The miracle of recorded sound is something we take pretty much for granted these days - I readily confess that I did till I came across the Edison Sound Recordings series by A2ZCDS. It is easy to imagine that the appreciation or music and poetry begins and ends with our own awareness of it, but the (Hymns, Poetry and Music) Audio CD conclusively proves that this is a delusion. When Edison invented the phonograph, there was already a wealth of material for him to record for posterity by ways of immortal poetry, timeless church hymns and others kinds of music rendered by highly versatile performers. As you listen to the historical contents of this CD, it would serve to bear in mind that all that we know of sound storage began with these recordings. To approach this material with a purist’s ear for sound quality would be an affront to the sanctity of history. This is a time to listen to the message rather than the messenger, and the message is clear - humanity triumphs in small stages sometimes, but it is always the beginnings that count the most.