Count John McCormack Vol. VII - The Complete Surviving Early Recordings (Pearl)(2 CD Box Set) [Box set]

John McCormack | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 21, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Pearl
• ASIN: B000000WZ0
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #864,698 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. The Snowy Breasted Pearl: Melody: Pearl Of The White Breast

2. The Meeting Of The Waters: Melody: The Old Head Of Dennis

3. When Shall The Day Break In Erin?

4. Molly Bawn (Molly Blonde)

5. The Irish Emigrant

6. Avourneen (Beloved)

7. Killarney

8. The Green Isle Of Erin

9. Love Thee? Dearest? Love Thee?

10. Love Thee? Dearest? Love Thee?

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. The Dear Little Shamrock

2. The Green Isle Of Erin

3. Eileen Alannah

4. Eileen Alannah

5. Killarney

6. Kathleen Mavourneen

7. The Lily Of Killarney : Once Would My Heart With The Wildest Emotion

8. The Minstrel Boy

9. Come Back To Erin

10. The Dear Little Shamrock

See all 26 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Important documents, atrocious sound, August 11, 2009

By 

William Kasimer (Eastern Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Count John McCormack Vol. VII - The Complete Surviving Early Recordings (Pearl)(2 CD Box Set) (Audio CD)

I suspect that the originals are simply in horrible shape, and were probably not well made in the first place, which prevents anything resembling decent sonics. All of the recordings suffer from unstable pitch, in addition to the surface noise inherent in such early material. The quality of the reproduction of McCormack's voice is high variable; in some cases, he's not even recognizable, and I wondered if that was due to poor pitching or an actual misidentification.

So this one is only for McCormack completists. His singing is OK when you can actually make it out, but he developed a great deal in the few years after this. If you want early McCormack, look to buy the Naxos volumes, which begin, as I recall, around 1910, and are expertly transferred by Ward Marston.