Bulletin - September, 2010
Country, Bluegrass & Old Timey
Rosalie Allen ->
Jimmy Wakely
ROSALIE ALLEN |
Jasmine 3598/9 |
The Versatile Rosalie Allen |
● CD $18.98 |
2 CDs, 61 tracks, 159 min., very highly recommended
Known as the "Queen of the Yodelers," Rosalie Allen (born Julie Bedra) made quite a name for herself in New York in the 1940s and
landed a recording contract with RCA and later with Waldorf Music
Hall. This compilation features not just the yodelers such as I
Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart and He Taught Me How To
Yodel, but forays into western swing, country, boogie, and
elsewhere. She sings Hank Williams'Your Cheatin' Heart, the
cleverly titled Believe Me I'll Be Leaving You/ Honky Tonk
Angels/ My Dolly Has A Broken Heart/ Spanish Polka and more.
(Don't let the postwar title Hitler Lives raise your blood
pressure or eye brows; the chorus is on the order of "Hitler lives
if we hurt our fellow men.") Hardcore fans will appreciate that
Allen's earliest recordings with Denver Darling (the Tex Grande
Band) have been included, as have both versions of Guitar Polka,
one of which features the rising star named Chet Atkins. The overall
sound is excellent, the sequencing is well thought out, the running
time approaches the maximum possible, and the booklet notes are
informative if somewhat lacking in session details. Best Rosalie
Allen collection ever--a pleasure from start to end. (Inspirational
line: "I would rather be spanked than practice my scales.") (JC)
|
HANK FERGUSON |
Folk Legacy 13 |
Behind These Walls |
● CD $16.98 |
18 tracks, very highly recommended
Tennessee singer
Hank Ferguson deserved to become a country star - he was a beautiful
singer with a disarming honky tonk honesty to his voice. With only
his own acoustic guitar accompaniment his performances bring to mind
some of those great Hank Williams acoustic demos. Not that I'm
suggesting that this Hank was in the same league but there is an
underlying honesty to the performances that really brings up
goosebumps. Ferguson was found by folklorist Bruce Jackson when he
visited the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City, Indiana
where Hank was serving a year for an undisclosed crime and Folk
Legacy made these recordings shortly after Hank was released in
1963. The first half a dozen songs deal with crime and prison life
including three written by Hank himself including the powerful
I'm Not Living, I'm Just Lasting/ One Life's As Long As Any Man Can
Live and Trouble Just Got In My Way. The rest of the
material is country standards and traditional songs and includes
truly moving versions of Harlan Howard's Busted ,Long
Black Veil and others. This guy was so good it's a shame he
wasn't picked up by a commercial label. But, as it stands, this is a
release to treasure. (FS)
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DALLAS FRAZIER |
Raven 262 |
The R&B Sessions: Elvira/ Tell It
Like It Is |
● CD $19.98 |
27 tracks, 66 min, highly recommended
Reissuing for
the first time on CD Frazier's mid-sixties LPs Elvira and Tell It
Like It Is, this release finds the author of Alley Oop and
Elvira pushing aside his country credentials in favor of his
blue-eyed soul side with success to spare. Sure, a couple of songs
start out with the Alley Oop beat, but they quickly move into
their own territory, and fertile land it is. Best known as a song
writer, Frazier has a fine voice and expressive phrasing on such
tracks as Ain't Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves)/ Baby, Ain't
That Fine/ Just A Little Bit Of You/ Done Made Up My Mind, and
more. Fans of Delbert McClinton and Eddie Hinton should find much to
admire here. Includes three bonus tracks (Tennessee Sue/ King Of
The Jungle/ Make Believe You're here With Me) not on the
original LPs. A find! (JC)
|
VERN GOSDIN |
Sims 306 |
Late & Great - The Voice |
● CD $9.98 |
10 tracks, highly recommended
Vern Gosdin, who died
in 2009, was one of the greatest honky tonk singers of the 70s, 80s
and 90s with an aching, yearning quality that, at times, brings to
mind George Jones in his Epic period. This man puts so much feeling
into a song it will raise the hair on your arms. This is a
posthumous release of previously unissued material. The origin of
these recordings is unclear but it sounds as though it was recorded
in the mid 90s featuring Vern in great voice and he is accompanied
by a superb band with no extraneous strings or vocal choruses. Six
of the ten songs were written by Vern and are a fine selection of
heart rending ballads and mid tempo songs. To be perfectly
objective, there' not a whole lot of variety in Vern's music, but
the man sang with so much soul that objectivity doesn't enter into
it! (FS)
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GEORGE MORGAN |
B.A.C.M. 313 |
One Woman Man |
● CD $14.98 |
28 sides recorded between 1949 and 1957 by this
smooth voiced country singer whose style was much like that of Eddy
Arnold though his arrangements never strayed too far from straight
honky tonk. This collection does not include any of his hits but
concentrates on lesser known material like Put All Your Love In A
Cookie Jar/ Broken Candy Heart/ Love, Love, Love/ Best Mistake/ Send
For My Baby/ Our Summer Vacation/ It's A Sin/ White Azaleas,
etc.
GEORGE MORGAN: Put All Your Love In A Cookie Jar/
Ring On Your Finger/ My Heart Keeps Telling Me/ Broken Candy Heart/
One Woman Man/ Look What Followed Me Home Tonight/ No One Knows It
Better Than Me/ Love, Love, Love/ First Time I Told You A Lie/
Walking Shoes/ Sweetheart/ Best Mistake/ Ever So Often/ Lonesome
Record/ Tears Behind The Smile/ Send For My Baby/ Don't Cry For You
I Love/ Now You Know/ Our Summer Vacation/ It Always Ended Too Soon/
A Cheap Affair/ It's A Sin/ Mansion Over The Hilltop/ The One Rose
That's Left In My Heart/ So Lonesome/ White Azaleas/ You're The Only
Star In My Blue Heaven/ I'd Like To Know
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MOON MULLICAN |
Gusto 2165 |
I'll Sail My Ship Alone |
● CD $4.98 |
20 tracks, fair Collection of sides recorded for
King and Starday in the 50s and 60s by this fine honky tonk singer
and influential player. Some great music but remastering is mediocre
and distorted and his big hit I'll Sail My Ship Alone is
either a remake or overdubbed version. Also includes Good Time
Gonna Roll Again/ Trouble, Trouble/ Triflin' Woman Blues/ Piano
Breakdown/ Rheumatism Boogie, etc. (FS)
|
MOON MULLICAN |
T-Bird 008 |
I'll Sail My Ship Alone/ Mister
Honky Tonk Man |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, recommended
First ever CD reissue of the
great Moon Mullican's last recordings made for the Nashville based
Spar label in 1966 and originally issued on two LPs. It includes
re-recordings of some of his old favorites like Columbus Stockade
Blues/ I'll Sail My Ship Alone (covered twice by Jerry Lee
Lewis), You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry and Old
Pipeliner, but many of the songs are new material like Mr.
Honky Tonk Man/ Man In The Moon/ I Ain't No Beatle (But I Want To
Hold Your Hand) and the seriously rockin' I'm On My Way Home.
Moon's singing and playing are fine and he is accompanied by a small
group with vocal chorus on some tracks. The one drawback is the
rather thin, and at times muffled, sound, - I don't know if this is
a fault of the original recording or the remastering but it does
detract from an otherwise very enjoyable recording. (FS)
|
DOLLY PARTON |
Omni 138 |
The Fairest Of Them All/ My Favorite
Songwriter, Porter |
● CD $17.98 |
23 tracks, 62 mins, essential
There is a simple
choice to be made here. If you are a Dolly Parton fan, then you need
this CD. Don't even bother reading the rest of this review; I 100%
guarantee that if you are a Dolly Parton fan you want this CD. If
you aren't interested in this CD, than you aren't a Dolly Parton
fan, plain and simple. O.K., for those of you that still need
convincing, this release puts together two of Dolly's early albums
and releases them, plus excellent bonus tracks, for the first time
ever on CD. "The Fairest Of Them All" is simply one of Dolly's
greatest albums and features some of her strongest songwriting,
including the legendary song Down From Dover. In Dover
Dolly sings from the perspective of a pregnant woman stuck in a
horrible place in life, it's one of Dolly's most graphic and most
beautiful compositions. There are other powerful tracks here, like
Robert and Daddy Come and Get Me, but Down From
Dover is one in a million. The second album here features all
Porter Wagoner compositions and is wonderful for all kinds of other
reasons. It's clear that the folks at Omni records love what they do
and the care that they have taken with the sound, liner notes and
presentation of this CD are superb. The only possible down side that
I can think of is in the original production where there are
needless back-ground vocals that they could have taken out, but were
probably left in for continuities sake; but, that's hardly much of a
drawback. This is easily the most important Country music re-issue
of the year. (JM)
|
OLA BELLE REED |
Smithsonian Folkways 40202 |
Rising Sun Melodies |
● CD $16.98 |
19 tracks, highly recommended
Ola Belle Reed, who
died in 2002, was a superb Appalachian born singer, banjo player and
songwriter. Ola Belle started performing in the late 30s and in the
40s formed the band The New River Boys with her brother Alex
Campbell and recorded an album for Starday in 1963. After Alex
retired Ola Belle mostly worked with her husband Bud and their son
David and made a number of recordings for Folkways in the 1970s
performing traditional and original songs. Ola Belle was a rough
hewn and intense vocalist and fine songwriter who forged real life
experiences into music styled with determination , family tradition
and commanding presence. A number of her songs like I've Endured/
High On The Mountain and My Epitaph (all featured here)
have become bluegrass standards. The sides here are drawn from her
Folkways recordings and includes eight previously unissued tracks -
some from live performances. It addition to the aforementioned songs
there are other superb Ola Belle originals like Ola Belle's
Blues/ Tear Down The Fences and Fortunes as well as
splendid renditions of country and bluegrass standards like
Bonaparte's Retreat/ Look Down That Lonesome Road/ Nine Pound Hammer
and others. In addition to Bud and David she also occasionally
joined by Kevin Roth on dulcimer or John Coffey on fiddle. Superb
music with detailed 40 page booklet. (FS)
|
JIMMY SKINNER |
Deluxe 7814 |
22 Greatest Hits |
● CD $7.98 |
22 tracks, 55 mins, good
This is just shy of one
full hour of nothing but good ol' American music. This CD features
solid, though not terribly inspired versions of Country and
Bluegrass numbers such as Dark Hollow/ Whoopie Liza, and
The Cork and the Bottle. All in all there's not much to write
home about here (or write about at all as judged by the complete
lack of notes of any sort,) there's some good tracks here and there,
and if you are looking for a cheap fix of vintage Country music this
might do the trick. (JM)
|
HOBART SMITH |
Folk Legacy 17 |
Traditional Appalachian Songs And
Tunes |
● CD $16.98 |
24 tracks, 57 mins, essential
Hobart Smith from
Saltville, Virginia is one of my favorite old time musicians and a
greatly influential performer. He was a wonderful singer with an
emotion charged style and a virtuoso instrumentalist who was adept
on banjo, fiddle, guitar and piano though the piano is not featured
here. Smith was first recorded by Alan Lomax in 1942 but didn't
start performing on the folk circuit until the 1960s and these
recordings were made at a radio station in Chicago in 1963 and
resulted in his first album. This CD adds three bonus cuts to the
original LP. Hobart sings a wide range of traditional songs and
tunes including two different versions of Soldier's Joy - one
performed on banjo and one on fiddle. Other instrumental pieces
include Black Annie/ John Greer's Tune/ Bonaparte's Retreat/ K.C.
Blues and others. The songs feature Hobart accompanying himself
with guitar, banjo or beautiful modal fiddle work and includes
Peg And Awl/ Short Life Of Trouble/ Sitting On Top Of The World/
Cuckoo Bird/ Uncloudy Day etc. Superb music and the 20 page
booklet has notes on the performances and lyric transcripts (except
for the bonus tracks). Indispensible to any lover of traditional
American music. Counts as two CDs for shipping. (FS)
|
SONS OF THE
PIONEERS |
Varese 67022 |
Sing The Stephen Foster Songbook |
● CD $11.98 |
14 tracks, recommended
This is certainly an
interesting historic document with fine performances by both Rogers
and the Sons Of The Pioneers. Whether you enjoy this (or not) might
rely on how much Stephen Foster's lyrics bother you (or not). I
think if you can look past the racist language and appreciate this
as you would any historic collection, like the fine one of minstrel
music that came out on Old Hat records a couple years back, then
there is a lot to enjoy here. The importance of the Stephen Foster
songbook is certain--he pretty much invented American popular music
-- and these recordings also capture Roy Rogers and the S.O.T.P. at
the height of their powers in the 1930s. With the exception of
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, all of the most famous songs
in the Foster canon are represented here. You get fine versions of
Oh Susanna/ De Camptown Races/ My Old Kentucky Home/ Old Black
Joe, a lovely instrumental version of Swanee River, etc.
More liner notes and recording information would have been
appreciated; you get the basic two pages of notes that you usually
get from Varese' releases. (JM)
|
DICK THOMAS |
Jasmine 675 |
Country, Ragtime, Rockin' Hillbilly
& Cowboy Music |
● CD $18.98 |
Two CDs with 55 tracks recorded between 1944 and
1953 by Western singer from, of all places, Philadelphia. As you
might expect there isn't a whole lot of country twang in his singing
though his voice is very engaging. It includes his original 1944
recording of his own composition Sioux City Sue which became
a Western standard as well as becoming a pop hit in 1946 by Bing
Crosby. With the success of that song it's not suprising that this
set also includes Sister Of Sioux City Sue and Beaut From
Butte. Arrangements most feature small groups along a few with
larger orchestras. Some years ago B.A.C.M. issued the first ever
Dick Thomas CD and this set includes many of those songs but is,
onviously, much more extensive and with superior sound.
DICK THOMAS: A Broken Down Merry Go Round/ A
Stolen Waltz/ Any Time Is Loving Time/ As Long As I Live I Will Love
You/ Beaut From Butte/ Broken Heart/ Bury Me Not On The Lone
Prairie/ Can't You Take It Back And Change It For A Boy/ Charlotte
Belle/ Cowboy Jack/ Don't Keep It A Secret/ Down In Old Wyomin'/
Foolish Tears/ Forgetful/ Give Me Back My Heart/ Home On The Range/
Honestly/ I Don't Want A Million Sweethearts/ I'm Goin'/ I'm Gonna
Dry Up My Tears/ I've Got A Gal In Laramie/ If Memories Were Money/
Making Excuses/ Memories Of France/ Mistakes/ Moanin' In The Mornin'
Grievin' In The Evenin' Blues/ My Daddy Is The Only Picture/ My
Guitar Is My Sweetheart/ Old Chisholm Trail/ Ragtime Cowboy From
Santa Fe/ Raindrops/ Red River Valley/ Rosalinda/ Roses Have Thorns/
Send This Purple Heart To My Sweetheart/ Seven Years With The Wrong
Woman/ Sidetracked/ Sioux City Sue/ Sister Of Sioux City Sue/ Sleepy
Head/ Sleepy Old Town/ Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle/
Tennessee Local/ The Gods Were Angry With Me/ The Last Roundup/ The
Little Boy I Knew/ They'll Never Take The Texas Out Of Me/ Tiny Baby
Shoes/ Too Soon To Tucson/ Tumbling Tumbleweeds/ Two Car Garage/
Weary Nights And Broken Dreams/ When Uncle Joe Plays The Rag On His
Old Banjo/ Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon/ You Never Loved Me
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Cactus CDABB 1 |
Abbott Records Hillbilly |
● CD $15.98 |
31 tracks, 79 mins, recommended
Fabor Robinson & Sid
Abbott's Abbott label, founded in 1951, helped launch the career of
such important country stars as Johnny Horton, Jim Reeves and Floyd
Cramer. This fine collection of recordings made between 1951 and '57
has cuts by Horton and Reeves but mostly features lesser known but
fine artists like Smiley Burnette, Billy Barton, Buddy DeVal, Myrna
Lorrie, Carolyn Bradshaw (her Flower Of the Rio is
particularly fine), Wink Lewis, Danny Dixon, Bob Stegall and others.
It also includes early country sides by rockabilly hero Rudy
Grayzell and one of the earliest solo sides by Dorsey Burnette - the
forgettable Jungle Magic. (FS)
BILLY BARTON: What's The Matter With Me/ HILLBILLY
BARTON: Strange Affection/ BILLY BARTON & WANDA WAYNE: That Word
Called Love/ CAROLYN BRADSHAW: A Man On The Loose/ Baby Then You're
Catchin On/ Flower Of The Rio/ DORSEY BURNETTE: Jungle Magic/ SMILEY
BURNETTE: Chuggin' On Down "66"/ Lazy Locomotive/ That Long White
Line/ ALVADEAN COKER: SugarDoll/ SANDY COKER: Toss Over/ T. TOMMY
CUTRER: Mexico Gal/ BOB DAVIS: My Gal Comes From Heaven/ BUDDY
DEVAL: Mate Of The Wind/ DANNY DIXON: Sweater Girl/ FREDDIE FRANK:
12,000 Texas Longhorns/ RUDY GRAYZELL: Bonita Chiquita/ I'm Gone
Again/ HERB HENSON: The Birds & The Bees/ Out Of Line/ JOHNNY
HORTON: Rhythm In My Baby's Walk/ Bawlin' Baby/ CURTIS KIRK: Oh, So
Lonesome Blues/ WINK LEWIS: Sahw Bessie/ MYRNA LORRIE: Listen To My
Heart Strings/ You Bet I Kissed Him/ Are You mine/ I'm Your Man/ JIM
REEVES: My Rambling Heart/ BOB STEGALL: Strong Coffee
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Cactus 055 |
MGM Hillbilly, Vol. 5 - Cryin' In
Your Beer Honky-Tonk |
● CD $15.98 |
31 tracks, 77 mins, very highly recommended
Maybe
it's because MGM was the home of country music's greatest honky tonk
singer but this collection of honky tonk ballads is one of Cactus's
best. The influence of Hank can be heard in several of the artists
here and I suspect that members of the Drifting Cowboys appear on
some of the sides here. Whatever, this collection has some truly
great tearjerkers including sides by Bob Gallion, George McCormick,
Jimmie Williams, Red Sovine, Charlie Carson, Jimmy Swan (an
exceptional singer!), and others. Most Cactus CDs have a few duds
but this one is superb from start to finish. (FS)
TOM ANDERSON: My Heart Couldn't See/ THE ANDREWS
BROTHERS: Sundown/ AL BRITT: Blue Water/ CHARLIE CARSON: The Ache In
My Heart/ VIC CLAIBORNE: No Letter Today/ PAUL DAVIS: I Must Turn My
Face To The Wall/ What A Fool I've Been/ BUD DECKELMAN: I Love You/
I'd Only Be Acting A Fool/ DAVE DENNY: Cry Fool Cry/ RUSTY GABBARD:
It Hurts Too Much To Cry/ BOB GALLION: Out Of A Honky Tonk/ Your
Wild Life's Gonna Get You Down/ BUD HOBBS: Last Dance Tonight/ BOB
JENNINGS: I'd Be The Last To Know/ MARY ANN JOHNSON: Blue Teardrops/
Lend Me Your Handkerchief/ JOE CANNONBALL LEWIS: Only In Dreams/
GEORGE MCCORMICK: I Guess You Don't Care/ MARVIN RAINWATER: I Feel
Like Leaving Town/ JESSE ROGERS: I Never Knew I Needed You/ You're
Sorry For Yourself/ RED SOVINE: A Quarter's Worth Of Heartaches/
JIMMY SWAN: The Way That You're Living/ Why Did You Change Your
Mind/ FRED WAMBLE: Since My True Love Said Goodbye/ TED WEST: An
Angel's Face (& A Devil's Heart)/ JIMMIE WILLIAMS: These Blues Over
You/ Throwing My Life Away/ BILLY JACK WILLS: Four Beers & Forty
Tears/ SKEETS YANEY: If It Was A Teardrop
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Cactus 063B |
MGM Hillbilly, Vol. 6 |
● CD $15.98 |
31 tracks, highly recommended
The sixth volume
brings us back to mostly uptempo numbers starting off in fine form
with the risque country boogie Keep You Motor Hot by Sam
Nichols and continuing with more fine sides from Sheb Wooley, Benny
Martin (the excellent Midnight Flyer with fine fiddle and
harmonica), Jimmy Williams (hot bluegrass gospel), Joe "Cannonball"
Lewis, Zeke Clements (the bluesy Louisiana with hot guitar),
Ernie Lee, Arthur Smith (a humorous song about green stamps), Jimmie
Allen, Smiley Wilson, Tom Anderson, George McCormick, Skeets Yaney
and others. Many tracks are making their first appearance on CD.
JIMMIE ALLEN: I Was A Fool To Fool Around/ The
Pain Of Love/ You Upset My Apple Cart/ TOM ANDERSON: My Worried,
Troubled Mind/ Our Love Goes On Just Like A Ballgame/ The Moon & I/
THE ANDREWS BROTHERS: I Got Shook/ JACK BOLES: Rockin' Chair Blues/
Runnin' Round/ ZEKE CLEMENTS: Louisiana/ PAUL DAVIS: That Ain't Hard
To Take/ BOB GALLION: Baby Love Me/ BUD HOBBS: Louisiana Swing/
ERNIE LEE: How Come You Never Answer/ JOE (CANNONBALL) LEWIS: I
Wonder If I Can Lose The Blues/ BENNY MARTIN: Midnight Flyer/ GEORGE
MCCORMICK: The Blues Moved In This Morning/ DON MEEHAN: I’m Gonna
Tell Your Conscience On You/ SAM NICHOLS: Keep Your Motor Hot/ Who
Puts The Cat Out/ JINNIE RODGERS: Everything You Do To Me/ AL
ROGERS: I'm Getting' Nowhere Fast/ ARTHUR SMITH: Stamps/ JIMMIE
WILLIAMS: Don't Come Knockin' At My Door/ JIMMY WILLIAMS: Alpha &
Omega/ BOB WILLS: The End Of The Line/ HAPPY WILSON: The Haunted
House Boogie/ SMILEY WILSON: Mister Big/ SHEB WOOLEY: Country
Kisses/ Hoot Owl Boogie/ SKEETS YANEY: Paper To Burn
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Country Stars 55532 |
Will There Always Be Yodelers In
Heaven |
● CD $10.98 |
24 tracks, 67 min., very highly recommended
A lot of
country fans will be surprised at the number of major artists who
pressed into service the vocal register-shifting technique known as
yodeling. For a time, the record buying public had a real appetite
for yodeling, but that hunger has fallen off sharply over the last
60 or so years. This collection opens with the extremely influential
Jimmie Rodgers, singing The Yodeling Ranger. There and else
where it is hard to miss the connection between the blues and the
country yodel. Other practitioners represented include Rosalie
Allen, Sons Of The Pioneers, Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe
& HIs Blue Grass Boys, Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys, The Delmore
Brothers, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hank Snow, Slim Whitman, Roy Acuff
The Carter Family, and more. Sometimes the yodel expresses joy,
sometimes sorrow. For single disc collections, it doesn't get much
better. (JC)
ROY ACUFF: Mule Skinner Blues/ ROSALIE ALLEN: Wide
Rolling Plains/ EDDY ARNOLD: Cattle Call/ GENE AUTRY: A Yodeling
Hobo/ ELTON BRITT: Give Me a Pinto Pal/ CLIFF CARLISLE: That Nasty
Swing/ WILF CARTER: A Little Old Log Shack I Can Always Call My
Home/ THE CARTER FAMILY: My Clinch Mountain Home/ THE DELMORE
BROTHERS: Lonesome Yodel Blues/ RED FOLEY: Yodeling Radio Joe/
TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD: Anticipation Blues/ THE GIRLS OF THE GOLDEN
WEST: Will There Be Any Yodelers in Heaven?/ REX GRIFFIN: You Got to
Go to Work/ BILL MONROE & HIS BLUEGRASS BOYS: Blue Yodel, No. 4/
PATSY MONTANA: I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart/ JIMMIE RODGERS:
The Yodeling Ranger/ ROY ROGERS: Cowboy Night Herd Song/ HANK SNOW:
Lonesome Blue Yodel/ THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS: The Devil's Great
Grand Son/ ERNEST TUBB: Married Man Blues/ RAY WHITLEY: Blue Yodel
Blues/ SLIM WHITMAN: I'm Casting My Lasso Towards the Sky/ HANK
WILLIAMS: Long Gone Lonesome Blues/ BOB WILLS AND HIS TEXAS
PLAYBOYS: Blue Yodel, No. 1
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
JSP JSPCD 77131 |
Classic Field Recordings - Landmark
Country Sessions |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CDs, 100 tracks, highly recommended
The title
of this fine four Cd set is a bit misleading as "field recordings'
generally refers to non commercial recordings made by institutions -
the tracks here are all commercial tracks recorded for Bluebird in
locations away from their head office in North & South Carolina,
Louisiana, Illinois & Texas. Most of the tracks here were cut
between 1936 and 1940 with one session by singer/ guitarist
Louisiana Lou from 1933. The heyday of the exciting string bands is
in the past and here we mostly have solo artists, duets and trios
along with some larger groups. Among the highlights are 12 tracks by
the superb Georgia singer/ guitarist Johnny Barfield who was the
first country singer to record a song with the words "boogie woogie"
in the title and his recording of this bluesy gem was so popular
that he recorded The New Boogie Woogie six months later.
Other fine songs by him include his reworking of Railroad Bill
called Ain't That Right and a cover of Rex Griffin's
Everybody's Trying To be My Baby which is best known from the
Carl Perkins 1956 reworking. The four tracks by The Tennessee
Ramblers are early examples of western swing and a couple of their
tracks feature fine trumpet by Jack Gillette. There are two charming
sides by The Pine Valley Boys featuring the vocal and guitar of
Ernie Cornlison with steel guitar by Jerry Byrd (as Gerry Byrd) -
the first recordings of this steel guitar legend. There are eight
very fine and varied sides by J.H. Howell - vocal duets, vocal trios
and a couple of harmonica solos. Other artists includes George Wade
& His Caro-Ginians, Smith's Carolina Crackerjacks (fine old-timey
gospel with an early appearance of Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith on
mandolin), Grady & Hazel Cole, The Hill Brothers with Willie Simmons
(wonderful old time gospel with autoharp and guitar), The Blind
Fiddler (not in the country discography!), Jack Pierce (white blues
influenced by Blind lemon Jefferson), The Rouse Brothers (their
frequently reissued original recording of Orange Blossom Special
and their previously unreissued version of Will The Circle Be
Unbroken) and others. Sound is excellent and there are
informative notes by Pat Harrison (FS)
JOHNNY BARFIELD: Ain't I Right?/ Boogie Woogie/
Desert Lullaby/ Don't Take My Memories/ Everybody's Trying To Be My
Baby/ Heartaches And Tears/ It AIn't No Good/ Long Tongue Woman/
Love Me Only/ My Poodle Doodle Dog/ That Little Shirt My Mother Made
For Me/ The New 'Boogie Woogie'/ DEWEY & GASSIE BASSETT: Back Water
Blues/ Blue Moon/ No Deep True Love/ One Year Ago Today/ The Great
Final Agreement/ There's A Grave In The Wilderness/ LESTER "PETE"
BIVENS: Back In My Home Town/ Big Fat Girl/ Home With Mother And Dad
In The West/ Knocking On The Hen House Door/ Married Life Blues/
Minor Blues/ THE BLIND FIDDLER: Maggie/ Slim Girl/ GRADY & HAZEL
COLE: Forbidden Love/ Precious Thoughs Of Mother/ Shattered Love/
What A Change One Day Can Make/ WALTER CROUCH & THE WILKS RAMBLERS:
Cheasapeake Bay/ Fourteen Days In Georgia/ I Want My Baby Back/ GWEN
FOSTER: How Many Biscuits Can I Eat?/ Side-Line Blues/ THE FOUR
PICKELD PEPPERS: Bungalow Big Enough For Two/ I'll Remember You,
Love In My Prayers/ I'm Not Angry With You Darling/ When I Was A
Baby/ THE HAPPY VALLEY BOYS: Homecoming Time In Happy Valley/ I'll
Never Leave Old Dixieland Again/ THE HILL BROTHERS WITH WILLIE
SIMMONS: I Am On My Way To Heaven/ I'm Glad I Counted The Cost/ Just
Over In The Glory Land/ HINSON, PITTS & COLEY: Farmer Grey/ Whoa,
Mule, Whoa/ J.H. HOWELL: Burning Of Cleveland School/ Girl That
Worries My Mind/ Howell's Railroad/ Lonesome Life Of Worry/ Lost
John/ Mollie Married A Travelin' Man/ My Sweetheart Has Gone And
Left Me/ Rock City Blues/ WALTER HURDT: Fiddle And Guitar Running
Wild/ Fox Hunter's Luck/ JULIAN JOHNSON & LEON HYATT: Little Paper
Boy/ T.B. Killed My Daddy/ LOUISIANA LOU: A Package Of Love Letters/
Go 'Long Mule/ Sinful To Flirt/ The Export Gal/ With My Banjo On My
Knee/ THE MCCLENDON BROTHERS: Goodbye Baby, Goodbye/ Love Hunting
Blues/ Free As I Can Be/ Gamblin' On The Sabbath/ Heaven Bound Gold/
Keep Your Love Letter, I'll Keep Mine/ My Little Mountain Lady Queen
Of Alabam/ Red Roses, Sweet Biolets So Blues/ The Story Of Love
Divine/ JACK PIERCE: Rabbit Blues/ Soap Box Blue/ THE PINE RIDGE
BOYS: Farther Along/ You Are My Sunshine/ PETE PYLE: It's So Hard To
Be Just A Pal To You/ Little Blue Eyed Blonde, Goodbye/ THE ROUSE
BROTHERS: My Family Circle (Will The Circle Be Unbroken)/ Orange
Blossom Special/ ROY SHAFFER: Bury Me Out On The Prairie/ Coupon
Song/ Cowboy Jack/ Disappointed In Love (I Wish I Had Never Met
Sunshine)/ Rocking Alone In An Old Rocking Chair/ The Answer To
'Disappointed In Love'/ SMITH'S CAROLINA CRACKERJACKS: There Are No
Disappointments In Heaven/ Your Soul Never Dies/ THE SOUTHERN MELODY
BOYS: Down In Baltimore/ I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayer/ If
You See My Saviour/ Sweet Lucust Blossom/ Tribulation Days/ Wind The
Little Ball Of Yarn/ THE TENNESSEE RAMBLERS: All My Natural Life/
Don't Put A Tax On Beautiful Girls/ Four Or Five Times/ I'll Keep On
Loving You/ GEORGE WADE & THE CARO-GINIANS: He Turned Around And
Went The Other Way/ Long And Bony
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VARIOUS ARTISTS |
T-Bird 0010 |
Rare Bluegrass From Nashville - The
1960s |
● CD $18.98 |
28 tracks, 68 mins, very good
A collection of sides
recorded for the Spar and Sur-Speed labels in the mid 60s. The most
familiar name here is Carl Story with his fine band The Rambling
Mountaineers on 10 tunes from 1966. Although best known as a
bluegrass gospel pioneer the tracks here find him performing a fine
selection of secular material including original songs like
Action Speaks Louder Than Words and Who's That Man I Saw You
With and instrumentals - mostly old favorites like Blackberry
Blossom and Orange Blossom Special
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VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Tee-Vee 0768 |
Road Music Two |
● CD $9.98 |
20 tracks, 55 mins, fans only
Gusto's "Road Music
Vol. 1" was a huge seller and a pretty fine collection of truck
driving classics. The label presents this as the long awaited
sequel, a present for the fans of the first one. Far than a present,
though, this is a pretty mediocre cash in that is only for hardcore
trucker fans at most. You get strong artists like David Allen Coe,
Red Sovine, etc, with some of their lesser tracks, or weak artists
like David Frizzell and Charlie Craig doing what they do. A few good
tracks like Roving Gambler by Billy Walker, and Trucker's
Rag by Moon Mullican help out the compilation, but can't really
save it. Only for the most hardcore truck driving song collectors.
(JM)
BETTY AMOS: 18 Wheels A Rolling/ DAVID ALLAN COE:
White Line Fever/ CHARLIE CRAIG: I Married Your Sister/ Only Light
On The Road/ JOHNNY DOLLAR: Truck Driver's Lament/ DAVID FRIZZELL:
California Turn Arounds/ Home, Home On The Road/ TINY HARRIS: King
Of The Highway/ MIKE LUNSFORD: Movin' On/ FRANKIE MILLER: Truck
Driving Buddy/ MOORE & NAPIER: This Truck And Me/ GEORGE MORGAN: Man
Behind The Wheel/ MOON MULLICAN: Trucker's Rag/ SANDY POSEY: 18
Wheels Hummin' Home Sweet Home/ BILLY JOE ROYAL: Lay Me Down A Truck
Driving Man/ RED SIMPSON: Don't Fall Asleep At The Wheel/ RED
SOVINE: 10 Days Out, 2 Days In/ Woman Behind The Man Behind The
Wheel/ BILLY WALKER: Roving Gambler/ COLEMAN WILSON: Radar Blues
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VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Trailer-Park 004 |
Twisted Tales From The Vinyl
Wastelands, Vol. 4 |
● CD $15.98 |
31 songs + 2 spoken interludes, highly recommended
Our wild and crazy friends at the trailer park are at it again. This
time they have turned their attention to the "hippy revolution" of
the 1960s with 31 (mostly country) songs dealing with hippies and
all that word implies including long hair, love-ins, marijuana, LSD,
protesting and more. If you though that Merle Haggard's Okie From
Muskogie was pretty scathing stuff, wait until you hear Place
For Them Called Hell by Smokey Harless. No collection of hippie
songs would be complete without Red RIver Dave's amazing account of
the Manson murders - The California Hippie Murders and we
also get Hippie In A Blunder by Johnny Bucket, Barber Hair
Blues by Wayne Satkamp and Chesney Carroll's tongue in cheek
response to Merle Hippie From Mississippi. Autry Inman is
here with two ultra patriotic songs The Ballad Of two Brothers
and Vietnam Blues, Don Hinson pokes fun at The Protest
Singer, Don Bowman fills us in on The San Francisco Scene
and Lester Flatt Can't Tell The Boys From The Girls. More
songs - serious and comical from Guy Drake, Wild Bill Cooksy, Ben
Colder, Wendell Austin and more. The only slightly out of place song
is The Evil Dope by Phil Phillips which is about drug use in
the hood but it's such an all time classic that if you don't already
have it is worth the price of admission. No notes but you'd probably
be too stoned to read 'em anyway! (FS)
WENDELL AUSTIN: LSD/ MOE AVERICK: Middle Age
Hippie Blues/ JIMMY D. BENNETT: Sapadelic/ DON BOWMAN: The San
Francisco Scene/ JOHNNY BUCKETT: Hippie In A Blunder/ CHESNEY
CARROLL: Hippie From Mississippi/ LINDA CASSADY: Is Santa Claus A
Hippy/ WILD BILL COOKSY: Mississippi Hippie/ FREDDY COUNTRYMAN:
Cocaine Blues/ GUY DRAKE: The Marching Hippies/ LESTER FLATT: I
Can't Tell The Boys From The Girls/ BUD FREEMAN: Because Of LSD/
SMOKEY HARLESS: Place For Them Called Hell/ DON HINSON: The Protest
Singer/ HOMER & JETHRO: Hill Billy Hippie/ AUTRY INMAN: Ballad Of
Two Brothers/ Vietnam Blues/ INTRO: The Hippie Revolt/ BUCK JONES: A
Box Of Grass/ LARRY KIRBY: Country Western Hippy/ STU MITCHELL:
Acid/ BEN OLDER: The Love-In/ PHIL PHILLIPS: The Evil Dope/ JOHNNY
PRICE: Marijuana, The Devil Flower/ LEON RAUSCH: Hanoi Jane/ BILLY
RAY: The Story Of Suzie/ RED RIVER DAVE: California Hippie Murders!/
WAYNE SATKAMP: Barber Hair Blues/ ALVIE SELF: Hippieville/ SKIT:
What The Bible Says About Drug Addiction/ HARRY SNYDER: The Needle/
BILL WOODS: The Story Of Suzy/ VIC WOODWARD & CLAUDIA: Hippie Yippie
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PORTER WAGONER |
Omni 137 |
What Ain't To Be, Just Might Happen |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, 80 mins, highly recommended
Personally,
I've never thought that Porter Wagoner had that great of a voice,
but he was a great Country artist anyway. What he lacked in pipes,
he more that made up for in earnest conviction, style, and passion
for the art. Always a fan of recitations, Porter took that dramatic
format to a whole new level starting in the mid 1960's. Mix
religious parables and an awareness of changing times, and such
oddball wonders like The Rubber Room/ Brother Harold Dee, and
Waldo The Weirdo, happen. Story songs are certainly nothing
new to Country music, but I get the impression the '60s and '70s
Porter Wagoner albums owed as much to Jack Chick as they did to Hank
Williams. Not everything on this collection is quite so maudlin
(although the maudlin tracks are some of the best,) and there are
such up-beat gems like Albert Erving/ Late At Night, and
You Gotta Have A License. Fans of Merle Haggard also might want
to check this out for its rare duet recording of I Haven't
Learned A Thing. Porter Wagoner was one of a kind artist and
Omni records has given us all a real treat with this collection of
Porter at the peak of his solo creativity in the early 1970's.
Package also includes excellent liner notes and some fantastic
pictures. (JM)
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JIMMY WAKELY |
Bygone Days 77033 |
1942-1952 |
● CD $9.98 |
28 tracks, highly recommended
A particularly nice
collection tracks recorded between 1942 and 1952 by this popular and
prolific western star who also had great crossover success.
It
includes many of his big hits like I'm Sending You Red Roses/ One
Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)/ Till The End Of The World/
Telling My Troubles To MY Old Guitar/ The Gods Were Angry With Me
and others as well as lesser known titles including a couple that
have not been on CD before. Arrangements range from small western
groups to full orchestras and it includes Jimmy duetting with Velma
Williams, Margaret Whiting and others. Sound quality is superb and
there are informative notes by Peter Dempsey. (FS)
JIMMY WAKELY: A Bushel And A Peck/ At The Close Of
A Long, Long Day/ Beautiful Brown Eyes/ Broken-Down Merry-Go-Round/
Dust/ I Don't Want To Be Free/ I Love You So Much It Hurts/ I Wish I
Had A Nickel/ I'll Never Slip Around Again/ I'm Sending You Red
Roses/ Let's Go to Church Next Sunday Morning/ Mine, All Mine/ My
Heart Cries For You/ One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)/
Rainbow At Midnight/ Slippin' Around/ Someday You'll Call My Name/
Standing Outside Of Heaven/ Telling My Troubles To My Old Guitar/
The Gods Were Angry With Me/ There's That Same Old Lovelight In Your
Eyes/ Till The End Of The World/ Too Bad, Little Girl/ Wedding
Bells/ When I Say Goodnight/ When It's Harvest Time, Sweet Angeline/
When You And I Were Young, Maggie/ Why Do You Say Those Things (That
Hurt Me So)?
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