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COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
Fiddlin' Doc
Roberts
-> Daryle Ryce
| FIDDLIN' DOC ROBERTS |
Document DOCD 8042 |
Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 : 1925-1928 |
● CD $15.98 |
First of three volumes devoted to the recordings of one of
the most extensively recorded Southern fiddlers of the 20s and 30s.
Roberts, from Kentucky recorded more than 60 sides, usually in the company
of a guitar player. Some great performances of tunes like Martha
Campbell/ Dixie (Way Down South In Dixie)/ In The Shadow Of The Pine/
Black Eyed Suzie/ Cripple Creek/ Smokey Row/ Shippin' Sport where he
displays a lovely smooth long-bow style. Unfortunately quite a few of the
cuts are from very worn 78s - a real shame as there is some glorious music
here. (FS)
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| KENNY ROBERTS |
Bear Family BCD 15908 |
Jumpin' & Yodelin' |
● CD $21.98 |
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| ECK ROBERTSON |
County 3515 |
Old Time Texas Fiddler, Vintage Recordings
1922-29 |
● CD $15.98 |
16 tracks, 47 mins, highly recommended
Eck Robertson is best
known for an historical footnote - he was the first person to make a
country music record, with his recording of Arkansas Traveler in
1922. That tune, along with 15 other cuts are included here and find
Robertson playing solo, in duets with a 2nd fiddle, guitar, or piano, and
with his small family string band. Robertson, who honed his chops playing
in fiddle contests over the south recorded many classic fiddle tunes like Turkey
in the Straw/ Sally Goodin' and Ragtime Annie during his 1922
sessions. These recordings proved enormously popular and led to a flood of
similar material from other artists. 1929 found Robertson back in the
studio to record additional material of a more varied nature, including a
Celtic ballad that Robertson sung with his wife, The Island Unknown.
It's clear from these recordings that Robertson was very talented and
despite their age, these recordings are of much more than mere historical
interest. Sound quality is quite good considering the technology at the
time. (DP)
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| TEXAS JIM ROBERTSON |
Cattle CCD 228 |
The Golden Age Of Texas Jim Robertson |
● CD $18.98 |
Collection of 24 sides from the 40s by this popular deep
voiced vocalist including tracks with sidemen like Roy Wiggins, Vaughn
Horton, Chet Atkins, Jethro Burns and others.
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| CARSON ROBISON |
ASV 5187 |
Home, Sweet Home On The Prairie |
● CD $11.98 |
25 tracks, 76 min., recommended Carson Robison, like his
contemporary and sometime singing partner Vernon Dalhart, rightly believed
that country music could be marketed as pop entertainment. And, again like
Dalhart, though he had at least mildly country roots (Kansas, in
Robinson's case), his base of operations was New York City. This disc
features numbers that Robison and his Pioneers recorded in both that
American metropolis and in London, England, where he successfully toured
several times in the 1930's. The program includes Clementine, Happy-Go-Lucky,
The Little Green Valley, When Your Hair Has Turned to Silver,
The Strawberry Roan, Oh Susannah, Darling Nellie Gray,
I'm an Old Cowhand, and With a Banjo on My Knee. Music from
an important contributor to the early sound of American country music,
second in importance only to Jimmie Rodgers in the minds of at least some
commentators. (DH)
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| THE CARSON ROBISON TRIO |
B.A.C.M. 053 |
Old Kentucky Cabin |
● CD $13.98 |
22 track collection of sides recorded in 1930 and '31 by
this group which included Robison, Frank Luther and Phil Crow. They perform
a wide range of material (old time country, novelty songs, sentimental
songs, western songs, etc) accompanying themselves on guitar, accordion, jews
harp, etc with occasional added instrumentation including John Call/ tenor
banjo, Roy Smeck/ steel guitar & banjo, Frank Novak/ clarinet and sax and
others. Songs include Abraham/ Carry Me Back To The Mountains/ Dance At
Jones Place/ Old Kentucky Cabin/ Somewhere In Old Wyoming/ Frankie & Johnny/
Just Break The News To Mother, etc.
CARSON ROBISON TRIO: Abraham/ Carry Me Back To The Mountains/ Dance At Jones
Place/ Do You Still Remember/ Down On The Old Plantation/ Frankie & Johnny/
I‘m Getting Ready To Go/ Just Break The News To Mother/ Ma & Pa (send Their
Sweetest Love)/ My Heart Is Where The Mohawk Flows Tonight/ Oklahoma
Charlie/ Old Kentucky Cabin/ Poor Man‘s Heaven/ Railroad Boomer/ Rocky
Mountain Lullaby/ Silvery Arizona Moon/ Sleepy Hollow/ Somewhere In Old
Wyoming/ Southern Moon/ That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/ The Little Old
Church In The Valley/ When It‘s Nightime In Nevada
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| CARSON ROBISON |
B.A.C.M. 104 |
Transatlantic Traveler |
● CD $13.98 |
B.A.C.M.'s third collection of sides by one of the most
prolific early country performers features 20 tracks recorded between 1926
and 1939 - half of them recorded in England. Robison is featured in the
company of Frank Luther, Vernon Dalhart, the Roy Smeck Trio and others.
CARSON ROBISON: Cowboy Blues/ Cross Eyed Sue/ Don't Let
My Spurs Get Rusty While I'm Gone/ Engineer's Child/ Far Away In Hawaii/
Honeymoon Express/ I Know There Is Someone Waiting/ I'm Alone Because I
Love You/ Meet Me Tonight In The Valley/ Naw! I Don't Wanta Be Rich/ No
Christmas Time For Poor Little Nell/ Runaway Train/ Settin' By The Fire/
Shine On Harvest Moon/ Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine/ There's A Hole In The
Old Oaken Bucket/ Utah Trail/ Wednesday Night Waltz/ Where Will You Be On
Next New Years Day/ Why Ain't I Got No Sweetheart
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| CARSON J. ROBISON |
Cattle 265 |
A Real Hillbilly Legend |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks recorded between 1928 and 1951 by this popular and
prolific country music pioneer. Includes duets with Vernon Dalhart and Frank
Luther.
CARSON J. ROBISON: 1942 Turkey In The Straw/ A Hundred Years From Now/
Birmingham Jail/ Hand Me Down My Walking Cane/ Hirohito's Letter To Hitler/
Hitler's Last Letter To Hirohito/ Hitler's Reply To Mussolini/ In The
Cumberland Mountains/ Just Wait And See/ Ma And Pa (send Their Sweetest
Love)/ Mussolini's Letter To Hitler/ Plumb Agrravatin' Ain't It/ Ramblin'
Cowboy/ Remember Pearl Harbor/ Remember This Song/ Shady Valley Waltz/
Someday You Gotta Make Up Your Mind/ Sunday Drivers/ Texas Dan/ There's No
More Feudin' In The Mountains/ Twenty-one Years/ We're Gonna Have To Slap
The Dirty Little Jap (and Uncle Sam's The Guy Who/ When The Harvest Moon Is
Shining, Mollie Dear./ You're As Welcome As The Flowers In May
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
ASV CDAJA 5042 |
Train Whistle Blues |
● CD $11.98 |
A beautiful collection of 16 train songs by this pioneer
country music artist whose career from 1927 to 1933 was all too brief.
Tracks include such classics a sthe title song , Jimmie The Kid/
Travellin' Blues/ Blue Yodel #4 (California Blues)/ Hobo Bill's Last Ride/
Waiting For A Train and many others. Accompaniments range from
Jimmie's own effective guitar accompaniment, to small groups with steel
guitar and a few with jazz flavored groups with cornet & clarinet.
Album has excellent sound, full discographical details and informative
notes by Brian Rust. (FS)
JIMMIE RODGERS: Ben Dewberry's Final Run/ Blue Yodel No. 4 (California
Blues)/ Blue Yodel No. 7 (Anniversary Blue Yodel)/ Hobo Bill's Last Ride/
Jimmie The Kid/ Jimmie's Mean Mamma Blues/ Let Me Be Your Side Track/
Memphis Yodel/ My Rough And Rowdy Ways/ The Brakeman's Blues (Yodelling
The Blues Away)/ The Hobo's Meditation/ The Mystery Of No.5/ The Southern
Cannonball/ Train Whistle Blues/ Travelin' Blues/ Waiting For A Train
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
ASV CDAJA 5058 |
My Old Pal |
● CD $11.98 |
Another fine sounding ASV Rodgers reissue, not quite up to
Bear Family standards, with mediocre notes, but also 18 songs, mixing
relatively obscure Rodgers sides mixed with the old standbys like Sleep
Baby Sleep, Away Out On The Mountain, Any Old Time, Carolina Sunshine Gal,
Never No Mo' Blues and T For Texas. Among the lesser knowns are
the rare We Miss Him When The Evening Shadows Fall, sung by Carrie
Rodgers in 1936, three years after Jimmie's death, Why There's A Tear
In My Eye, I'm Sorry We Met, and Looking For A New Mama. Given
the dearth of Rodgers material currently available, anything is welcome.
(RK)
JIMMIE RODGERS: Any Old Time/ Away Out On The Mountain/ Blue Yodel No. 1
(T For Texas)/ Blue Yodel No. 3 (Evening Sun Yodel)/ Blue Yodel No. 5/
Daddy And Home/ Frankie And Johnny/ Gambling Bar Room Blues/ I'm Sorry We
Met/ Looking For A New Mama/ Lullaby Yodel/ My Carolina Sunshine Girl/ My
Old Pal/ Never No No' Blues/ Sleep, Baby, Sleep/ We Miss Him When The
Evening Shadows Fall/ When The Cactus Is In Bloom/ Why There's A Tear In
My Eye
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
Bear Family BCD 15540 |
The Singing Brakeman, 1927-33 |
● CD $145.98 |
This monumental 6-CD box set - including a 60-page booklet
by Nolan Porterfield with comprehensive discography and dozens of rare
photographs - is the most exhaustive overview of Rodgers' career we are
ever likely to see. Rodgers had an immeasurable impact on the history of
country music; he was the first big country recording star, and without
him the music today would be much different. Gene Autry, Jimmie Davis,
Hank Snow, and Ernest Tubb began their careers as Rodgers imitators, and
he influenced Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Doc Watson, Merle Haggard, Lefty
Frizzell and many others in style and repertoire. Jimmie's genius lay in
his ability to combine disparate familiar musical elements into something
uniquely his. His droll, languid vocals owed much to the country blues of
his native Mississippi, but also contained elements of "classic"
blues vocal style, along with hints of vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley. He
also recorded with Hawaiian guitarists, Louis Armstrong, The Carter
Family, fiddler Clayton McMichen, Louisville Jug Band, and sweet jazz
bands. And most of it worked. Jimmie was fond of parlor ballads about home
and mother, and ersatz cowboy songs such as Prairie Lullaby/ Yodeling
Cowboy/ Cowhand's Last Ride/ When The Cactus Is In Bloom. His
trademark blue yodels were unique; many, such as Blue Yodel #8
(Muleskinner Blues)/ #3 ("She's long, she's tall, she's 6 feet
from the ground...") or Last Blue Yodel ("These women
make a fool out of me...") have entered the fabric of American music.
Jimmie's railroading career was reflected in Waiting For A Train/ Hobo
Bill's Last Ride/ Train Whistle Blues/ Southern Cannonball. His
versions of Frankie And Johnny/ He's In The Jailhouse Now can be
traced back to blues songs. Mother, The Queen Of My Heart is the
quintessential mother song; its sentimentality is so cloying that it is
perfect in a way. All these classics and more are here, including many
alternate and unreleased takes, along with the soundtrack from Jimmie's
musical short The Singing Brakeman (with below par sound), plus eight
overdubbed cuts of original hits, produced in 1955 by Chet Atkins. 145
selections in all, with good sound, including a fascinating alternate of Let
Me Be Your Sidetrack which features country bluesman Clifford Gibson's
wonderful lead guitar. Another curiosity is an unissued 1930 item entitled
The Pullman Porters, featuring Jimmie in a blackface style
dialogue. This is a wonderful tribute to a great and unique figure in
popular music. Any serious student of American vernacular music will want
this set. It's astonishing to realize that all this great material was
recorded over a six year span, from 1927 to '33 when "that old T.B."
finally caught up with Jimmie for the last time. (RP)
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
Collectables 2700 |
The Memorial Album |
● CD $15.98 |
Excellent 24 compilation of this great country music pioneer
- a nice blend of blue yodels, blues, sentimental songs and more. Sound is
not up to Bear Family or Rounder standards but are satisfactory and there
are decent notes by Mark Marymount.
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
Fremeaux & Associes FQ2CD 254 |
Camden-Atlanta-NY-Dallas-Hollywood |
● CD $21.98 |
Two CD set.
JIMMIE RODGERS: Anniversary Blue Yodel (blue Yodel #7)/ Blue Yodel #1/
Blue Yodel #10/ Blue Yodel #11/ Blue Yodel #12/ Blue Yodel #2/ Blue Yodel
#3/ Blue Yodel #4/ Blue Yodel #5/ Blue Yodel #6/ Blue Yodel #8/ Blue Yodel
#9/ Brakeman's Blues/ Gambling Bar Room Blues/ Gambling Polka Dot Blues/
High Powered Mama/ Jimmie Rodgers' Last Blue Yodel/ Jimmie The Kid/
Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues/ Jimmie's Texas Blues/ Let Me Be Your Sidetrack/
Long Tall Mama Blues/ Looking For A New Mama/ Memphis Yodel/ Mississippi
Delta Blues/ My Good Gal's Gone Blues/ My Little Lady/ Never No Mo' Blues/
Ninety Nine Years Blues/ No Hard Times/ Nobody Knows But Me/ T.b. Blues/
Those Gambler's Blues/ Train Whistle Blues/ Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues/
Whippin' That Old T.B.
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| JIMMIE RODGERS |
RCA 67500 |
The Essential Jimmie Rodgers |
● CD $15.98 |
20 songs.
JIMMIE RODGERS: Away Out On The Mountain/ Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas)/
Blue Yodel No. 2 (Lovin' Gal Lucille)/ Blue Yodel No. 4 (California
Blues)/ Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)/ Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling
The Blues Away), The/ Daddy And Home/ Dear Old Sunny South By The Sea/
Frankie And Johnnie/ I'm Lonely And Blue/ In The Jailhouse Now/ Memphis
Yodel/ My Little Old Home Down In New Orleans/ My Old Pal/ Never No Mo'
Blues/ Pistol Packin' Papa/ Sailor's Pleas, The/ Sleep Baby, Sleep/ T.B.
Blues/ Waiting For A Train
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| JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ |
Hightone 8073 |
You Can Say That Again |
● CD $14.98 |
12 tracks, 40 minutes, recommended Here's a pleasant
surprise! Johnny Rodriguez made a name for himself in the 70's as the
first Latino country star, singing songs like Pass Me By (If You're
Only Passing Through)
in both English and Spanish. He promptly vanished
from the scene, but now is back with a strong new album on the Hightone
label. His sound is intact and no wonder, with many of the same musicians
backing him up, like Jerry Kennedy on guitar (he also co-produced) and
Hargus Robbins on keyboards. If anything the arrangements are even more
tasteful, leaner, and pure country. Rodriguez sounds great on Lucinda
Williams' Big Red Sun, Robert Earl Keen's Corpus Christi Bay, and Dave
Alvin's Every Night About This Time. There's Still a Lot of Love in San
Antone is another stand out that recalls Rodriguez's best 70's work. It's
great to have Johnny Rodriguez back, sounding better than ever! (DP)
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| ROY ROGERS |
ASV 5297 |
The King Of The Cowboys |
● CD $11.98 |
25 early sides - Along The Navajo Trail/ Blue Shadows On
The Trail/ Don't Fence Me In/ Roll On, Texas Moon/ My Chickashay Gal/
Pecos Bill/ Yellow Rose Of Texas, etc.
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| ROY ROGERS |
Cattle 209 |
The First Classic Recordings |
● CD $19.98 |
21 tracks recorded between 1938 and '42 - Listen To The
Rhythm Of The Range/ When The Sun Is Setting On The Prairie/ I've Learned
A Lot About Women/ I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar, etc.
ROY ROGERS: Born To The Saddle/ Colorado Sunset/ Dust/ Headin' For Texas
And Home/ I Hope I'm Not Dreaming Again/ I Know I Shouldn't Worry, But I
Do/ I've Learned A Lot About Women/ I've Sold My Saddle For An Old Guitar/
Listen To The Rhythm Of The Range/ Little Old Church On The Hilltop/
Ridiin' Ropin' (no. 1)/ Ridin' Down The Trail/ Rusty Spurs/ She's All Wet
Now/ Somebody's Smile/ That Pioneer Mother Of Mine (no. 2)/ There's A
Ranch In The Rockies/ When A Cowboy Sings A Song/ When I Camped Under The
Stars/ When Mother Nature Sings Her Lullaby./ When The Sun Is Setting On
The Prairie
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| ROY ROGERS |
Curb 77392 |
Best Of Roy Rogers |
● CD $10.98 |
12 tracks from the 70s - Lovenworth/ Happy Anniversary/
Candy Kisses/ Send Me The Pillow You Dream On/ You And Me Against The
World/ Lay Some Happiness On Me, etc.
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| SMOKEY ROGERS |
Bronco Buster 9020 |
Western Swing Masterpieces |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks, 55 minutes, (patient) fans only
His years working
for Spade Cooley and Tex Williams notwithstanding, Smokey Rogers'
best-known achievement was writing the ballad Gone, which Ferlin
Husky first recorded in 1952 without success and remade in 1956 as a song
that became a classic. Rogers still managed to pursue a solo career even
while working with Williams's Western Caravan. He recorded for Capitol,
for 4 Star (as Buck Rogers and his Texans) and Coral into the 1950s, the
quality of his material was mixed. A lot of the material is weak,
featuring Rogers' California hillbilly vocals with Cooleyesque Western
swing backing, most of it from Tex Williams's Western Caravan, with Johnny
Weis on lead guitar. Otherwise, this is not a Masterpiece of
anything but bad 1940's novelty tunes. Too much of Rogers' material was
tepid, and this weaker fare dominates this set. The better numbers are the
Capitol Spanish Fandango, a song on which Rogers shares composer
credits with Bob Wills (who cut it for MGM in 1947) and Ten More Miles.
These Capitol sides, as well as the 4 Star Turn My Picture Upside Down,
I Can't Help The Way You Feel and Huggin' and Chalkin', a
1947 pop hit for Hoagy Carmichael. From Coral in the 1950s comes Trouble
Then Satisfaction, featuring a bluesy vocal from Jimmy Widener, along
with the Rogers-sung Oh, How I Cry About You. Both of those are at
least tolerable. As for Sui Sin Fa, a stereotypic pop novelty about
Orientals, the only thing that saves it from being offensive are its
incredibly stupid lyrics. Bronco Buster also omitted outstanding
exceptions to that rule like Rogers' Coral recordings of Tulsa Trot
and Panhandle Rag, with Joaquin Murphey on steel. It's also
somewhat amusing compiler Dagmar Binge and the German fans who helped her
can't tell the physical difference between Smokey and Tex Williams. One
page of the booklet clearly shows Rogers with Tex Williams; on the facing
page is a photo labeled Smokey Rogers that's obviously Tex
Williams. Hmmm... (RK)
SMOKEY ROGERS: (Tho I Tried) I Can't Forget You/ Blues in My Mind/ Catch
Me Cheatin'/ Don't Try to Pretend (Vocal with Trio)./ Drinkin' and A-thinkin'/
Huggin' and Chalkin'/ I Ain't Gonna Cry No More/ I Can't Help the Way You
Feel/ Livin', Laugin', Lovin'/ Oh, How I Cry about You/ Possum Song/
Spanish Fandango/ Sui Sin Fa/ Ten More Miles/ Texas Tornado/ The Texas
Song/ Trouble Then Satisfaction (Vocal Jimmy Widener)/ Turn My Picture
Upside Down/ What it Means to Be Blue/ Why, Oh Why, Did I Ever Leave
Wyoming
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| PETER ROWAN |
Flying Fish 70071 |
Peter Rowan |
● CD $15.98 |
With Flaco Jimenez, Mike Seeger, Todd Phillips.
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3749 |
First Whippoorwill |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3762 |
New Moon Rising |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3781 |
Dust Bowl Children |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3791 |
All On A Rising Day |
● CD $15.98 |
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| PETER ROWAN |
Sugar Hill 3807 |
Awake Me In The New World |
● CD $15.98 |
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| TOM RUSSELL |
Hightone HCD 8066 |
The Rose Of The San Joaquin |
● CD $15.98 |
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| TOM RUSSELL |
Hightone 8081 |
The Long Way Around |
● CD $15.98 |
17 tracks, 67 min., highly recommended On this collection,
most numbers are "updated" rerecordings, most
are acoustic, and most are duets performed with other Americana luminaries
like Nanci Griffith, Iris DeMent, and Katy Moffatt. Eight tracks are
studio recordings, and nine were recorded live in 1996 at the Off Broadway
in St. Louis, Missouri. All numbers are either written or co-written by
Russell. Among them are St. Olav's Gate, Big Water (one of
the new songs), U. S. Steel, The Angel of Lyon, The Eyes
of Roberto Duran, Haley's Comet, and Box of Visions.
Insightful songwriting and committed singing from one of the great folk
talents of the waning days of the 20th Century. Certainly a disc that's
worth the price of admission from various points of view, but I would be
remiss if I did not mention just one more of those reasons: the
outstanding guitar work of Russell's accompanist Andrew Hardin. (DH)
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| TOM RUSSELL |
HMG 2501 |
Song Of The West - The Cowboy Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
15 cowboy songs - mostly originals - Rambler, Gambler/
Dance Hall Girls/ Hallie Lonnigan/ Gallo del Cielo/ The Ballad Of William
Sycamore/ Claude Dallas/ El lano Estacado/ Prairie In The Sky, etc.
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| TOM RUSSELL |
Philo 1146 |
Cowboy Real |
● CD $15.98 |
On his fourth Philo album, Russell goes acoustic to pay
tribute to the cowboy ballad. And while the references to noble outlaws
and mustangs running free might get a little thick for those who don't own
bolos, Russell does have a knack for this stuff. His adaptations of
traditional songs like El Llano Estacado are not half as charming
as his own Zane Grey or Joe Ely's tremendous Indian Cowboy,
the album's best cut. The duets with Ian Tyson (Navajo Rug/ Gallo Del
Cielo) are pleasant enough, but his attempt to romanticize modern day
murderer Claude Dallas is an unwelcome bit of horse pucky. Giddy up. (JC)
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