This is the perfect addition to Vol. 1, and generally follows up on that disc's attitude to capture the music of the outcast, fringe society. Especially great here is the Artemis stuff; He was one of the Rembetises to succumb to heroin and was found dead in the streets, clutching his Bouzouki, at age 31. There are also great pieces here by his contemporaries from the Piraeus Quartet, and main staples from Stelios Keromitis and Kostas Skarvelis.

This is yet another great collection from the Greek Archives series. Arguably the highlights here are the songs of Stratos Payoumitzis, who had one of the greatest singing voices of early Rembetika. Sadly, like so many of the musicians, Stratos' golden years were difficult and tragic ones. He died performing on stage in New York in 1971, and a collection had to be taken up to ship his body home. There is quite a bit of work by Kavouris and Skarvelis on this disc as well. Also some great tracks from Markos, Hatzichristos, and an absolutely great version of Artemis doing his classic, "Girl From Tsitsifies".

Although there are a couple of later era pieces here, they are quite good; Most of this disc features songs from before the 2nd world war, and showcases some lesser-known (but certainly worthy) musicians. For such esoteric offerings, the quality of song choice is sublime, and we are fairly certain that the majority of these pieces can be found no-where else. Kudos to Rounder Records for their commitment to the cause.