Various Artists – Anthology Of American Folk Music Vols.1-3

Probably the best known Folkways box sets around. These are really an outstanding overview of all genres of american folk music. It goes without saying that as usual with Folkways you get a highly informative booklet to accompany each volume. If you don’t have these you just aren’t folk music and could be a poser. These were all freebies from the resource room at university and volume one came with the added bonus of a magazine interview with the editor of the volumes Harry Smith. The interview is from a 1968 issue of Sing Out magazine. Apparently Harry Smith was quite the 78 collectro and all the songs featured on the volumes were from his hoard. Judging by the magazine pictures he also was a bit crazy and possibly one of the first of the now common and much maligned OCD suffering record collectros. Great stuff throughout and you need to cop these before your Folkways club card gets pulled.