Sounds of North American Frogs

Various Artists - New Age - Environmental/Nature, Charles Bogert | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 21, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B000007TN1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,187 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #12 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Sound Effects
  • #26 in Music > Indie Music > New Age > Environmental

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There was a time, back in the era just before stereophonic records documenting the sounds of trains began to take control of our hi-fis, that Folkways Records was the king of the field recording. Its catalog boasted seminal recordings like Sounds of Insects, Sounds of the Annual International Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen, N.Y., and the essential Sounds of the Junk Yard. This classic reissue, originally recorded in 1958, is a prime example of just how offbeat Moses Asch's legendary imprint could get. Here we get the Sonoran desert toad doing his best in mid-warning croak to sound like a CB radio squelching, the childlike scream of the Southern leopard frog, or a full chorus of barking tree frogs. It's 92 tracks of frog sounds with narration by herpetologist Charles M. Bogert--nearly an hour long. Imagine the possibilities... --Jason Verlinde

Product Description

The amphibian song revival begins here! This classic of both biological fieldwork and natural sound recordings, originally released by Folkways in 1958, presents 57 species of frogs and toads on 92 tracks, digitally remastered from the original master tapes. Compiled and narrated by renowned herpetologist Charles M. Bogert, these sounds were recorded in swamps, lakes, woods, creeks, and road-side ditches all over North America. Sit back and let the bewitching tones of the Pig Frog, Dwarf Mexican Treefrog, Little Green Toad, Southwestern Woodhouse's Toad, Great Basin Spadefoot, and other famed vocalists entrance and amaze you. In a time when frog and toad populations are in rapid decline, this recording reminds us of the remarkable diversity and beautiful music we are in danger of losing. Extensive notes with a new introduction by Richard G. Zweifel, bibliography, discography, and photographs are included. 92 tracks, 55 minutes. Reissue of Folkways 6166.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More fun than a barrel full of lampreys...., December 12, 1999

By 

boeanthropist "Philip Welsh" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sounds of North American Frogs (Audio CD)

Absolutely brilliant... The grunting of the pig frog, the narrator's gravelly old voice drawling shades of Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and best of all the tracks detailing the polytonal mating calls of Grant's Ruffled Treefrog, Bufo Lanarkus... I leave them on friends' voicemail but constantly -- a new frog every day. Now I'm learning to recognize them in my own environs! A fine companion to the Erotic Sound Effects CD.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite cd's, September 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sounds of North American Frogs (Audio CD)

I used to have this when it was an lp set. Oh how I loved it! And it's just as good on cd.

As for the complaint about the narrator mentioned by one fellow, no no no! The narrator is the best part, with his chirping enthusiasm for the different frog croaks.

Truly, this is one for the ages. Indispensible.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Made Audio, April 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sounds of North American Frogs (Audio CD)

This CD is the best audio frog and toad sounds that I have heard. Thorough research into the different sound at varying circumstances make for interesting analyses. The geographic differences, in particular highlight the beautiful diversity of calls, even in a specific specie. The recordings were made in the late 50's and early 60's. They sounds are still crispy clear. Most of those habitats may have disappeared by now, especially down in Florida and the West. This is indeed a national treasure.

If you are interested in listening to another tape of North American frogs and toads, you may consider purchasing "The Calls of Frogs and Toads".