[Folsom]

Are there any good recordings? (preferably the most controversial or whatever, political)

[Airborn]

Not too sure about actual Woody Guthrie, but the "Mermaid Avenue" sessions with Billy Bragg and Wilco (and others, like Natalie Merchant) recording previously unrecorded or unreleased Woody Guthrie material are great recordings.  Some of the songs are political and some are funny and/or "controversial" at least for the times they were written in, I guess (pretty tame by today's standards, I'd say).

[jules]

Sound quality with Guthrie recordings is appalling and as Airborn says, he's not exactly controversial now though he was a hero of the folk music scene.

Guthtrie's Melodies are somewhat repetitive buthe's a critical link in a chain and he was a great inspiration to Bob Dylan who regards him as brilliant.

Maybe Dust Bowl Ballads? Lots of stuff about farms and drought  but it even if it's hard to relate to Guthrie now, it's worth owning something and hell, you only pay $5 for it probably.

jules

[Lyndon]

Destroyer,
I like Mermaid Avenue as well.

If you are fine with anthologies, one of the best is the Smithsonian Anthology of American Music, compiled by Harry Smith of Folkways Records in 1952, and re-issued on CD in 1997.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/learn_discover/anthology/anthology.html

And if that interests you, check out their issue of "The Best of Broadside"