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Various Artists - As Good as It Gets: Skiffle (1959)

Track listing:
CD1
  1. Gloryland The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:43
  2. Get Along Home Cindy Johnny Duncan And The Bluegrass Boys 2:22
  3. Lost Lohn Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group 2:43
  4. Toll The Bell Easy Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 2:20
  5. Jesse James Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group Featuring Dickie Bishop 2:39
  6. Cumberland Gap The Vipers Skiffle Group 1:55
  7. Last Train To San Fernando Johnny Duncan And The Bluegrass Boys 2:29
  8. California Zephyr Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 2:55
  9. Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:20
  10. Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:18
  11. Hey Hey Daddy Blues Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 1:56
  12. I'm Satisfied Chas Mcdevitt Skiffle Group Featuring Nancy Whiskey 1:37
  13. Midnight Special Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 2:14
  14. Doin' Mytime Chris Barber Skiffle Group Featuring Johnny Duncan 3:28
  15. Streamline Train The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:34
  16. Footsteps In The Snow Johnny Duncan And The Bluegrass Boys 2:22
  17. Runnin' Wild Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:44
  18. Canine Stomp Johnny Parker's Washboard Band 2:35
  19. Mama Don't Allow Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 2:09
  20. Railroad Bill Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 2:21
  21. I Shall Not Be Moved Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 2:28
  22. Whistling Rufus Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:42
  23. Ain't You Glad The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:21
  24. Oh Mary Don't You Weep Les Hobeaux Skiffle Group 2:19
  25. Rockabilly Baby Johnny Duncan And The Bluegrass Boys 2:09
  26. Stackalee Lonnie Donegan And His Skiffle Group 3:13
  27. 10000 Years Ago The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:19
  28. That's All There Is Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:46
  29. Bearcatcrawl Chris Barber Skiffle Group Featuring Ottilie Patter 2:18
  30. Greenbackdollar Chas Mcdevitt Skiffle Group Featuring Nancy Whisk 1:57
  31. Stormin' The Barn Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:20
CD2
  1. Railroad Steamboat The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:37
  2. Bring A Little Water Sylvie Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 2:26
  3. Where Could I Go Chris Barber Skiffle Group Feat. Johnny Duncan 2:44
  4. Shine Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:19
  5. Pick A Bale Of Cotton The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:25
  6. Freight Train Chas Mcdevitt Skiffle Group Feat. Nancy Whiskey 2:17
  7. 6.5 Special Don Lang 2:23
  8. River Line Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 2:28
  9. Blue Blue Heartache Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 2:21
  10. I'm Alabammy Bound Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group 1:49
  11. Wild About My Lovin' Levee Breakers 2:27
  12. Hey Lily Lily Lo The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:10
  13. Sugartime Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:41
  14. Poor Howard Chas Mcdevitt Skiffle Group Feat. Nancy Whiskey 2:26
  15. Number 69 Johnny Parker's Washboard Band 3:33
  16. Lonely Road Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 2:20
  17. Maggie May The Vipers Skiffle Group 1:53
  18. Babe I'm Leaving You Levee Breakers 2:21
  19. I Never Knew Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:51
  20. Ella Speed Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 3:13
  21. I Know The Lord Laid His Hands On Me The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:16
  22. Jet Black Blues Blind Willie Dunn's Gin Bottle Four 3:01
  23. Tiger Rag Original Barnstormers Spasm Band 2:34
  24. Itching For My Baby Johnny Duncan & The Bluegrass Boys 2:02
  25. It Takes A Worried Man The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:45
  26. Lowland Blues Chris Barber's Jazz Band Feat. Ottilie Patterson & Johnny Duncan 4:42
  27. Blue Blood Blues Blind Willie Dunn's Gin Bottle Four 2:59
  28. This Little Light Of Mine Jimmy Jackson's Rock 'n' Skiffle 2:24
  29. Homing Bird The Vipers Skiffle Group 2:13
  30. Ramschackle Daddy Don Lang 2:02

Notes

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.