Customer Reviews

The Great Depression: American Music in the '30s

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I hate it when you buy a CD for a particular song, then you discover they used a NON-vocal version of a song known for its lyrics. "Happy Days are Here Again" is instrumental only on this CD. I also bought a "Songs of the Civil War" CD recently that DIDN'T have a vocal version of Dixie, only instrumental. Gyp. The song listings don't warn you of an instrumental-only track, and you can't click for a 30-second preview of "Happy Days". So look out. All in all, the CD isn't bad though. Some good stuff on it.

I can't believe no one has reviewed this yet - this is one of the best (if not the best) compilations of music from this era. The booklet is filled with photographs and information on this pivotal point in American history - socially, economically, psycholigically, and musically. Many famous artists are contained here, but in earlier stages of their careers than we have become culturally familiar with (Ellington, Armstrong). The effort to cheer up a 'depressed' nation rings through here, with a mirth and joy that we have certainly lost in these less-than-disastrous times. While a couple tracks serve better as period pieces than entertainment (Henry Ford's Orchestra?!?), this excellent collection entertains today as well as when these hot jazz and early blues songs were flowing from radios that are now antiques.

Hot tip - this may go out of print, as have many other collections from Columbia Legacy. Get it before it becomes a legacy itself!

Great sides, but as usuaual, record companies have no idea how to remaster shellac pressings. They make them sound muddy and life-less. They think surface noise will offend our ears more than the original music. They are supposed to sound bright, punchy with solid bass. I had a hell of a time pulling these out of the hole using Sound Forge.

You get 21 recordings from the 30's, so it's a bargain. This selection, the soundtrack of a PBS documentary, is weighted a bit heavily with gloomy blues/folk songs that leave the impression that popular music back then was all leftist social protest songs. One rather doubts that "NRA Blues" would be a hit in any decade, much less the decade of "Gay Divorcee," "42nd Street," Gershwin and dance bands. But Louis Armstong's "All of Me" alone makes up for all the other woe is me songs on the album. Listen to this collection, then turn on your FM radio and weep at the fall of popular music.

I got to say Amity Shlaes is a pompus B*tch. I know folks that lived this period. She (Shlaes) and the Beck-righties need to go back to the dark hole they came from.