The Past Perfect Sampler: Intro To Music Of The 20s, 30s & 40s

From the first half of the twentieth century, the 78rpm record enabled millions to hear the greatest music of the day. From the Charleston craze in the Twenties, to the big band sound two decades later, people would wind up their gramophones, place a record on the turntable, put a steel needle into the prcious groove, and got carried away by Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Glenn Miller. This was also the time of the birth of jazz, and many classic recordings soon followed, with the likes of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. Listening to these records today can be a frustrating experience.  No matter how ‘nostalgic’ 78rpm surface noise is, there can be no doubt that the crackles and hiss all combine to distract from the music and obscure the recording.

Past Perfect created a new standard in the transfer and remastering of 78rpm records.  Our aim is to stay true to the integrity of the original sound, while at the same time revealing the music as clearly as we can do.The result is a sound quality that finally does justice to this great music; pure, classic performances of the greatest popular music ever. More than fifty years later, it’s like hearing it for the first time.
Our Sampler contains one track from every one of our first, top 25 CDs.  Go on, discover great music!