Woody Guthrie – Ballades De Sacco Et Vanzetti on vinyl LP. RE. French pressing of 1946-47 protest ballads. Ships from Germany.
About Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti
A French reissue vinyl pressing of Woody Guthrie's ballad cycle about the Sacco and Vanzetti case, one of the most controversial trials of the 20th century.
Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti is a French pressing of Woody Guthrie’s ballad cycle on the trial, conviction and execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, released via Le Chant Du Monde. The recordings were commissioned in 1945 by Folkways founder Moe Asch and recorded by Guthrie in 1946 and 1947, though Guthrie himself remained unsatisfied with the results and never considered the project complete. This listing is a reissue vinyl pressing from a Berlin based eBay seller.
- The Sacco and Vanzetti case
- About Guthrie's ballad cycle
- The album's history
- Pressing details and buying advice
In Brief
- Artist Woody Guthrie was a foundational American folk singer and songwriter, a major influence on Bob Dylan and generations of protest songwriters.
- Subject The ballads recount the trial, conviction and 1927 execution of Italian immigrant anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
- Recording Commissioned by Folkways founder Moe Asch in 1945, recorded by Guthrie in 1946 and 1947, though never fully completed to Guthrie’s satisfaction.
- Release Originally released by Folkways in 1960, this listing is a French reissue via Le Chant Du Monde.
- Legacy The Sacco and Vanzetti case also later inspired the Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone song Here’s To You, from the soundtrack of the 1971 film Sacco & Vanzetti.
Woody Guthrie – Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti (LP, RE)
Reissue vinyl LP, Le Chant Du Monde
Reissue vinyl pressing of Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti, sold by a Berlin based eBay seller with 100% positive feedback.
Pressing Specifications
The Sacco And Vanzetti Case
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were Italian immigrant anarchists convicted of murder in Massachusetts in 1921, in a trial that became one of the most controversial and closely watched legal cases of the 20th century. Widely criticised at the time and since for procedural irregularities and questions over whether the two men's political beliefs and immigrant status influenced the verdict, their case sparked years of appeals and protests around the world before their execution in 1927. The case has continued to resonate in American cultural memory, later inspiring works including the 1971 Italian film Sacco & Vanzetti and its accompanying Joan Baez and Ennio Morricone song Here's To You.
About Guthrie's Ballad Cycle
Commissioned by Folkways Records founder Moe Asch in 1945, Guthrie recorded his ballads on the Sacco and Vanzetti case across sessions in 1946 and 1947, drawing on his characteristic blend of plainspoken storytelling and political conviction. The project proved difficult for Guthrie, who never considered it fully finished and remained personally unsatisfied with the results, according to his biographer Joe Klein. Asch eventually released the recordings in their unfinished form via Folkways in 1960, years after they were made, preserving Guthrie's engagement with a case that had captured the American left's attention for decades. This particular pressing, released via the French label Le Chant Du Monde, brought the recordings to a European audience, carefully remastered from the original acetate discs and accompanied by a previously unpublished letter Guthrie wrote to the trial judge.
- A historically significant document of Guthrie’s engagement with a defining 20th century legal and political case
- From a foundational figure in American folk and protest song
- A relatively rare French pressing via Le Chant Du Monde
- Carefully remastered from original acetate recordings
- Guthrie himself considered the project unfinished and was reportedly unsatisfied with it
- Serious, heavy historical subject matter throughout
- Niche appeal outside folk history and protest song collectors
What is Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti by Woody Guthrie?
It is a French reissue of Guthrie’s ballad cycle documenting the trial, conviction and execution of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, recorded in 1946-47 and originally released in 1960.
Who were Sacco and Vanzetti?
Italian immigrant anarchists convicted of murder in a highly controversial 1921 Massachusetts trial, executed in 1927 after years of appeals and international protest.
Was this album ever considered finished by Guthrie?
No, Guthrie remained unsatisfied with the recordings and never considered the project complete; Folkways released them in their unfinished form years later.
What label released this pressing?
This is a French reissue via Le Chant Du Monde, following the original 1960 Folkways release.
Does this listing ship outside Germany?
The seller is based in Berlin and lists a fixed shipping cost; check the current listing for up to date international shipping options and rates.
Where To Buy This Pressing
Should You Buy This Copy?
- A historically significant, if unfinished, protest ballad cycle
- From a foundational figure in American folk music
- Best suited to collectors of Woody Guthrie and American protest song history
Ballades De Sacco & Vanzetti preserves Guthrie’s engagement with a defining American legal and political case, and this listing offers a reissue pressing from a highly rated German seller.