There are a lot of handsome box sets available these days, but Goodbye, Babylon has to be one of the nicest. The recent Bob Dylan release of Another Self-Portrait had me looking for other roots and blues sets and I stumbled across this one put out by Dust to Digital.in 2004. Apparently, Dylan thought so highly of it that he gave a copy to Neil Young, who raved about it on Weekend Edition.
A set like this calls to mind James Baldwin's classic Go Tell It On The Mountain, where young John finds his calling in a mesmerizing short novel that captured the spiritual depths of growing up in an impoverished Harlem.
This beautiful collection is quite literally packed with music -- over 160 songs -- and includes a 200-page companion volume to help you decipher the music. Not missing a beat, the producers padded the cedar box with cotton, further lending to the air of authenticity. I really enjoy these labors of love.
I made it an upcoming birthday present to myself ; )
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