The Anthology???

Subject: The Anthology???
From:
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 05:53 AM

I found a book in a second-hand bookstore called "Anthology of American folk Music". In it they refer to a set of records which they call "The Anthology". It was apparently put together by Harry Smith and issued on Moses Ash's Folkways records.

Has this been remastered on a CD?. If so what is it called and who puts it out?

BTW it is a great book.

PS Max, I have been playing around with mudcat since I responded to the "new home" thread. It is really working like a charm. It looks like you transcended the Intel world.

Murray

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Click here for the Anthology Website
Click here for Volume 4
NPR Page on the Anthology

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Earl
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 09:43 AM

It has been released on CD fairly recently by Smithsonian Folkways. Here's their homepage.

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Dale Rose
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 12:56 PM

Whenever anyone refers to THE Anthology, this is the one they are referring to. If you are planning on a purchase based on price, I would recommend County Sales, which has it at $60, compared to $79 from Smithsonian. Of course, buying from Smithsonian directly might help advance their programs, I wouldn't know about that. If you check out Music Boulevard you will find the 84 titles listed with maybe 20 sound clips. (Their price is $71) I have seen it at about $66 at Best Buy, but since I have the records, I struggled to keep from buying it.

Searching virtually any mailorder company will find it, along with a discussion of its contribution to the rebirth of interest in old time music.

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Paul Stamler
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 01:30 PM

For those who have the LPs and are pondering whether the CDs are worth the money: they are. The remastering is many orders of magnitude above the original set; they found cleaner copies of many of the records; and they made an effort to get the RPMs right so the pitches would be correct. The difference is like night and day. Peace. Paul

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 01:44 PM

What Paul's says above, I'd say the same holds true for the CD's of Lomax's Southern Journeys collection. Barry

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From:
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 08:44 PM

I found it at the Smithsonian site--thanks Earl. Dale, does Country Sales sell on the www?

By the way Dale, I got one of the Fiddlin' John Carson CDs that you suggested. It is very interesting. Do you know what the phrase "When Abraham and Issac Rushed the Can" means? Also, is there a book (etc) which gives the lyrics in his versions. His "Old Joe Clark" is very different from what you see printed.

Murray

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 12:08 AM

Not only is the sound cleaner on the reissue of the Anthology, but it comes with a many-paged booklet which updates the liner notes. (It also comes with a reproduction of the original liner notes by Harry Smith!) But you can see what modern versions have been inspired by any of the original anthology pieces--versions in almost any conceivable genre from pop to bluegrass to jazz. Not to mention several essays on Harry Smith, and what relational truths he was trying to get at by construction the Anthology with the structure he chose. And one of the CDs will pop into your computer and is enhanced with interviews, videos and music beyond the original collection.

And if that isn't reason enough to buy it, it's one of the greatest collections of music ever.

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Dale Rose
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 08:42 PM

The front door to County Sales is easy enough to find, just countysales.com, but maneuvering around their site is a bit trickier, at least for me. The page you want is here. The discussion of the Anthology is not quite half way down the page. Note that they have good prices, plus free CDs when you order so many.

I will try to check on the other questions.

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From:
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 09:25 PM

Thanks Dale. Perhaps when you find the answer to the "Abraham" question, you can send it in a new thread so that others will find it. I should have done that when I asked the question.

Murray

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From:
Date: 14 May 98 - 03:31 AM

I finally got my copy of The Anthology from Country Sales (thanks Dale).

I don't have the original to compare the sound, but the tracks with Blind Lemon Jefferson are the clearest I have ever heard. I can almost understand the words :) and the guitar is clear enough to see what a fine player he was.

Charlie is right. It is almost worth getting the set for the extra documentation. The introduction to Jeff Place's notes says:

"The 1952 world of published books and records that are frozen in form can now be expanded by the Internet, where a Harry Smith Anthology web page will make these notes available in a more extensive and ever-changing version, capable of being corrected and supplemented with text, photos, sound, and video in a discourse of feedback and sharing."

WOW!! Does anyone know if that website exists yet? If so, what is its URL?

Murray

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 May 98 - 05:22 AM

Good thing you asked that, Murray. Last time I looked, there wasn't that much at the Smithsonian Folkways Web site about the Anthology. Follow the link and you'll see that's certainly changed.
-Joe Offer-

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Click here for the Anthology Website
Click here for Volume 4
NPR Page on the Anthology

Subject: RE: The Anthology???
From:
Date: 14 May 98 - 08:33 PM

Thanks Joe, It looks good!

All of the supplementary notes that are in the book supplied with the set are there plus other stuff. There is also a "feedback" link. All you old-time music experts follow Joe's link. Who knows? you might have something to add.

Murray