Who would ever imagine recordings by Billie Holiday, the Clash, the Sons of the Pioneers, Aretha Franklin, Charles Mingus and the White Stripes all on the same album?
If the mixture of jazz, punk, country-western, soul and rock sounds radical in an era of rigid musical segregation on commercial radio, it's only fitting that we have a genuine musical revolutionary to thank for the new package: Bob Dylan.
In his role as DJ on satellite radio broadcaster XM for nearly two years, Dylan has been playing a mixture of these sounds. The problem is you can't hear the show unless you subscribe to XM.
But Ace Records, the imaginative reissue label in England, has come up with the next best thing. "Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan," a two-disc set available as an import in the U.S., contains 50 of the most colorful records played on the show.
In his introduction to the set, Gavin Martin quotes Dylan about the marvelous range of musical styles brought together on the show: "I never understood no border patrol when it comes to music." The Ace package illustrates the wisdom of his thinking. It's easily one of the most entertaining and, even, illuminating historical music packages in ages.
The back story: "Theme Time" is a weekly radio show with the records chosen to fit a particular theme -- "mother," "baseball" and "tears" are some of them -- with Dylan playing and commenting on the various tunes.
Only three selections are from this decade: the White Stripes' explosive "Seven Nation Army," Mary Gauthier's downcast "I Drink" and the Yayhoos' country-soaked "Bottle and a Bible." Among the major figures from earlier years are Joe South ("Walk a Mile in My Shoes"), the Clash ("Tommy Gun"), Merle Haggard ("Mama Tried") and Bo Diddley ("Mona").
But the real thrill of "Theme Time Radio Hour" is discovering some artists and/or lesser-known tracks by established musicians. To aid in your search, the set includes a booklet with details about all 50 recordings. The package was produced and compiled by Eddie Gorodetsky, Roger Armstrong and Jeff Rosen.
The music: Here are some of the standouts among the more obscure recordings.
Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds' "Shortnin' Bread": If you heard this minor hit from 1960 without knowing who made it, you'd probably swear it was Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eddie Cochran singing lead on this seeded-up version of an old folk tune. It was featured on Dylan's show that was themed "Food."
