Times Ain't Like They Used to Be, Vol. 2 (1997)

About this title: Like volume one, this presents 23 examples of early American rural music, mastered from rare 78s of the 1920s and 1930s. And like volume one, the names here will challenge the expertise of all but the most fanatical collector; only Uncle Dave Macon, Cannon's Jug Stompers, Henry Thomas, and maybe Blind Alfred Reed will be familiar. It's a valuable sampler of non-urban sounds as captured in the early days of the recording industry, when primitive technology and marketing naivete ensured that the music was virtually unadulterated. Fiddles, banjos, and plaintive, spirited vocals abound. Bobby ... read more

Tracks:

1. John Henry Blues [Traditional]
2. Moanin' the Blues [Shaw/Williams]
3. Lonesome Road Blues
4. Washboard Cut Out
5. Bob McKinney
6. Swanee River
7. James Alley Blues [Brown]
8. Sail Away Ladies [Traditional]
9. The Rooster's Crowing Blues [Cannon]
10. Tallapoosa Bound
11. Billy Grimes, the Rover
12. Brown Skin Girl Down the Lane
13. You Know You Done Me Wrong
14. Old Joe
15. Beware
16. Knocking Down Casey Jones [Watts]
17. Four Day Blues
18. Riley the Furniture Man
19. Piney Woods Girl
20. State Street Rag [Armstrong]
21. Sugar in the Ground
22. Then I'll Move to Town
23. Lord Keep Me With a Mind

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.