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Struggle
Folk · 1945 · 3 tracks

Struggle

Woody Guthrie

Stark, unvarnished chronicles of labor strikes and outlaws. Guthrie’s dusty voice and a lone guitar turn historical tragedies into intimate, living protest.

1945 · Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

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Imagine a recording so close you can hear the grit on the strings. Struggle isn't just an album: it is a primary source document of the American experience. Guthrie’s voice carries the weight of the prairie wind, delivering tales of outlaws like Pretty Boy Floyd and the horrific realities of the Ludlow and 1913 massacres. It sounds like a man sitting across from you in a kitchen, telling you the truths the history books left out.

Tracklist · 3 Tracks
02
Pretty Boy Floyd
3:09
05
Lost John
2:57
06
Union Burying Ground
3:08
Moments Worth Listening For
the chilling, repetitive guitar figure in 1913 Massacre that builds tension as the tragedy unfolds
Sonny Terry's frantic, vocalized harmonica whoops providing a rhythmic engine for Lost John
the hushed, reverent tone Guthrie adopts during Union Burying Ground, making the listener feel like a mourner at the graveside
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Struggle sound next to the rest of Woody Guthrie's catalogue?

Raspy+1.2σ

The vocals lean notably further into raspy than the rest of the catalogue.

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