YES, YES, YES!!!   I've heard some of the old stuff and love it! To tell you the truth, I didn't even notice any pops or cracks. I was too busy noticing the lyrics and the picking and singing.

I recently came across an old, old record, recorded in 1942. I took it to a sound engineer and had him clean it up and put it onto a CD. It still has lots of the scratchy sounds, but that's part of its charm. What was important to me was not the quality of the recording, but the preservation of it.

I know it's hard for an artist to put out something they think is not their best, but the reason for releasing this one is different from the reasons behind the release of the others.
I bet there are some folks around who have the equipment and expertise to help get this project done for a reasonable price.
I think you should do it!
KT