The first song: O Sole Mio - Enrico Caruso
New, additional challenge: Find out more about music through the 1001 songs list. I am not really a music expert, so this almost seems necessary.
First, this song sounds old. It has all the imperfections you get in older recordings, apparently amplified by the recording process of the time.
The song is familiar, with the voice being incredibly powerful - again, if it wasn't for the faults of the recording process putting limits on the sound, this would be giving me goosebumps. You can tell it was an impressive voice just from this.
And it's a hundred years old. Wow.
The second song: The St. Louis Blues - Bessie Smith
The sound issues are still there - emphasing the cornet more than it normally would. It muffles the voice slightly, especially for the type of song,
Blues isn't a sound you hear much these days, and these feels melancholic. A good song to set a mood, it plays well, but maybe a bit dated. Lovely to fade away to, having it sink in slowly.
The third song: Lafayette - Joe & Cleoma Falcon
We've moved a decade from the first song - these first entries speed through time.
An interesting song musically, accordeons and guitar creating a jollier sound. The vocals are unfortunately weaker, in style with the music but (to my ears) sounding a bit off. Still sounds good though.
Peter just pointed out to me this is really early country music, just in French.
Not, perhaps, the best song, but a good different type of song - one you wouldn't hear otherwise.
The fourth song: Lagrimas Negras - Trio Matamoros
A sadder sounding song (the title means 'Black Tears'), this is a song I'd expect to be played by a band on a street corner - the Cuban roots fit this. Even then the Latin music has some happy tones in there, making some additions.
By the way, the recordings are already sounding a lot better.
The fifth song: Pokarekare - Ana Hato
You could actually hear the recording click here.
Lovely music and female lead, she sounds great in here. The support singer feels a bit off compared to her, and I wonder how well they would have been able to hear each other. Musically this might not be anything special anymore, compared to more current lovesongs - it feels very 50s "what your parents listened to", which is very forward looking for its time. Lovely even so.
The sixth song: Saint James Infirmary Blues - Louis Armstrong
Now this sounds familiar. Lovely to hum along to, there's something almost soothing about the song and Louis Armstrong's voice. Even so, it mostly makes for good background music, not something I'd seek out to just listen to.
The seventh song: El Manisero (The Peanut Vendor) - Don Azpiazu & The Havana Casino Orchestra
Our first rumba, and while it's not quite swinging yet (we haven't had that yet), the song already feels more danceable than we've had before. It's nicely uplifting and attractive, grabbing your attention more. I'm looking forward to more of this.
The eighth song: Minnie The Moocher - Cab Calloway
Another big band song, and more from the horns section - is it just me or do you not hear trumpets in music these days? It's decent to listen to, with some interesting almost call and response in the refrain, and a move away from the love songs towards... is this the first revenge song? I suppose we had to see someone start what made Taylor Swift famous. Just with less electronic music and maybe a bit more feeling.
The ninth song: Need a Little Sugar in my Bowl - Bessie Smith
Our first repeat performer! And she sounds better now recording technologies have improved. With her voice coming through more strongly, the song feels stronger and we get a great performance. Despite the song being clean, there's a lot of winks in here - it's "sugar" in the "bowl". It's well performed, and that makes it far more likeable, there's so much more personality shining through.
The tenth song: Brother Can You Spare a Dime - Bing Crosby
Some performers have a reputation, but I never really saw why. This list is already showing me why some of these performers deserve it - Bing Crosby's voice is captivating, changing tone and playing with the music to emphasize its impact. He believes it and it pulls you in.
The message comes across clearly, especially knowing this was recording during the great depression, when these things were a big issue. It makes the message more important, improving on the delivery of the song.