Edison Sound Recordings - (Hymns, Poetry and Music) Audio CD
	Timeless echoes from Heaven and earth....... "I was never so taken aback in my life--I was always afraid of things that worked the first time." --Thomas A. Edison on hearing his voice play back to him from his first tin foil phonograph.

Music hath the power to soothe the savage beast. Over the ages, mankind has found relaxation, entertainment and new meaning to life by this power. The ability of make music is as unique to the human being as is the power of reasoning.

And yet, the making of music would not have progressed beyond the stand-up chamber acapella stage if Thomas Alva Edison had not invented the phonograph. It is the recording of sound and the critical analysis that is thereby made possible that contributes to improved techniques and technology. From the crude tinfoil-based contraption he initially experimented with in 1917, onto the wieldier and versatile wax cylinder - of which the once popular LP was the direct descendant - Edison was the pioneer of immortalizing music and sound in general for posterity. He gave the world its first recordings through his National Phonograph Company. Though his patent was eventually improved upon by others and he finally ceased production of recorded music, we cannot forget that it was Thomas Edison who is, by implication, the father of recorded sound. For that reason alone, his early recordings are a matter of historical importance.

In Edison Sound Recordings - (Hymns, Poetry and Music) Audio CD, A2ZCDS brings you the best of what was contemporary in hymns, poetry and popular music during Edison’s times. This collection represents a major breakthrough in the audible history and is also of special interest from sociological and artistic points of view. The present compilation features such timeless classic church favorites as "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder", rendered here by John Young and Frederick Wheeler its the first-ever recording. The rudimentary technique involved in all these early recordings in no way detracts from the beauty of the artists’ accomplished baritone and tenor. In addition, you will be treated to a historic recording of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" - the anthem of the infamous Crusades, immortalized for the very first time thanks to Edison’s momentous invention of the phonograph.

The poetry section contains some of the world’s most beloved verses - the children’s poem ‘Raggedy Man’ and the legendary love poem ‘Lasca’, recited here by Harry E. Humphrey, are included.

Instrumental music has been the ultimate form of relaxation from ancient ages, and it was no different at the time when Edison presented the world with his revolutionary invention. Featured on this historical CD are some of the most beloved piano, violin and dance music pieces of his era.

Welcome to a tantalizing glimpse of musical history in this amazing compilation - above all, a tribute to Thomas Edison, who made the concept of recorded sound possible in the first place.

Listen to Samples:

To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen ."

TRACK	RUNNING TIME	MP3
1. The raggedy man	00:04:06	Listen
2. At the ball that's all	00:04:08	Listen
3. Are you from Dixie?	00:03:24
4. Don't bite the hand	00:02:42
5. Seven ages of man	00:04:33
6. The three bears	00:04:15
7. Lasca / F. Desprez	00:04:17
8. Medley of Southern airs	00:03:07
9. 12th Street rag / Euday L. Bowman	00:03:59
10. Santa Claus Hides in your Phonograph	00:03:18
11. Oi ya nestchastay	00:03:22
12. Indiana / James F. Hanley	00:03:54
13. Beautiful Ohio / Mary Earl	00:03:33
14. The twenty-third Psalm	00:03:58
15. Introduction and tarentelle / Pablo de Sarasate	00:04:36
16. Carnival of Venice--variations	00:04:22
17. Caprice Espagnol / Ketten--Loeffler	00:03:24
18. Second Hungarian rhapsodie	00:04:09

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EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The miracle of recorded sound is something we take pretty much for granted these days - I readily confess that I did till I came across the Edison Sound Recordings series by A2ZCDS. It is easy to imagine that the appreciation or music and poetry begins and ends with our own awareness of it, but the (Hymns, Poetry and Music) Audio CD conclusively proves that this is a delusion. When Edison invented the phonograph, there was already a wealth of material for him to record for posterity by ways of immortal poetry, timeless church hymns and others kinds of music rendered by highly versatile performers.

As you listen to the historical contents of this CD, it would serve to bear in mind that all that we know of sound storage began with these recordings. To approach this material with a purist’s ear for sound quality would be an affront to the sanctity of history. This is a time to listen to the message rather than the messenger, and the message is clear - humanity triumphs in small stages sometimes, but it is always the beginnings that count the most.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"Then spoke, written and sung word can never fail to fascinate me. In my experience, the scratchiest voices can utter the most profound stanzas, and that holds true for less-than-perfect recordings as well. What I was treated to on the Edison Sound Recordings - (Hymns, Poetry and Music) Audio CD was quite beyond anything I have heard in contemporary times - an ancient affirmation that the spirit of music and poetry is not bound to the chains of time. I am thrilled with this purchase."

Customer's Name: Francis Guillermo (Raleigh, North Carolina)