People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Various Artists
Reviews
Don Farrell
Reviewed 2012-01-17
Reviewed 2012-01-17
People Take Warning [Disc 1] - Man Vs. Machine [COLL] GENERAL
VARIOUS ARTISTS Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
American Roots music, Long gone sounds & voices when ballads told the recent news. some songs have pops & clicks.
1: 3:14 slow to mid, male voc, twin guitars about the Titanic
2: 2:54 slow to mid, male voc, train wreck
3: 3:22 mid to slightly faster, jug band with harmonica, retooling of John Henry
4: 3:32 slow, written day after crash of USS Akron, slow to mid, fiddle
5: 3:06 mid to slightly faster, accident trying to hop a freight train
6: 3:31 a cantor sings about the Jewish loss of life on the Titanic, slow
7: 3:00 slow, fiddle "come all ye" style vocal railroad collision
8: 3:18 slow to mid, about Will Rogers & Willey Post plane crash in Alaska
9: 2:53 two brothers sing about the Titanic 25 years later. slow to mid
10: 3:17 slide guitar, male voc. about train derailment, slow
****11: 3:08 mid tempo, great guitar & male vocal, Kassie Jones Part 1
****12: 3:04 mid tempo, great guitar & male vocal, Kassie Jones Part 2
13: 3:16 mid to slightly faster, guitar & harmonica sung by Kentucky Carver family
14: 3:49 slow to mid, Victorian sentimentality about the Titantic, slow to mid
15: 3:26 fiddle & guitar, almost a PSA "look both ways at railroad crossings", slow
16: 2:37 "Wreck Of The Old 97" put to a truck driving song, slow to mid
17: 2:26 mid tempo song about railroad brakeman
18: 2:38 slow, guitar, derailed train song
19: 2:49 slow, about Greyhound bus & open drawbridge
***20: 3:30 mid to faster, Titanic narrative
21: 2:49 mid to slightly faster, Casey Jones, fiddle & guitar
22: 2:59 mid to faster, fiddle & guitar, about plane cash that killed Knute Rockne
23: 3:14 mid tempo, Titanic song guitar autoharp & harmonica
*****24: 2:57 mid tempo, tambourine & guitar, gospel/spiritual, wailing vocal
People Take Warning [Disc 2] - Man Vs. Nature [COLL] GENERAL
1: 3:08 mid tempo, guitar, about flooding of the Mississippi
****2: 3:04 12 string guitar, narrative & blues verses, slow
3: 3:00 crossed tune fiddle, story about boll weevil, slow
4: 3:06 great lap steel guitar, about boll weevil, mid to faster
5: 3:27 slow, fiddle & guitar story about prison fire
***6: 3:04 fast rocking gospel/spiritual, wailing vocal about Memphis flu
7: 3:22 mid tempo, fiddle & guitar, mine explosion
8: 3:02 mid tempo, fiddle & guitar jagged waltz time, about Miami storm
***9: 3:13 mid to faster, male vocal guitar, Memphis Minnie guitar 1927
10: 3:18 slow, guitar & vocals, recorded while rescue efforts were underway during 1929 Alabama flood
11: 3:03 mid to faster, guitar & male vocals, about school fire
***12: 3:07 foot stomping & guitar, raspy vocal on 1927 Mississippi flood part 1
***13: 3:06 foot stomping & guitar, raspy vocal on 1927 Mississippi flood part 2
14: 3:03 slow to mid, guitar, cyclone destroys a schoolhouse
15: 2:53 slow to mid, banjo & guitar, mine disaster
16: 3:20 slow, guitars & wailing vocal about drought
17: 3:12 mid to faster, guitar & vocal, Baltimore fire
18: 3:15 mid to faster, guitar, about Tennessee tornado
***19: 3:14 lots of noise, GREAT vocal by Son house, guitar, slow
***20: 2:57 slow, fiddle & guitar, about 1928 Santa Barbara Earthquake
21: 3:29 slow to mid, guitar, death of Floyd Collins
22: 2:34 slow, fiddle & guitar, Puerto Rico hurricane
***23: 3:00 mid to faster, guitar, harmonica, about boll weevil
***24: 3:14 gospel/spiritual, guitar, flood of 1927
People Take Warning [Disc 3] Man Vs. Man (And Women, Too)
1: 3:24 fast banjo picking & vocal
2: 3:07 slow banjo & vocal
3: 2:24 slow to mid
4: 3:09 slow, fiddle & guitar
5: 3:27 slow guitar
6: 2:54 clawhammer banjo playing, vocal, mid to faster
7: 3:00 mid to faster, guitar and great vocal
****8: 3:03 mid to faster "Frankie & Johnny", guitar & fiddle
9: 3:00 mid tempo,guitar & harmonica, Lindbergh kidnapping trial Part 1
10: 3:05 mid tempo,guitar & harmonica, Lindbergh kidnapping trial Part 2
***11: 2:51 Cajun fiddlers, a ballad
****12: 3:53 two finger banjo picking & vocal
****13: 2:37 mid tempo "Stack O' Lee"
****14: 3:11 mid tempo fiddle & guitar "Tom Dooley"
15: 3:37 waltz time strumming & vocal
16: 3:11 fast banjo & vocal
17: 3:00 slow about Lindbergh kidnapping
18: 3:08 mid tempo fiddle, banjo, guitar & vocals
19: 3:06 slow, fiddle, great harmonica & vocal
20: 3:11 waltz time strumming & vocal
****21: 3:30 nice finger picking guitar, vocal
****22: 3:13 guitar & fiddle with vocals
VARIOUS ARTISTS Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
American Roots music, Long gone sounds & voices when ballads told the recent news. some songs have pops & clicks.
1: 3:14 slow to mid, male voc, twin guitars about the Titanic
2: 2:54 slow to mid, male voc, train wreck
3: 3:22 mid to slightly faster, jug band with harmonica, retooling of John Henry
4: 3:32 slow, written day after crash of USS Akron, slow to mid, fiddle
5: 3:06 mid to slightly faster, accident trying to hop a freight train
6: 3:31 a cantor sings about the Jewish loss of life on the Titanic, slow
7: 3:00 slow, fiddle "come all ye" style vocal railroad collision
8: 3:18 slow to mid, about Will Rogers & Willey Post plane crash in Alaska
9: 2:53 two brothers sing about the Titanic 25 years later. slow to mid
10: 3:17 slide guitar, male voc. about train derailment, slow
****11: 3:08 mid tempo, great guitar & male vocal, Kassie Jones Part 1
****12: 3:04 mid tempo, great guitar & male vocal, Kassie Jones Part 2
13: 3:16 mid to slightly faster, guitar & harmonica sung by Kentucky Carver family
14: 3:49 slow to mid, Victorian sentimentality about the Titantic, slow to mid
15: 3:26 fiddle & guitar, almost a PSA "look both ways at railroad crossings", slow
16: 2:37 "Wreck Of The Old 97" put to a truck driving song, slow to mid
17: 2:26 mid tempo song about railroad brakeman
18: 2:38 slow, guitar, derailed train song
19: 2:49 slow, about Greyhound bus & open drawbridge
***20: 3:30 mid to faster, Titanic narrative
21: 2:49 mid to slightly faster, Casey Jones, fiddle & guitar
22: 2:59 mid to faster, fiddle & guitar, about plane cash that killed Knute Rockne
23: 3:14 mid tempo, Titanic song guitar autoharp & harmonica
*****24: 2:57 mid tempo, tambourine & guitar, gospel/spiritual, wailing vocal
People Take Warning [Disc 2] - Man Vs. Nature [COLL] GENERAL
1: 3:08 mid tempo, guitar, about flooding of the Mississippi
****2: 3:04 12 string guitar, narrative & blues verses, slow
3: 3:00 crossed tune fiddle, story about boll weevil, slow
4: 3:06 great lap steel guitar, about boll weevil, mid to faster
5: 3:27 slow, fiddle & guitar story about prison fire
***6: 3:04 fast rocking gospel/spiritual, wailing vocal about Memphis flu
7: 3:22 mid tempo, fiddle & guitar, mine explosion
8: 3:02 mid tempo, fiddle & guitar jagged waltz time, about Miami storm
***9: 3:13 mid to faster, male vocal guitar, Memphis Minnie guitar 1927
10: 3:18 slow, guitar & vocals, recorded while rescue efforts were underway during 1929 Alabama flood
11: 3:03 mid to faster, guitar & male vocals, about school fire
***12: 3:07 foot stomping & guitar, raspy vocal on 1927 Mississippi flood part 1
***13: 3:06 foot stomping & guitar, raspy vocal on 1927 Mississippi flood part 2
14: 3:03 slow to mid, guitar, cyclone destroys a schoolhouse
15: 2:53 slow to mid, banjo & guitar, mine disaster
16: 3:20 slow, guitars & wailing vocal about drought
17: 3:12 mid to faster, guitar & vocal, Baltimore fire
18: 3:15 mid to faster, guitar, about Tennessee tornado
***19: 3:14 lots of noise, GREAT vocal by Son house, guitar, slow
***20: 2:57 slow, fiddle & guitar, about 1928 Santa Barbara Earthquake
21: 3:29 slow to mid, guitar, death of Floyd Collins
22: 2:34 slow, fiddle & guitar, Puerto Rico hurricane
***23: 3:00 mid to faster, guitar, harmonica, about boll weevil
***24: 3:14 gospel/spiritual, guitar, flood of 1927
People Take Warning [Disc 3] Man Vs. Man (And Women, Too)
1: 3:24 fast banjo picking & vocal
2: 3:07 slow banjo & vocal
3: 2:24 slow to mid
4: 3:09 slow, fiddle & guitar
5: 3:27 slow guitar
6: 2:54 clawhammer banjo playing, vocal, mid to faster
7: 3:00 mid to faster, guitar and great vocal
****8: 3:03 mid to faster "Frankie & Johnny", guitar & fiddle
9: 3:00 mid tempo,guitar & harmonica, Lindbergh kidnapping trial Part 1
10: 3:05 mid tempo,guitar & harmonica, Lindbergh kidnapping trial Part 2
***11: 2:51 Cajun fiddlers, a ballad
****12: 3:53 two finger banjo picking & vocal
****13: 2:37 mid tempo "Stack O' Lee"
****14: 3:11 mid tempo fiddle & guitar "Tom Dooley"
15: 3:37 waltz time strumming & vocal
16: 3:11 fast banjo & vocal
17: 3:00 slow about Lindbergh kidnapping
18: 3:08 mid tempo fiddle, banjo, guitar & vocals
19: 3:06 slow, fiddle, great harmonica & vocal
20: 3:11 waltz time strumming & vocal
****21: 3:30 nice finger picking guitar, vocal
****22: 3:13 guitar & fiddle with vocals
Recent airplay
When That Great Ship Went Down
Traditions — May 27, 2025
Wreck Of The Old 97 [Riley Puckett]
Traditions — Oct 22, 2024
The Titanic
Traditions — Apr 13, 2023
Lanse Des Belaires
Traditions — May 18, 2018
Last Scene Of The Titanic, The Fatal Wreck Of The Bus
Traditions — Apr 20, 2018
Wreck Of The Old 97 [Riley Puckett]
Traditions — Dec 01, 2017
Charting
2012-01-16 — 2012-03-19
| Week Ending | Airplays |
|---|---|
| Mar 4 | 1 |
| Jan 22 | 2 |
Track listing
| 1. | Titanic Blues | ||
| 2. | Wreck Of The Old 97 [Riley Puckett] | ||
| 3. | Bill Wilson | ||
| 4. | The Crash Of The Akron | ||
| 5. | The Fate Of Talmadge Osborne | ||
| 6. | El Mole Rachmim (Fur Titanik) | ||
| 7. | The Wreck Of The Virginian | ||
| 8. | Fate Of Will Rogers & Wiley Post | ||
| 9. | Down With The Old Canoe | ||
| 10. | Wreck Of Number 52 | ||
| 11. | Kassie Jones Part 1 | ||
| 12. | Kassie Jones Part 2 | ||
| 13. | The Brave Engineer | ||
| 14. | The Sinking Of The Titanic | ||
| 15. | Fate Of Chris Lively And Wife | ||
| 16. | Wreck On The Mountain Road | ||
| 17. | The Unfortunate Brakeman | ||
| 18. | Altoona Freight Wreck | ||
| 19. | The Fatal Wreck Of The Bus | ||
| 20. | Last Scene Of The Titanic | ||
| 21. | Casey Jones | ||
| 22. | The Wreck Of The Westbound Airliner | ||
| 23. | The Titanic | ||
| 24. | When That Great Ship Went Down | ||
| 25. | The Story Of The Mighty Mississippi | ||
| 26. | Mississippi Heavy Water Blues | ||
| 27. | Dixie Boll Weevil | ||
| 28. | Mississippi Boll Weevil | ||
| 29. | Ohio Prison Fire | ||
| 30. | Memphis Flu | ||
| 31. | Explosion In The Fairmount Mine | ||
| 32. | Storm That Struck Miami | ||
| 33. | When The Levee Breaks | ||
| 34. | Alabama Flood | ||
| 35. | Burning Of The Cleveland School | ||
| 36. | High Water Everywhere Part 1 | ||
| 37. | High Water Everywhere Part 2 | ||
| 38. | Ryecove Cyclone | ||
| 39. | Mcbeth Mine Explosion | ||
| 40. | Dry Well Blues | ||
| 41. | Baltimore Fire | ||
| 42. | Tennessee Tornado | ||
| 43. | Dry Spell Blues, Part 2 | ||
| 44. | The Santa Barbara Earthquake | ||
| 45. | The Death Of Floyd Collins | ||
| 46. | The Porto Rico Storm | ||
| 47. | Boll Weavil | ||
| 48. | The Flood Of 1927 | ||
| 49. | Peddler And His Wife | ||
| 50. | The Little Grave In Georgia | ||
| 51. | Kenney Wagner's Surrender | ||
| 52. | Henry Clay Beattie | ||
| 53. | The Murder Of The Lawson Family | ||
| 54. | Naomi Wise | ||
| 55. | Railroad Bill | ||
| 56. | Frankie | ||
| 57. | Trial Of Richard Bruno Hauptmann, Part 1 | ||
| 58. | Trial Of Richard Bruno Hauptmann, Part 2 | ||
| 59. | Lanse Des Belaires | ||
| 60. | Darling Cora | ||
| 61. | Billy Lyons And Stack O' Lee | ||
| 62. | Tom Dooley | ||
| 63. | The Story Of Freda Bolt | ||
| 64. | Pretty Polly | ||
| 65. | Fingerprints Upon The Windowpane | ||
| 66. | The Bluefield Murder | ||
| 67. | Frankie Silvers | ||
| 68. | Fate Of Rhoda Sweeten | ||
| 69. | Dupree Blues | ||
| 70. | Poor Ellen Smith |