NEWSLETTER #147
JSP BOX SETS - COUNTRY, BLUEGRASS & OLD TIMEY
Roy Acuff - Bill
Monroe
| ROY ACUFF |
JSP JSPCD 7799 |
King Of The Hillbillies |
● CD $28.98 |
First in a series of box set documenting the career of this
great country music pioneer in chronological order. This first volume
features 100 tracks recorded between 1936 and 1944. It includes the first
recording of what was to become his trademark song - the Carter Family's
Wabash Cannonball with vocals by the mysterious Sam "Dynamite" Hatcher
who also played harmonica with the group. Acuff's group was one that helped
popularized the sound of the Dobro and these sides feature two of the best -
Clell Sumney and Beecher "Pete" Kirby. Sumney (later known as Cousin Jody)
appears on the earlier sessions (1936-1938) and Kirby who appears on the
sessions from 1939 on also turns in some fine work. Roy's material included
traditional songs, Carter Family songs honky tonk, pop songs and gospel and
includes many songs that have become country standards like Great Speckle
Bird/ Freight Train Blues/ You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven/ Beautiful
Brown Eyes/ Drifting Too Far From The Shore/ Streamlined Cannonball/ Fire
Ball Mail/ Night Train To Memphis and others. A number of tracks are
making their first appearance on CD here and there are brief notes and full
discographical info.
ROY ACUFF: All Night Long/ Answer To Sparkling Blue Eyes/
Are You Thinking Of Me Darling?/ Automobile Of Life, The/ Be Honest With Me/
Beautiful Brown Eyes/ Beneath That Lonely Mound Of Clay/ Blue Eyed Darling/
Blue Ridge Sweetheart/ Blues In My Mind/ Bonnie Blue Eyes/ Branded Wherever
I Go/ Broken Heart, The/ Brother Take Warning/ Charmin' Baby/ Come Back
Little Pal/ Do You Wonder Why/ Doin' It the Old Fashioned Way/ Don't Make Me
Go To Bed And I'll Be Good/ Drifting Too Far From the Shore/ Eyes Are
Watching You/ Farther Along/ Fire Ball Mail/ Fly, Birdie, Fly/ Freight Train
Clues/ Gonna Have a Big Time Tonight/ Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight/ Good-Bye
Brownie/ Great Judgement Morning, The/ Great Shining Light, The/ Great
Speckle Bird/ Great Speckle Bird No.2/ Haven Of Dreams/ Honky Tonk Mammas/ I
Called And Nobody Answered/ I Know We're Saying Goodbye/ I'll Forgive You
But I Can't Forget/ I'll Reap My Harvest In Heaven/ I'm Building a Home/ Ida
Red/ It Won't Be Long (Till I'll Be Leaving)/ Just Inside the Pearly Gates/
Just To Ease My Worried Mind/ Living On the Mountain, Baby Mine/ Lonesome
Old River Blues/ Lonesome Valley/ Low And Lonely/ Lying Woman Blues/
Mother's Prayers Guide Me/ Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel #8)/ My Gal Sal/
My Mountain Home Sweet Home/ New Greenback Dollar/ Night Train To Memphis/
No Letter In the Mail/ Not a Word From Home/ Old Age Pension Check/ Old
Fashioned Love/ Old Three Room Shack, An/ One Old Shirt/ Precious Jewel,
The/ Prodigal Son, The/ Red Lips - Kiss My Blues Away/ Rising Sun, The/ Sad
Memories/ Sailing Along/ She No Longer Belongs To Me/ Shout, Oh Lulu/
Singing My Way To Glory/ Smoky Mountain Moon/ Smoky Mountain Rag/ Steamboat
Whistle Blues/ Steel Guitar Blues/ Steel Guitar Chimes/ Streamlined Cannon
Ball, The/ Stuck Up Blues/ Tell Mother I'll Be There/ That Beautiful
Picture/ They Can Only Fill One Grave/ Things That Might Have Been/ Trouble,
Trouble/ Vagabond's Dream, A/ Wabash Blues/ Wabash Cannon Ball/ Walkin' In
My Sleep/ Weary River/ What Good Will It Do/ What Would You Do With
Gabriel's Trumpet/ When I Lay My Burden Down/ When Lulu's Gone/ Will the
Circle Be Unbroken/ Worried Mind/ Would You Care/ Wreck On the Highway/
Write Me Sweetheart/ Yes Sir, That's My Baby/ You Are My Love/ You're My
Darling/ You're the Only Star (In My Blue Heaven)/ You've Got To See Mama
Every Night (Or You Can't See Mama At All)
|
| CHET ATKINS |
JSP JSPCD 7794 |
The Early Years, 1946-1957 |
● CD $28.98 |
5 CDs, 159 tracks, 6 hours 31 min., highly recommended
Two things are certain: Chet Atkins was one hell of a guitar player, and his
recordings grew less interesting after 1954, when he stopped writing
material and started relying on songwriters such as Chopin and Bach, neither
of whom could write a country song to save his life. But then RCA had that
effect on everyone. And since it was none other than Atkins who oversaw
Elvis Presley's initial RCA sessions, he owns part of that legacy. Sure,
Elvis hit right away with the great Heartbreak Hotel, but he never
recorded anything as wild and free as some of the sides he cut at Sun. But I
digress. This excellent box set captures the absolutely incredible guitar
playing of Chet Atkins as he moved from no one to one of the most sought
after session men on the planet. His work from 1946-49 shows Atkins fondness
for Django-like jazz guitar as well as straight ahead country music. He's
accompanied by Jethro and Homer, Helen Carter, Buck Lambert, Anita Carter,
Jack Shook, and others. The four tracks on disc 4 featuring guitar duets
with Chet and Hank Snow rank with the finest cuts here. But often it is just
Chet by himself that impressess the most. He is said to have been an early
user of multi-tracking in part because it was difficult to find session
players who could follow him. The sound here is uniforming wonderful,
although the notes are nothing to scream about. A more easily affordable way
to bury yourself in early Chet if the Bear box is more than too much. (JC)
CHET ATKINS: (I Know My Baby Loves Me) In Her Own Peculiar
Way/ (I May Be Color Blind But) I Know When I'm Blue/ A Gay Ranchero/
Adelita/ Ain'tcha Tired Of Makin' Me Blue/ Alabama Jubilee/ Alice Blue Gown/
Alice Blue Gown/ Arkansas Traveler/ Avalon/ Ballin' The Jack/ Barber Shop
Rag/ Barnyard Shuffle/ Beautiful Ohio/ Beautiful Ohio/ Birth Of The Blues/
Black Mountain Rag/ Black Mountain Rag/ Blue Gypsy/ Blue Gypsy/ Blues In The
Night/ Boogie Man Boogie/ Brown Eyes/ Bug Dance/ Canned Heat/ Caravan/
Cecilia/ Centipede Boogie/ Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White Dance With Me
Henry/ Chinatown, My Chinatown/ City Slicker/ Confusin'/ Corinne, Corinna/
Country Gentlemen/ Crazy Rhythm/ Crazy Rhythm/ Dance Of The Golden Rod/
Dance Of The Goldenrod/ Darktown Strutters Ball/ Darling, Je Vous Aime
Beaucoup/ Dill Pickle Rag/ Dizzy Strings/ Don't Hand Me That Line/ Downhill
Drag/ Dream Train/ Frankie And Johnnie/ Galloping On The Guitar/ Gavotte In
D/ Georgia Camp Meeting/ Get Up And Go/ Get Up And Go/ Glow Worm/ Gone,
Gone, Gone/ Good-Bye Blues/ Guitar Blues (Picking The Blues)/ Guitar Polka/
Guitar Waltz/ Guitars On Parade/ Hangover Blues/ Have You Ever Been Lonely/
Heartaches/ Hello Ma Baby/ Hello Ma Baby/ Hey Mr Guitar/ High Rockin' Swing/
Honey/ Honeysuckle Rose/ Hybrid Corn/ I Was Bitten By The Same Bug Twice/
I'm Gonna Get Tight/ I'm Pickin' The Blues/ I've Been Working On The Guitar/
Imagination/ In The Mood/ In The Mood/ Indian Love Call/ Indian Love Call/
Indiana/ Intermezzo/ Jitterbug Waltz/ Kentucky Derby/ La Golondrina/ Little
Rock Getaway/ Liza/ Londonderry Air/ Lover Come Back To Me/ Main Street
Breakdown/ Malaguena/ Meet Mister Callaghan/ Memphis Blues/ Memphis Blues/
Minuet/ Minute Waltz/ Mister Misery/ Mister Sandman/ Money, Marbles And
Chalk/ Mountain Melody/ Music In My Heart/ My Crazy Heart/ My Guitar Is My
Sweetheart/ New Spanish Two Step/ Nobody's Sweetheart/ Ochi Chornya/ Oh By
Jingo/ Oh By Jingo/ Old Man River/ One Man Boogie/ One More Chance/ Pagan
Love Song/ Peeping Tom/ Petite Waltz/ Pig Leaf Rag/ Poor People Of Paris/
Rainbow/ Red Wing/ Rubber Doll Rag/ Rustic Dance/ San Antonio Rose/ Save
Your Money/ Schon Rosmarien/ Set A Spell/ Shine On Harvest Moon/ Silver
Bell/ Simple Simon/ Somebody Stole My Gal/ South/ Spanish FandangoMidnight/
St Louis Blues/ St Louis Blues/ Standing Room Only/ Stephen Foster Medley/
Sunrise Serenade/ Swedish Rhapsody/ Sweet Bunch Of Daisies/ Tellin' My
Troubles To My Old Guitar/ Tenderly/ The Bells Of St Mary's/ The Birth Of
The Blues/ The Lady Loves Me/ The Nashville Jump/ The Old Buck Dance/ The
Old Spinning Wheel/ The Third Man Theme/ Third Man Theme/ Three O'Clock In
The Morning/ Tip Toe Through The Tulips/ Tweedle Dee/ Twelfth Street Rag/
Unchained Melody/ Under The Double Eagle/ Under The Hickory Nut Tree/ Waltz
In A-Flat/ Wednesday Night Waltz/ Wildwood Flower/ You're Always Brand New/
Your Mean Little Heart
|
| THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
JSP JSPCD 7782 |
The Very Best Of Classic Country Remastered |
● CD $28.98 |
Five CD box set, 121 tracks, highly recommended
Five CD set featuring 121 sides by one of the greatest of country brother
duos Bill & Earl Bollick aka The Blue Sky Boys. With their sweet haunting
voices and exquisite harmonies they sang a wide variety of traditional and
more recent compositions accompanied by Bill's mandolin and Earl's guitar.
They were a big influence on latter duos like The Bailes Brothers, Louvin
Brothers, Armstrong Twins, Stanley Brothers, Everly Brothers and others.
Many songs the Bolicks recorded have become country and bluegrass standards
and even though they weren't always the first to record them, their versions
became the defining release including songs like The Banks of the Ohio/
I'm Troubled/ The Knoxville Girl/ The Prisoner's Dream/ Katie Dear/ The
Lightning Express/ Are You from Dixie/ I'm Just Here to Get My Baby Out of
Jail/ Mary of the Wild Moor/ Short Life of Trouble/ Turn Your Radio On/ I'm
S-A-V-E-D/ The Butcher's Boy/ Kentucky/ Beautiful Brown Eyes, and many
others. The first three discs and half of the fourth which features their
recordings from 1936 through 1940 feature the brothers by themselves. When
they returned to recording in 1946 after a period in military service they
added a discreet fiddle and string bass to their recordings. Sound quality
is generally excellent and their informative notes by Pat Harrison and full
discographical info. If you already have the more luxurious Bear Family box
(BCD 15951 The Sunny Side Of Life - $129.98) then you already have
everything here - otherwise this is a great and inexpensive way to get this
great duos best recordings. (FS)
|
| CLIFF CARLISLE |
JSP JSPCD 7732 |
A Country Legacy, 1930-1939 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CDS, 84 tracks, approx 4 hours, highly recommended with
reservations
The reasons for my reservations is that while the music is wonderful this
set seems to have been put together with less care than most of JSP's other
boxes. Cliff Carlisle recorded more than 200 sides between 1930 and 1939 so
why are there only 84 tracks here? Most JSP four CD sets have around 100.
Further, half of these tracks are currently available on Arhoolie 7039 and
B.A.C.M. and half the rest were on the out of print collection on Zircon
Vert. In addition the titles are not presented in chronological order and
there is no discographical information. Now to the music! Carlisle was a
superb singer, a magnificent slide guitarist (playing a steel bodied
National) and had a varied and consistently worthwhile repertoire which
embraced traditional songs, blues, love songs, some wickedly raunchy risqué
songs, gospel songs, western and sentimental songs. 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. Some tracks
feature his early playing partner singer/ guitarist Wilbur Ball, others have
his brother Bill or his son Tommy and some have a small string band with
some lovely fiddle. Some of the gospel songs feature some great quartet
singing which includes Cliff, Bill, Tommy and another Carlisle, Louis
(another brother?) including a sublime version of Shine On Me. He
does a great cover of the Darby & Tarleton classic Columbus Stockade
Blues and the soon to become bluegrass standards Footprints In The
Snow with Shannon Grayson on mandolin and Girl In The Blue Velvet
Band. And for those of you who like double entendre there are such gems
as Ash Can Blues/ That Nasty Swing/ Sal's Got A Meatskin and others.
But it's all great. Sound quality is excellent, booklet notes are adequate.
If you don't already have much Carlisle this is indispensible. (FS)
CLIFF CARLISLE: A Mean Mama Don't Worry Me/ A Stretch Of
28 Years/ A Wild Cat Woman And A Tom Cat Man/ Ash Can Blues/ Bamblin' Man/
Black Jack David/ Broken Heart/ Chicken Roost Blues/ Columbus Stockade
Blues/ Cowboy Johnny's Last Ride/ Dang My Rowdy Soul/ Dear Old Daddy/ Desert
Blues/ Far Beyond The Starry Sky/ Footprints In The Snow/ Georgia Moon/ Get
Her By The TrailOn A Downhill Grade/ Girl In The Blue Velvet Band/ Goin'
Down The Road Feelin' Bad/ Going Back To Alabama/ Going Down The Valley One
By One/ Gonna Raise A Ruckus Tonight/ Goodbye Old Pal/ Guitar Blues/
Handsome Blues/ High Steppin' Mama/ Hobo Blues/ Hobo's Fate/ Home Of The
Soul/ I Don't Mind/ I Want A Good Woman/ I'm Savin Saturday Night For You/
I'm Sorry Now/ It Ain't No Fault of mine/ It Takes An Old Hen To Deliver The
Goods/ Lonely Orphan Child/ Lonesome For Caroline/ Memories That Haunt Me/
Memphis Yodel/ Mouse's Ear Blues/ My Lovin' Kathleen/ My Rockin' Mama/ My
Rocky Mountain Sweetheart/ My Travellin' Night/ Nevada Johnny/ New Memories
Of You That Haunt Me/ No Daddy Blues/ On The Banks Of The Rio Grande/ Onion
Eating Mama/ Pan American Man/ Pay Day Fight/ Prepare Me O lord/ Ramblin
Yodeler/ Ring Tail Tom/ Roll On, Roll On/ Rooster Blues/ Sal's Got A
Meatskin/ Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down/ Seven Years With The Wrong Woman/
Shanghai Rooster No 2/ Shanghai Rooster Yodel/ Shine On Me/ Shine Your Light
For Others/ Shot The Innocent Man/ Sugar Cane Mama/ That Great Judgement
Day/ That Nasty Swing/ The Blind Child's Prayer/ The Brakeman's Reply/ There
Is No More That I Can Say/ Tom Cat Blues/ Trouble Minded Blues/ True And
Trembling Brakeman/ Two Eyes In Tenessee/ Uncloudy Day/ Waiting For A Ride/
When It's Round Up Time In Heaven/ When It's Round Up Time In Texas/ When
The Angels Carry Me Home/ When The Evening Sun Goes Down/ Where My Memory
Lies/ Why Did It Have To Be Me?/ Wigglin' Man/ You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone
( Just Because )
|
| CLIFF CARLISLE |
JSP JSPCD 7768 |
Volume 2: When I Feel Froggie I'm Gonna Hop |
● CD $28.98 |
Second collection of sides by this superb early singer and
slide guitarist features 97 tracks recorded between 1930 and 1941 drawn from
78s in the collection of Joe Bussard. Includes many tracks making their
first appearance on CD.
CLIFF CARLISLE: A Little Bit Of Lovin’ From You/ A Little
White Rose/ Alone And Lonesome/ Alone And Lonesome/ Birmingham Jail/
Birmingham Jail No. 2/ Blue Dreams/ Blue Eyes/ Blue Yodel No. 6/ Box Car
Yodel/ Casey County Jail/ Childhood Dreams/ Childhood Dreams/ Crazy Blues/
Deep Sea Blues/ Desert Blues/ Dollar’s All I Crave/ Don’t Marry The Wrong
Woman/ Down In The Jailhouse On My Knees/ Dream A Little Dream Of Me/ End Of
Memory Lane/ Flag That Train/ Fussin’ Mama/ Georgia Moon/ Go And Leave Me If
You Wish To/ Going Back To Alabama/ Hen Pecked Man/ Hobo Jack’s Last Ride/
Hobo Jack’s Last Ride/ I Believe I’m Entitled To You/ In A Box Car Around
The World/ I’m Glad I’m A Hobo/ I’m Lonely And Blue/ Jesus My All/ Just A
Lonely Hobo/ Just A Lonely Hobo/ Just A Wayward Boy/ Just A song At
Childhood/ Lonely/ Longing For You/ Look Out I’m Shifting Gears/ Looking For
Tomorrow/ Louisiana Blues/ Memories That Make Me Cry/ My Little Sadie/ My
Lonely Boyhood Days/ My Old Saddle Horse Is Missing/ My Two Time Mama/ Never
No Mo’ Blues/ No Wedding Bells/ Nobody Wants Me/ On My Way To Lonesome
Valley/ On The Lone Prairie/ Ramblin’ Jack/ Ramshackled Shack On The Hill/
Ridin’ That lonesome Train/ Ridin’ The Blinds To The Call Of The Pines/
Rocky Road/ Roll On Blue Moon/ She Waits For Me There/ She’s Waiting For Me/
Shine On Harvest Moon/ Shufflin’ Gal/ So Blue/ Sunshine And Daisies/ Sweet
As The Roses Of Spring/ Sweet Nannie Lisle/ T For Texas/ That Good Old Utah
Trail/ The Bunch Of Cactus On The Wall/ The Cowboy Song/ The Fatal Run/ The
Flower Of The Valley/ The Gal I Left Behind/ The Little Dobie Shack/ The
Plea Of A Mother/ The Poor Widow/ The Rustler’s Fate/ The Vacant Cabin Door/
The Written Letter/ There’s A Lamp In The Window Tonight/ They Say It Is The
End Of The Trail Old Paint/ Traveling Life Alone/ Two Little Sweethearts/
Valley Of Peace/ Virginia Blues/ When I Feel Froggie I’m Gonna Hop/ When I’m
Dead And Gone/ When The Cactus Is In Bloom/ When The Old Cow Went Dry/ When
You Wore A Tulip/ Where Southern Roses Climb/ Will You Meet Me Just Inside/
Won’t Somebody Pal With Me/ Wreck Of No. 52/ Your Saddle Is Empty Tonight/
You’ll Never Know
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
JSP JSPCD 7701 |
1927-1934 |
● CD $28.98 |
Another wonderful budget box set from JSP - this time
focusing on the early recordings of the first family in country music - The
Carter Family. Five CDs with 126 tracks featuring nearly everything they
recorded between 1927 and 1934 including many of their most timeless
recordings that have been recorded by generations of singers like Single
Girl, Married Girl/ Keep On The Sunny Side/ Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone/
Wildwood Flower/ Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy To Me/ Engine One-Forty-Three/
Wabash Cannonball/ Worried Man Blues/ My Little Home In Tennessee/ Give Me
Roses While I Live/ I'll Be All Smiles Tonight/ East Virginia Blues and
loads more that are an integral part of America's musical heritage.
Excellent sound and brief notes.
|
| THE CARTER FAMILY |
JSP 7708 |
Volume 2, 1935-194 |
● CD $28.98 |
The second volume by this great pioneering group features
five CDs with 130 tracks recorded between 1935 and 1941.
|
| THE DELMORE BROTHERS |
JSP JSPCD 7727 |
Classic Cuts, 1933-1941 |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 87 tracks, essential
It's no wonder that the Delmore Brothers are so revered by country music
fans - the music they made was just so appealing with Alton and Rabon's
wonderful close and distinctive harmonies and their terrific intertwining
guitar work featuring Alton on lead and and Rabon on tenor guitar. Although
their late 40s and early 50s King sides are featured on a number of releases
this is the first in depth look at their earliest recordings with many
tracks making their first appearance on CD. Unlike many other brother groups
that relied on traditional and old popular songs for their repertoire most
of the Delmores songs were originals - mostly composed by Alton and includes
a mix of ballads, blues, gospel, novelty songs and more. Most of the tracks
are just the duo and their guitars and Alton lets loose with some hot guitar
solos on some of them. A few tracks feature the great fiddler Arthur Smith,
a few are with a small group and there are three tracks feature a fine and
unknown steel guitar - his playing on Scatterbrain Mama is
particularly fine. Among the songs here are such timeless classics as
Blue Railroad Train/ Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar/ Don't You See That Train,
and Brown's Ferry Blues. The Delmores were very popular and
influential and many of their songs frequently recorded by bluegrass and
traditional country acts today. Sound quality is generally excellent - notes
by Pat Harrison gives us the basic facts on the duos career but not much
more. (FS)
|
| THE DELMORE BROTHERS |
JSP JSPCD 7765 |
Volume 2 - The Later Years, 1933-1952 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD box set, 97 tracks, essential
Complementing JSP 7727 this is another fabulous collection of singing and
musicianship from this fabulous duo from Alabama. The first two dics, like
JSP 7727, features recordings made between 1933 and 1941 and between the two
sets cover most of, if not all, their recordings from this period. Most of
these are new to CD. The second two discs features 48 of their classic King
recordings cut between 1943 and 1952 and though many of these have been
reissued before, it's great to have them together here along with the
earlier sides. Many of 78s used here are from the collection of Joe Bussard
and sound quality is generally excellent with brief, but informative, notes
by Pat Harrison. (FS)
THE DELMORE BROTHERS: Ain’t It Hard To Love/ Alcatraz
Island Blues/ Baby You’re Throwing Me Down/ Barnyard Boogie/ Be My Little
Pet/ Blues Stay Away From Me/ Brother Take Warning/ Brown’s Ferry Blues/
Brown’s Ferry Blues No.3/ Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow/ By The Banks Of
The Rio Grande/ Calling To That Other Shore/ Carry Me Back To Alabama/ Don’t
Forget Me/ Don’t Forget Me Darling/ Don’t Let Me Be In The Way/ Down Home
Boogie/ Everybody Loves Her/ Fast Express/ Fifty Miles To Travel/ Freight
Train Boogie/ Gambler’s Yodel/ Gathering Flowers From The Hillside/ Goin’
Back To Georgia/ Goin’ Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains/ Gonna Lay Down My
Old Guitar No.2/ Good Time Saturday Night/ Harmonica Blues/ Heart Of Sorrow/
Hey, Hey I’m Memphis Bound/ Hillbilly Boogie/ Home On The River/ I Ain’t
Gonna Stay Here Long/ I Believe It For My Mother Told Me So/ I Don’t Know
Why I Love Her/ I Found An Angel/ I Guess I’ve Got To Be Going/ I Know I’ll
Be Happy In Heaven/ I Let The Freight Train Carry Me On/ I Loved You Better
Than You Know/ I Wonder Where My Darling Is Tonight/ I’ll Never Fall In Love
Again/ I’m Alabama Bound/ I’m Going Back To Alabama/ I’m Leavin’ You/ I’m
Leavin’ You/ I’m Lonesome Without You/ I’m Sorry I Caused You To Cry/ Just
The Same Sweet Thing To Me/ Kentucky Mountain/ Last Night I Was Your Only
Darling/ Leavin’ On That Train/ Lonely Moon/ Lonesome Day/ Look Up, Look
Down That Lonesome Road/ Memories Of My Carolina Girl/ Midnight Special/
Midnight Train/ Mississippi Shore/ Mobile Boogie/ My Home’s Across The Blue
Ridge Mountains/ New False Hearted Girl/ Nothing But The Blues/ Now I’m
Free/ Peach Tree Streeet Boogie/ Please Be My Sunshine/ Precious Jewel/
Prisoner’s Farewell/ Quit Treatin’ Me Mean/ Ramblin’ Minded Blues/ Remember
I Feel Lonesome Too/ Rounder’s Blues/ Shame On Me/ She Left Me Standing On
The Mountain/ She Won’t Be My Little Darling/ Some Of These Days You’re
Gonna Be Sad/ Somebody Else’s Darling/ Stop That Boogie/ Sweet, Sweet Thing/
Tennessee Choo Choo/ That’s How I Feel So Goodbye/ The Farmer’s Girl/ The
Fast Old Shovel/ The Girl By The River/ The Only Star/ The Storms Are On The
Ocean/ The Trail Of Time/ The Wabash Cannonball Blues/ The Wrath Of God/
There’s A Lonesome Road/ There’s Sumpin’ About Love/ Trouble Ain’t Nothin’
But The Blues/ Used Car Blues/ Waitin’ For That Train/ Who’s Gonna Be
Lonesome For Me/ Why Did You Leave Me Dear/ Wonderful There
|
| LESTER
FLATT & EARL SCRUGGS/ THE STANLEY
BROTHERS |
JSP JSPCD 7724 |
Selected Sides, 1947-1953 |
● CD $28.98 |
Four CD set with 94 tracks in all featuring some of the
earliest recordings by two of the greatest pioneer bluegrass groups. It
includes 42 tracks recorded by the Stanleys between 1947 and 1953 and 52 by
Flatt & Scruggs recorded between 1948 and 1952.
FLATT & SCRUGGS: Baby Blue Eyes/ Back to the Cross/
Bouquet in Heaven/ Brother, I'm Getting Ready to Go/ Come Back Darling/ Cora
Is Gone/ Doin' My Time/ Don't Get Above Your Raising/ Down the Road/ Earl's
Breakdown [Instrumental]/ Farewell Blues/ Flint Hill Special [Instrumental]/
Foggy Mountain Breakdown/ Get in Line Brothers/ God Loves His Children/ He
Took Your Place/ I'll Be Going to Heaven Sometime/ I'll Just Pretend/ I'll
Never Love Another/ I'll Never Shed Another Tear/ I'll Stay Around/ I'm
Going to Make Heaven My Home/ I'm Gonna Settle Down/ I'm Head Over Heels in
Love/ I'm Lonesome and Blue/ I'm Waiting to Hear You Call Me Darling/ I'm
Working on a Road/ I've Lost You/ If I Should Wander Back to You/ Is It Too
Late Now?/ Jimmie Brown the Newsboy/ My Cabin in Caroline/ My Darling's Last
Goodbye/ My Little Girl in Tennessee/ No Mother or Dad/ Old Home Town/ Old
Salty Dog Blues/ Over the Hills to the Poorhouse/ Pain in My Heart/ Pike
County Breakdown/ Preachin', Prayin', Singin'/ Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms/
So Happy I'll Be/ Somehow Tonight/ Take Me in a Lifeboat/ Thinking About
You/ Tis Sweet to Be Remembered/ We Can't Be Darlings Anymore/ We'll Meet
Again Sweetheart/ Why Did You Wander?/ Why Don't You Tell Me So?/ Will the
Roses Bloom (Where She Lies Sleeping)/ THE STANLEY BROTHERS: (Say) Won't You
Be Mine/ Angels Are Singing (In Heaven Tonight)/ Are You Just Waiting for
Me/ Death Is Only a Dream/ Dickson Country Breakdown/ Drunkard's Hell/
Fields Have Turned Brown/ Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet/ Girl
Behind the Bar/ Have You Someone (In Heaven Awaiting)/ Hey! Hey! Hey!/ I Can
Tell You the Time/ I Long to See the Old Folks/ I Love No One But You/ I'm
Lonesome Without You/ I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow/ It's Never Too Late/
Jealous Lover/ Let Me Be Your Friend/ Little Birdie/ Little Girl and the
Dreadful Snake/ Little Glass of Wine/ Little Glass of Wine/ Little Glass of
Wine/ Little Maggie/ Lonesome River/ Molly and Tenbrooks/ Mother No Longer
Awaits for Me at Home/ Old Home/ Our Darling's Gone/ Our Last Goodbye/
Poison Lies/ Pretty Polly/ Rambler's Blues/ Sweetest Love/ This Weary Heart
You Stole Away (Wake Up Sweetheart)/ Too Late to Cry/ Vision of Mother/
Wandering Boy/ We'll Be Sweethearts in Heaven/ White Dove
|
| FRANK
HUTCHISON/ KELLY HARRELL & MORE |
JSP JSPCD 7743 |
Worried Blues |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDS, 99 tracks, highly recommended
Another wonderful collection of old time country music from JSP featuring
artists based in Virginia. The first disc and part of the second features
the complete recordings of the brilliant singer/ guitarist and harmonica
player Frank Hutchison. Hutchison was a great singer and a superb guitarist
recorded between 1926 and 1929 with a varied repertoire ranging from blues
with slide guitar to old time ballads to an instrumental version of It's
Long Way To Tipperary. The rest of disc 2 and all of disc 3 features the
complete recordings of Kelly Harrell who played no instruments but was a
fine and engaging singer who concentrated on traditional style ballads
including a number that have become old time standards. Some of his
accompaniments are rather "square" but other feature fine old time
musicians. His recording of The Cuckoo Is A Fine Bird is a real gem
complete with cuckoo sound effects. The fourth disc includes two fine string
bands. There 12 tracks by the Tenneva Ramblers (The Grant Brothers) from the
Tennessee/ Virginia border region recorded in 1927/28. For a while the group
backed Jimmie Rodgers but, unlike Rodgers, nothing more was heard from them
after these sessions. The Blue Ridge Highballers, led by fiddler Charley La
Parde, are featured on 12 fine songs and tunes. Sound quality varies but is
generally excellent and there are informative notes by Pat Harrison. (FS)
THE BLUE RIDGE HIGHBALLERS: Darling Child/ Darneo/ Flop
Eared Mule/ Fourteen Days In Georgia/ Going Down To Lynchburg Town/ Green
Mountain Polka/ Round Town Girls/ Sandy River Belle/ Skidd More/ Soldier‘s
Joy/ Under The Double Eagle/ Wish To The Lord I Had Never Been Born/ KELLY
HARRELL: All My Sins Are Taken Away/ Be At Home Soon Tonight, My Dear Boy/
Beneath The Weeping Willow Tree/ Blue Eyed Ella/ Bright Sherman Valley/
Broken Engagement/ Butcher‘s Boy/ Butcher‘s Boy/ Bye And Bye You Will Soon
Forget Me/ Cave Love Has Gained The Day/ Charles Giteau/ Charley, He‘s A
Good Old Man/ Hand Me Down My Walking Cane/ Henry Clay Beattie/ I Have No
Loving Mother Now/ I Heard Somebody Call My Name/ I Love My Sweetheart The
Best/ I Want A Nice Little Fellow/ I Was Born About 10,000 Years Ago/ I Was
Born In Pennsylvania/ I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again/ I Wish I Was A
Single Girl Again/ In The Shadow Of The Pine/ I‘m Going Back To North
Carolina/ I‘m Nobody‘s Darling On Earth/ My Horses Ain‘t Hungry/ My Name Is
John Jo Hannah/ New River Train/ New River Train/ O! Molly Dear Go Ask Your
Mother/ Oh, My Pretty Monkey/ Peg And Awl/ Rovin‘ Gambler/ Rovin‘ Gambler/
Row Us Over The Tide/ Seven Long Years I‘ve Been Married/ She Has Gone And
Left Me/ She Just Kept Kissing On/ The Cuckoo She‘s A Fine Bird/ The Dying
Hobo/ The Henpecked Man/ The Wreck On The Southern Old 97/ Wild Bill Jones/
FRANK HUTCHISON: Alabama Girl, Ain‘t You Comin‘ Out Tonight?/ All Night
Long/ Back In My Home Town/ C&o Excursion/ Cannonball Blues/ Coney Isle/
Cumberland Gap/ Hell Bound Train/ Hutchison‘s Rag/ Johnny And Jane:1/ Johnny
And Jane:2/ K C. Blues/ Lightning Express/ Logan County Blues/ Long Way To
Tipperary/ Old Rachel/ Railroad Bill/ Stackalee (instrumental Version)/
Stackalee (vocal Version)/ The Boston Burglar/ The Burglar Man/ The
Chevrolet Six/ The Deal/ The Last Scene Of The Titanic/ The Miner‘s Blues/
The West Virginia Rag/ The Wild Horse/ Train That Carried The Girl From
Town/ Train That Carried The Girl From Town/ Wild Hogs In The Red Brush/
Worried Blues/ Worried Blues/ THE TENNEVA RAMBLERS: Darling Where Have You
Been So Long/ Goodbye My Honey I‘m Gone/ If I Die A Railroad Man/ I‘m Goin‘
To Georgia/ Johnson Boy/ Miss Lisa, Poor Girl/ Seven Long Years In Prison/
Sweet Heaven When I Die/ Tell It To Me/ The Curtains Of Night/ The Longest
Train I Ever Saw/ When A Man Is Married
|
| UNCLE DAVE MACON |
JSP JSPCD 7729 |
Classic Sides, 1924-1938 |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CD box, 100 tracks, essential ... but
A wonderful retrospective of recordings from the unlikely first star of the
Grand Old Opry, Uncle Dave Macon. Born in 1870 in Tennessee, he was a
waggoner until until age 50, when his prowess with
banjo and his earthy humour and showmanship led him first to vaudeville and
then to radio success. Uncle Dave had a vast repertoire including
traditional ballads, string band numbers, minstrel songs, gospel songs and
some wonderful topical numbers all of it suffused with Uncle Dave's
irrepressible good humor and enthusiasm featuring spoken asides and chuckles
that are a delight. About half the tracks are just Dave and his banjo or
with Sam McGhee/ guitar and the rest feature various accompaniments
including some truly wonderful sides with vocal and instrumental
accompaniments from Sam & Kirk McGhee and Mazy Todd that were issued as by
Uncle Dave Macon & His Fruit Jar Drinkers or (for the gospel songs) as The
Dixie Sacred Singers. There are also tracks with fiddle Sid Harkreader and
with The Delmore Brothers. Sound is generally excellent though the earliest
acoustically recorded sides which are particularly hard to master sound a
bit thin. Each CD comes with a four page booklet with notes by Pat Harrison
and discographical information. The reason for the "but" at the beginning of
this review is that at the end of June Bear Family will be releasing a box
set of Uncle Dave that will be the definitive reissue and will include ALL
of Uncle Dave's recording, is sure to have better sound, will include a 176
page hard cover book and will include a DVD which we don't have details on
yet. It will be a lot more expensive than this set but will be the one to
get if you can afford it - otherwise this set will give you a superb cross
section of his music. (FS)
|
| UNCLE DAVE MACON |
JSP JSPCD 7769 |
Volume 2: Classic Cuts, 1924-1938 |
● CD $28.98 |
4 CDs, 100 tracks, highly recommended, but ...
Complementing JSP 7729 this is the second volume devoted to this magnificent
old time performer and features all the rest of Uncle Dave's commercially
issued recordings. Uncle Dave was so good that if you can afford it then you
should get the Bear Family box set (BCD 15978 - $239.98) which has
everything that is on the JSP set plus unissued test pressings, home
recordings, a DVD featuring the 1940 movie "Grand Ole Opry" with two songs
by Dave and a 1876 page hard cover book with newly researched biography,
rare photos and full discographical info. If you can't afford it the two
sets on JSP make for a great alternative featuring Uncle Dave's vast
repertoire of traditional ballads, string band numbers, minstrel songs,
gospel songs and some wonderful topical numbers all of it suffused with
Uncle Dave's irrepressible good humor and enthusiasm featuring spoken asides
and chuckles that are a delight. About half the tracks are just Dave and his
banjo or with Sam McGhee/ guitar and the rest feature various accompaniments
including some truly wonderful sides with vocal and instrumental
accompaniments from Sam & Kirk McGhee and Mazy Todd that were issued as by
Uncle Dave Macon & His Fruit Jar Drinkers or (for the gospel songs) as The
Dixie Sacred Singers. There are also tracks with fiddler Sid Harkreader.
Rounding out this set are 19 tracks featuring Sam McGhee or the McGhee
Brothers who were long time close associates of Dave. Note that a number of
tracks feature derogatory racial epithets which seem particularly prevalent
on disc 2. (FS)
|
| BILL MONROE |
JSP JSPCD 7712 |
All The Classic Sides, 1937-1949 |
● CD $28.98 |
This is essentially a condensed version of Bear Family 16399
leaving out the alternate takes and the stupendous book and much cheaper.
The first two CDs feature all 60 duets recorded for Bluebird between 1936
and 1938 by Bill and his brother Charlie. The other two CDs feature all 16
of his seminal recordings from 1940 and '41 with his first band called The
Bluegrass boys plus all his classic Columbia sessions from 1945-49 with
sidemen like Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and other great
musicians.
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