Customer Reviews

Fonotone Records: Frederick, Maryland (1956-1969)

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

 

 

The Fonotone boxed set is outstanding. The quality and selection of the music and the packaging were done with great respect to the artists.

When I listened to the music it took me back to my earliest childhood memories. The cigar box with the book, postcards and pictures, and even the bottle opener placed me back into that era of time. I believe Joe Bussard and the artists would be proud of their legacy "living on". I know my experience with the set created a greater sense of appreciation of their efforts and their contribution to my life.

Thanks again Joe and the people at Dust to Digital!

I was lucky enough to get to attend the release party for the Fonotone Records box set last Thursday in Atlanta. I got to meet Joe Bussard and hear a band from Tennessee whose family is on the set. I couldn't have had a better time. I bought a copy of the Fonotone set at the show and have been listening to it non-stop all weekend. What a great job Dust-to-Digital did in presenting this music, and what a great job Joe Bussard did in recording it.

The Fonotone Records box takes me back to a time in music history I never had the chance to experience. So glad Dust-to-Digital has offered such a diverse sampling of a truly influential era in Southern music history; a chance to connect even further with my Southern roots.

This cleverly assembled boxed set is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the ears! Joe Bussard and his crew were truly "pickin' and grinnin"!

This is a collection of the heart and soul of American music, its artistic and historical value not surpassed by the immortal "Anthology" - Anthology Of American Folk Music (Edited By Harry Smith).

This is music that speaks direct to the heart of any American (and to an Americanised Brit like myself as well), providing a direct line back to our common roots, enriched by the blues that developed in America's melting pot.

Real music of the people, by the people, for the people.

It's astounding that the collection is not better known. Dust-to-Digital are an extraordinary music publisher, deserving of all the prizes and recognition they have received, yet still more deserving of much greater renown. I also highly recommend their superbly presented historical gospel collection Goodbye, Babylon.

The set also deserves a re-issue!!!

Being a fan of pre-war old-time music and post-war field sessions by Lomax and other, I thought that this box, even though pricey, would certainly be worth it. I was, unfortunately, wrong. Though there are some mighty good tracks to be had with this set, it really could be boiled down to one or possibly two discs. Most of the material is tepid and folky and very affected sounding, completely unlike the pre-war material and and authentic field-sessions. Some of the guitar performances by Blind Thomas (Fahey) and B. Sam Firk (Stewart) are inspired but those with vocals by them are downright awful. Plus, adding to the unnecessary cost is the hard-to-read notes and the mysterious bottle-opener...

A lot of the performances are horrid, some of the arrangements are insipid. There ended up being about 30 tunes and songs here that were of interest--and over 100 that I'll never listen to again. In many ways, it's a beautifully packaged vanity project of limited interest musically.