Victrola Favorites: Artifacts From Dygone Days With Book 2 Discs

I went into this with high hopes, although I guess I did know upfront that there was not enough material here to make this worth the price. Indeed, what is here is good, but painfully limited, and the elaborate presentation does not effectively facilitate a comprehensive journey through the songs.There are vast archives of Victrola stuff; I know this because my grandparents had a Victrola player and I recall each thick platter to present a new odyssey. The technology may have been primitive back then, but the material encapsulated in those discs was astonishing. The sampling here is pretty good, but I think we needed something like eight or twelve discs. Since the material is out of copyright, the additional cost would have been negligible, or so I presume. (Proper Records of the UK does amazing box sets from the same era for about $20.)The book here is handsome and well made. But the pictures are not identified in a convenient way to correspond with the songs. All the identifying information is in the back. I presume the photos are from the albums actually used in the set. I would have arranged them in the same sequence as the songs, with the song name superimposed over the picture in the lower corner. Instead, you have to go through a cross-referencing effort to know exactly what you're looking at, and what the song is and where and when it originated. Finally, the discs fit into the cover, but there is this rubber-like material that holds the disc and it is extremely hard to get the disc to hold, and then likewise hard to get it out again.The folks who produced this obviously engaged in a labor of love, and to them I extend my compliments and my thanks for their efforts. But I encourage them, and anyone else producing the media products I buy, to remember functionality should be a paramount concern in packaging: ease of access to the discs; efficient storage volume; excellent documentation; great value; great material. Here we get a limited sampling of great material, but not much beyond that. In short, they lost sight of the principle of function preceding form.

I am fascinated by all music and recorded sounds, from a brand-new recording to the first recorded human voice of 1860. But I do listen with a critical ear, and I do appreciate the quality of the audio, packaging, and background information. Dust-to-Digital is in the forefront of all those aspects. So much for my background.If you love world music, especially vintage world music, there is no doubt as to your loving this collection. None of the nattering nabobs of negativity speak of any aspect which over-rides the experience of listening to the wonderful music collected by Robert Millis and Jeffery Taylor.Sure, it would be great if the hardcover book in which the discs are housed contained a well-researched essay and discography about these recordings, but it doesn't--probably because the primary and secondary source material for this information doesn't exist. What data that can be gleaned from the disc's label, or guesses at the data, are presented. The book is a visual collection of the disc labels, sleeves, and paper ephemera.In reference to the few negative comments here, most all are personal opinions and should be left just as that. The only comment I wish to dispute (however minor) is that the discs are kept in place with a sticky substance (with concerns about the long-term archival effect). The "hub" which holds each disc in place on the inside boards of the hardcover book is not a "sticky substance" but is a piece of silicone. Silicone is a very stable substance that ought to do no damage to the disc in the long-term. In fact, this "hub" is supporting each disc in such as way that it is not touching any surface and is safer and more archival than an acid-free paper sleeve.Basically, nothing matters but the music--and it is supremely enjoyable.

by the description and reviews on this page it seems like it is a great buy but there was no way i was going to shell out $45 w/o hearing what was on it. so i googled it and found a site where you can preview each song. i was sold. i just got it and its perfect. you get what you pay for with this. a very sweet red book with cds and artwork inside. i think its wonderful and it would make a wonderful present to surprise somebody with (IF they appreciate this kind of vintage variety). listening to it now, i feel like im in a ship going around the world, its really nice.

I love vintage music collections and world/ethnic field recordings. This is actualy a great collection of tracks and the book is nice to look at as a photo/montage/collage piece of art, but unfortunately this collection does not give the usual track-by-track breakdown information and in fact doesn't give you a solid track listing. The music is great but, with such excellently-annotated series of the same musical styles (such as the Secret Museum of Mankind and the many great discs from the Airhoolie and Old Hat labels) I can't give this one 5 stars. I wish they'd collect this info and somehow get it to the many folks who have ordered this otherwise excellent collection of music.

As much a "coffee table book" (which phrase should NOT be viewed as "damning with faint praise": the book is a work of art in its own right, as it features photos of antique labels, record jackets, etc.) as a compilation of music from different eras and countries. Be prepared to jump back and forth: temporally, geographically,culturally, and (of course) musically.