|
COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Fess Parker -> Hank Penny
| ANDY PARKER &
THE PLAINSMEN |
B.A.C.M. 036 |
Texas Belle |
● CD $13.98 |
27 tracks - mostly drawn from radio transcriptions from
this cowboy harmony group that included Charlie Morgan on lead guitar,
George Bamby on accordion and Joaquin Murphey on steel. Mostly fairly
familiar songs along with a couple of originals like the title song.
ANDY PARKER & THE PLAINSMEN: A Calico Apron And A Gingham Gown/ A Dollar
Down (and A Dollar A Day)/ Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie/ Call Of The
Rollin' Plains/ Colorado Blues/ Cowboy's Meditation/ Deep In The Heart Of
Texas/ Dude Cowboy/ Goodbye Old Paint/ I Ride An Old Paint (i Lead An Old
Dan)/ I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago/ I Wish I Was Single Again/ I'm An
Old Cowhand/ Little Ah Sid/ Me And My Burro/ Night Herding Song/ Press Along
To The Big Corral/ Red Ruby Lip/ Roamin' In Wyoming/ Rooty Toot Galoot/ Take
Me Back To Renfro Valley/ Texas Belle/ The Dreary Black Hills/ The Old
Chisholm Trail/ The Santa Fe Trail/ There's A Blue Sky Over The Hill/ Yellow
Rose Of Texas
|
| FESS PARKER |
Bear Family BCD 16113 |
Great American Heroes |
● CD $21.98 |
Reissue of 1964 RCA album with 48 booklet with background
information on all the heroes Fess sings about - Daniel Boone/ Jim
Bowie/ George Washington/ Ballad Of Davy Crockett/ ben Franklin/ Johnny
Clem and others.
|
| DAVID
PARMLEY & CONTINENTAL DIVIDE |
Pinecastle 1095 |
There'll Always Be A Rocking Chair |
● CD $14.98 |
Fine collection of contemporary
bluegrass from group fronted
by singer/ guitarist David Parmley. Many of the songs are originals by
group's banjo player Elmer Burchett, Jr. and /or mandolinist Danny Barnes.
The set also has covers of Lefty Frizzell's I Never Gor Arround Mirrors
and Merle Haggard's Lord, Don't Give Up On Me. Solid instrumental
work from the group plus guest fiddler Glen Duncan.
|
| GRAM PARSONS |
Raven 24 |
Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings, Bottled Blues |
● CD $17.98 |
Gram Parsons fans may have most of these tracks already, but
this superb "best of" collection has something for almost
everybody. Rare tracks from The Shilohs (Zah's Blues) and the
International Submarine Band (Blue Eyes/ Strong Boy/ Truck Driving Man)
trace Gram's central role in the evolution of country-rock. Following
those are four from the Parsons-era Byrds, and five scorchers from The
Burritos, plus 8 songs by Gram and Emmylou Harris. To my knowledge, these
bands have never been compiled together before, so get this while you can.
Maximum length - 21 songs. (MB)
|
| GRAM PARSONS |
Sundown 71 |
Safe At Home - International Submarine Band |
● CD $14.98 |
"Safe At Home" is often credited as the first true
country rock album, and while that distinction may produce arguments, it
is not without merit. Parsons spent more of his short career combining
rock with country, recording briefly with The Byrds after the breakup of
I.S.B., and with The Flying Burrito Bros. for a longer time. This, their
only album, (LHI 12001) was a flop when it was released in 1968, but has
been booted many times since. The way Folsom Prison slides into That's
All Right leaves little doubt about Parsons' approach; the strongest
songs however are his Luxury Liner/ Blue Eyes/ Do You Know How It Feels
To Be Lonesome. Not as good as Grevious Angel, but full of
bright moments and historical importance. Time: 26:37. (JC)
|
| GRAM PARSONS |
Sundazed 11092 |
Another Side Of This Life- The Lost
Recordings, 1965-66 |
● CD $15.98 |
18 previously unissued demos from this
country-rock pioneer.
|
| GRAM
PARSONS & THE FALLEN ANGELS |
Rhino 72726 |
Live 1973 |
● CD $16.98 |
12 tracks, 63 min., recommended Due mid March. Previously
available on Sierra. Gram took this outfit on the road in support of his
classic "Gram Parsons" LP. The songs included were recorded live
in '73 in New York and broadcast live on WLIR-FM. The band includes
Emmylou Harris, who provides harmony vocals and takes the lead on Country
Baptizing. Pedal steel wiz Neil Flanz tears it up pretty well on Drug
Store Truck Driving Man & the obligatory highway ode Six Days
On The Road. Other Angels include guitarist Jock Bartley, bassist Kyle
Tullis & drummer N.D. Smart II. Gram, Emmylou & company play their
asses off on what is now considered to be the meat & potatoes of
Gram's recorded legacy. We'll Sweep Out The Ashes/ Big Mouth Blues/ The
New Soft Shoe/ Love Hurts/ That's All It Took all qualify Gram &
Emmylou for the country duet hall of fame, plus an R&B medley of Bony
Moronie/ Forty Days/ Almost Grown. These were to be Gram's last
recordings. A definitive showstopper! (
SG)
|
| DOLLY PARTON |
Columbia 44384 |
White Limozeen |
● CD $9.98 |
Much was made of Dolly's alleged return to her hard country
roots on this one, the result of Ricky Skaggs' selection as producer.
Well, if you're expecting the instinctively brilliant songwriting and
singing she did 20 years ago when she worked with Porter Wagoner, forget
it. This is more of the artificial country-flavored pop she's done for
years, and it proves beyond question Ms. Parton's Hollywood (not Dollywood)
consciousness called the shots. Her own What Is It My Love and Yellow
Roses clumsily blend country and pop elements while Why'd You Come
In Here Lookin' Like That is brash, empty country-rock posturing,
which explains why it's such a big hit. The title track's country girl in
Tinseltown falls flat, as does Wait 'Till I Get You Home, her
dreadful duet with Mac Davis. All Skaggs proved was that he could produce
Dolly as badly as any of the pop-schlock producers before him. (RK)
|
| DOLLY PARTON |
RCA 66933 |
The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
20 songs - Mule Skinner Blues/ The Bargain Store/ My
Tennessee Mountain Home/ Just Because I'm A Woman/ I Will Always Love You/
here You Come Again/ We used To/ It's All Wrong, But It's All Right/
Heartbreaker/ The Seeker, etc.
|
| DOLLY PARTON |
Sugar Hill 3927 |
Little Sparrow |
● CD $14.98 |
The latest from Dolly is another bluegrass oriented album
featuring her with Bryan Sutton/ guitar, Jerry Douglas/ resophonic guitar,
Sturat Duncan/ fiddle and others. Songs are a mix of original and covers -
some great performances along with some self indulgent things. Highlight
is a terrific version of the Louvin Brothers' I Don't Believe You've
Met My Baby.
|
| LEON PAYNE |
Bear Family BCD 16195 |
I Love You Because |
● CD $21.98 |
30 fine tracks from this performer who is best known as a
songwriter - renowned for the albums title song, Lost Highway and
others. Though Payne's greatest strength is his writing he is certainly an
appealing singer as is heard on these songs - all original compositions Poke
Salad Greens/ I Hate To Leave You/ You've Still Got A Place In My Heart/
If I Could Only Live My Life Over/ Mailman/ Did I Forget To Tell You/ I
Just Said Goodbye To My Dreams and others. Most of the tracks feature
fine steel guitar by Frank Juricek or Speedy West and other fine musicians
like Ernest Hunter/ fiddle, Zeb Turner/ guitar, Jimmy Bryant/ guitar and
Cliffie Stone/ bass also make an appearance. There are three previously
unissued but pretty forgettable tracks. The 36 page booklet has extensive
notes by kevin Coffey, photos and discographical info.
|
| MINNIE PEARL |
Starday 3509 |
The Starday Years |
● CD $23.98 |
HOW-DEE-EE! Yep, it's the much beloved Grand Ole Opry
personality with a 3 CD set of her Starday recordings from the early/mid
60s. Mostly live humor with the occasional song. Guest appearances by Ray
Price, Ernest Tubb and others.
|
| GEORGE PEGRAM |
Rounder 00001 |
George Pegram |
● CD $14.98 |
20 tracks, 51 min.; recommended Rounder Records' first
release, reissued on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, with six
additional tracks. The tape for this recording was originally bought by
the Rounder owners from Kanawha Records owner Ken Davidson for ● CD $125.
Pegram, from the Piedmont region of North Carolina, was a veteran of the
traditional music scene of that area, and one of the finest traditional
banjo players in the Southeast. His "double thumbing" style of
banjo playing employs some of the three finger, rolling technique later
prominent in bluegrass, but it is also percussive at times, and is almost
always raucous and jubilant, as is his singing. It is readily evident from
these recordings why he was such a popular participant in the band
contests in Union Grove, Galax, and other such events in the Southeast.
Musical accompaniment here is provided by the great traditional fiddler
Fred Cockerham, Clyde Isaacs on mandolin, and Jack Bryant on guitar. Most
of the numbers here are familiar old timey fare by now, including Mississippi
Sawyer, Workin' On A Building, Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane, John
Henry, Never Grow Old, and the like. Great, exhaustive liner notes by
Bob Carlin. (RP)
|
| HANK PENNY |
Krazy Kat 31 |
Flamin' Mamie |
● CD $16.98 |
28 tracks, essential
When Hank Penny died in 1992, three
LP reissues of his work had appeared: a Radio Cowboys collection on
Rambler, a collection of King recordings on Cattle and an anthology of his
early 1950s RCA material on Bear Family. That's changed today, with Rich Kienzle's pioneering research and reissues of his King material on Country
Routes and Westside, a Proper collection and now a superb CD compilation
of the best 1938-41 Radio Cowboys material. Penny was working in
Birmingham when he organized the group with fiddler Sheldon Bennett,
banjoist Louis Dumont, steel player Sammy Forsmark and bass player Carl
Stewart, a result of Penny being captivated by the "Texas fiddle band"
music of Milton Brown and the Light Crust Doughboys. The band had problems
catching on in Birmingham and Chattanooga, but grew and dramatically
improved once they got to Atlanta through the addition of Noel Boggs's
steel guitar and Boudleaux Bryant's fiddle. The most rudimentary moments
are the selections from the 1938 sessions, though performances like I
Got The Right Key Baby and the title song are entertaining. The bulk
of the selections come from the group's 1939 sessions with Boggs and
Bryant featuring such enjoyable romps as Take It Slow and Easy/ Black
Eyed Susie and the pop tune Tonight You Belong to Me. The group
was history after their 1940 session with Eddie Duncan's steel guitar
gracing such great tunes as Steel Guitar Hula and Looking For
Somebody To Love but Penny managed one more session with pickup
musicians in 1941, that produced six of the songs included here: among
them Why Did I Cry and Army Blues . The material is
outstanding, featuring his first version of the title track (he'd
re-record it for King), It includes Steel Guitar Hula, featuring
Eddie Duncan, but unfortunately not the original version of Penny's theme
song, the Rex Griffin composition Won't You Ride in My Little Red
Wagon. Excellent notes and compilation by Kevin Coffey. (AK)
HANK PENNY: Army Blues/ Black Eyed Susie/ Blue Melody/ Cheatin' On You
Baby/ Flamin' Mamie/ I Don't Love Anybody But You/ I Hate To Lose You/ I
Told Them All About You/ I've Got The Right Key Baby/ Just A Message/ Just
For Old Time's Sake/ Just Forget/ Looking For Someone To Love/ Midnight
Blues/ Off To Honolulu/ One Of Us Was Wrong/ She's Just That Kind/
Somebody/ Standing 'neath The Old Pine Tree/ Steel Guitar Hula/ Take It
Slow And Easy/ The Last Goodbye/ They're All Just The Same To Me/ Tonight
You Belong To Me/ Walking Home From An Old Country School/ Why Did I Cry/
Yankee Doodle/ You're So Different
|
Back To Country Music Index
|
