Customer Reviews

Goodbye, Babylon

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have had this set for over a year and I still have not listened to it all. 135 songs of such diverse and interesting variety and styles. The music is so raw in most cases that it speaks to the gut first, then the heart.
Dust to Digital is the best outfit in the world for locating and assembling such massive historical recordings. This is the most pleasureable set of gospel (if you can limit it to that genre) music, ever. Thank you DtoD.

Look up. Does it say "in stock"? It does? Buy it! The hell with the damn money - life's short, and this jewel from Dust To Digital is worth every cent. Goodbye, Babylon is a rich, deep vein of mixed ore - plenty of utilitarian coal, a good leavening of gold, and a double handful of diamonds. For starters, the box set itself is a beautiful object, made with respect and love. For musical trainspotters, there's plenty here to enjoy and mull over - by far the larger proportion not found on any of my other compilations. And for people like me, who are trawling for that elusive and rare combination of passion and melody, humanity and heartbreak, yearning and joy - it can be found here. I distilled the six CDs down to a compilation that I listen to as I would any good music, and as frequently - it's a great Sunday morning CD and, if you live in the suburbs like I don't, it'll freak the neighbours. Oh, unless you live in the southern states of the US, of course. Ahem. Anyway, sift through and you'll find beautiful songs that will lift your spirits, old weird America stuff that'll make you smile and sing along, and a wealth of really interesting music that draws from many traditions. This one is special, and worth it. Enjoy.

This set includes 5 music CD's plus 1 preaching CD. All six are good ones and each individual CD is put together according to a single theme; salvation, judgement, etc. I listen to this over and over again and I never tire of it. Maybe this is a bit pricy, but still it's worth every cent.

This is one of the most wide-ranging and wonderful collections of early roots music I've found. The performances range from gospel quartets and choirs through blues and jug bands, pulling together influences from gospel, bluegrass and country, jazz, and blues. And then there's an entire disc of sermons, with such gems (no pun intended) as "Black Diamond Express to Hell". Great stuff, and a wonderfully eclectic collection of early roots music, gospel or not.

The sound quality is very good, especially given the age of many of the sources.

There's not a ton of historical/biographical info in the 200+ page book, but the inclusion of all the lyrics of every song is a huge win. The packaging is as cool as it looks, but isn't terribly practical for day-to-day use. That wasn't a problem for me, as I ripped all six CDs and have primarily played them off my computers, but could be a nuisance for some.

i haven't a religious bone in my body, but this boxed set has provided me with one of the most moving listening experiences of my life. a good deal of this music is full of an intense yearning, coming from men and women who didn't have an easy lot in life. the sacred harp singing is a particular highlight for me. turn off whatever might provide a distraction and set aside an afternoon to listen. my budget prevents me from buying boxed sets such as these very often, but, to the best of my knowledge, there's no other collection of american religious music with this kind of scope and attention to detail - from mastering to liner notes (lyrics!) to packaging. i'm not usually one to care about packaging but the wooden box feels like a lovely personal touch - apparently the cotton comes from the label owners' farm. be forewarned that the discs can slide around in the box and out of their protective sleeves, though.

The product was as expected. That means material from before the time I was born in 1950. It sounds like old time AM radio because the source media is in most cases at least that old and much of it is gramophone. If you want to know what music was like then go for it. Excuse me. It is rural music not New York City music. This is what my parents and grandparents listened to.

If you'r looking for church music, Gospel, songs from the heart, then listen to this wonderful collection, starting from the early days in the 20th century. Wonderful !!!

This a very valuable collection of gospel music. Be aware that is all gospel. Is is nearly all old time gospel, and it gives us a rich history of the passion that goes into this form of music. If you are a lover of folk music you should own this set.The performers are now saved for all time! The one drawback is the insanley stupid packaging-a wooden box that does not work! I threw mine away. What were they thinking??

Having read the enthusiastic reviews here and in the the New York Times, I couldn't wait for this boxed set to arrive. Unfortunately, when it did arrive I sure wished I could get a refund.

No doubt this material is of interest to scholars. But anyone just looking for something enjoyable to listen to is in for a disappointment.

I have listened to plenty of old recordings but the sound quality on this is by far the worst I have ever heard, bar none. You really can't enjoy the music. The quality is so poor that one track of a particular genre doesn't register as any different from another. Listening to it is just plain painful.

So if you are a music library you might want to spend your money on this.
But, if you are just a gospel fan, you may want to spend your money on the many other fine gospel recordings out there.