"As Good As It Gets SKIFFLE" Vol. 1

In the U.S., few music listeners have any awareness of the British skiffle phenomenon of the late '50s, and the only performer from this era to enjoy any kind of profile in America is Lonnie Donegan, whose "Rock Island Line" charted here. Other notable skiffle acts, such as Johnny Duncan (not the '70s country star), the Vipers Skiffle Group, and the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group are unknown except to an elite few. The genre itself was basically an attempt to replicate American folk music in Britain by playing American folk and blues songs in an affectedly rural-sounding manner, and the result often sounded something like a strummy, energetic cousin of bluegrass coupled with the instrumental sound of Elvis' Sun sessions. The Disky label has released a series of two-disc genre overviews under the title As Good As It Gets, and this volume compiles 61 vintage skiffle tracks by all of the above-mentioned acts (including Donegan's "Rock Island Line") and adds cuts by others such as the Original Barnstormers Spasm Band, Don Lang, Jimmy Jackson's Rock'n'Skiffle, and Johnny Parker's Washboard Band. Most of the recordings are from the mid- to late '50s, although a couple of post-skiffle tracks from the '60s are included. Also tacked on are two out of place sounding 1929 recordings by Blind Willie Dunn's Gin Bottle Four, who the compiler alleges are direct forefathers of skiffle. Offering a wealth of tracks and good packaging, As Good As It Gets: Skiffle is a very inexpensive import and provides an excellent overview of this little-known genre. (Greg Adams, Allmusic)

trax disc 1:
1. Gloryland - The Vipers Skiffle Group 2. Get Along Home Cindy - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 3. Lost John - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group 4. Toll The Bell Easy - Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 5. Jesse James - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group 6. Cumberland Gap - The Vipers Skiffle Group 7. Last Train To San Fernando - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 8. California Zephyr - Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 9. Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 10. Don't You Rock Me, Daddy-O - The Vipers Skiffle Group 11. Hey, Hey Daddy Blues - Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 12. I'm Satisfied - Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group Featuring Nancy Whisk 13. Midnight Special - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group 14. Doin' My Time - The Chris Barber Skiffle Group Feat. Johnny Duncan 15. Streamline Train - The Vipers Skiffle Group 16. Footsteps In The Snow - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 17. Runnin' Wild - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 18. Canine Stomp - Johnny Parker's Washboard Band 19. Mama Don't Allow - Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 20. Railroad Bill - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group 21. I Shall Not Be Moved - Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 22. Whistlin' Rufus - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 23. Ain't You Glad - The Vipers Skiffle Group 24. Oh Mary Don't You Weep - Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 25. Rockabilly Baby - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 26. Stackalee - Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group 27. 10,000 Years Ago - The Vipers Skiffle Group 28. That's All There Is Original - Barnstormers Spasm Band 29. Bearcat Crawl - The Chris Barber Skiffle Group Feat. Johnny Duncan 30. Greenback Dollar - Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group Featuring Nancy Whisk 31. Stormin' The Barn - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band
trax disc 2:
1. Railroad Steamboat - The Vipers Skiffle Group 2. Bring A LIttle Water Sylvie - The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 3. Where Could I Go? - The Chris Barber Skiffle Group Feat. Johnny Duncan 4. Shine - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 5. Pick A Bale Of Cotton - The Vipers Skiffle Group 6. Freight Train - Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group Feat. Nancy Whiskey 7. 6.5 Special - Don Lang 8. River Line - Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 9. Blue Blue Heartache - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 10. I'm Albammy Bound - The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 11. Wild About My Lovin' - The Levee Breakers 12. Hey Lily Lily Lo - The Vipers Skiffle Group 13. Sugartime - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 14. Poor Howard - Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group Feat. Nancy Whiskey 15. Number 69 - Johnny Parker's Washboard Band 16. Lonely Road - Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 17. Maggie May - The Vipers Skiffle Group 18. Baby I'm Leavin' You - The Levee Breakers 19. I Never Knew - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 20. Ella Speed - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 21. I Know The Lord Laid His Hands On Me - The Vipers Skiffle Group 22. Jet Black Blues - Blind Willie Dun's Gin Bottle Four 23. Tiger Rag - Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 24. Itching For My Baby - Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 25. It Takes A Worried Man - The Vipers Skiffle Group 26. Lowland Blues - Chris Barber's Jazz Band Featuring Ottilie Patterson 27. Blue Blood Blues - Blind Willie Dun's Gin Bottle Four 28. This Little Light Of Mine - Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 29. Homing Bird - The Vipers Skiffle Group 30. Ramshackle Daddy - Don Lang
...served by Gyro1966...