In 1956, an avid 78 record collector named Joe Bussard started his own record company, Fonotone, in his parent's basement. Sound a little unusual? You ain't heard nothin' yet: he was cutting 78s, which were considered obsolete even back then. A little more eccentricity is added in the fact that he was recording virtual nobodies for his label---just everyday folk musicians (including himself) who would gather around a single microphone hanging from the ceiling and perform their songs.

Bussard would then go on to cut the records one at a time, identifying them with plain jane, type-written labels, and sell them by mail-order for a whopping $1 each. Needless to say, he didn't get famous or rich from this venture, but he was able to share his love for music in the format he loved almost as much as the music itself.

Fast forward 50 years to today, and you'll find that Joe Bussard is a veritable superstar. At least, he is among 78 collectors. His collection of records is staggering, numbering in the tens of thousands. When anyone is in search of a rare recording, Bussard is one of the first people to go to. If he doesn't have it, you're probably out of luck.

So it seems only fitting that the best way to honor the ongoing legacy of Joe Bussard is to resurrect the songs from his labor of love, the Fonotone label, which went silent in 1969. And, in the true spirit of Bussard, this particular retrospective lives by the advice of the old adage: if you're going to do something, do it right.

Much like the man who owns an overwhelming record collection, this release is a great example of overdoing it right. Dust-To-Digital has done it again, topping their beautifully done and Grammy nominated release, Goodbye, Babylon. In the Fonotone over 131 songs are spanned across 5 CDs, and the set includes a 160 page book, photo postcards, record label reproductions, and a Fonotone metal bottle opener, all packed into a Fonotone "cigar" box. It's obvious that just as much love and care went into the making and presentation of this set as went into the original recordings. The packaging alone is truly a work of art.

So what about the music? Simply put, it will knock your socks off. It's a wild and wooley mix of old-time country, blues, gospel, and bluegrass, held over from an even earlier time. This music is part of the lingering remnant of homegrown music which was being played in the states early in the 20th Century. In other words, it fits right in with the dusty old 78s that Bussard has spent most of a lifetime collecting. The truth be told, he was recording obsolete music on his obsolete equipment, and it fits together perfectly as the ultimate anachronism. Now, the ironic cycle continues as this forgotten music makes its way into the digital age.

The Bussard sense of humor is evident in the made-up names of his music groups (many of which he was a part of): the Tennessee Mess Arounders, Back Alley Boys, Jolly Joe's Jug Band, and Georgia Jokers. The songs range from takes on traditional tunes to original dedications to JFK and John Glenn, all done in a bare-boned, amateur style. The quality of sound and musicianship runs the gamut, as we're given an honest look at what was recorded, warts and all.

This is a testament to music at its most independent, a recording studio and record label wrapped into one unit and literally running out of a young man's basement. The legacy of Joe Bussard's Fonotone reminds us that music can be much more than a commodity or mere entertainment, that it has a life all its own which we should cherish and never forget.

MISH MASH Mandate: Doin' The Mess Around
Fonotone Website

The Frustrations

There's a guitar on side one of this single that sounds like it came straight out of a b-movie horror flick. It's a serrated and nasty surf guitar droning on and on in a downward progression, as the band wails away like they're wielding a bloody knife in the form of this six-string terror. Meanwhile, the vocals are delivered in a purely "I-don't-care-about-melody" attitude. This is gritty garage trash rock at it's pukey punk finest, and The Frustrations play the game with furious intensity.

Side two is more of the same, beginning with a dissonant guitar intro which soon falls into an grooving surf guitar assault. This time the progression moves up, and the rhythm is a little more upbeat. I dare say they took their Detroit roots and threw a little Motown bassline into the mix just to make us scratch our heads a little more. Be on the lookout for this one, and lock your doors tonight.

 MISH MASH Mandate: Beach Blanket Blood Bath
X! Records Website