The Carter Family: A.P. Carter, Sara Carter, Maybelle Carter. Recorded on June 8 & 9, 1936. The first of two collections covering the original Carter Family's 1936-'38 work, THE DECCA SESSIONS VOL. 1 gathers the entirety of a two-day session recorded in June of '36. Although many country purists consider the trio's earliest work, recorded for RCA Victor between '27 and '34, to be the mother lode, these less-heralded later recordings are remarkable in their own right. "In the Shadow of the Pines," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (not the ballad of Elvis fame, but one of A.P. Carter's most affecting love songs), and other classics are beautifully performed. However, the masterpiece is the still-startling "No Depression in Heaven," one of the Carter Family's most renowned songs, and the tune that helped name both the alternative-country movement of the '90s and a revered fanzine associated with that scene.