Customer Reviews

Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Musics 1918-1955

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me just start off by saying that I can't believe how many times I passed this one over before finally picking it up, what was I thinking? I'm already a big fan of "Victrola Favorites", the other major vintage world collection released by Dust to Digital, and this disc follows in the fine tradition of that compilation.

The music is at times ethereal, achingly beautiful, moving, virtuosic, and just plain strange. The tracks have been sequenced well, and flow very nicely into each other; no small achievement with a collection as diverse as this. Unlike "Victrola Favorites", the booklet is jam packed with both images and informative facts about the early days of the record industry and the individual performers featured.

The only issue I take with this collection is that it focuses almost entirely on Europe and Asia, neglecting music from Africa, Australia and the Americas. So this is not a "catch all collection", but that being said, one doesn't miss what's lacking thanks to the strength of what's present. So my complaint can function as a caveat for anyone preferring music from the neglected continents, but I find myself thankful enough for what's included that complaining about what's missing seems a bit silly. An excellent collection for any lover of vintage world music.

No, I don't work for Dust to Digital, but I sure admire them. This is an excellent collection of ear and mind expanding selections from out of the past. I like world music but most of the world music I own is from closer to our day and age and has all the modern production values we expect from our music nowadays. The music on this disc shares more with old time music like you'd find on a Harry Smith collection, only they aren't singing in english. It is a lot of fun. While you are at it, check out Dust to Digital for the greatest Christmas cd ever.

A great collection for those into old 78s. Seriously. Fine tunes and fine quality, folks. It's the next best thing to sitting down at a turntable with the fine fellow who put it together as he sets the stylus on the wide grooves of his own ample collection and discusses each track, one by one, as a luminous vapor of divine musical veneration radiates from his not-yet-hoary head.

I collect old time music and this sucker is one of what I would call defining collections of old time great vintage music

first, let my write that dust-2-digital is a wonderful company with quality releases and, in some cases, truly astounding packaging.

but this release is simply not to my liking. some obscure world music releases that seem to have been chosen for this collection based on their absurdity. nice try, but i far prefer yazoo records' "the secret museum of mankind" for listening pleasure. check yazoo's series out for how it should be done.