Customer Reviews

Times Ain't Like They Used To Be, Vol. 1: Early American Rural Music

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"Times, Vol 1" is the first of four CDs featuring blues, mountain music, sanctified singing, ballads, dances, and so on. Partisans of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music will also enjoy these Yazoo collections. The various styles are not "segregated," nor are the performers, and the program has a kaleidoscopic effect, playing up both similarities and differences among the numbers. The mood overall is upbeat but not jubilant.

My favorite track on Vol. 1, and one that should be more well-known and popular, is "Rabbit" Brown's definitive "Sinking of the Titanic." I can't find one "bad track on the CD - even when the music isn't especially engaging or distinctive, it still retains an ambience of age and distance, if that makes any sense. Consequently the CD admirably creates a mood and an illusion too, that the listener can peaceably coexist with widely divergent peoples simply by sharing their enjoyment in song and rhythm.

The CD mastering is excellent, for the most part, and only a couple tracks on Vol. 1 (specially noted: Ken Maynard's "Fannie Moore") are hampered by the excessive noise common to old 78s from private collections.

Vol 3 of this series sustains the high quality of this first volume, and doubtless all four volumes are worth owning. I know I enjoy these CDs as much as, or more than, any other collections of "folk music."

I can't imagine my music collection now without "Streak of fat, streak of lean" or "I got your ice cold NuGrape." These two and others on this disc, and in this amazing series, are just fantastically fun, essential American music. I'm collecting the entire series and it has really caused me to seek out other authentic recordings from this period. Also check the essential "Music From The Lost Provinces".

To me it is the best collection of rare old tyme country music going. It shows the different entertainers of the times then and how good they are. If you are into a various entertainers collection of classic real old country music then I would reccomend this CD. It shows real country music at its all time best.