Tunes To ‘Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard’ To

The first thing to note about the collection of old-timey music Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard is that it resulted from a record-discovery event that happens less and less often, and soon will likely never happen again. The music was recorded between 1923 and 1936. Most of the sides on the set are taken from 78s collected by the late Don Wahle of Louisville, Ky., and rescued from Dumpster destruction in 2010 by compiler Nathan Salsburg. Nineteen of the songs have never been reissued. Piles of moldy vinyl left behind by the deceased were once commonplace. No longer. Finding worthy old vinyl no one has heard since it was new is now almost miraculous.

Fortunately, Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard is not guided by rarity of the material. A durable, listenable song sequence seems to be the first priority, and you can’t do better than starting with a sturdy, unfamiliar version of “John Henry.”

Salsburg has done an exemplary job of organizing these tunes from a vanished world that few folks can remember today. The Work Hard disc includes songs about labor and commerce. Play Hard gathers a selection on leisure and partying. Pray Hard finishes the set with songs about Christian life and the afterlife.