Folk/Country — All Formats  

One of coolest live documents of folk music adventuror Sandy Bull you could ask for – recorded at the Berkeley Community Theater in 1976 – with Bull playing the oud, on stage with early version of the TASCAM 4-track recorder, utilized here as his backing "band"! He dubs his tape machine The Rhythm Ace – with Bull playing the oud to pre-taped drum machine and bass, and talking to the audience about just what heck they're seeing and hearing. We don't know of the audience was in awe, dumbstruck or what – folk fellows didn't do this kind of thing on stage in '76 – which makes it all the more rewarding to hear 35+ years later! Sandy's musicianship is brilliant, and it's great fun to listen to him talk about his pal The Rhythm Ace, too. Includes "Oud", "Love Is Forever", "Driftin", "Alligator Wrestler" (with an intro) and "New York City" – plus a demo of his Rhythm Ace.

George Jones in one of his most classic periods – singles he cut with producer Pappy Daily for United Artists from the early-to-mid 60s – and some of the greatest barroom laments and rave up honky tonk treasures ever! Producer Pappy Daily frames the inherent sorrow, boozy slur and sly pug attitude of The Possum's voice with near-perfect backing of solid waltz patterns, laid down by session legends like Pig Robbins, Grady Martin and Billy Strange – along with effective, ghostly choruses by The Jordanaires. Classics and relatively forgotten gems alike – including "The Race Is On", "She Thinks I Still Care", "Magic Valley", "Big Fool Of The Year", "My Tears Are Overdue", "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was On The Right)", "Brown To Blue", "Wrong Number", "Least Of All", "World's Worst Lover", "A Good Old Fashioned Cry" and many more. 32 in all!

Charming stuff from The Wingdale Community Singers – the art folk group made up primarily of Hannah Marcus, David Grubbs and Rick Moody – and some top quality guests! Night, Sleep, Death is a bit lovelier than you might glean from the title – with mostly acoustic atmosphere and some elegant lyricism by Moody and Marcus – plus Walt Whitman, whose work is adapted 3 songs here. Guests include Tanya Donelly "Passing Stranger" – one of the Whitman adaptions. Other titles include "White Bike", "Learned Astronomer", "Night, Sleep, Death And The Stars", "No Rest", "Happy Ending", "Ole Rudy", "Use As Directed", "Never Ever Fall", "Hunan #3" and "A Sweeter Way To Day Goodbye".

Incredible choral harmonies – recorded in a way that really captures the intensity of this unique style of spiritual music! The convention features the voices of a hundred or so regular folks – farmers, tradesmen, and their families – all coming together to work through songs from The Sacred Harp – a compendium of four-part hymns that are handled by the members of the group with amazing interplay! The rising voices dip and turn, merge and split – all with a sonic intensity that much more strongly recalls choral modes we know from Eastern Europe or Russia. Alan Lomax had tried to record the convention before, but to no avail – and this 1959 recording marks the one time he was able to capture their magic on record. The package comes with an insert of notes – and was done in conjunction with the Alan Lomax archive!

The third in a series of unearthed archival release of treasures by 60s folk singer, guitarist and banjo player Karen Dalton from Delmore Recordings – and it's also the third completely beautiful and revelatory Karen Dalton release from Delmore Recordings! For years, Dalton was best known by her peers in the early 60s folk community, particularly the Greenwich Village scene, where she was beloved by Dylan and other soon-to-be giants. Thanks in no small part to the great stuff brought to light by Delmore and the stellar Light In The Attic reissues, she's finally getting an audience beyond pivotal fellow musicians, which is truly thrilling. 1966 features songs recorded that year in her cabin in Summerville, Colorado – between the Green Rocky Road recordings of a few years earlier and the recordings that would make up her first official album, which wouldn't be released until '69. She's sometimes accompanied by Richard Tucker on guitar and vocal duets. Karen was infamously self-conscious on stage and in the studio, so these informal home recordings find her at her intimate, soulful best. Includes one the best versions of Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe" we've ever heard, plus "Katie Cruel", "Cotton Eyed Joe", "Green Rocky Road", "God Bless The Childen", "Other Side To This Life", "Don't Make Promises", "Mole In The Ground", "Misery Blues", "Little Bit Of Rain" and more. Also includes excellent notes by Ben Edmonds.

Willy Mason & Brendon Benson recorded live at United in February of '13.

Live acousic all analogue session featuring Blitzen Trapper.

A beautiful look at the groundbreaking Vanguard Records label – a key force in the sound of folk music in the 60s – and a hell of a great place for blues, jazz, and psych as well! The package really brings together the full scope of the Vanguard contribution to music at the time – and goes out of its way to select key tracks that are career-defining moments for some artists, and important early and offbeat appearances for others – these wonderful little gems that really show the freedom and opportunities that Vanguard offers for so many artists. The package features 83 tracks in all – wrapped up with a heavy book that runs through the music on a track-by-track basis – offering up plenty of history along the way! Titles include "Rock & Roll Music" by Circus Maximus, "North Country Blues" by Bob Dylan, "Easy Does It" by Sandy Bull, "Janis" by Country Joe & The Fish, "I'm So Glad" by Skip James, "Deep River Blues" by Doc Watson, "Walls Of Time" by Bill Monroe, "Many A Mile" by Patrick Sky, "Wish I Was A Punk" by Notes From The Underground, "Soldier Blue" by Buffy Saint Marie, "Rene's Theme" by Larry Coryelle, "Sold American" by Kinky Friedman, "Sail" by Oregon, "Mobile Line" by Jim Kweskin, "Dope Again" by Serpent Power, "Hello Stranger" by Mike Seeger, and "The Death Of Stephen Biko" by Tom Paxton.