Uncle Dave Macon - Laugh Your Blues Away (LP)

All Music Guide

When this album was released, none of the material on it had ever been distributed outside the hands of various collectors, some of whom had made the recording themselves off radio broadcasts. Although the wonderful Uncle Dave Macon recorded prolifically at least in the early stages of his career, and much of his catalog has continued to remain in print, the tracks contained herein hardly represent needless repetition, as the performer seems looser than usual in settings outside the recording studio. Sometimes the looseness results in off-the-cuff commercial announcements for his radio sponsors, such as the patter he goes into at the end of "Eleven Cent Cotton" and "Chewing Gum." But even more enjoyable is just how boisterous this already wild performer gets in these settings. Recording quality varies, as the tracks were done over several decades and on all manner of tape recorders. Uncle Dave's powerful banjo has managed to sound more than just acceptable on various vintage recordings... done in antiquated studio conditions, but on some of these home recordings the distortion makes it difficult to even tell what instrument is being played. - Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide Read more Less