Does anybody listen to these? I don't think I've actually heard any, but they sound extremely interesting.

I've read that Alan Lomax, who put together the Anthology of American Folk Music set, also did a ton of these.

I know Jeff Mangum from the Milk Hotel released one that he recorded, as well.


I really wouldn't know where to start. Or if they'd be easy to find for download. I'm sure they wouldn't be for purchasing.

I can go down to the VFW and record the drunks if you want.

Dont really have that much straight up field recordings, but some of the stuff where ambient crosses over into it is good.


Matmos - A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure

The Jeff Mangum record is probably worth owning (though I downloaded it).

Does "Playground Psychotics" by Frank Zappa count?

Field recordings in the definition I use (documenting a movement/or an era in their settings, non-studio) are amazing. I listen to the Lomax ones of Appalachia quite frequently, and though I don't really categorize it as documenting an era (as it was done in the studio), "Long Road To Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music" is probably one of the more well-done boxsets of period music.

The "New Weird America" movement and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack peaked my interest in old folk and Appalachian music. I do have the four-disc Anthology Of American Folk Music downloaded.

Are his Appalachian ones similar to this or pretty different? I'm really out of my depth with any of this.

very similar. I have some on vinyl, and my fiance is all about appalachian music so she has some of it on cd somewhere. The reason I like it is, that he actually trekked into deep appalachian mtn country where, for the most part, outsiders just didn't go. There a definite strong Irish influence on much of the music. This is due to the fact that the climate in the Appalachian mtns is similar to Ireland, Scotland and the like. Also since the App Mtns start across the pond and run underneath it. Something else I like is the "modal" songs. Basically, it was the forefront of experimental music. Seriously. It takes a harmony or melody and at any given point just changes without reason nor warning.

I recommend, if you want a well-made ficitional acct of field recordings, to check out Songcatcher, which is kinda how people had to go about capturing the essence of a period.

Here are some field recording collections from the Library of Congress website.

this alan lomax stuff is incredible. i just got 'sounds of the south' and 'deep river of song: alabama' ..worth it for the vera hall songs alone


more please

Those sound pretty cool. They've been added to my downloading list.


Can we skew this discussion slightly? Are there some good contemporary artists that play music similar to this?


My favorites are artists like Nickel Creek and The Be Good Tanyas. They're more bluegrass, though.

http://www.samamidon.com/homealone.html

"This album is a collection of field recordings of myself. It was recorded on my portable Radioshack tape recorder in Yonkers, NY and Brattleboro, VT during the spring of 2003.
It is an album of improvisation, old-time music, field recordings, and "outsider" music."


also may want to check out the cold mountain soundtrack



haven't heard either of these in their entirity but from the little i've heard/read they sound similar to the folk songs i've heard on some of the lomax recordings.