|
COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Cecil
Campbell -> The Chestnut Grove Quartet
| THE CALLAHAN BROTHERS |
Cattle 267 |
In Memory Of The Callahan Brothers |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 72 mins, highly recommended The Callahan Brothers
from North Carolina were one of the most popular of the many fine brother
acts performing in the 30s and 40s. This collection features 25 of their
sides recorded between 1934 and 1951. The brothers Homer (aka Bill) and
Walter (aka Joe) sang (and sometimes yodeled) in harmony accompanied by
their own guitars and some cuts featured the splendid mandolin playing of
Roy "Shorty" Hobbs or Paul Buskirk plus the occasional fiddle or piano. They
perform traditional songs, blues, novelty, gospel, sentimental songs and the
like. The brothers have the occasional solo including Joe doing the lovely
Sweet Thing and Bill doing several including the excellent blues
My Good Girl Has Thrown Me Down with great guitar. A few cuts issued as
by The Callahan Family featured female vocalist Alma including a lovely
version of the gospel song Lord, I'm Coming Home. A few cuts
duplicate the Old Homestead release of a couple of years ago though sound
here is better but still not great. (FS)
THE CALLAHAN BROTHERS: Blue Letters/ Brown's Ferry Blues No. 2/ Carolina
Sweetheart/ Cowboy Jack/ Freight Train Blues/ Gonna Quit Drinkin' When I
Die/ I'll Be Thinking Of The Days Gone By/ I'm Alone Because I Love You/ If
I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/ Limb From The Old Apple Tree/ Little
Poplar Log House On The Hill/ Lonesome And Weary Blues/ Lonesome Freight
Train Blues/ Lord I'm Coming Home/ Mother, Pal And Sweetheart./ My Good Gal
Has Thrown Me Down/ New Birmingham Jail No. 3/ She's Always On My Mind/
Somebody's Been Using That Thing/ St. Louis Blues/ Sweet Thing/ Sweet
Violets/ They're At Rest Together/ This Crazy Crazy Feeling/ When It's Lamp
Lighting Time Up In Heaven
|
| CECIL CAMPBELL |
Bronco Buster 9003 |
And His Tennessee Ramblers |
● CD $18.98 |
Cecil Campbell and his Tennessee Ramblers performed
regularly on clear channel WBT from Charlotte, NC in the 1940. He and his
band also appeared in several B-Western films in the 1930 - some with Gene
Autry. Most of the recordings here are probably from the 30s and 40s with
a couple being from 1956. Though he was less polished than Wills or
Cooley, Campbell & His Tennessee Ramblers played some very listenable
music. No Where, No Time, No Place, on this disc is terrific,
Fog Rising On The Mountain (from 1956) has a haunting aura, depicting
a Smokey Mountain scene and Catwaba River Blues is another good one
from the Carolinas as is North Carolina Skies , composed and
performed here by band member Roy Lear. Campbell does most of the vocals,
and they come out fine, but he couldn't salvage Jimmy Work's Paper
Roses, the one weak spot on this album. There are several
instrumentals featuring Campbell's steel guitar, along with the band's
fiddles, guitars & accordion. (
OJ)
CECIL CAMPBELL: Barn Dance Breakdown (Inst.)/
Catawba River Blues/ Contentment (# 1)./ Fog Rising on the Mountain (# 1)/
Gomango (Inst.)/ No Blues, No Blues for Me/ No Where, No Time, No Place/
North Carolina Skies/ One Little Flower/ Paper Roses/ Proud Papa Polka/ Put
Some Meat on Them Bones/ Spookie Boogie/ Tar Heel Rag (Inst.)/ Tennessee
Steel Guitar (Inst.)/ Tropical Island (Voc. By the Hendrix Sisters)
|
| KATE CAMPBELL |
Compass 4251 |
Visions Of Plenty |
● CD $15.98 |
New album from highly regarded singer/songwriter from
Mississippi.
|
| JIM CAMPILONGO |
Blue Hen 1 |
And The Ten Gallon Cats |
● CD $16.98 |
10 tracks, 43 minutes, recommended This high powered Bay
Area quartet has updated the classic electric guitar - pedal steel
ensemble with a vengeance! The idea of playing heavily jazz influenced
solo lines in tight harmony on these instruments was invented by Eldon
Shambin and Leon McAuliffe of the Texas Playboys and reached its greatest
development in the flaming instrumentals of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant.
Campingo and company take a new slant on things, grafting heavy feedback
tinged guitar reminiscent of Link Wray with smooth as silk pedal steel
that alternately soars and colors in the best Western Swing tradition. The
tempos vary between breakneck and relaxed on such titles as Splitsville,
Snakestretcher, Night in Serramonte, and Bully Cat.
This is powerful, innovative, and thoroughly enjoyable music any guitar
fan will like. (DP)
|
| JIM
CAMPILONGO & THE 10 GALLON CAT |
Blue Hen 2 |
Loose |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 41 mins, recommended The second recording of
these space age updaters of the Speedy West - Jimmy Bryant sound is a
blistering affair. While West and Bryant brought the electric guitar/pedal
steel duo into the bebop era, the interchanges between Camilongo and Joe
Goldmark seem closer to Sun Ra meets Dick Dale, with some Link Wray thrown
in for good measure! The material here is even more varied then the
group's first release. Slow languid pieces like the title track lurch into
frantic rave ups laced with feedback and rapid tempo changes. Goldmark's
pedal steel wails like a theremin one minute peals like heavenly chimes
the next. Campilongo's guitar cackles like a chicken on "Pee Wee's
Big Adventure" and creates slapstick Spike Jones effects throughout
the album. Wait till you hear what they do to Ellington's "Harlem
Nocturne"! The dialogue between the two guitars is ever changing but
always complimentary and consistently interesting and it's clear that
these guys have been playing together a long time. A great album not for
the faint hearted! (DP)
|
| BOB CARLIN |
Rounder 0197 |
Banging & Sawing |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| BILL CARLISLE |
Collector 2865 |
Rough And Rowdy Hillbilly Of The 1930s, Vol.
1 |
● CD $16.98 |
Fabulous collection of 25 tracks by singer/ guitarist Bill Carlisle
- often in the company of his brother Cliff. Only two
duplications with the recently issued Cattle release - this one emphasizes
his 30s recordings where the Cattle emphasized his 40s sides. Lots of
great blues songs - some in the Jimmie Rodgers style and others in a more
original style.
|
| CLIFF CARLISLE |
Arhoolie-Folklyric CD 7039 |
Blues Yodeler And Steel Guitar Wizard |
● CD $12.98 |
24 tracks, 70 mins, essential
An outstanding collection of
recordings from the 30s by this outstanding singer, blue yodeler and
steel guitarist. Like a number of artists from that era Cliff was strongly
influenced by the great Jimmie Rodgers but Cliff was very much his own man
thanks his dynamic vocals and his drive slide guitar work on a steel boidied National. The earlier cuts usually feature him in the company of
guitarist Wilbur Ball and the latter cuts have brother Bill on guitar. On My
Lovin' Kathleen his 11 year old son "Sonny Boy Tommy"
provides some wonderful vocal harmonies. Cliff was a master blue yodeler on a number of cuts here and on No Daddy Blues and Shanghai
Rooster Yodel he does some original scat yodeling. He does a cover of
the Darby & Tarleton classic Columbus Stockade Blues and the
soon to become bluegrass standard Footprints In The Snow with
Shannon Grayson on mandolin. A number of cuts fall into the risqué category including the very raunchy That Nasty Swing. This tracks
have been particularly well chosen to display all the aspects of Cliff's
prolific career. Sound quality is superb and there are excellent notes by
the evr reliable Mark Humphrey. (FS)
|
| JENKS
"TEX" CARMAN |
Bear Family BCD 15574 |
Hillbilly Hula |
● CD $21.98 |
I've always enjoyed the music of Kentucky singer/ steel
guitarist Jenks Tex Carman. Though no virtuoso as either a singer or
guitarist there there was a great sense of fun in his performances which
communicates itself to the listener. He was at his best on the upbeat
items where he gives his steel guitar a good workout with his distinctive
clipped phrasing - Hillbilly Hula/ Hilo March/ Locust Hill Rag and
my personal favorite Dixie Cannonball. His ballads are less
succesful and his attempts to reach notes he can't quite make on Ten
Thousand Miles are quite painful. Great sound and a nice booklet with
notes by Carey Ginnell and discography round out a most enjoayble set.
(FS)
|
| JOE CARSON |
Bear Family BCD 15757 |
Hillbilly Band From Mars |
● CD $21.98 |
First ever reissue of honky tonk singer who tragically died
in an automobile accident in 1964 at the age of 27. 33 tracks recorded
between 1953 and 1963 recorded for Mercury, Capitol, D & Liberty including
several previously unissued.
|
| FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON |
Document DOCD 8014 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 - June 1923 to
April 1924 |
● CD $15.98 |
First of seven discs presenting the complete recordings of
this country music pioneer.
|
| FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON |
Document DOCD 8015 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 - April 1924 to
June 1925 |
● CD $15.98 |
|
|
| FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON |
Document DOCD 8016 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 - June 1925 to
March 1926 |
● CD $15.98 |
|
|
| FIDDLIN' JOHN CARSON |
Document DOCD 8017 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 4 -March 1926 to
October 1927 |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| ANITA CARTER |
Bear Family BCD 15434 |
Ring Of Fire |
● CD $21.98 |
26 Mercury sides by the youngest of the Carter sisters. (Love's)
Ring Of Fire/ The Kentuckian Song/ I Will Never Marry/ Wildwood Flower
and many more.
|
| SARA & MAYBELLE
CARTER |
Bear Family BCD 15471 |
Sara & Maybelle Carter |
● CD $21.98 |
In 1965 and 1966, Sara and Maybelle Carter had gone separate
paths from their days with Sara's ex-husband A.P. Carter as the legendary
Carter Family. Maybelle continued performing with her daughters on the
Opry and as part of Johnny Cash's traveling show while Sara moved to
California and retired from active performing though she never quit
playing. But with the Carter Family still visible and the music of the
original Carter Family considered a fountainhead for bluegrass and folk
artists, the interest in their music remained strong into the sixties. In
1965, Maybelle recorded a solo album for Columbia with a small group of
Nashville musicians backing her acoustically. That album, which combined
traditional material with more contemporary numbers was released as
"Mother Maybelle Carter: A Living Legend" and paid tribute to
the Carter sound of the past in places while putting it in a (slightly)
more modern context in others. Along with such vintage A.P. Carter
compositions as Let's Be Lovers Again were her versions of San
Antonio Rose and Johnny Cash's We'll Miss You, Joe. Shortly
after that, June Carter with support from future husband and performing
partner Johnny Cash, found an enthusiastic Don Law ready to produce Sara
and Maybelle. The result was the LP, "An Historic Reunion", cut
in 1966 with Maybelle's distinctive guitar playing and Sara's autoharp and
featuring a dozen numbers, Mixing Carter standards with songs they never
recorded. Included here are Weary Prodigal Son and Happiest Days
Of All. No More Goodbyes was only released on a subscriber-only
Time-Life Carter Family collection in 1982. Helping out was A.P. Carter's
son Joe to re-create his father's vocal parts. The entire album was cut in
24 hours, not surprising given the duo's past experience in cutting 78s
and transcriptions. Both albums are combined here on one CD, with the
usual excellent Bear Family sound, the original notes to the
"Historic Reunion" by Johnny Cash and new notes by Charles
Wolfe, with extensive information about the origins of each number. A
welcome package for Carter fans. (RK)
|
| WILF CARTER |
Bear Family BCD 15507 |
Dynamite Trail |
● CD $21.98 |
A fine collection of 30 songs recorded for Decca between
1954 and 1958 by this popular Canadian country singer and yodeller.
Recorded in Nashville with top sidemen like Chet Atkins, Jerry Byrd, Tommy
Jackson, Grady Martin, Don Helms, Hank Garland, and others he performs a
mixture of western songs, sentimental songs, novelty songs, straight
country and even a yodellin' rock 'n roll song! A few tracks feature the
Anita Kerr Singers and there are two with Wilf's acoustic guitar
accompaniment. The production is up to Bear Family's usual standards with
superb sound and a 16 page booklet with notes, photos and full
discographical information. (FS)
|
| WILF CARTER |
Bear Family BCD 15754 |
Montana Slim - A Prairie Legend |
● CD $99.98 |
A four CD set with 99 tracks by this popular Canadian cowboy
singer and yodeler, also known as Montana Slim. It features all his
recordings from 1944 to 1952 including rare sides for the Canadian Apex
label plus a self produced session from 1959. These recordings show the
transition from the simple guitar only accompanied western songs to a more
commercial approach with added instrumentation and more mainstream country
songs. His 1959 session returns to the purer sound of his earlier sides.
|
| WILF CARTER |
Bear Family BCD 15939 |
Cowboy Songs |
● CD $199.98 |
| 8 CD box set with 48 page book.
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
Arhoolie 411 |
On Border Radio - 1939 |
● CD $12.98 |
This 38 track CD is drawn from radio transcriptions made for
powerful Mexican border stations beamed to the USA. In addition to
versions of some some of their best know songs it also includes their
theme song, station I.D.s and a few tunes by the Carter Sisters (Anita,
June and Helen - then six, ten and twelve years old).
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
Arhoolie 412 |
On Border Radio, Vol. 2 |
● CD $12.98 |
26 tracks taken from rare 1939 transcriptions of radio
programs over radio station XET (or XEG) in Monterrey, Mexico - Why
There Is A Tear In My Eyes/ Corina/ A Broken Down Saint/ You Are My Flower,
etc. In addition A.P., Sara & Maybelle there are also performances by
Jeanette, Helen, June & Anita Carter.
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
Arhoolie 413 |
On Border Radio - 1939, Vol. 3 |
● CD $12.98 |
The third collection of recordings drawn from radio
transcriptions made for powerful Mexican border station XET beamed to the
USA. In addition to versions of some some of their best known songs and
others it also includes their theme song, station I.D.s, rarely heard solo
performances by A.P. and a few tunes by the Carter Sisters (Anita, June
and Helen - then six, ten and twelve years old) - Cannonball Blues/ You
Are My Sunshine/ Going Back To TexasWhen The Spring Roses Are Blooming/
Broken Engagement/ The Old ladies Home, etc.
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
Bear Family BCD 15865 |
In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain |
● CD $299.98 |
The long awaited comprehensive retrospective of the
recordings of the fine and important country group. There are 11 CDs
featuring every track recorded by the group between 1927 and 1941 for
Victor, ARC, Decca, APS, Columbia and Bluebird. A 12th CD features and
extensive interview conducted by Ed Kahn and Mike Seeger with Maybelle and
Sara in 1963. Includes 12" square hardback book including all known
photos of the original group along with photos from Mother Maybelle and
Jeanette Carter's personal collection.
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
Copper Creek 107 |
Diamonds In The Rough |
● CD $16.98 |
| Between 1938 and '41 country music pioneers, The Carter
Family settled in Del Rio, Texas where they were featured on one of the
border stations on a regular basis. Although many of the transcriptions
have since disappeared some have turned up and this excellent collection
features 16 songs from 1941. The group's style had remained consistent
since they had there greatest success in the late 20s and early 30s. These
performances are mostly versions of old favorites. In addition to the
title song it includes Little Moses/ Room In Heaven For Me/ Your Mother
Still Prays For You, Jack/ Where Shall I Be?/ Broken Hearted Lover/ Little
Joe/ The Last Letter/ My Old Pal Of Yesterday, etc. Sound quality is
generally excellent and there are informative notes by Dick Spottswood.
(FS)
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
County 112 |
Clinch Mountain Treasures |
● CD $14.98 |
This session came near the end of the long career of the
original Carter Family, but these 20 selections retain the trademark of
their earlier successes. The artless simplicity, catchy melodies, rustic
harmonies, and lilting guitar and autoharp accompaniments that made A.P.,
Sara and Maybelle Carter so influential are here in abundance. There are
traditional ballads from England (Black Jack David), gospel
standards (Meeting In The Air and We Shall Rise), cowboy songs (Buddies
In The Saddle) and "modern" songs with religious themes (Heaven's
Radio). There's even a rare solo vocal by A.P., (I found you Among
The Roses). Loving liner notes are provided by Bill Clifton, one of
the many musicians profoundly influenced by The Carter Family.
(RP)
|
| AL CASEY |
Bear Family BCD 15889 |
Sidewinder |
● CD $21.98 |
Recent recordings with guest appearances by David Grisman,
Lee Hazlewood, Jody Reynolds and Glen Campbell.
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Bear Family BCD 15247 |
Up Through The Years |
● CD $21.98 |
24 Sun classics in chronological order - digitally
remastered with superb sound - Cry Cry Cry/ Folsom Prison Blues/ So
Doggone Loneseom/ I Walk The Line/ Train Of Love/ Goodbye Little Darling
Goodbye/ Straight As in Love/ Don't Make Me Go/ Give My Lov To Rose/
Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/ Guess Things Happen That Way/ You're The
Nearest Thing To Heaven , etc
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Bear Family BCD 15517 |
The Man In Black, 1954-58 |
● CD $99.98 |
The definitive Sun Records collection on Cash, and one that
not only brings forth a few more unissued tracks, but covers the first
four Columbia sessions as well. Nearly all this stuff has been out on the
Cash box set from Charly, but if you're a Cash completist, there are some
new additions: alternate Sun takes of Hey Porter and Folsom
Prison Blues, a partial version of Jimmie Rodgers' Brakeman's Blues,
new alternates of, among others, Don't Make Me Go, Big River,Sugartime
and Ballad of A Teenage Queen.
Hearing how the Tennessee Two overcame
their substantial musical limitations to give Cash what turned out to be
one of the most distinctive styles in country music, the "boom-chicka"
sound, is one of the more fascinating aspects of the package. The Columbia
material starts with his July 24, 1958 session which included ex-Drifting
Cowboy Don Helms on steel guitar (a rarity--Cash never cared much for
steel), drummer Morris Palmer (Fluke Holland hadn't yet joined to expand
the Tennessee Two into a trio) and pianist Marvin Hughes. These sessions
made up the first Columbia LP, "The Fabulous Johnny Cash". Among
the songs that became Cash standards here are his first big Columbia hit,
Don't Take Your Guns to Town, from 1959, I Still Miss Someone and
Pickin' Time. The fourth CD brings together every note recorded at the entire
August 13, 1958 session, start to finish that produced Don't Take Your
Guns To Town, etc. Admittedly, this can be a bit much to sit through for
anyone but hardcore Cash fanatics. Comes with complete discographical
data, many unseen color and b/w photos and extensive notes by Colin
Escott. (RK)
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Bear Family BCD 15562 |
The Man In Black : 1959-62 |
● CD $99.98 |
Volume two of Bear Family's comprehensive collection of
Cash's early Columbia sides, picking up where Volume 1 left off. The five
CDs includes the complete sessions for the Hymns By Johnny Cash, I Walk
The Line and his unusual Western Swing/Honkytonk LP, Now There Was A Song!
All the hits from this period, "You Dreamer You," "I Got
Stripes," "Five Feet High and Rising," (a second take sung
in German is also included) "Seasons of My Heart," "Smilin
Bill McCall," "The Rebel-Johnny Yuma," the 1961 original
"Tennessee Flat Top Box" and "In The Jailhouse Now." A
number of respectable remakes of Sun hits, among them "I Walk The
Line" (both slow and fast takes), "Folsom Prison Blues" and
"Hey Porter" were also cut during this time. Among the other
tunes are "The Fable of Willie Brown", his version of the Marty Robbins hit
"I Couldn't Keep From Crying," As with the Robbins box, Disc
five is a studio session complete with breakdowns, false starts, etc.
Again, whether this is interesting is a matter of taste. Includes complete
discographical data and a detailed 40 page book with rare photos. (RK)
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Bear Family BCD 15563 |
Come Along And Ride This Train |
● CD $84.98 |
This 87 song, four-CD set covers all of Cash's saga songs
and Americana numbers including everything of that style from 1960 to
1977, beginning with the material on his "Ride This Train" LP
through "Blood, Sweat and Tears", the western album "Mean
As Hell", "Ballads of the True West", the controversial
"Bitter Tears," "America, From Sea to Shining Sea" and
"The Rambler". Cash ran the gamut on these, from the Wild West,
to dramatic incidents in American history, to country life and small town
America, to vignettes from his own Arkansas boyhood. Cisco Clifton's
Fillin' Station, for example, was based on a gas station near his
hometown of Dyess. Fans of his ABC show 20 years ago may recall he even
did a Ride This Train segment on the show that reflected a similar
perspective. Other well known Cash numbers made their debuts on these
albums, Busted, Mr. Garfield, The Ballad of Ira Hayes
and 25 Minutes to Go among them. The Shifting, Whispering Sands
includes Lorne Greene of BONANZA (whoopee!). But as Bob Allen states in
his excellent liner notes "Much of this music is a testament to
Cash's most vital, creatively focused, and thematically ambitious period
as a writer, singer and interpreter . . . " The booklet also includes
original comments about the "Ride This Train" LP from Merle
Travis and Tex Ritter (the Travis notes are, as you'd expect, a gem). In
addition, Charles Wolfe's notes are reprinted from the Bear Family LP
reissue of "Bitter Tears". Also included in the booklet are
various color publicity shots of Cash in cowboy duds, many of them never
published, but obviously taken for LP covers. Tapes were remixed by
Richard Bennett, and the only omission I can find and can't understand is
the lack of discographical data. (RK)
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Bear Family BCD 15588 |
The Man In Black, 1963-69 Plus |
● CD $145.98 |
6 CDs, 152 tracks,6 hours, 54 min; recommended (with
reservations) What can be said about The Man In Black that hasn't already
been said? Plenty, it turns out, as Colin Escott proves in his excellent
essay that accompanies this monumental box set of material recorded during
the period when Johnny leaped from country stardom to international
superstardom. Escott covers once again Johnny's well chronicled troubles
with pill addiction; he also chronicles Johnny's less well known troubles
with the Ku Klux Klan (seems the Klan decided that Johnny's wife at the
time was a little too dark to suit them). Other aspects of Johnny's career
are also well documented in the fascinating 48 page booklet, which also
includes many vintage photos and a discography of his output for Columbia
for the period. Musically, the box contains an enormous lump of recorded
material. There is much to admire here; there is also much that is
tedious, trite, overproduced, self-conscious, and occasionally downright
embarrassing. When Cash feels an affinity for the material, it seems, his
recorded performances can be very powerful and compelling, as is the case
with most of the material from his
I Walk The Line album, my favorite of all his Columbia albums, or the best
of the Bob Dylan material here, or the remakes of his Sun hits like I
Walk The Line/ Hey, Porter, and Big River, or his excellent
version of Merle Travis' Dark As A Dungeon. Less successful, in my
view, are the gunfighter ballads, most of his native American tribute,
nearly all the material from his unfunny topical humor album
Everybody Loves A Nut, a lot of his contemporary folk type material from
his "flirtation with folk music", and the album he recorded with
his wife June and his in laws, The Carter Family, which I find essentially
charmless. In any case, the hits from this period are all here, including Ring
Of Fire/ Jackson/ Understand Your Man, and The Ballad Of Ira Hayes
(a live version from the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, included in an eight
song bonus CD). There's also an album's worth of Christmas material,
another of gospel material, and several weird, heretofore unreleased
selections. How weird? How about Thunderball, written for the James
Bond movie of the same name but rejected? (RP)
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Columbia 65955 |
At Folsom Prison |
● CD $11.98 |
Part of Columbia's new American Milestones series. This is a
newly remastered version of Johnny's historical 1968 live concert at
Folsom Prison. This new version features Johnny's patter uncensored, three
previously unissued tracks and previously unpublished photos from that day
by legendary photographer Jim Marshall.
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Columbia 69402 |
American Recordings |
● CD $17.98 |
13 tracks, 41 min., recommended There has always been a
somber edge to the recordings of Johnny Cash, and in these 1994
recordings, laid down when he was in his early 60's, a gloomy, wry,
reflective view of life predominates. Singing the songs of Leonard Cohen (Bird
on a Wire), Tom Waits (Down There by the Train), Kris
Kristofferson (Why Me Lord), Nick Lowe (The Beast in Me),
and Loudon Wainwright (The Man Who Couldn't Cry), as well as
several self-penned numbers, Cash focuses on the loneliness of lost love,
the pain of the Vietnam War veterans, and the terrible anger and violence
that lies within each of us. Not coincidentally the unsteadiness that has
now crept in Cash's rich baritone voice serves to intensify the image of
lonely suffering that the lyrics and the solo guitar accompaniment already
create. The music is not always conventionally pretty, but it is
consistently powerful. (DH)
|
| JOHNNY CASH |
Rhino 70950 |
The Sun Years |
● CD $11.98 |
With Rhino, Rounder, Bear Family and Charly all going full
speed ahead on their Sun reissues it's easy to overlook packages like
this. Nevertheless this is a great collection of Johnny's classic
recordings - 18 cuts are
issued here, including 4 non-LP selections, all with the usual impeccable
sound quality. With Folsom Prison Blues/Hey Porter/I Walk The Line/Get
Rhythm/Rock Island Line/Home Of The Blues/Ballad Of A Teenage Queen.
|
| JOHNNY CASH
& CARL PERKINS |
Bear Family BCD 16130 |
I Walk The Line/ Little Fauss & Big
Halsey |
● CD $19.98 |
Contains two LPs on one CD plus bonus tracks.
|
| ROSANNE CASH |
Columbia CK 40777 |
King's Record Shop |
● CD $9.98 |
'87 album, digitally recorded, produced by Rodney Crowell.
|
| THE CASS COUNTY BOYS |
B.A.C.M. 106 |
Beautiful Texas & Other Western Melodies |
● CD $13.98 |
25 sides recorded in the 40s and the early 50s by this
excellent Western trio who are best known as Gene Autry's backing group
during this period.
THE CASS COUNTY BOYS: Beautiful Texas/ Boogie Woogie
Cowboy/ Cowboy's Heaven/ Deep In The Heart Of Texas/ Gallopin' To Glory/
Go West Young Man/ Golden Wings And Silver Spurs/ I'm Gonna Gallop,
Gallop/ Ida Red/ Just A Bouquet Of Yellow Roses/ Listen To The Mocking
Bird/ Pecos Bill/ Roll Along Jordan/ Roundup In The Sky/ Sagebrush
Serenade/ See That You're Born In Texas/ Silver On The Sage Tonight/
Sleepy Rio Grande/ Texas Song/ Touch Of God's Hand/ Was The Cowboy Right
Or Wrong/ When It's Roundup Time In Glory/ When The Bloom Is On The Sage/
When The Curtains Of Night/ Yellow Rose Of Texas
|
| THE CASS COUNTY BOYS |
Cattle 273 |
Ride, Ranger, Ride |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks from 1949 and '50 from this popular Western trio
who are perhaps best known for their accompaniments to Gene Autry in the 40s
and 50s. They perform in a smooth Western style in the same vein as the Sons
Of The Pioneers and accompany themselves on guitar, bass and accordion with
some tracks also featuring steel guitarist Noel Boggs.
THE CASS COUNTY BOYS: 'long About Sundown/ A Gay Ranchero (inst.)/ Along The
Navajo Trail/ Careless Love/ Cherokee Strip/ Going Back To Texas/ Goofus
(inst.)/ Heading For The Rio Grande/ Hidden Valley/ Hold That Critter Down/
It Won't Be Texas To You/ Little Big Dry/ My Texas Home/ Pass The Biscuts
Mirandy/ Ride, Ranger, Ride/ Ridin' Down The Canyon/ Steel Guitar Rag
(inst.)/ Sunny Side Of The Rockies/ The Big Corral/ Trail To Mexico/
Twilight On The Trail./ Wanderers Of The Wasteland/ When It's Night Time In
Nevada/ You Don't Know What Lonesome Is (when You Get To Herding Cows)
|
| LEON CHAPPEL |
Bear Family BCD 16254 |
Automatic Mama |
● CD $21.98 |
Fine collection of 26 sides recorded for Capitol between
1950 and 1953 by Texas singer Chappell - six previously unissued. Chappel,
under his real name of Chappelear had previously recorded with The Shelton
Brothers as part of the Lone Star Cowboys in the 30s. On these sides
Chappel performs in what was at that time a somewhat anachronistic style -
a blend of blues, boogie and Western Swing. Chappel was a good singer and
is accompanied by fine small groups featuring fiddle, guitars, bass &
piano. Songs include You Hear Me Talkin'/ Slow Down Sweet Mama/ I'm A
Do-Right Daddy/ Gonna Turn You Loose/ Don't Dog Me 'Round/ Lowdown
Lonesome Blues/ Double Up And Catch Up, etc. 24 page booklet has
extensive notes by Kevin Coffey, photos and discographical data.
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| RAY CHARLES |
Rhino 70099 |
Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music |
● CD $11.98 |
Reissue of Classic 1962 album.
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