Album Description

Declan McManus Pumps It Up. Joe Bussard. "He's an eccentric record collector who's preserved all sorts of magical corners of music - although he says things like, 'There are no good jazz records made after 1927.'" Elvis Costello - Esquire UK October 2005

"This is the music of poor whites and blacks: wild-ass jazz and string-band hillbilly, surreal yodels and king snake moans, lightning-bolt blues and whorehouse romps and orgasmic gospel. It's all anti-pop, anti-sentimental: the raw sounds of the city gutter and the roadside ditch." Desperate Man Blues by Eddie Dean - Da Capo Best Music Writing 2000

"Joe has spent more than 50 years pursuing his purpose with a single-mindedness bordering on mania. And his purpose is no less than collecting and preserving the vast wealth of American vernacular music that was recorded on fragile shellac discs during the early decades of this century." A Visit and Interview with Record Collector Joseph E. Bussard, Jr by Marshall Wyatt - Old-Time Herald Spring 1999 - oldhatrecords.com/BussardInt.html

24 Rare Gems From The King Of Record Collectors - String Bands, Blues, Jazz, Country, Cajun, Gospel. Profusely illustrated, 28-page full-color booklet includes biographical essay, fully annotated discography, and (online) firsthand accounts of Joe's record collecting adventures. 72 minutes of newly, digitally remastered music. Jewel case, second edition.

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Discs and Tracks

Disc 1
  1 - The Lost Child - Stripling Brothers
  2 - How You Want It Done? - Big Bill
  3 - The (New) Call Of The Freaks - Luis Russell & His Orchestra
  4 - The School House Fire - Dixon Brothers
  5 - Greenback Dollar - Weems String Band
  6 - You Got To Go Down - Blind Gary
  7 - The Old Ark's A'Moving - A.A. Gray And Seven-Foot Dilly
  8 - Runnin' Wild - James Cole's Washboard Four
  9 - Keep It Clean - Charley Jordan
  10 - Get The "L" On Down The Road - Bill Johnson's Louisiana Jug Band
  11 - I Got A Bulldog - Sweet Brothers & Ernest Stoneman
  12 - Old Hen Cackle - Colman & Harper
  13 - Song From A Cotton Field - Bessie Brown
  14 - Atlanta Bound - Gene Autry
  15 - Easy Rider Blues - Soileau And Robin
  16 - Hot Lips - Bill Brown And His Brownies
  17 - Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo - Uncle Dave Macon
  18 - Hastings Street - Blind Blake And Charlie Spand
  19 - Ain't That Trouble In Mind - Fields Ward & The Grayson County Railsplitters
  20 - Give The World A Smile - The Corley Family
  21 - Original Stack O'Lee Blues - Long Cleve Reed And Little Harvey Hull (Down Home Boys)
  22 - Hot Town - Fess Williams And His Royal Flush Orchestra
  23 - Paddlin' Blues - Gitfiddle Jim
  24 - Plow Boy Hop - Grinnell Giggers

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one of the greatest collectors of music all time        Rating:

you wanna hear america hear is or hear it was in all that made america before we all sold are souls to the effectives of a in effeective globe captilism. god bless you joe may you live forever and ever

Lovers of roots music will treasure this collection!        Rating:

I have read about Joe Bussard's passion for collecting old records and found his story fascinating, since all us "record nerds' can relate to him at one time or another. This is an excellent collection with original recordings from the 1920's and 30's featuring one of my favorites, The Weems String Band's Greenback Dollar from 1927, recorded on Columbia. How do I know this? Because Old Hat records provides us with dates, personnel, labels and stories about the artists along with excellent repro of the music. This one has 24 cuts featuring legends like Big Bill Broonzy, Gene Autry singing like Jimmie Rodgers, Banjo legend and showman Uncle Dave Macon and The Stripling Brothers' fantastic "The Lost Child", a fiddling romp. The Old Ark's A Moving by A.A. Gray and SevenFoot Dilly is one of those songs you can't get out of your head. Even weird jazz enters the mix with Luis Russell's 1929 record of "Call Of The Freaks" which sounds like you're drunk when you hear it. Lovers of early American roots music will treasure this fine collection. It really is a lot of fun, and if anyone makes fun or criticizes you for listening to this...they're stupid..and just ignore them.

GLAD THIS CD WASN'T LEFT " DOWN IN THE BASEMENT "        Rating:

After seeing " DESPERATE MAN BLUES " on TV; I found out about this CD & knew that I had to own it. Even though ( as I indicated in a prior review ) I am NOT a 78 rpm Collector; I do know that this CD really is a TREASURE TROVE of some extremely special records that are definitely worth listening to. Kudos to JOE BUSSARD for being the superb Collector that he so obviously is & for putting this incredible Collection together !!!......My only question is ( as other reviewers have also inquired )......JOE; HAVING SOME AWARENESS OF THE EXTENT OF YOUR COLLECTION.....WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO FOLLOW UP WITH ANOTHER CD LIKE THIS ?????

ear candy        Rating:

Sell your shoes cause your goin to heaven after you play this one! You can finally say you've heard it all. Top drawer assemblage of roots, blues, and just plain fun. Uncle Joe say it ain't so... give us another, PLEASE!

terrific collection of early songs        Rating:

If you're interested in the history of US music, as I am, you'll find this a fine addition. Cleaned up as well as can be expected but still some hum & hiss...but not enough to be distracting.

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