Monday, 24 July 2017

Lost Train Blues (Lomax recordings)


Rating: 5/5

Review:
A fabulous collection



This is a fabulous collection of original recordings, largely by John and Alan Lomax.  Much of it is little known and, according to the blurb, 13 of the 22 tracks here have never been issued before.

The standard of musicianship is just terrific; every time I hear new original recordings of this kind I'm blown away anew by the sheer skill and power of these home-grown performers.  There's a wide variety of styles here, but the musical quality is very high throughout. 

The recording quality is variable and pretty ropy in places – as you'd expect given the equipment available at the time and the circumstances of the recordings.  Nonetheless, the sheer quality of the performances comes loud and clear through the hiss and lo-fi and it's a strong reminder of how great a debt we owe not only to the musicians who created the foundations of so much of modern music, but to the collectors who preserved these gems for us.

If you have any interest whatever in original US folk music, I can recommend this collection very warmly.  It's a gem.

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