Customer Rating: 
Summary: GREAT " STUFF " FOR ANYONE
Comment: I would first like to say that I am NOT a 78 rpm collector. I do own about 250 CDs + maybe 50 cassette tapes virtually all of which are " Oldies. " Most of my Oldies primarilly consist of " Doo-Wop " with some Acapella, Rockabilly, Blues, Mid-60s Rock and R & B and lastly, a little Boogie-Woogie thrown in . Some of my favorite artists are JIMMY BEAUMONT & THE SKYLINERS, DION & THE BELMONTS, NOLAN STRONG & THE DIABLOS, THE PARAGONS, THE JESTERS, STREET CORNER SOCIETY, ELVIS PRESLEY, LITTLE RICHARD, JACKIE WILSON, THE COLLINS KIDS, BILLY LEE RILEY, BRIAN SETZER, BLIND WILLIE MC TELL, BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON, ALBERT AMMONS & PETE JOHNSON. I have listed all of the above because even though I own & appreciate every genre & artist listed above.....I also own & thoroughly enjoy the JOE BUSSARD CD.. " DOWN IN THE BASEMENT " !!!....As I said....I think that you DON'T have to be a 78 rpm collector to understand & appreciate that this is GREAT " STUFF " FOR ANYONE !!!!!!! ....Unlike other reviewers ( probably because I am not a 78 rpm collector ) I had not previously heard of the likes of the " Georgia Pot Lickers " ? ....However; like other reviewers I was attracted to " THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF " both by the Crumb illustrated cover + the knowledge that YAZOO never does seem to have any bad releases.....After listening to this CD; I can only agree that it really is " THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF "
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Neat set!
Comment: Much like the Old Hat compilation of records from Joe Bussard's collection ("Down In The Basement"), this 2-CD set is a hodge-podge of old-time string bands, blues, a little jazz, and other so-called "roots" music from the 1920s and early 1930s. This is rare stuff indeed--most of it unavailable on CD elsewhere, and you can forget finding copies of the original 78s! Fortunately, the transfers by Rich Nevins are marvelous; computerized "reprocessing" has been kept to a minimum and these records sound like they should: bright, clear, and natural. Yes, there's a little surface noise, but the serious record collector shouldn't mind that a bit. So many producers of reissues of vintage recoridngs seem to try to remove as much surface noise as possible, leaving recordings that are clean, yes, but dull and lifeless as well. Even with the light crackle, these transfers project a beautiful "presence." The selections are interesting too--I was especially drawn to the Luke Jordan selection ("If I Call You Mama"), Osey Helton's fiddle solo "Green River," and "Bells of Love" by the African-American shape note a-capella group, Middle Georgia Singing Convention No. 1 (and if you like this last group, check out the Document CD "Atlanta, GA Gospel" which includes their complete recorded output). The liner notes that accompany the set are lengthy, but unfortunately they reveal relatively little about the music on these records. The notes are mostly stories of how the records came to be acquired and ramblings about the hobby of collecting in general (not just records!) from producer Rich Nevins. This isn't necessarily bad--it makes for fun reading!--but I'd like to know a bit more about the music. Admittedly, there is probably very little known about the musicians on the recordings, but I'd have liked *something.* Also, as others have pointed out, there's no discography: no recording dates or locations, no matrix numbers, no issue numbers, no personnel listings, nada. In a set so clearly targeted to record collectors, this seems inexcusable. In addition, I'm disappointed in the DVD case-shaped packaging, which while elegant and attractive, doesn't store easily with the rest of my CDs. I would have much preferred a standard 2-CD double case. Because of the way the packaging has been made, it's often difficult for me to slide the booklet back into its paper pocket: the bottom frequently gets snagged on the cardboard foldover inside the pocket (something that could have easily been avoided with more standard packaging). Still, on the whole, this is a remarkable set making available some outstanding records in really outstanding sound. Every 78 rpm record collector should be delighted with it--I certainly am.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Stuff that Dreams are made of
Comment: This product is a quirky collection of roots music that really has no common thread running through other than they are extremely rare recordings collected over a long period. The discs are extemely well packaged with extensive liner notes. The notes also contain a history of two brothers who were eccentric (nuts) collectors in NYC.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Treasure trove for fanatics
Comment: This collection is marvelous as a broad-strokes portrait of the music Americans were recording and listening to in a time well before the hegemony of the corporate conglomerate recording industry, when anyone with the admittedly cumbersome apparatus of the time could start their own record company. None of these songs were huge hits of their time, but many of them are treasures of American roots music. I've got to say, though, that it was the R. Crumb cover art that pulled me in.
Customer Rating:
Summary: indeed.
Comment: great release of old-time recordings. hillbilly music, blues, ballads, gospel, & jugband music; all presented in fantastic sound quality. if you don't have any old-time music in your house, this would be a good 1st purchase. if you have lots of old-time music already, you will need to add this to the collection. one of the best reissues over the past few years.
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