The Carter Family Album: “Carter Family, Vol. 2: 1935-1941”

This is one of those stunning bargains which leaves you with gaping jaws and a big smile, if that's possible. For the price of TWO cds you get FIVE instead, all packed with 70 plus minutes of Carter Family gems, all in chronological order, and with fabulous sound quality which is BETTER than the American Rounder releases (and those releases only have about 45 minutes of music - I know, I bought some of them!). Can this really all be true? YES! It's true. The only thing you don't get in this dirt cheap box set is decent sleeve notes, but I'm not going to complain!

As for the actual music, it's unmissable early country music sung and played by Sara and Maybelle Carter with the help of A P Carter, husband of Sara. It has a deep magic about it - try a few if you never heard them, they'll hypnotise you. The harmonies are splendid, the guitars are luminous, it's pure like a mountain stream. You cannot go wrong with this one!

I read the book "Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?" by Mark Zwonitner which is an outstanding history of the Carter Family. The Original Carter Family broke up when I was 5 years old so I had only heard very little about the Orginal Family but became very familar with Mother Maybelle and her daughters. After reading the book I shopped around and found this 5 CB set of the remastered RCA recordings. By the time you get to the #5 CD you fully understand what an impact the folks had the music industry. A.P., Sara, and Maybelle probably never realized how good they were at the time these songs were recorded. All these recording were done with primitive equipment and I would imagine most all were done on one take using a single microphone. There are several songs included in these recording that will absolutely knock your socks off if you listen to them a couple of times and listen closely. If you enjoy the music of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff and other legends do yourself a favor and get the Carter Family RCA recordings.

This box set is a continuation of the Carter Family Saga, and shows this group at the peak of musical power for this trio. This is essential music for understanding what Country music was in the 1930s. The harmony vocals and driving rhythm of guitar and autoharp stand in sharp contrast with what is called Country music today. The sound quality is superb (at times, it sounds like a modern recording).

I listened to these CDs in one sitting, it was so captivating. JSP has done a very good job at remastering, and if you want a comparison then go to www.honkingduck.com, click on 78s, then click on Artist, then click on C to get to the Carter Family. They have entire songs from original 78 records as well as from tapes from original records. Listen to the samples on Amazon and compare them to the originals. The remastering is so good that you can hear Maybelle's nails on the strings of her guitar, and you can hear Sara's autoharp ringing in the background.

This set is 100% recommended.

If you want to listen to the roots of our musical heritage, listen to the Carter family!

Buy this set, and it's companion box set, and for less than 60 bucks you'll have some of the finest music ever created on God's good earth. This is it folks, this is 20th century music at it's birth, all bawling squally and new to the world, yet old, at the same time.

Spend a few days listening to these disks, and you'll start to see where everyone (and I do mean everyone)in the music business for the last 60 years or so began. And this set, with the quality of the sound, and the price it sells for, is the place for you to start the journey yourself (or continue it, as you will quickly see once you begin to recognize all the different songs they recorded).

Caveats are few, mainly be aware these are recordings made in the 1930s and 1940s, and they sound like it. The liner notes, while good, are minimal as well (though you do get recording dates, as well as where they were recorded)

In conclusion, all I can add is "jump in, the water's fine...".