One has to separate the confusion created by various packagings and repackagings of this material from the simple beauty of this classic music, which continues to hold up decades after it was recorded. It is a coming together of so many American streams, including folk songs, cowboy songs, blues, and, of course, country & western. The format couldn't be simpler, vocal solos and harmonies with backup guitar, and the delivery couldn't be clearer. This particular disc differs in both content and order from a disc released later by the same label; the later issue had a color cover while the earlier version was in the more typically County black-and-white text, and is sometimes referred to as Early Original Recordings because it is subtitled thusly on the back cover. That's also a warning as to sound quality. Many of these tracks come from old 78s, so listeners should expect sound quality of a certain vintage.