY’S TUNE - Charlie Musselwhite Blues Band 17. I CAN’T QUIT YOU BABE - Otis Rush 18. YOU LIED TO ME - Junior Wells 19. FEVER - Buddy Guy 20. BALL AND CHAIN - Big Mama Thornton
DISC TWO:
1. DEEP RIVER BLUES - Doc Watson 2. HELLO STRANGER - Mike Seeger 3. HOUSE CARPENTER - Almeda Riddle 4. 500 MILES - Hedy West 5. LITTLE GLASS OF WINE - Stanley Brothers 6. GOING DOWN THIS ROAD FEELING BAD - Watson Family 7. STEWBALL - John Herald with The Greenbriar Boys 8. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND - Weavers 9. PRETTY BOY FLOYD - Cisco Houston 10. WALK RIGHT IN - Rooftop Singers 11. THE ROCKY ROAD TO DUBLIN - Liam Clancy 12. JUG OF PUNCH - Clancy Brothers 13. THE LEAVES THAT ARE GREEN - Country Gentlemen 14. WALLS OF TIME - Bill Monroe with Peter Rowan 15. WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? - Pete Seeger 16. ANGER IN THE LAND - Hedy West 17. THERE BUT FOR FORTUNE - Phil Ochs 18. THIRSTY BOOTS - Eric Andersen 19. THE LAST THING ON MY MIND - Tom Paxton 20. SAN FRANCISCO BAY BLUES - Jesse Fuller 21. ROLL ON BUDDY - Kentucky Colonels with Clarence White 22. HARD, AIN’T IT HARD - Kingston Trio 23. MANY A MILE - Patrick Sky
DISC THREE:
1. NORTH COUNTRY BLUES - Bob Dylan 2. FAREWELL, ANGELINA - Joan Baez 3. EARLY MORNING RAIN - Ian & Sylvia 4. REFLECTIONS IN A CRYSTAL WIND - Mimi & Richard Fariña 5. DRIVING ON BALD MOUNTAIN - Odetta 6. FOUR STRONG WINDS - Ian & Sylvia 7. MOBILE LINE - Jim Kweskin 8. DOPE AGAIN - Serpent Power 9. I-FEEL-LIKE-I’M-FIXIN’-TO-DIE RAG - Country Joe & The Fish 10. SOCK IT TO ME - Sandy Bull 11. DOWN IN THE BASEMENT - Notes From The Underground 12. NEGATIVE DREAMER GIRL - Circus Maximus 13. ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - Frost - 4 14. CRISTO REDENTOR - Charlie Musselwhite With Harvey Mandel 15. NOBODY BLUES - Serpent Power 16. BORN IN CHICAGO - Paul Butterfield Blues Band 17. OUD AND DRUMS - Sandy Bull 18. JANIS - Country Joe & The Fish 19. SWEET LADY LOVE - Frost 20. LONELY MAN - Circus Maximus
DISC FOUR:
1. THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN - Joan Baez 2. HOBO’S LULLABYE - Gary & Randy Scruggs 3. DUELING BANJOS - Dillards 4. SHELL GAME - Jerry Jeff Walker 5. GET YOUR BISCUITS IN THE OVEN AND YOUR BUNS IN THE BED - Kinky Friedman 6. I’M A WOMAN – Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band with Maria Muldaur 7. MARCH! FOR MARTIN LUTHER KING - John Fahey 8. THE DEATH OF STEPHEN BIKO - Tom Paxton 9. HERE I GO AGAIN - Country Joe & The Fish 10. YOU SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL - Elizabeth 11. SOLDIER BLUE - Buffy Sainte-Marie 12. SOLD AMERICAN - Kinky Friedman 13. SAIL - Oregon 14. RENE’S THEME – Larry Coryell & John Mclaughlin 15. COMMEMORATIVE TRANSFIGURATION AND COMMUNION AT MAGRUDER PARK - John Fahey 16. MORNING SONG TO SALLY - Jerry Jeff Walker 17. SHE USED TO WANT TO BE A BALLERINA - Buffy Sainte-Marie 18. A NICKEL’S WORTH OF BENNY’S HELP – 31st Of February 19. WISH I WAS A PUNK - Notes From The Underground 20. KISS MY ASS - Country Joe McDonald
Tracks
Disc 1
1. I'm So Glad
2. Done Got Wise
3. Stagolee
4. Gospel Train
5. Oh Mary, Don't You Weep
6. The Prodigal Son
7. Bosco Stomp
8. Blues Is A Botheration
9. Too Much Alcohol
10. Blues After Hours
11. I Can't Be Satisfied
12. What's The Matter With The Mill
13. Cocaine
14. Samson And Delilah
15. Cotton Crop Blues
16. Clay's Tune
17. I Can't Quit You Babe
18. You Lied To Me
19. Fever
20. Ball And Chain
Disc 2
1. Deep River Blues
2. Hello Stranger
3. House Carpenter
4. 500 Miles
5. Little Glass Of Wine
6. Going Down This Road Feeling Bad
7. Stewball
8. This Land Is Your Land
9. Pretty Boy Floyd
10. Walk Right In
11. The Rocky Road To Dublin
12. Jug Of Punch
13. The Leaves That Are Green
14. Walls Of Time
15. Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
16. Anger In The Land
17. There But For Fortune
18. Thirsty Boots
19. The Last Thing On My Mind
20. San Francisco Bay Blues
21. Roll On Buddy
22. Hard, Ain't It Hard
23. Many A Mile
Disc 3
1. North Country Blues
2. Farewell, Angelina
3. Early Morning Rain
4. Reflections In A Crystal Wind
5. Driving On Bald Mountain
6. Four Strong Winds
7. Mobile Line
8. Dope Again
9. I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag
10. Gotta Be Juicy (Or It Ain't Love)
11. Down In The Basement
12. Negative Dreamer Girl
13. Rock And Roll Music
14. Cristo Redentor
15. Nobody Blues
16. Born In Chicago
17. Easy Does It
18. Janis
19. Sweet Lady Love
20. Lonely Man
Disc 4
1. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
2. Hobo's Lullabye
3. Dueling Banjos
4. Shell Game
5. Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed
6. I'm A Woman
7. March! For Martin Luther King
8. The Death Of Stephen Biko
9. Here I Go Again
10. You Should Be More Careful
11. Soldier Blue
12. Sold American
13. Sail
14. Rene's Theme
15. Commemorative Transfiguration And Communion At Magruder Park
