Buy.
Look up. Does it say "in stock"? It does? Buy it! The hell with the damn money - life's short, and this jewel from Dust To Digital is worth every cent. Goodbye, Babylon is a rich, deep vein of mixed ore - plenty of utilitarian coal, a good leavening of gold, and a double handful of diamonds. For starters, the box set itself is a beautiful object, made with respect and love. For musical trainspotters, there's plenty here to enjoy and mull over - by far the larger proportion not found on any of my other compilations. And for people like me, who are trawling for that elusive and rare combination of passion and melody, humanity and heartbreak, yearning and joy - it can be found here. I distilled the six CDs down to a compilation that I listen to as I would any good music, and as frequently - it's a great Sunday morning CD and, if you live in the suburbs like I don't, it'll freak the neighbours. Oh, unless you live in the southern states of the US, of course. Ahem. Anyway, sift through and you'll find beautiful songs that will lift your spirits, old weird America stuff that'll make you smile and sing along, and a wealth of really interesting music that draws from many traditions. This one is special, and worth it. Enjoy.

Buy this!
This a very valuable collection of gospel music. Be aware that is all gospel. Is is nearly all old time gospel, and it gives us a rich history of the passion that goes into this form of music. If you are a lover of folk music you should own this set.The performers are now saved for all time! The one drawback is the insanley stupid packaging-a wooden box that does not work! I threw mine away. What were they thinking??

Use Caution When Buying
Having read the enthusiastic reviews here and in the the New York Times, I couldn't wait for this boxed set to arrive. Unfortunately, when it did arrive I sure wished I could get a refund.

No doubt this material is of interest to scholars. But anyone just looking for something enjoyable to listen to is in for a disappointment.

I have listened to plenty of old recordings but the sound quality on this is by far the worst I have ever heard, bar none. You really can't enjoy the music. The quality is so poor that one track of a particular genre doesn't register as any different from another. Listening to it is just plain painful.

So if you are a music library you might want to spend your money on this.
But, if you are just a gospel fan, you may want to spend your money on the many other fine gospel recordings out there.

A truly splendid collection
This is one of the most wide-ranging and wonderful collections of early roots music I've found. The performances range from gospel quartets and choirs through blues and jug bands, pulling together influences from gospel, bluegrass and country, jazz, and blues. And then there's an entire disc of sermons, with such gems (no pun intended) as "Black Diamond Express to Hell". Great stuff, and a wonderfully eclectic collection of early roots music, gospel or not.

The sound quality is very good, especially given the age of many of the sources.

There's not a ton of historical/biographical info in the 200+ page book, but the inclusion of all the lyrics of every song is a huge win. The packaging is as cool as it looks, but isn't terribly practical for day-to-day use. That wasn't a problem for me, as I ripped all six CDs and have primarily played them off my computers, but could be a nuisance for some.

This Is A Must-Have
This set includes 5 music CD's plus 1 preaching CD. All six are good ones and each individual CD is put together according to a single theme; salvation, judgement, etc. I listen to this over and over again and I never tire of it. Maybe this is a bit pricy, but still it's worth every cent.