Search - Various Artists :: Themes Like Old Times

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Mark Schildberg | Houston, TX USA | 01/04/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"American radio is not the medium it used to be. But vintage recordings of this criminally underappreciated art form are still around. For about 25 years, radio harnessed the listener's imagination to evoke worlds that would cost tens of millions to create in today's CGI technology. And even then, computers couldn't do for the mind what a few words, sound effects and a bit of music could. Anything was possible in old-time radio. Now it seems like a lost art, but for a few stalwart practicioners.

If you would like to find out what made radio so special, you'll get a crash course in this 2-CD set. Here are the openings to most of the truly great network radio shows of the 30's, 40's and 50's. The best moments on these discs are simply hair-raising. For novices, hearing these discs will be like opening a portal to a parallel universe, and a time when creativity in American entertainment was flourishing, rather than languishing. I could do without the fake-stereo processing and I wish disc 2 weren't so drenched in reverb. But the overall effect is nothing short of magical."

Pure Nostalgia

Mike Rophone | Philadelphia, PA USA | 12/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forty years ago this LP hit the Billboard® Album charts and climbed to #31 during the Nostalgia fad. It single handedly made the Golden Age of Radio mainstream and created an interest in old radio programs nationwide.

This 2CD set includes the original LP of 90 themes and the follow-up LP of 90 additional. My only complaint is the 'fake' stereo effect produced by reverb on these vintage show openers.

I never expected these LPs to be resurrected on CD. They'll most likely be a limited pressing, so enjoy them while they're available."