The amphibian song revival begins here! This classic of both biological fieldwork and natural sound recordings, originally released by Folkways in 1958, presents 57 species of frogs and toads on 92 tracks, digitally remastered from the original master tapes. Compiled and narrated by renowned herpetologist Charles M. Bogert, these sounds were recorded in swamps, lakes, woods, creeks, and road-side ditches all over North America. Sit back and let the bewitching tones of the Pig Frog, Dwarf Mexican Treefrog, Little Green Toad, Southwestern Woodhouse's Toad, Great Basin Spadefoot, and other famed vocalists entrance and amaze you. In a time when frog and toad populations are in rapid decline, this recording reminds us of the remarkable diversity and beautiful music we are in danger of losing. Extensive notes with a new introduction by Richard G. Zweifel, bibliography, discography, and photographs are included. 92 tracks, 55 minutes. Reissue of Folkways 6166.There was a time, back in the era just before stereophonic records documenting the sounds of trains began to take control of our hi-fis, that Folkways Records was the king of the field recording. Its catalog boasted seminal recordings like Sounds of Insects, Sounds of the Annual International Sports Car Grand Prix of Watkins Glen, N.Y., and the essential Sounds of the Junk Yard. This classic reissue, originally recorded in 1958, is a prime example of just how offbeat Moses Asch's legendary imprint could get. Here we get the Sonoran desert toad doing his best in mid-warning croak to sound like a CB radio squelching, the childlike scream of the Southern leopard frog, or a full chorus of barking tree frogs. It's 92 tracks of frog sounds with narration by herpetologist Charles M. Bogert--nearly an hour long. Imagine the possibilities... --Jason Verlinde
