The recordings of Enrico Caruso are a milestone in the history of recordings and music alike. Hailed as a genius in his own time by the greatest conductors and audiences alike, he has become the paragon for the lirico-spinto tenor. His career fell into three distinct parts as his voice grew and darkened with age (being a chain smoker may perhaps have had a hand in this as well) but it was always as immediately identifiable as any singer who ever recorded. The present disc is a nice introduction to the great tenor's art, comprising good transfers of his earliest recording sessions in 1902, 1903 and 1904, when the voice was at its purest.