On Border Radio 1939
This charming disc, a total joy for Carter aficionados, was compiled from one-of-a-kind 16-inch transcription acetates recorded for broadcast in 1939 on the high-powered border radio station XET, "down Mexico way." The Carter Family performed on this and similar stations at the time the stations' signals reached throughout the U.S. The act had expanded to include several offspring--June, Anita, Helen, and Jeanette, along with core members A.P. Carter, wife Sara, and her cousin Maybelle. AsBorder Radioclearly demonstrates, the radio-show format clearly allowed the Carters to stretch out beyond the constraints of their 78 recordings. There is a wide variety of material here. Of particular note are the lovely instrumentals ("Waves of the Sea," "Cumberland Gap") and the plangent tunes that A.P. performs solo ("No Telephone in Heaven," "My Sweetheart Is a Poor Working Girl"). The songs that the little ones sing themselves are interesting documents, but they come a bit too close to Disneyish sentimentality; thankfully there are but a few on this collection. The sound is naturally funky considering its origins, but relatively hiss free. Most importantly, the performances brim with the close-hewn, reserved Appalachian harmonies and clever guitar playing one expects from the Carters.--Mike McGonigal