Search - Various Artists :: Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922

Priceless documents in context

James L. | Virginia, United States | 01/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read Tim Brooks' book Lost Sounds soon after it came out. Both early recordings and pre-jazz African-American music have been interests of mine for a while now, and Brooks' book is an invaluable work on both. This companion double CD set, used either as aural illustration for the book or by itself, is equally invaluable.



As Brooks readily admits, many of these sounds were forgotten and nearly extinguished because of their discomforting nature. Many of the black performers before 1922 engaged in one sort of "tomming" or another. The recording industry was a whites-only business, and only those artists who appealed to whites in some way got recorded at this time. Thus these recordings can't be taken as representative of the music African-Americans made for their own enjoyment.



The variety of styles and approaches in the black music recorded in the 90's, aughts, and teens reflects the variety of ideas and approaches to black self-representation in these times. From dignified gospel styles to minstrel songs, from sentimental ballads to the startling proto-jazz of Jim Europe, Ford Dabney and Wilbur Sweatman, every expression of black artists was necessarily related to political or social ideals and realities. The CDs not only present this wide variety of material, but the 58-page notes help draw out the social significance of each type of recording.



Rather than proceeding chronologically, the contents are divided roughly into four sections, Vocal Harmonies, Minstrel and Vaudelville Traditions, Aspirational Motives, and Dance Rhythms. Except for the last section which focuses on later instrumentals, there is a good deal of overlap between the sections, but this only helps illustrate the overlaps in the traditions.



The sound quality, while never hi-fi, is amazing considering the sources. Some of the best people in the early-sound restoration field contributed their efforts and it shows. I know from experience just how difficult it is to get all the sound out of an early recording. All involved deserve a big hand.



My one complaint with the package is the inclusion at the beginning of the Minstrel notes of a noxious quote from Stanley Crouch dismissing all rap music as new minstrelsy aimed at white audiences. Brooks is aware that the politics of self-representation among early 20th Century African-Americans were extremely complex. How he could fail to see that they still are complex, and how he could miss the blinding upper-class bias of Crouch, is beyond me. It's possible the quote was supposed to be a demonstration of the continuing complexity of these politics, but it appears to be just an endorsement of Crouch's ignorance."

Equal parts fascination and revulsion

Josh Z. Bonder | Toronto | 07/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's not too much I can say that hasn't already been mentioned in the previous review, but I felt a need to add to (or help start) the chorus of praise for this collection.

As a fan of country blues and songster material (often predating country blues) this collection has been a real eye-opener. While I've heard some minstrel material from Jim Jackson, Pink Anderson, and some early blues players, this collection shows just how much more disturbing the minstrel tradition could be.

I suppose this album is best described as bittersweet; it contains some breathtaking music in a variety of genres, (the earliest examples I've ever heard of blues, jazz, gospel, minstrelsy, and the astounding vocal groups). However, it is in some of the self-effacing subject matter where the abhorant racism of the times left its audible mark the most (sometimes making songs difficult to listen to). That said, I truly believe that this is material to be embraced and understood; so as to both appreciate the artistry of it, and to ensure that such horrendous persecution does not occur again; if approached in this light, "Lost Sounds" is a true landmark for which listeners owe Archeophone records their sincerest thanks (and/or dollars). I honestly believe that any person with interests in black music created in the U.S. over the past century, or modern history for that matter, should not be without this collection.

It never ceases to astound me how something so beautiful can be quite so disturbing at the same time, but I'm so thankful I have had the chance to be disturbed at all."

For audiophiles and history buffs only.

fluffy, the human being. | forest lake, mn | 02/22/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"if like me, you are fascinated with sound, and find it mind-boggling to put on a pair of headphones and hear the voice of someone who was alive in 1891 coming back to life right in your ears, then this 2 disc set is for you. if you are simply looking for a purely rewarding musical experience, then this set is probably not for you. understandably, all the stuff recorded before roughly 1910 has very, very poor sound quality. it is the fascination with the mere existence of these sounds that is the thrill, not the tunes themselves. the post 1910 tracks have basically good sound quality for the most part, and there is a wide variety of styles, all pre-blues, except for the last song of disc 2, w.c. handy's memphis blues band playing their legendary "st louis blues," which is still part marching band, part vaudeville, as much as it is blues. elsewhere you get gospel, singing quartets, folk tunes, classical, opera, orchestras, jazz, and 2 spoken word tracks (one by then heavyweight boxing champion jack johnson, and one by booker t. washington). you also get a lot of novelty tunes (i repeat a lot of novelty tunes), especially on disc one. i don't know if these novelty numbers actually passed for funny back in the day, but they wear pretty thin pretty quick to the modern sensiblity. anyway, fascinating for lovers of history, or collectors of old-time audio, but will not fulfill your wildest musical dreams i am afraid."