Complex sentence: Yazoo releases were always derived directly from 78-rpm vinyl, and in this way Perls managed to preserve many classic blues (and later, ragtime) performances that otherwise might have been lost to the ages.
Split into simpler sentences: Yazoo releases were always derived directly from 78-rpm vinyl. By collecting and rereleasing such forgotten blues recordings, Perls managed to preserve many classic blues (and later, such related forms as ragtime) performances that otherwise might have been lost to the ages.