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The above is an old, fairly useless thread. But its heart is in the right place.
Dude named Harry Smith put together a six-record set back in the late 50s consisting of what he considered to be the best of the rare folk records. By folk, we're not talking Peter Paul and Mary. We're talking old old songs, passed down in the oral tradition. The authorship of some of the songs has been forgotten, if it ever really had ONE author. They're all part of our collective whatever.
Dylan was so influenced by the set, that the song "Down on Penny's Farm" inspired BOTH "Maggie's Farm" and "Hard Times in New York Town."
Nick Cave's "Henry Lee" comes off this set.
There's a tune called "Kassie Jones," which might ring a bell for fans of a certain jam band.
Enough history lesson. This set rocks! Yeah, there's some shitty stuff (I don't cotten to no solo fiddlin' for very long), but that's what's so cool about the set. You dig around and find what turns you on and you listen to it over and over, hoping it'll reveal its mysteries. They're songs from another world, yet the catchiest tunes stick in your head and wont let go.
If you ever get sick of slick production, or get sick of the mechanization of the music industry today (corporate or indie), or feel suffocated by modern times, or are tired of lies, than this is the perfect antidote.
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