Odetta~ Gallows Pole

[9496tull]

I have a folk music record album box set that has her and many others on it. she is great.

[zappator]

Man, for this video my neighbours below must hate you ! My feet can't stop moving, swinging, dancing, tapping, hitting the ground !

But fuck the neighbours, that's TOO GOOD !

[gnowave]

the tradition she BEGAN gave us suzanne vega and tracy chapman, all all hav very similar audiences.

[gnowave]

led zepplin wrote this when he was young, and leadbelly and odetta did very nice tribute to it!

[RumbleFiish]

@gnowave This was before Led Zeppelin.

[gnowave]

@RumbleFiish  you dont say? ( wot, you really thot i was serious?)

[marcusrbandrews]

Yo, anyone happen to have the chords or better yet a guitar tab for this song? been trying to figure it out. This song is amazing, Odetta really is the female equal to Leadbelly.

[gnowave]

@marcusrbandrews um, i dont know if you ever learned ANYTHING by listening to leadbelly or odetta, but the whole point was finding your own way aroud the guitar and finding your own way to groove these tunes. thats wot made "real" R&B so special, and why most college taught musos are so bloody boring and same same. (tho true talent dosnt matter whether schooled or not. just find a key that u can sing to, and find ANY chords that work. dont worry if they r "blues" chords,leadelly & odetta didnt

[gnowave]

@marcusrbandrews many folk actually relate leadbelly's chord style to country/swing/folk rather than "trad" blues. just find a way to sing from your heart, and the more you go the more u stumble upon chords that work for you. each time u repeat a chord sequence trhat works for you, add a finger in a dferent position till it sounds right. do u want it to be danceable? (most modren blues folk just dont get that) or lie back and chill? keep i repeating round and round till, well, YOU'LL KNOW.

[MrHolaaaaaaaaaaaa]

is this blues?

[gnowave]

@MrHolaaaaaaaaaaaa YES! in the mainstream the access to various styles of r&b/blues has been very very narrow. and to a lot of people even leadbelly is more in a carter family woody guthrie country/folk tradition.

[MsReffinej]

Why would someone post a video response of Rhianna, to Odetta's "Gallow's Pole"??????????????

[gnowave]

@MsReffinej well, the mainstream media tells us that beyonce, rhianna, etc are r&b, and most of that audince dont have a cue that it goes back more than 70s as a loose wide tradition ranging from afro to jazz to rock n roll gosepl and soul/funk (hendrix's style of r&b was more akin to prototype funk)

[BenDuvallIrwin]

Just so you guys know, Lead Belly did a version called "Gallis Pole". Rule of thumb: always go for the older version.

[MsReffinej]

@BenDuvallIrwin

Female Leadbelly! She did an album titled "Thank You, Leadbelly"

[gnowave]

@BenDuvallIrwin another rule of thumb JUST FIND WHAT U ENJOY! and if you ant find it FIND A WAY TO PLAY IT.

[WakeItUpNow]

Odetta singing this is hauntingly good. However, I hope you can agree the Led Zeppelin version in the last verse about the sister and the hangman is classic. Wouldn't work with Odetta singing it. :-)

[ivycompton]

Odetta makes me "see" this story and its characters in a way that none of the others (worthy as they are) do. I feel like I'm there. Beautiful!

[gnowave]

@ivycompton fair point, with leadbelly, he was concerned about the roadside barrel house, and simply adding dancable color to the drunken venue (which is a valid art form) and zep were using it to paint vivid psychedelic colors with (another valid art form. all r wonderful examples of their traditions

[ivycompton]

@gnowave

that's a great, insightful reply, gnowave. appreciate it.

[rocktenniscat]

The question is: Who is credited with writing the song on Led Zep's album/single? They often used their own names on stuff that was clearly written by others. I love Zep, but they didn't give credit where due quite often. 'Got sued by one of the few bluesmen who could afford to sue them. (Small Faces didn't give credit either on "You Need Love(ing)"...they were only in their teens when they recorded it).

[gnowave]

@rocktenniscat well, there was a loyt of competition for the r&b market in those days too, and if u could credit a song as "trad" then you got out of the qugmire of competition hitting you with any legal shite. and it saved paying royalites. howver itis fair to say that by the time zep did those type of songs they had, copyright-wise slipped into the "traditional" category. that make sense?

[7mikethebike]

I guess I should have known Led Zeppelin didn't have talent enough to write a song like this. They were good at stealing material though.

[spqrbarlow]

@7mikethebike

Its a folk song. No one stole it.

[rocktenniscat]

@7mikethebike - I think they were very talented, (except when Jimmy was too out of it to play anything but sloppy guitar and stumble around) but they were also ROBBERS! They've learned their lesson now.

[gnowave]

@rocktenniscat nonsense. ALL blues/r&b/gospel folk were in a wide sense FOLK musicians in that they all sang from and added, and adapted standard song of their times, AND songs that inspired them in the first place. bb king did it, johnny lee hooker did it, leadbelly borrwoed much from white country folk, etc etc. its NORMAL

[z3dsdead]

@7mikethebike

That is kind of a remark I would place in 'comment by tools' folder if I had one. I agree Page was guilty of 'borrowing' old songs and not offering credit of those names. But those songs were very likely hand-me-downs from someone else before the artists we believe are the true authors. Dixon etc. are credited as the authors, but they were often songs from the fields and work camps of generations before. The thief is really  the record execs who in fact made the big money.

[gnowave]

@7mikethebike um, that isnt true... you actully sat and compared odetta, leadbelly and zep versions? there is nothing cheap, poor or tatty about zeps rendition. it is total;y original in its arrangement, melody, harmony, instrumentalisation. am guessing u may be geting your taste mixed up with objective crit?

[Huffstuff420]

This is just as good as the Leadbelly and Led Zeppelin versions. All three of those are like my favorite song!

[shielseh]

gives me the happy feet she realy was amazing ..

[KellyAnneCan]

Beautiful contralto voice - the guitar work is absolutely haunting. I love the Zeppelin version of this song as well. It's great to hear traditional songs interpreted different ways by different artists.

[cudleycamerondudley]

cant believe i have never heard odetta's stuff before... Absolutley stunning

[UnAmericanBandstand]

@cudleycamerondudley im so glad you like this! Thank you for listening. Peace & best to ye.

[cobrak8]

@UnAmericanBandstand I meant thank you for sharing! (see my prev reply)

[cobrak8]

@cudleycamerondudley First listen for me too! Incredible! Thanks for sharing it :)

[diegomaderal]

amazing voice!

[sweetgyy]

nice !

[Limekiln71]

odetta was the real deal!

[rocktenniscat]

'Had the privilege of seeing her in Toronto at Hugh's Room.  She was very frail, but sang well and explained the meaning of the song "Midnight Special". A few years later, Judy Collins came to Hugh's Room, just after Odetta died. The first thing she did was pay tribute to Odetta who had died so recently, not too many people knew, and a big gasp of sadness came from the audience. RIP, Odetta.

[msm2you]

@rocktenniscat I was at that Hugh's Room gig. It was a privilege to hear, and sing along with, her.

[gnowave]

@rocktenniscat what was the meaning of midnight special in her interpretation? i love all the old blues and western swing and americana versions, it is a song that transaltes so well into most peoples interpretations.

[PHJimY]

@rocktenniscat Odetta was to have performed at Obama's inaugeration, but when she passed, Aretha Franklin was asked to take her place.

[ivycompton]

God, this one slays me. So emotional. And the voice/guitar interplay is stunning. Heartbreaking tune that pulls every bit of emotion out of it.

[khamdoun]

Nice

[minaroar]

my guitar teacher was amazed by this when I asked him to teach it to me.

[UnAmericanBandstand]

@minaroar Hehe! AWESOME! Wow....guitar teacher...wish I had one when I was a kid. I learned this just by ear and tryin on my own...somethin like......Dm-Am-E7-Dm.....some­thin like that......thats the old "fashioned" E7 the "two fingered chord. But....works for me. ....wow.....i admire ye. Thank you for listening and enjoyin it. Best to ye. x

[minaroar]

@UnAmericanBandstand yeah, I was fortunate to study for 6 months, buying scales are worth it.

[gnowave]

@minaroar can be. its diferent for everyone. some can flourish with tuition , others are better to stay away from tuition, can stifle some. and some need a bit of both! :-)

[gnowave]

@minaroar which reminds me, an aquaintance of mines had a guitar teacher that gave bb king some lessons, and wen this aquaintance asked WOW WHAT DID U THINK? the old guy sed PAH! PLAYS LIKE A WHITE BOY! i lafft my head off.

[hitskin666]

Another great track covered/ripped off by that english rock group.

[TiranosaurusRex2010]

@hitskin666 : "ripped" ? It is an English song to begin with. It was brought to America by English during colonization..

[hitskin666]

@TiranosaurusRex2010 Please note the slash, can I say covered?, Led Zeppelin are great, not a dig at there greatness what so ever, thanks for the correction. After many years of only hearing the Led Zeppelin version this is all new to me, please forgive me for being a tad confused. I am amazed however at some of the older versions of these great songs that Led Zeppelin cover.

[gnowave]

@hitskin666  pah!

[gnowave]

@hitskin666 oh enuf of this ignorance.. if u r right then this is a rip off of leadbelly, and leadbelly ripped it off a 1000 older folk than him, forms of this song go back to olde englande and ireland.

[heididauwalter]

Saw Odetta at the Hollywood Bowl when I was a kid in the 60's. She sang this song. Her voice was amazing.

[Thumper1737]

What a priceless version of Gallow's Pole. Thanks for posting this for us. Odetta surely is special...

[bjf63]

Fantastic!to listen a godess singing is a rare privilege,thank you for sharing.

[CriticalListener]

Thank you so much for posting this. It's the peerless, definitive version of this song, to my mind. Her guitar solo work is phenomenal, and compliments her wonderful, powerful voice perfectly. Thank you again!

[koleazarigolden]

Truly amazing. Timeless. Bless you for sharing this!

[SSSSAVESAVESAVE]

bravo

[yourmomsrottencorpse]

unbeleivable, how affectively it paints a picture. much better than the zepplin remake to say the least. thank you unam :))))

[gnowave]

@yourmomsrottencorpse any version you like is the best!

[farfanugenmaster]

breathtaking

[minaroar]

this puts skanky Led Zepplin too shame

[iwantwatermellon]

@minaroar Ey. Odetta's great, but don't diss the mighty Led Zeppelin.

[minaroar]

@iwantwatermellon Sorry, I'm more of a folkie. I'm one of the few people who could give two shits about one of the pioneers of metal, Led Zepplin. In the 70's Zep crashed one of my parents hotel party, it was a good dinner table story.

[yourmomsrottencorpse]

@iwantwatermellon for the sake of the preservation of a beautiful work of art like this, they can "diss" anyone they damn well please as far as im concerned.

[minaroar]

@iwantwatermellon most of the guitar riffs are copied, its shocking, they've only been sued 3x, Zep was mostly successful because of John Bonham and Robert Plant, if all the African American originators of those blues riffs were alive they would be sued much more, just an opionion

[jm777333]

@minaroar You are an idiot

She produced many tributes to leadbelly and this is the finest interpretation of Gallows Pole-Led Zep loved it as well

[jm777333]

Respond to this video... Saw it performed live with Odetta and Bill Lee on Bass- film maker-Scott Lee father-saw it twice I believe

The power and dignity of Odetta-outstanding-in Blues, Folk. Gospel and her personal life

[Dacijo]

@minaroar yeh Zepplin's version of this is awsome

[LordInksworth]

What a voice. If I'd heard this when I was a kid.....

[TepidVision]

No other version touches this as far as I'm concerned. I'd love to see this live, but I doubt any such performance exists on video. I need to see how this is played on guitar

[Mjollnir50]

@TepidVision I was lucky enough to see it live in 1962...all I can say is, it's doubtful anyone else could play it as she did.

[Fenizrael]

I absolutely adore this cover. No other version will take priority in my mind.

[MrReillac]

id love to see her n richie havens twang mad and screech together.......

[VibrazioniMusicali]

simple fantastic

[subterranean47]

this guitar playing reminds of a cross between richie havens and dave van ronk- all great NYC folk musicians from the same time

[arjhendrix]

Oh Yeah!

super

[artistsassist]

I loved her on the Prairie Home Companion traveling show, which I heard on the radio. She did the shows right up until her death. She lived in my friend's building and I saw her a few times but never said anything to her. She was a great storyteller through songs and had a wonderful voice.

[viajantefree]

nice..... thx....

[anirbanganguly]

Awesome.Thanks for sharing.

[UnAmericanBandstand]

Youre very welcome anir! and thank YOU! =)))

[trotskyist5]

great song comrade classic post

[UnAmericanBandstand]

Thanks so much Comrade Trotsky! =)

[UnAmericanBandstand]

Thank you so much! She was awsome.

[janisperla]

Odetta fantastic!!! great friend of..Janis Joplin, long time no hear, MASTER!!!! thanks my friend!! 5*, Paz!!!:))

[UnAmericanBandstand]

=D Hey GRACIAS!! And YES she was a friend of Janis! Janis loved her. ANd youre very welcome! =))

[9496tull]

have you heard her do midnight special? its awesome

[UnAmericanBandstand]

I probably have heard her version of that one. Dont remember. Hehe. Thanks Tull!

[irishthankgod]

I thought the worse, but your alive , well and truely , this is great , real cajun black , reminds me of Missippi Burning , brilliant 5*****thanks J

[UnAmericanBandstand]

haha! you surprised me! I was about to send this to everybody and you already commented! Thank you so much! xD really appreciate it. Good to hear from ya! This is a re-post from my original channel.

Odetta was really amazing. So glad you like it.