|
COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Jackie Phelps
& Jimmie Riddle ->
Riley Puckett
| JACKIE PHELPS
& JIMMIE RIDDLE |
Gusto 0556 |
Stars Of Hee Haw & The Grand Ole Opry |
● CD $7.98 |
12 tracks, highly recommended
A most enjoyable collection
featuring two fine musicians who first worked together in Roy Acuff's band
and worked again togethr on the TV Show "Hee Haw". Phelps is an outstanding
electric guitarist in the Merle Travis mould - he does six numbers including
a couple of pleasing vocals and is joined by harmonica wizard Riddle on a
couple of them along with a fine group including an excellent steel
guitarist. Riddle does some fine harmonica instrumentals as well as a couple
of vocals including the talking blues Huntin' Blues which also
features him doing some "eefing."Most entertaining. (FS)
|
| THE PHELPS BROTHERS |
Bronco Buster 9043 |
Two Decades Of Country Music |
● CD $18.98 |
27 tracks featuring sides from 1936 and 1955 by this group.
THE PHELPS BROTHERS: A Thousand Glasses/ All Too Soon They
Grow Up/ Atlanta Blues/ Bye Bye Blues/ Can't Help Loving You/ He Made it All
Possible/ Hoping/ Hot Time in Nashville/ How Much Do You Care/ I'm Beginning
to Forget You/ I'm Gonna Sit Right down (and Write Myself a Letter)/ Look
What I've Got/ Lulu's Back in Town/ Minnie the Mermaid/ Next Time I Get
Married/ Nobody's Darling but Mine/ Roaring Robbie Moore/ Roll along Prairie
Moon/ Someone's Gonna Get Hurt Now/ The Moose River Mine Song (the Glitter
of Gold)/ The Rose in Her Hair/ The Terrible Tupelo Storm/ Think of Me/ What
More Can I Do?/ You Gotta See Mama Every Night/ You're Beginning to Change
|
| STU PHILLIPS |
Bear Family BCD 15721 |
A Journey Through The Provinces |
● CD $19.98 |
35 tracks, 79 min., recommended
Before he became a Nashville
resident, scored several modest hits for RCA, and joined the cast of the
Grand Ole Opry, Calgary resident Stu Phillips recorded three fine albums for
a native Canadian label, Rodeo Records. All three lps, minus one number, are
presented here. Accompanied only by his own guitar on these 1958 recordings,
he is more a smooth folk balladeer than a commercial country singer.
Featured numbers include The Village Blacksmith/ En Roulant Ma Boule/
Canada-i-o/ Mountain Boy and White Stallion Legend. Good sound
quality, fine graphics, notes by the artist himself, and several photos,
sadly without captions. (DH)
|
| THE PICKARD FAMILY |
B.A.C.M. 084 |
Walking In The Parlour - Old Time Playing
And Singing |
● CD $13.98 |
Delightful collection of 21 tracks by this family who are
little known today but were among the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry. Led
by multi instrumentalist Obed Pickard who played fiddle, guitar, banjo,
harmonica and Jews harp he was usually joined by his wife Leila May on
piano, daughter Ruth on accordion and sons Bubb & Charlie on guitars. A
varied collection recorded between 1927 and 1930 it includes traditional and
vaudeville songs performed with skill and enthusiasm including Behind The
Parlour Door/ Get Away From That Window/ Kitty Wells (the song that
inspired Muriel Deason to change her name to Kitty Wells)/ The Old Grey
Horse (a solo Jews harp piece)/ On The Dummy Line/ She Never Came
Back/ She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain/ Buffalo Gals/ The Blind Boys
Lament, etc.
THE PICKARD FAMILY: Behind The Parlour Door/ Birmingham
Jail/ Buffalo Gals/ Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie/ Down In Arkansas/ Get
Away From That Window/ Goodbye My Honey/ I’ll Meet Her When The Sun Goes
Down/ Kitty Wells/ Life’s Railroad To Heaven/ My Old Boarding House/ On The
Dummy Line/ Rabbit In The Pea Patch/ She Never Came Back/ She’ll Be Comin’
Round The Mountain/ The Blind Boy’s Lament/ The Little Red Caboose Behind
The Train/ The Old Gray Goose Is Dead/ The Old Grey Horse/ The Picture On
The Wall/ Walking In The Parlour
|
| PIE PLANT
PETE & BASHFUL HARMO |
Cattle 305 |
NICA JOE: Sing And Play Their Hillbilly
Favorites |
● CD $18.98 |
Pie Plant Pete (Claude Moye) started his musical career in
the late 20s and teamed up with Bashful Harmonica Joe (Joe Troynan) in the
mid 30s. The 20 tracks here are from rare recordings made for the Process
label in 1947 including Over Yonder Over There/ Come Back To My Heart/
Winding/ Goodbye My LOver Goodbye/ I'm Gonna Take My Linda Home To Stay/ You
Go To Your Church And I'll Go To Mine/ I Miss You Sweetheart, etc.
PIE PLANT PETE & BASHFUL HARMONICA JOE: Boy Am I Glad/
Bury Me Beneath The Willow/ Come Back To My Heart/ Down By The Railroad
Tracks/ Gonna Have A Big Time Tonight/ Goodbye My Lover Goodbye/ I Miss You
Sweetheart/ I'm Gonna Ride That Train To Heaven/ I'm Gonna Take My Linda
Home To Stay/ My Blue Skies Have Turned To Grey Skies Now/ Over Yonder Over
There/ Railroad Blues-barnyard Blues/ Shadows Of Night/ That Mother-in-law/
The Rooster Serenade/ The Story Has Ended/ Tritzem Yodel/ Winding/ You Go To
Your Church And I'll Go To Mine/ You Wouldn't Know The Whitewashed Stable
Now
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
Acrobat ADDCD 3026 |
The Complete Four Star & Pacemaker
Recordings |
● CD $13.98 |
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
Bear Family BCD 15522 |
The Wondering Boy, 1951-1958 |
● CD $74.98 |
Pierce was one of several people who
defined the honky tonk style. But in fairness, he hadn't performed in years. That's
why this is one of Bear Family's most important collections. It brings
together 113 Decca recordings, 13 unissued. It's all here: "Wondering,"
"Back Street Affair," "The Last Waltz," "More and More," "Slowly," "Yes, I
Know Why" and "There Stands The Glass," some of the greatest music of that
entire period. We find Webb was so exacting he recorded several of his hits
more than once until he got the version he he felt worthy of release. There
are gospel numbers (some unissued), as well as two hit duets with Red
Sovine. Their version of "Why Baby Why" beat out George Jones's original to
reach # 1 in 1955 and "Little Rosa," his maudlin hit recitation with Sovine,
is hilarious today, with Red's horribly ersatz Italian accent. Yet for all
his country purism, Pierce could rock. He recorded Bill Justis' instrumental
"Raunchy" with lyrics and had it released under the name "Shady Wall." He
also updated "Teenage Boogie," a version of "Hayride Boogie," originally
recorded with Tillman Franks for Webb's short-lived Pacemaker label. The
booklet comes complete with old ads, terrific photos, and a near-definitive
discography. Annotator Otto Kitsinger has done outstanding research but
presented it poorly, with a narrative that's choppy and tough to read. How
you do the research is nice to know, but what you found and how you explain
it is more important. The music speaks more eloquently. (RK)
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
King KCD 648 |
The One And Only... |
● CD $9.98 |
Reissue of long out of print album featuring 12 of Webb's
earliest Four Star sides from 1949/50.
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
Krazy Kat 16 |
The Unavailable Sides |
● CD $16.98 |
One could go on for paragraphs about the wretched packaging
Webb Pierce's pre-Decca recordings for Four Star have undergone (the
overdubbed instruments are painfully bad). Less well known to all but Pierce
collectors are his 1950-51 recordings made between his Four Star and Decca
contracts. At that time Pierce owned Pacemaker Records in Shreveport, and
not only recorded for it, but recorded other Louisiana Hayride artists as
well. Some Pacemaker material appeared on a previous Krazy Kat LP but this
marks their first appearance on CD along with material by other Pacemaker
artists. Included are songs by Cliff Grimsley, steel guitarist Shot Jackson,
Tillman Franks and Pierce duets with early associate Buddy Attaway and
Webb's first wife Betty Jane. Musically, Pierce hadn't settled on a style
yet. He tried everything from Drifting Texas Sand and Hawaiian
Echoes to Jimmie Rodgers' California Blues. He also made his
first recording of Rodgers' In The Jailhouse Now several years before
his 1955 Decca version became his biggest hit. Pierce sang on Tillman
Franks' Pacemaker recording of Hayride Boogie, a song Pierce recycled
in 1956 as his hit record Teenage Boogie. Self-proclaimed honky tonk
scholar Phil Tricker's notes aren't bad, though he's incorrect that Shot
Jackson's steel guitar instrumental Steeling The Mood was a version
of the big band favorite In the Mood. The two aren't that similar. He
also didn't notice that Pierce's Have You Ever Had The Feeling is the
melody of Bob Wills's instrumental Blue Bonnet Rag with lyrics. (RK)
|
| WEBB PIERCE |
Proper Intro 2062 |
Groovie Boogie Woogie Boy |
● CD $9.98 |
28 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommended
Fine collection of
the early recordings by this superb honky tonk singer who later went on to
become one of the most popular country singers of the 50s and early 60s. The
earliest sides here were recorded for Four Star in 1949 and 1950 with Buddy Ataway/ gtr, Shot Jackson/ steel guitar and Tillman Franks/ bass and
includes some fine mid-tempo boogie flavored numbers. Unfortunately some of
them are from later reissues with overdubbed chorus and instruments but
Webb's soulful voice still comes through. There are also two duets with his
first wife Betty Jane. Nine of the tracks were recorded for Webb's own
Pacemeaker label in 1950 and '51 and since Webb was still under contract to
Four Star most were issued under the name of his sidemen and includes the
first versions of a couple of songs that he later recorded for Decca and
became hits - his version of Jimmie Rodgers' In The Jailhouse and the
rocking Hayride Boogie which became Teenage Boogie when he
rerecorded in 1956. The last from feature four of his first no one country
hits recorded between 1951-1953 - Wondering/ Back Street Affair/ It's
Been So Long and there Stands The Glass. Excellent sound and
informative notes by Adam Komorowski. (FS)
WEBB PIERCE: A Million Years From Now/ Back Street Affair/
California Blues/ Driftin' Texas Sand/ English Sweetheart/ Freight Train
Blues/ Georgia Rag/ Groovie Boogie Woogie Boy/ Have You Ever Had The
Feeling/ Hawaiian Echoes/ Hayride Boogie/ Heebie Jeebie Blues/ High Geared
Daddy/ I Got Religion On Saturday Night/ I Heard Her Call My Name/ I Need
You Like A Hole In The Head/ I'm Happy You Hurt Me/ I'm Sittin' On Top Of
The World/ I've Loved You Forever It Seems/ In The Jailhouse/ It's Been So
Long/ Jilted Love/ Lucy Lee/ New Panhandle Rag/ Sweetheart You Know I Love
You So/ The Last Waltz/ There Stands The Glass/ Wondering
|
|
FIDDLING JACK
PIERCE & THE OKLAHOMA COWBOYS |
B.A.C.M. 132 |
Also Featuring The Smyth County Ramblers &
Tenneva Ramb |
● CD $13.98 |
Entertaining and varied collection featuring the obscure but
fine Virginia fiddler Jack Pierce. The first five tracks features fine old
time string band from two groups that Jack was a member of - The Tenneva
Ramblers and The Smyth County Ramblers. He didn't surface again until 1936
when he recorded the remaining 17 tracks - first as Jack Pierce & His Boys
and later as Jack Pierce & The Oklahoma Cowboys. These latter groups perform
a mix of western, novelty and western swing oriented material.
FIDDLIN’ JACK PIERCE & THE OKLAHOMA COWBOYS: Darling,
Where Have You Been So Long?/ Has Anybody Seen My Gal/ Hillbilly Shack In
The Valley/ If I Had My Way/ If You Don‘t Believe I‘m Leavin‘/ In The Golden
West With You/ I‘m Going To Georgia/ Keep On Shining Colorado Moon/ Lookin‘
For A Hillbilly Bride/ Miss ’liza, Poor Gal/ Monday Morning Blues/ Mountain
Rhythm/ My Home On The Western Plains/ My Name Is Ticklish Reuben/ Oklahoma
Blues/ South Of The Mason Dixon Line/ Spoonin‘ Neath A Western Sky/ Sweet
Georgia Brown/ The Blue Ridge Home I Love/ Wabash Blues/ Way Down In
Alabama/ Where The Western Horizon Begins
|
| THE PINE VALLEY
COSMONAUTS |
Bloodshot 029 |
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts |
● CD $14.98 |
An alternative country tribute to the king of western swing
from group led by Mekons/ Waco Brothers guitarist Jon Langford. With guest
appearances from Robbie Fulks, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Sally Timms, The Meat
Purveyors and others.
|
| CHARLIE POOLE |
County 3501 |
Old Time Songs Recorded From 1925-1930 |
● CD $15.98 |
16 tracks, 50 min., recommended
This disc is actually
essential to any real fan of old time country music, since so little has
been reissued on CD. Poole hailed from the region of North Carolina that
produced some of the best black ragtime and blues, and his music shared the
jaunty blues feeling of those recordings. He picked the banjo in a precise
three finger style that owed more to minstrel shows and ragtime than to
raucous white country music. The North Carolina Ramblers also featured fine
bluesy fiddle by Lonnie Austin or Odell Smith, and great guitar from Norman Woodlieff and Roy Harvey. Poole's characteristic nasal vocals grace these
tracks as well; sixteen of the best known and most enduring old time country
standards. Tracks include White House Blues/ Sweet Sunny South/ Shootin'
Creek/ He Rambled/ Leaving Home/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues/ Take A
Drink On Me/ Took My Gal A Walkin' along with 8 others, all originally
recorded by Columbia between 1925 and 1930. RP)
|
| CHARLIE POOLE |
County 3508 |
Volume 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
16 tracks, 51 minutes, recommended
This second volume of
Charlie Poole recordings on County is from the same period as the rural
Virginia string bands reviewed elsewhere in this issue. Poole's was easily
the most famous of the old time string bands that flourished in Virginia and
North Carolina in the 1920's and the wit and high spirited delivery that
contributed to his fame are in ample evidence here. Poole on banjo and
guitarist Roy Harvey play on every cut, joined on fiddle by Posey Rorer,
Odell Smith, or Lonnie Austin. While most of Pooles famous tunes are found
on Volume 1, the material here is consistently interesting and enjoyable. It
includes reworkings of folk songs like Gypsy Girl and If I Lose, I
Don't Careand Tin Pan Alley selections such as There'll Come a Time
and It's a Movin' Day. Baltimore Fire laments the
conflagration of 1905. Poole, whose fondness and capacity for spirits was
legendary, led a life every bit as raucous and flamboyant as his playing and
his verve and vigor shines through clearly on these classic recordings. (DP)
|
| CHARLIE POOLE |
County 3516 |
The Legend Of Charlie Poole, Vol. 3 |
● CD $15.98 |
Great collection of songs recorded between 1926 and 1930.
|
| CHARLIE POOLE |
JSP JSPCD 7734 |
With The North Carolina Ramblers And The
Highlanders |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 96 tracks, essential
Although there are some flaws in
this collection it is still an absolutely indispensable set featuring
recordings by one of the finest and most popular string bands of the late
20s led by singer and banjo player Charlie Poole. Poole had a distinctive
vocal style and played banjo in a precise three finger style that owed more
to minstrel shows and ragtime than to the more raucous style of other old
time banjo players and was to prove an influence on later generations of
banjo player and was a forerunner of Scruggs style bluegrass banjo. The
group usually worked as a trio and Poole was joined by fine fiddlers Poser
Rorer, Lonnie Austin or Odell Smith and except for the groups first session
in July 25th which featured guitarist Norman Woodlieff their regular
guitarist was Roy Harvey and the group adopted the name the North Carolina
Ramblers. The sound of the group was a joy - more melodic and nuanced than
many of their contemporaries and their material included traditional ballads
(some with their origins in English and Irish songs), minstrel songs, old
popular songs, sentimental songs and more. Their first session yielded their
wonderful Don't Led You Deal Go Down which sold over 100,000 copies
and put their name on the map. Roy Harvey also recorded as leader of the
North Carolina Ramblers sometimes with Poole on banjo and at other times
with Bob Hoke on banjo-mandolin and many of these tracks are featured here
though one six track session from February 1928 is misidentified as by Poole
and The North Carolina Ramblers when he isn't present at all. Many of the
groups songs became old time and later bluegrass standards and includes such
gems as The Girl I Left In Sunny Tennessee/ White House Blues/ Sweet
Sunny South/ He Rambled/ Coon From Tennessee/ If I Lose, I Don't Care/ Take
A Drink On Me/ Baltimore Fire/ If The River Was Whiskey (a great
variation on Hesitatin' Blues)/ Hungry Hash House and many
more. It also includes the delightful four part musical/ comedy skit A
Trip To New York issued as by The Alleghany Highlanders and a couple of
banjo solos by Poole accompanied by Roy Harvey's sister Lucy Terry. Sound
quality is generally excellent though a few tracks are from worn 78s. The
only real drawback is that it doesn't quite include everything Poole
recorded as a couple of 78s are not included though they are in the hands of
collectors and could have been used if a little more effort had been taken
by JSP. It's also puzzling that they didn't include a couple of unissued
tracks that have been reissued on LP and CD. Still apart from those minor
omissions this is a truly stellar and inspiring collection of old time
country music. (FS)
CHARLIE POOLE: A Home Without Babies/ A Letter To My
Mother/ A Letter To My Mother/ A Trip To New York Part 1/ A Trip To New York
Part 2/ A Trip To New York Part 3/ A Trip To New York Part 4/ A Young Boy
Left His Home One Day/ As We Parted At The Gate/ Baltimore Fire/ Bill Mason/
Bill Mason/ Blue Eyes/ Budded Rose/ Budded Roses/ Can I Sleep In Your Barn
Tonight Mister/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down/ Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
Blues/ Falling By The Wayside/ Flop Eared Mule/ Flyin' Clouds/ Forks Of
Sandy/ From Tennessee/ George Collins/ Give My Love To Nell/ Goodbye Booze/
Goodbye Mary Dear/ Goodbye Sweet Liza Jane/ He Rambled/ Home Without Love/
Honeysuckle/ Hungry Hash House/ Husband And Wife Were Angry One Night/ I
Cannot Call Her Mother/ I Once Loved A Sailor/ I'll Be There Mary Dear/ I'm
Glad I'm Married/ If I Lose, I Don't Care/ If The River Was Whiskey/ It's
Movin' Day/ Jealous Mary/ Just Keep Waiting Till The Good Time Comes/ Kitty
Blye/ Leaving Dear Old Ireland/ Leaving Home/ Look Before You Leap/
Lynchburg Town/ May I Sleep In Your Barn/ Milwaukee Blues/ Monkey On A
String/ Mountain Reel/ My Gypsy Girl/ My Mother And My Sweetheart/ My Wife
Went Away And Left Me/ Old And Only In The Way/ On The Streets Of Glory/
Pearl Bryant/ Please Papa Come Home/ Poor Little Joe/ Ragtime Annie/
Ramblin' Blues/ Richmond Square/ San Antonio/ She Is Only A Bird In A Gilded
Cage/ Shootin' Creek/ Southern Medley/ Sunset March/ Sweet Sefrain/ Sweet
Sixteen/ Sweet Sunny South/ Sweet Sunny South/ Take A Drink On Me/ Take Back
The Ring/ Take Me Back To Home And Mother/ Tennessee Blues/ The Bluefield
Murder/ The Brave Engineer/ The Girl I Left In Sunny Tennessee/ The
Highwayman/ The Letter That Never Came/ The Man That Rode The Mule Around
The World/ The Old Clay Pipe/ The Only Girl I Ever Loved/ There'll Come A
Time/ There'll Come A Time/ There's A Mother Old And Gray Who Needs Me Now/
Too Young To Marry/ Took My Gal A Walkin'/ Under The Double Eagle/ We Will
Outshine The Sun/ What Is Home Without Babies/ White House Blues/ Wild
Horse/ Wreck Of The Virginian No.3/ You Ain't Talkin' To Me
|
| THE PRAIRIE RAMBLERS |
B.A.C.M. 048 |
The Oregon Trail |
● CD $13.98 |
21 tracks, recommended
Fine collection of sides recorded
between 1935 and 1952 by this fine, long lived and versatile string band
which usually featured Tex Atchison or Alan Crockett/ fiddle, Chick Hurt/
mandolin & tenor banjo, Salty Holmes or Bernie Smith/ lead guitar, Jack
Taylor/ bass and others with vocals by various of the band members. The
material is a mixture of swinging tunes, sentimental tunes, risque songs
(issued under the name of The Sweet Violet Boys), western swing and novelty
pieces with some hot instrumental work. (FS)
THE PRAIRIE RAMBLERS: All I Ever Do Is Wait/ Answer To
I’ll Be Back In A Year/ Darling Do You Love Another/ Deed We Do/ Easy On The
Eye/ Ghost In The Graveyard/ Have A Heart Taft-Hartley/ I Love My Fruit/
I’ll Be Back In A Year Little Darling/ I’ll Love You Till I Die/ I’m A
Married Man/ I’m Looking For The Bully Of The Town/ Nellie’s Not The Same
Nell Now/ Old Mississippi Moon/ The Girl At The End Of The Bar/ The Oregon
Trail/ There’s A Man That Comes To Our House/ Will I Ride The Range In
Heaven/ Yip Yip Yowie, I’m An Eagle/ You Were Right And I Was Wrong/ You’re
The Fly In My Ointment
|
| THE PRAIRIE RAMBLERS |
B.A.C.M. 149 |
Back To My Mountain Home |
● CD $13.98 |
The third volume of sides on B.A.C.M by this fine string
band from Kentucky. This volume focuses on the group's early years from 1935
to 1938 when the group was basically Chick Hurt on mandolin & tenor banjo,
Tex Atchison/ fiddle, Salty Holmes/ guitar and Jack Taylor/ bass with other
musicians occasionally substituting for Atchison and Holmes and various
other musicians added from time to time.
|
| RAY PRICE |
Bear Family BCD 15843 |
The Honky Tonk Years, 195-1966 |
● CD $249.98 |
10 discs, 266 tracks , essential
For casual fans of Ray
Price, this is undoubtedly too much to swallow. The Sony
Essential Ray Price CD has the biggest and best hits at a reasonable
cost. Diehard Price fans, on the other hand, will find this the Holy Grail,
the definitive collection of Price's honkytonk material. Following his first
lousy 1950 78 for Bullet Records come his complete 1950-1966 Columbia
recordings, issued and otherwise. The story has always been that Price made
great honky tonk records for 15 years, standing tall against both rock and
the Nashville Sound before selling out to the pop market with Danny Boy
(the last song on this collection), recorded in 1966 with a full orchestra.
By 1970 he was better known for tedious, sappy orchestrated ballads like
You Wouldn't Know Love and For the Good Times. This collection
supports the premise, yet it ain't always so cut and dried. Price's
1951-1954 Columbia sides were mediocre Hank Williams knock-offs. He finally
came to his senses in 1954 by forming the Cherokee Cowboys and adding a
strong Bob Wills-derived dance beat to his music. In 1956, the shuffle beat
he used on his 1956 smash hit Crazy Arms became a permanent part of
honky tonk . Even with the small string sections on some of his 60's
recordings, the Cherokee Cowboys' sound dominated Price's music, and the
strings aren't that obtrusive. The final song recorded before Danny Boy
, a great, blues-drenched orchestral version of Willie's I Let My Mind
Wander , is a killer. Packaging is Bear Family plus: solid discography,
amazing sound and a hardback book packed with unpublished photos, including
rare color shots of Willie and Paycheck as Cherokee Cowboys. Rich Kienzle's
vivid essay, nearly 40,000 words, is the definitive account of Price's great
days, seen through the eyes of various band members and some of Price's
regular studio pickers. It closes with a weird transcript of a 1970 Columbia
Records publicity interview in which Price, the country pop king, proudly
discussed recording a song from Camelot. It's one of Bear Family's
all-time greatest reissues. (AK)
|
| RAY PRICE |
Columbia CK 8866 |
Greatest Hits |
● CD $9.98 |
Includes some of his most enduring 50s material including
Heartaches By The Number and City Lights , all in the classic
Price shuffle style that's come back into favor with George Strait in recent
years. Forget the schlock he did later. THIS is the music that Price will be
remembered by.
RK
|
| RAY PRICE |
Columbia CK 45068 |
American Originals |
● CD $9.98 |
This one's got some problems. Four numbers are original 50s
and 60s shuffle style honkytonk: his version of Buck Owens' Under Your
Spell Again/ San Antonio Rose/ Crazy Arms and Talk To Your Heart.
All of these sound great on CD. So does his 1980 duet with Willie Nelson on
Faded Love from their stunning duet album San Antonio Rose.
The sticky sweet pop of 1969's For The Good Times is included, though
curiously, the followup I Won't Mention It Again is not. But the
versions of Night Life and Release Me are abominable
re-recordings complete with a sickeningly sweet orchestra. Compiler Jim Kemp
apparently didn't know the difference, and hat's inexcusable. (RK)
|
| RAY PRICE |
Columbia CK 48532 |
The Essential Ray Price, 1951-62 |
● CD $9.98 |
Ray Price got short shrift on Columbia's mediocre American
Originals reissue series. This time Geller picked 20 of his hits and other
material from 1951 to 1962, including many of the honky tonk "shuffle"
ballads that still influence today's traditional singers. Though Price's
style bore the clear stamp of Hank Williams at first, he developed his own
intense vocal style and excelled with it. Most of these songs here are
country standards. "Crazy Arms," "I'll Be There," "My Shoes Keep Walking
Back to You" (the definitive version) "Release Me" to "City Lights" are
among the greatest country recordings ever made, period. Also here are his
hit versions of "You Done Me Wrong" (a song he and George Jones wrote that
George recorded on his new MCA album), Don Gibson's "Wasted Words," Lefty
Frizzell's "If You're Ever Lonely, Darling," Mel Tillis's "Heart over Mind"
and "I've Got A New Heartache." The latest track is his 1962 # 5 hit
"Pride." Considering the impact Price had in these days before he abandoned
his traditional roots for bad, overproduced schlock ballads, a collection
like this is long overdue. (RK)
|
| RAY PRICE |
Jasmine 3505 |
In A Honky Tonk Mood |
● CD $11.98 |
21 tracks, 48 mins, highly recommended
Although you'd never
know it from the cover or liner notes this album is not studio recordings
but an outstanding set of performances from radio performances from the
mid/late-50s. The performances here are a million miles away from Ray's
later pop flavored efforts with superb honky tonk singing from Ray and
terrific backup from his band The Cherokee Cowboys - some featuring the
groups unique triple fiddle sound. The songs here includes live versions of
some of his early big hits I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)/ If You
Don't Somebody Else Will/ City Lights/ You Done Me Wrong/ Release Me and
others. He also does great versions of Hank Williams' Take These Chains
From My Heart, Bob Wills' San Antonio Rose and others. There are
a couple of beautiful gospel songs with vocal by the backup by The
Jordaniares and a couple of fine instrumentals from the band. Ray's singing
here is, if anything, even more impassioned than his studio recordings of
the time. Sound quality is excellent. This is an indispensable collection
for lovers of honky-tonk country. (FS)
|
| RAY PRICE |
Koch 7928 |
Night Life |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, essential One of Ray Price's greatest albums, it
was named for Price's hit version of the Willie Nelson song. For many,
Price's is the ultimate interpretation. This straight reissue of Columbia
1971, originally released in 1963, features covers of Lonely Street,
Hank Thompson's Wild Side of Life, There's No Fool Like A Young
Fool, Charlie Rich's Sittin' And Thinkin and Bright Lights and
Blonde Haired Women, an obscure song Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded in
1950. Price also remade his 1955 hit Let Me Talk to You for the
album. Price's legendary flair for exaggeration is obvious in his spoken
introduction, where he introduces Night Life by stating it was
written "especially for me by a boy down Texas way." Fact: Willie Nelson
wrote and recorded Night Life before he ever moved to Nashville or
knew Ray Price. The notes by "The Hound" are shallow, and like most notes by
disc jockeys, substitute hyperbole for history. (AK)
|
| CHARLEY PRIDE |
Curb 77471 |
Best Of Charley Pride |
● CD $5.98 |
11 cuts - Whole Lotta Love On The Line/ Sail Away/ Moody
Woman/ White Houses/ Can't Stop The Mississippi/ Amy's Eyes and more.
|
| CHARLEY PRIDE |
RCA 53227-2 |
Anthology |
● CD $23.98 |
Two CD set featuring 40 tracks recorded between 1966 and
1982 by this fine singer including many big hits - includes Just Between
You And Me/ The Easy Part's Over/ Kaw-Liga/ All I have To Offer You Is Me/
Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone/ I Can't Believe That You've Stopped Loving
Me/ Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'/ She's Too Good To Be True/ Amazing Love/
Then Who Am I/ She's Just An Old Love Turned Memory/ Someone Loves You
Honey/ You Win Again, etc. Includes 16 page illustrated booklet with
informative notes by Rich Kienzle.
|
| CHARLEY PRIDE |
RCA 67428 |
The Essential Charley Pride |
● CD $15.98 |
20 tracks - Just Between You And Me/ Please Help Me, I'm
Falling/ Kaw-Liga/ I'd Rather Love You/ I Can't Believe That You've Stopped
Loving Me/ Kiss An Angel Good Mornin'/ I'm Just Me/ Amazing Love/ I'll Be
Leaving Alone/ Burgers & Fries, etc.
|
| JOHN PRINE |
Oh Boy 19 |
In Spite Of Ourselves |
● CD $14.98 |
John tries his hand at collection of mostly country
stanadrds.
|
| ORVAL PROPHET |
Bear Family 16376 |
The Travellin' Kind |
● CD $21.98 |
22 tracks recorded for Decca between 1952 and 1958 by
Canadian singer who stylistically has a lot in common with Hank Snow.
|
| RILEY PUCKETT |
B.A.C.M. 040 |
There's A Hard Time Coming |
● CD $13.98 |
21 tracks recorded between 1925 and 1940 by this brilliant
blind singer and guitarist whose repertoire encompassed traditional ballads,
old time fiddle tunes, cowboy songs and Tin Pan Alley pop songs.
Includes
sides with Ted Hawkins, Clayton McMichen, Bert Layne and others.
RILEY PUCKETT: Alabama Gal/ All Bound Down In Prison/
Altoona Freight Wreck/ Bring Me Back My Blue-eyed Boy/ Dear Old Dixieland/
Down In Arkansas/ Dream Train/ Fire On The Mountain/ Frankie & Johnnie/ I
Get The Blues When It Rains/ It's A Sin To Tell A Lie/ Little Sir Echo/ Oh
Susanna/ Red River Valley (1)/ Red River Valley (2)/ Rock-a-bye Baby/ The
Orphan Girl/ There's A Hard Time Coming/ To Wed You In The Golden
Summertime/ When I Grow Too Old To Dream/ When You Wore A Tulip
|
| RILEY PUCKETT |
B.A.C.M. 115 |
Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight |
● CD $13.98 |
22 tracks, 64 minutes, completists only
One of prewar
country music's most prolific recording artists, Riley Puckett was featured
on a half-dozen superb LP compilations during the '60s and '70s. Outside of
his work with the Skillet Lickers and sideman efforts with various
Atlanta-based fiddlers, Puckett's music has largely eluded reissue on
compact disc. As with B.A.C.M's first Puckett anthology, this set largely
avoids duplication with the tracks on those now highly collectable LPs. For
collectors, this is a plus. But it's disadvantageous to anyone seeking a
decent sampler of this blind singer/guitarist's finest moments on record.
Many tracks here amplify the guitarist's sporadic weaknesses, breaking meter
and playing wrong chords. Not surprisingly, this compilation's best cuts
have been reissued before; the magnificent Rodgeresque Waiting for the
Evening Mail was the title track for County's Puckett LP. Other previously
reissued tracks feature Puckett backing Skillet Lickers fiddlers Clayton
McMichen and Lowe Stokes. Puckett's vocal duets with McMichen are absolutely
painful; Stan and Ollie have nothing to fear from their The Trail of the
Lonesome Pine. When Maple Leaves Are Falling with its McMichen lead vocal
could well be the worst record in Columbia's 15000-D series. Sound is
generally good, though B.A.C.M. failed to correct dragging speeds on the
earliest sessions. Brian Golbey provides a brief appreciation. (DS)
RILEY PUCKETT: Billy In The Low Ground/ Black Eyed Susie/
Burglar Man/ Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight/ I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again/
I Wish I Was Single Again/ I'm Drifting Back To Dreamland/ Ida Red/ It's
Simple To Flirt/ Jesse James/ Long Tongued Woman/ Sally Gooden/ Sleep Baby
Sleep/ Somebody's Waiting For You/ Swanee River/ Tell Me/ The Trail Of The
Lonesome Pine/ Waiting For The Evening Mail/ We'll Sow Righteous Seed For
The Reaper/ When The Maple Leaves Are Falling/ Won't You Come Over To My
House/ You'll Never Miss Your Mother Til She's Gone
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