A Sound Legacy: 60 Years of Folkways Records and 20 Years of Smithsonian Folkways

Not worth downloading. Most of the free MP3 are that way. Maybe they should pay people to download them.

What immediately caught my eye on this excellent sampler was the track by Bill Monroe & Doc Watson, "What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul?" I'm sure this was written QUITE a few years ago (as many songs here were), but this is still a question that we are individually and collectively asking ourselves, and remains as pertinent now as it was then. "Red River Valley" by Woody Guthrie is one of the pillars that virtually all of today's classic and contemporary country songs are still based on. "I will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile, for they say you are taking the sunshine..." See what I mean? Vince Gill or Trisha Yearwood could easily be singing a slightly updated variation of this exact same song today (a duet, even), and it would still be a hit (and deservedly so.)

This sampler also shows exactly how timeless not only certain songs are, but the people who play them and sing them truly are. Elizabeth Mitchell sings and proves this so in her "Little Bird, Little Bird," as well as the other similar songs "Hambone" and the beautifully spontaneous "Lithuanian Lullaby" - songs written between 20 and 60 years ago are as alive and well and still being sung by parents to their little ones all over the world today just as they were then. And songs like "Bordasht" could easily be found under "New Age" or "International" (Middle-Eastern), on a contemporary Billboard chart.

Just as a select few songs by a select few artists, regardless of the language, music or genre of the song will be sung - and mean every bit as much in 20 or 60 years as they do today. And that's a good feeling to know.

I grabbed this since it was free and I have always been a fan of the Alan Lomax-style "folk" recordings. I wasn't expecting there to be so many fun tracks. Higher than expected sound quality on most, as well. A variety of cultures and musical styles (there's even a tree frog recording). Stand outs for me are the Pete Seeger track, "Hambone," "Little Bird, Little Bird," and "The Coo Bird."

I know a lot of people will hear these songs and wonder what was Amazon thinking. But these tracks reveal our culture and say something about who we are. Well, maybe the tree frog one doesn't. But you need to listen to these songs realizing what they really are: a part of our collective cultural heritage. It may not be something you'd jump right out and buy, but these are the songs your mom or grandmother sang to you when you were young. And I'd say that's kind of important.