Arhoolie is the label for zydeco & Cajun. Pick up a compilation or two & go from there. Rounder is another good source for both types. "Zydeco [i.e., Les Haricots] Sont Pas Sale," as Clifton Chenier sang, "The snapbeans aren't salty."

The box set you're going to buy looks pretty great, but it ranges way far afield from zydeco & Cajun, trying to capture the range of New Orleans music -- good luck on that! If you want classic New Orleans R&B hear are some good ones (but keep in mind that to say that this is only scratching the surface is a gross overstatement) in no particular order:

• Allen Toussaint

• The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Mardi Gras Indians backed by the Meters)

• Lee Dorsey (produced by Allen Toussaint, later tracks like "Yes We Can Can" and "Sneaking Sally through the Alley" featuring the Meters")

• Dr. John Gumbo (his personal tour of N.O. R&B)

• These two from Rhino (can't find the great series they released around 1985 or 1986; if you have a turntable & see the records, esp. the one with the purple cover, pounce on them)

And of course Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Huey Smith, James Booker, the Nevilles, etc., which you can look up on your own. All of which ignores New Orleans jazz (yeah, yeah, I know many of those listed play it occasionally & all have been influenced by it), especially the town's musical 800 lb gorilla, Louis Armstrong. Jelly Roll Morton would no doubt argue that he deserves that title. The city & region's musical contributions are huge.

Here's a good customer list from Amazon.

Is this a vote for Best Magazine, or a good way to discern cajun from zydeco?

both.

Yes, it turns out cats really groove on zydeco, but get all hissy/spitty when you play cajun....

Yes, it turns out cats really groove on zydeco, but get all hissy/spitty when you play cajun....

So, zydeco gets the fancy cats? And cajun gets Bill the Cat?

So, zydeco gets the fancy cats? And cajun gets Bill the Cat?

Mmmmm. Blackened cat, them's GOOD eating.

insert Justin Wilson "Hooyaw!" here...

Cat Fancy... I'm never appearing on Cat Fancy again...

I'm not really looking for a primer on Louisiana music, just a way to short cut past the browsing through the aisles and going strait to the people I'm looking for.

Like I said, I could grab a few of them off my head, and I could probably think of a few more if I thought about it a little harder, but I wanted outside recs.

I got the above linked box for my cousin, which is why I'm getting it for myself. I'm horribly jealous.

I think in my head, More like Beausoliel (sp?) cajun, More Longhair? Creole.

insert Justin Wilson "Hooyaw!" here.

Oh please don't.

DX where's that from?

but keep in mind that to say that this is only scratching the surface is a gross overstatement

I have Vol. 1 of New Orleans Party Classics on CD, and it makes a great primer to the New Orleans sound, both jazz and rock-era.

About the only thing it doesn't have is something by Irma Thomas, though in all fairness most of her music ("Break-A-Way" being the big exception) isn't really party music. Unless you're talking about an intimate party for two.

(ETA: Heather, xposted with your last message. Irma's one of my favorites, but she really falls much more into the "sweet soul" side of New Orleans music. If you like Etta James, you should like Irma.)

It was an ESPN commercial that featured Warwick Dunn talking about the curse associated with being on a magazine cover, like the SI curse. The punch line was that appearing on Cat Fancy almost ruined his career.