Compare the original "trad" material Lomax recorded in the field with the "sampled" and "updated" versions put out by Moby on his CD titled Play, and for which none of the original artists have ever received royalties. The Moby CD was number 1 in the UK for five weeks, and almost all of the cuts have been licensed for commercials -- the Vera Hall song for a big Calvin Klein ad campaign, the Boy Blue blues song for an American Express ad featuring Tiger Woods. To compare the original, in "trad" simplicity, with the "updated" versions produced by sampling the originals, call the Washington Post's "Post-Haste" line at 202-334-9000.

For Boy Blue's song, "Joe Lee's Rock," recorded in an Arkansas honky-tonk in 1959, push 8151.
To hear what "Moby" did with it, sold to American Express, and calls "Find My Baby" on his CD, push 8152.

To hear the Lomax 1959 recording of Bessie Jones singing "Sometimes," a game song, press 8153.
Compare that with Moby's "Honey" by pressing 8154.

Now listen to the great Vera Hall of Livingston, Alabama, singing "Trouble so Hard" by pressing 8155.
To hear what Moby did to it, and sold to Calvin Klein (and for which neither Mrs. Hall's heirs nor Alan Lomax has ever been paid), press 8156.

I've listened, and for my money, I'll take the trad version every time!

Sandy