Disco de The Carter Family: “Decca Sessions, Vol. 1 (1936)”

This is a nice album. The Carters recorded sixty sides in three sessions for Decca between 1936 and 1938. This set covers the twenty numbers from the first of those sessions, produced in New York City on June 8 and 9, 1936. Smooth sound, resulting from Decca's advanced ( for the 1930s ) recording techniques, combined with the polished professionalism of a group with nine years of recording experience, make for probably the best records, technically, that the Carters made. There is an intimacy about the sound that their recordings for other companies doesn't have. The songs are the usual mix of traditional, Victoriana, and gospel, with the bluesy 'Jealous Hearted Me' being particularly interesting. The group probably learned this one from their friend, Leslie Riddles, and it's interesting to speculate, when listening to the sexually slanted lyric, as to whether they actually knew what they were singing about. But good though this album definitely is, I couldn't help feeling that the performances are somewhat dispirited - like the group was, in some cases, simply going through the motions. Sara had been separated from A.P. for about three years by the time of this set, and was known to be less enthusiastic about recording than the other two. Nevertheless, Catfish have done a good job with this album, and it's well worth adding to your collection. Reissues of the Carters' Decca sides have been sadly rare over the years, and I look forward to Catfish completing the series with Volumes 2 and 3.