From an outsider's perspective, my priority list for music to listen to has always been a bit hectic and difficult to make sense of. It was for me too. Even a few years ago when I was trying to strictly stay in the 1960s and 1970s--and outwardly refusing requests to cover music any newer--I always felt a bit weird about not having much of a basis in the 1950s. And the more I expanded my knowledge on the 1960s and 1970s and the more I neglected the 1950s, the weirder I felt. But the problem was, I also felt weird about not knowing 1940s music when I did occasionally listen to 1950s music. In 2023, when I made a legitimate effort to finally put 1960s behind me (and even then there was a lot of black music I didn't cover), I knew hunkering down in the 1970s wasn't the most logical next step.
I've been covering early blues since 2021 and early country music since 2022, but the 1960s folk revival--which I delved into in 2023--helped me discover that there was still a lot more blues and country to learn about. In fact, I wasn't really aware that country music was extensively recorded before Jimmie Rodgers! Thus, I made the decision to devote this year to exploring what I missed. The great part about this choice was that there wasn't recorded music before it to know about. You could get a vague idea of it, of course, but there isn't any prerequisite listening required for the very first country recordings! And once I found myself loving Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music in late January 2024, I knew fully committing to this old music wouldn't be an issue for me.
Because I enjoyed the Anthology so much upon discovery, it seemed like an obvious choice for first place on my list of best compilations of my 2024, but it's not what ultimately what grabbed the number one spot. That basically had to do with the lack of time to return to the Anthology in whole and thoroughly get back into it. There was also American Epic: The Collection, a similarly length compilation, that I didn't have time to full revisit either. American Epic could give Anthology a good fight in a head to head, so it's unfortunate I didn't find time at the end of 2024 to really find out which was better. In this uncertainty, Howlin' Wolf's His Best, which I knew was damn near perfect start to finish, became the number one quite comfortably.
Beyond country and blues, I did listen to a few folk revival artists early in the year and a few 1960s British rock artists throughout the year. These made up the majority of both studio album list and the compilation list of studio-era artists for my 2024. Because I spend almost no time at all on 1960s artists anymore, it's hard to imagine I'll have a studio album list at all next year. We'll have to see.
Although listening to fewer than 200 albums this year was a real downer, I realized while assembling my lists that I've never ranked so many albums for a year recap before. I highlighted 55 albums in yesterday's lists, which handily beats 2021's and 2022's 45 albums as well as 2020's and 2023's 40 albums. I might not have listened to a substantial volume of new albums, but an extraordinary amount of it was worth raving about.
One more aside about this year: I had known about Document Records since I listened to Charley Patton in early 2021. At the time and even a few months into 2024, I stupidly had a negative opinion of the label and their Complete Recorded Works series. I would pass over their releases in favor of other compilations whenever I could and lamented whenever it was the only available option for a new artist I wanted to listen to. But this year, I've come to love the label. Document Records--interestingly founded in Austria and now based in Scotland--is one of the only labels in the world that specializes in reissuing vintage American music. During this year, it became all the more apparent that they are sometimes the only option because they're the only ones working to keep this rare music alive! In the 1990s, when they released many of their compilations, they helped keep the music accessible in CD era. Now, they have added much of their catalog to streaming platforms so that a new generation can discover this great music as well! I am so grateful that they have made much of my music listening this year possible.
Although it may seem like I have completed my thorough exploration of early American music in 2024, I believe that I still have quite a ways to go. In the past two or three months, I've been using the book Country Music Originals: Legends of the Lost by Tony Russell (who's worked on some of Document's releases) as a listening guide and have only made it through about a third of the artists it discusses. My blues list will get thin much sooner, but finishing it is still a long way away too. One option I've been eyeing is a transition into jazz when I finish the blues. I've always wanted to get into jazz, but for a long time it was an intimidating and vast world that I didn't want to be sidetracked by. Jazz also didn't really mingle with most of the music I listen to, so it didn't seem pressing to start it. But since I'm already spending so much time at the beginnings of American recorded music, it only seems natural I start jazz in the near future. When exactly? Well, I can't even say if it will be in 2025. I'm always guilty of being optimistic about how quickly I finish my little priority lists.
