Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings

Ball/Edwards/Gladden/Terry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 21, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0000002UB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,345 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > Country > Classic Country > Old-Time Country

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America singing, June 3, 1999

By 

Jerome Clark (Canby, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings (Audio CD)

Ever since 1928, the Library of Congress has been recording authentic folk musicians in the field. Eventually, a small number of these recordings were released commercially, first on 78s, then LPs and now CDs (on Rounder's Archive of Folk Culture series). On this disc, banjoist, playwright, and ethnomusicologist Stephen Wade has chosen 30 of the best of the publicly available performances, representing a broad range of styles. All are from the 1930s and '40s, before America's rich folk-song tradition began to collapse under the onslaught of radio and pop music on phonograph records. Every cut here is a small masterpiece, and every one stands up to repeated listening. Among my own favorites is cowboy fiddler Jess Morris's "Goodbye, Old Paint," the earliest known version of this famous frontier waltz; Morris learned it in 1884 from a black Texas cowhand, who in turn picked it up while driving cattle to Wyoming in the 1870s. Pennsylvanian John J. Quinn does a blood-chilling, unaccompanied "Avondale Mine Disaster," and Mississippi bluesman David "Honeyboy" Edwards makes "Worried Life Blues" sound practically like an orchestral piece, though accompanied by no more than his acoustic guitar. Banjo pickers, fiddlers, harmonica blowers, washboard bands, a capella balladeers, church and prison choirs, children's chants and mother's lullabies -- you can hear America singing on this wonderful disc.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings (Audio CD)

I purchased this CD so I could listen to Sea Lion Woman, a song I heard during the final credits to The General's Daughter. The other 29 songs were an added bonus. Some of these songs, recorded in the 30's and 40's, are a real joy to listen to. Also included with the CD is a small booklet telling you about each song. To hear "Pullin' the Skif" and "Shortenin' Bread", only to learn that the young singer died in a hold-up she perpetrated before her twenty-first birthday just grabs the heart.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfort food for the ears..., August 7, 2000

By 

Betty Boop "Boopster" (Lebanon, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings (Audio CD)

Haunting ballads, stories and lively dance tunes sung by "regular people" (including Woody Guthrie) provide a musical history of rare breadth. If you are looking for slickness and glitz, this CD is not for you. If, on the other hand, you enjoy honest music, are interested in folk history, and perhaps are a closet (or shower) singer yourself, you will enjoy this glimpse into the souls of people whose spirits fill these songs.

An added bonus is the booklet that is included. It provides background on the Library of Congress's Folk Archive and the field recordings done by John, Alan, and Elizabeth Lomax in the late 30's to mid-40's. It also gives a short song and artist history for each track. The fact that one child singer died before her 21st birthday makes her song especially haunting.

Many of us live comfortably insulated, yuppified, sanitized lives. These recordings remind us where we came from. Most importantly, they demonstrate the power of music, that it feeds our souls and gives us strength. We all have that power to make music. Some of us have just forgotten how to do it, or have been told we should not try to sing or play. These songs help us remember on many levels, and show us that making music is a blessing we are all capable of enjoying.