"A terrific new anthology of American folk music. Grade A"

- Robert Christgau, Noisey -

 
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American Epic: 

The Soundtrack

American Epic: The Soundtrack highlights 15 recordings from the Emmy-nominated American Epic historical documentary series on CD or vinyl LP, including original recordings by The Carter Family, Mississippi John Hurt, Charley Patton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and more all restored to unprecedented levels of sonic fidelity. For this release, engineer Nicholas Bergh refined a transfer process using a mix of both modern and vintage equipment in order to extract the remarkable resolution from the records that is often missed. This reverse engineering approach to the transfer process enabled the restoration team of Grammy Award-winning engineer Peter Henderson, Duke Erikson and Joel Tefteller to get the resulting audio closer to the original performance than ever before.

This is not "remastering," in the normal sense, but something closer to fine art restoration. The intent is not for people to marvel at the antiquity of these discs, but rather to experience them as vital, immediate performances that speak to us as directly as they did on the day they were recorded not simply great art for their time, but great art for all times.

 

Track Listing

  1. Gonna Die with My Hammer in My Hand by Williamson Brothers & Curry

  2. On the Road Again by Memphis Jug Band

  3. Frankie by Mississippi John Hurt

  4. Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow by The Carter Family

  5. Mal Hombre by Lydia Mendoza

  6. Peg and Awl by Carolina Tar Heels

  7. Tomi Tomi by The Aloha Serenaders Featuring Sol K. Bright

  8. The Indian Tom Tom by Big Chief Henry's Indian String Band

  9. Cocaine Habit Blues by Hattie Hart & Memphis Jug Band

  10. Up Above My Head by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

  11. Down the Dirt Road Blues by Charley Patton

  12. Allons à Lafayette by Joseph Falcon

  13. Stackalee by Frank Hutchison

  14. Waiting for a Train by Jimmie Rodgers

  15. Jole Blon by The Breaux Brothers with Louis Michot

(Frankie, Cocaine Habit Blues, Up Above My Head, and Jole Blon are exclusive to this compilation. The other tracks are also available on American Epic: The Collection)