“One of the most unusual compilations of the year - I’ve covered a number of terrific box sets from the French reissue label Fremeaux & Associes over the years, but when I saw their newest release -The Roots of Rap: 1922-1973 – my interest really peaked. Was I really going to cover “rap” in my column? Well, to my surprise, there are a lot of 78rpm records here. In the compiler’s mind, rap can be any rhythmic spoken word or spoken interlude in a musical recording. There’re gospel quartets, like the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet’s “The Preacher and the Bear” (1937) and Rev J.M. Gates “Dry Bones in The Valley” (1927. The earliest are two speeches by Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey (circa 1920) – and there are other Caribbean chant recordings from the 1960. Callers at a square dance are “rappers too! The prisoners from Mississippi’s Parchman Farm (recorded by Alan Lomax in 1947) perform the song “Early in the Morning”. Yes, there are recordings outside the normal focus of this column (like Alan Freed and radio jocks of the 1950s). There are quite a few French recordings too. The discs come packed with a 16-page booklet, with notes in both English and French. Available on Amazon. »
By Steven Ramm - Anything Phonographic
