Editorial Review

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Reviews (13)

Not Bad At All,
This is a pretty decent cd. The music is beautifully done and it is awesome. It might be a little slow, but it is relaxing. there is only one song i really liked on this cd and it is, Wich Of Couse, Amazing Grace.

Country at its best!
This Cd is awesome I've had it for quite some time. Shenandoah does one of my fav versions of Beulah Land. A blessing everytime I listen to it......STILL!

Slow, maybe,but Beautifully Slow
I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to hear "Amazing Grace" any other way but slow.Lari White sings it beautifully, with reverence.That's the way most of these tracks are.The females are the highlight.Lari White, Martina McBride, Susan Ashton, Allison Krause, and of course Emmylou. The production values are better than you can find on anycountry gospel album.I think Martina McBride's "How Great Thou Art" is being played on loudspeaker at the pearly gates for eternity.I'm not overly religious or emotional, but this album sooths my soul and brings a tear to my eye. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. CCM    2. Contemporary Country    3. Country    4. Country Collections    5. Gospel/Christian Music    6. New Traditionalist    7. Pop    8. Progressive Country    9. Religious / Contemp. Christian   

Reviews (7)

Not Too Bad,
The Fisrt cd is alot better than this one, but this one is still okay. I only Liked one song on this disc and it is. Track 4. Will The Circle Be Unbroken/I'll Fly Away/ Jesus Loves Me. Don't get me wrong the music is beautiful, but i think the first one is alot better.

Definately A Keeper CD
Awesome.... Again! Power In The Blood, such a blessing! I've had this cd since the release date... Still one I play often!

My personal favorite
A beautiful CD, and my personal favorite.This CD was a tremendous comfort to me and my family after the loss of my brother.We had selections played at his services that held special meaning for us, and made his passing easier to accept.Beautiful, Soothing, Comforting, Worshipful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. CCM    3. Contemporary Bluegrass    4. Contemporary Country    5. Country    6. Country Collections    7. Country Gospel    8. Fusion    9. Gospel/Christian Music    10. Pop    11. Post-Bop    12. Progressive Bluegrass    13. Progressive Country    14. Religious / Contemp. Christian    15. Singer/Songwriter    16. Traditional Bluegrass   

Reviews (2)

columbia classics Vol 1
I was born in 1931 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvina.That was way before TV.I remember all these artists and the songs.When they were appearing in Pittsburgh or Wheeling West Virginia (The WWVA Jamboree) I would be right there in the front row.I loved the music when it was Hillbilly, then country western and than The Nashville Sound.
A perfect Appalachian honeymoon soundtrack
We bought this - on cassette - in Washington DC on our first day of honeymoon in September 1997. Having flown from Northern Ireland, it provided us with the perfect honeymoon soundtrack as we drove fromWashington to Nashville, along the Skyline drive, down through South WestVirginia, across Eastern Kentucky to Berea, and down to Smoky MountainsNational Park in Tennessee. We are from an Ulster-Scots/Scotch-Irishbackground, and during those three weeks we fell in love with the land thatour forebears had settled in so many centuries before, bringing thierfiddles and folk songs with them, creating what was the core of mountainold-time music and bluegrass. From the Carter Family right through, everysong is a classic. You must buy this! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 30's    2. 40's    3. Bluegrass    4. Country    5. Country & Western    6. Country Collections    7. Cowboy    8. Honky Tonk    9. Old-Timey    10. Pop    11. Traditional Bluegrass    12. Traditional Country    13. Western Swing   

Editorial Review

For whatever reason, the so-called "Lost Provinces" of NorthCarolina--Ashe, Watauga, and Alleghany Counties--were a breeding groundfor fantastic string bands in the late '20s. Maybe it was the isolatedand tough nature of the region that inspired folks to turn to music. Orperhaps all those enterprising record companies were eager to signold-time musicians. Whatever the case, the talent on this anthology ofvintage 78 records is astounding and, at times, surprising. Is itpossible, for instance, to listen to the Woodie Brothers sing "LikesLikker Better Than Me"--a woman's lament for her alcoholic loveinterest--with a straight face? Probably not. And why the heck did JackReedy & His Walker Mountain String Band use a Hawaiian guitar for theintro to "Chinese Breakdown"? Don't worry, there's also plenty ofstraightforward and memorable string band music here from the likes ofGrayson & Whitter, Frank Blevins, the Smyth County Ramblers, and more. Throughout, you'llhear incredible old-time guitar, fiddle, and (thanks to Jack Reedy)banjo playing on a thoroughly engaging collection of laments,traditional tunes, and at least one presidential campaign number("Governor Al Smith For President"). As with Old Hat's Read more

Reviews (8)

great old-time music
Excellent collection of old-time stringband music. You may not like every song on the album but it is a great assortment of many different styles of playing and singing. A "must have"
Super-cool, super rare old-timey music
It's pretty amazing, this late in the folkloric/historic reissues game, to find a whole album's worth of "undiscovered" old-timey music that is of such a high caliber.Old Hat Records, a tiny North Carolina indie label, packs its discs with some of the best music in the style that you're ever likely to hear.(You might also want to check out the "Violin, Sing For Me" and "Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow" CDs...)This disc concentrates its attention geographically, collecting old 78s from artists out of Ashe County, NC, one of those backwoods areas unusually rich in hillbilly talent.The best known of these artists was the team of Grayson & Whitter (who were favorites of Ralph Stanley), but there are plenty of other great Ashe County artists on here, with fab names like The Woodies, The Carolina Night Hawks and (my favorite) Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands. In addition to great sound quality and great material, both discs are also quite handsomely packaged; the insert booklets include some really cool archival photos, as well as extensive liner notes of the sort that have been woefully absent on similar recent reissue efforts.

Astonishing
Sure, this CD probably isn't for everyone.If you like your music produced in such a way so that all the life, soul, and passion is drowned out in a slick, radio friendly sound, that makes it sound like everything else on the radio you need to steer very clear of this one.But if you like your music real, exciting, and full of life, snatch this one up pronto.Read more

Subjects:  1. Country Traditional Collections    2. Folksongs    3. Old-Timey    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Traditional Folk   

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Bluegrass Collections    3. Country    4. Pop    5. Progressive Bluegrass    6. Traditional Bluegrass    7. Traditional Country    8. Traditional Folk   

Subjects:  1. Blues Gospel    2. Blues Music    3. Country    4. Country Collections    5. Gospel    6. Pop   

Editorial Review

The best tribute albums take well-known material and reinvent it as new--albeit with care and respect for the original intent. On that level, Read more

Reviews (4)

A well done tribute to real country music
This is a excellent cd . I can put it on and never have to skip one track . That's a rarity now days . A slightly woozy notion of "tradition" has some success
Twelve great artists of today! Twelve classic songs of yesterday! Putting aside the hint of self-congratulatory back-patting and slightly woozy notion of "tradition," a great singer plus a great song stillequals a great spin, and this disc features several. There is no such thing as "too country"!
I am writing this review before I own this album--I heard it tonight for the first time, and the Doug Stone cut blew me away!Gone Out of My Mind brings to mind "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and a lot of othersad country songs I've heard over the years.Since I don't own the CDyet(I'm ordering it right now!!), I don't even know who wrote thissong--but anybody that's ever cried over a good Merle or George song canappreciate the emotions behind the lyrics of this song.I also loved TraceAdkins' version of "I Never Go Around Mirrors".This album isnot perfect, and it may have been conceived by a marketing major, but thethrust behind the music on this album is unchanged and unaltered from thedays when "country" music was actually different from all therest.As a lover of all music, especially a good sad song--I recommendthis album as a primer for young fans of "new" country.Theyhave already shown some taste, now we just have to urge them on in theright direction.Thanks for listening to me, and thanks in advance forlistening to really great music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Contemporary Bluegrass    3. Contemporary Country    4. Country    5. Country & Western    6. Country Collections    7. Country-Folk    8. Country-Pop    9. Country-Rock    10. Honky Tonk    11. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    12. Neo-Traditionalist Country    13. New Traditionalist    14. Pop    15. Progressive Bluegrass    16. Traditional Bluegrass    17. Traditional Country   

Reviews (1)

These Legendary Ladies Still Sing Great!!
Four Grand Ole Opry "divas" together in one package!!Although recorded long after the apex of their careers as 1960s/70s hit makers, they sound as great as ever.I was a little dissappointed that they didn't pitch in and sing background vocals for each other's tracks but the productions are first-rate.(I also find the billing on the CD a bit curious because it's neither alphabetical or in ranking order of who had the biggest careers). Jean Shepard, by far the "countriest" of the four stars (she yodels on two of her four tracks), sings three of her biggest hits (including the classics "A Satisfied Mind" and "Slippin' Away") and a song called "Chime Bells", which features considerable yodeling. Shepard buffs will love that track but others might feela more conventional country song would have fit in this collection better.Jeannie Seely sings four of her hits including Grammy winner "Don't Touch Me" and her 'comeback' hit "Can I Sleep in Your Arms".All four Seely tracks are bluesy-flavored ballad country; I would have liked to have heard one of her uptempo performances on this disc or at least a hit with a different style, such as "Lucky Ladies".Skeeter Davis sings four of her hits including one of country's most legendary songs, "The End of the World"; her voice seems astonishingly young here and she was well into her 60's!!!Jan Howard, one of the finest singers ever, sings three hits and a new song, "Memories for Sale" that I didn't care for that much.I would have loved to have her one of her classics from the past like "Love is Like a Spinning Wheel" instead. These small criticisms aside, these four ladies remain in extraordinarily fine voice and it's nice to see some women stars from country music's past get a bit of acknowledgement and not just Kitty, Patsy, Loretta, and Tammy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 50's    2. 60's    3. Country    4. Country-Pop    5. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    6. Pop    7. Popular Music    8. Traditional Country   

Reviews (2)

Rocking and Irreverent yet Classic and Fun
I am not a country fan, and yet I found that I liked this CD instantly.The music is fun and certainly breaks the limits of traditional country and the country flavored pop that is now called country.There are groups on this CD that I have never heard of, and perhaps that is all to the better because these groups are talented and unfettered.At first listen the music on this CD sounds like traditional bluegrass flavored country.However, you quickly realize that the words used in many of the lyrics are frequently the type of colorful words that are better suited to a bar or a hockey game than a casual family listen.Other than the occasional use of four letter words, my initial assessment was that this music sounds like country if The Grateful Dead were going to play country.Of course, such generalizations are easy but are typically inaccurate.
THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD
Insurgent Country, Vol. 1: For A Life Of Sin. THE FIRST RECORD EVER RELEASED ON BLOODSHOT RECORDS. THE RECORD THAT STARTED THIS WHOLE ALTERNA-COUNTY THING. THE RECORD THAT WILL STAND AS A CLASSIC YEARS FROM NOW. I'VE HAD THIS MONSTER 4 YEARS NOW AND IT STILL GETS PLAYED ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK (AND I HAVE 4,000+ LPS AND CDS, BABY). AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC ON EVERY LEVER, THE FLOW AND MIX IS FLAWLESS, PUT TOGETHER WITH LOVE AND IT SHOWS. SOUNDS GREAT ON A PORCH, IN A CAR, ON A DISCMAN, ANYWHERE. THIS CD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT RARE KIND OF DELERIUM THAT SETS IN WHEN A RECORD IS SO, SO VERY GOOD THAT YOU END UP SELLING LOADS OF JIVE RECORDS SO YOU CAN MAKE ROOM FOR ANYTHING ON THE LABEL. HAVING COLLECTED MOST EVERYTHING THAT BLOODSHOT HAS POOPED OUT I CAN TELL YOU. THERE IS NOT A BUM NOTE IN THE LABEL'S HISTORY! I PUT THIS THIRD ON MY FAVORITE BLOODSHOT RECORDS LIST, RIGHT BEHIND THE MOONSHINE WILLIE DEBUT AND THE GRIEVOUS ANGELS DEBUT. FLAWLESS MUSIC THAT WILL BOTH MOVE YOU AND ROCK YOU. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. Alternative Country    4. Alternative Country-Rock    5. Americana    6. Country    7. Country & Western    8. Indie Rock    9. Neo-Traditional Folk    10. Pop    11. Rock/Pop Collections    12. V/a Compilations   

Subjects:  1. Country   

Editorial Review

Right there on the cover, Johnny Cash calls these sessions "the single most important event in the history of country music," and it's hard to argue with him. Sure, there'd been "Southern" music recordings before these, and of course the music itself had existed for decades. But when Victor executive Ralph Peer went to Bristol, Tennessee, for two weeks in the summer of 1927, he not only jump-started the hillbilly music market, he basically defined the parameters of what would come to be called country music. Peer ran what amounted to an open-mike recording session, inviting any and all rural musicians to record their renditions of hillbilly music: gospels and blues, fiddle and banjo tunes, old-time mountain ballads. He recorded 19 acts (all of whom are represented in this collection), among them Ernest Stoneman and the Johnson Brothers, who were both established recording artists at the time. He also unearthed the two most significant country stars of the day--Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family--as well as the protest singer Blind Alfred Reed. What's most amazing is that even the lesser-known musicians offer performances as engaging as those legendary figures do: the commanding gospel of Kentucky preacher Alfred Karnes, accompanied by his own distinctive harp-guitar; the modal blues of banjo player B.F Shelor; the harmonica showcase of Henry Whitter; the rich a cappella harmonies of the Alcoa Quartet; the spritely fiddle work of Charles McReynolds, grandfather of future bluegrass stars Jim and Jesse. Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued

Reviews (4)

The Bristol Sessions
This set is required listening (and owning) for anyone interested in American traditional folk music and/or country music before Nashville. Only 80% or so of the recordings are absolute gems, but pople can disagree about which cuts aren't gems. These recordings are touted as "the birth of country music". While that's pretty silly, it's not all that far from the truth. The recordings here give a wonderful picture of the state of mountain music within 100 miles of around Bristol -- from eastern KY to around Galax, VA, to southern WV and western NC, to east TN. Even what I think of as the duds are interesting and good music. You'll find the raw power of Alfred Karnes, the sweetness of the Carter Family, Nestor and Edmonds walking down from the mountains, and the jazzy modernity of Jimmie Rodgers and the Tenneva Ramblers. It's a wonderful panoramic view of great music.

Superb Stuff
What a brilliant collection.The items by the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers are familiar.But the others, except for Blind Alfred Reed's 'Wreck of the Virginian', are new to me.And the majority really are very good.Uncle Eck Dunford's 'Skip to Ma Lou' gets the set off to a rollicking start, and the quality never lets up.Henry Whitter's harmonica playing is a revelation, and the various numbers by Ernest Stoneman reach the high standard expected of this fine traditional musician.For me, the high spot is the singing of Alfred G Karnes. What a superb voice this Kentucky preacher had.And his simple accompaniment on his Gibson harp-guitar complements his singing perfectly.This is the fountainhead of country music.And the sound quality is pretty good too - much better than might be expected from discs cut on primitive equipment at the dawn of the electrical recording era in a temporary studio set up in a one time furniture store.If you have any interest in country music, buy this and see where it all started.You won't be disappointed.

the genesis of american country music!
These recordings (including the first by Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family) mark the moment when folk music became country music (pre-Nashville).Anyone who enjoyed Harry Smith's Anthology of AmericanFolk Music will love this record! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. Appalachian Folk    4. British Folk    5. Country    6. Country & Western    7. Country Traditional Collections    8. Folksongs    9. Old-Timey    10. Pop    11. Singer/Songwriter    12. String Bands    13. Traditional Country    14. Traditional Folk   

Editorial Review

Though it includes no Merle Haggard hits and no Buck Owens at all, this compilation documents Bakersfield's bare-bones, honky-tonk sound--crackling guitars and steels, busy fiddles, high harmonies--that thrived for roughly two decades beginning in the early '50s, and was eventually considered a serious threat to Nashville. Artists range from the off-the-wall Tommy Collins to the deeply soulful Rose Maddox. Other highlights include the bluegrass-inflected "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" from Joe Maphis and Rose Lee; the lovely, devotional "Waltz of the Angels" by Wynn Stewart; the hillbilly boogie of the Farmer Boys' "Humdinger"; and the hard truckin' of Red Simpson's "Highway Patrol." Nearly everything has a little swing and a lot of drive. Dwight Yoakam helped refocus attention on this renegade brand of country, but there's no better introduction than this compilation. Read more

Reviews (3)

A Little Fun
"Swingwest! Volume 1 Bakersfield" is an excellent collection covering a 20-year period from 1951-1971 with emphasis on the 50s and early 60s.There are so many gems.Tommy Collins who has a new compilation released this year has two gems."You Better Not Do That" from 1953 is a delightful flirtatious nugget with Collins' aw-shucks talk-sing, "When I was a little older I went to the country dance, I went to have a little fun; I wasn't thinkin' about romance; but the dim lights just lured them on & they snuggled up to me; I knew I couldn't last too long 'cause I'm human, you see."Collins is also represented by "What'cha Gonna Do Now?" another lesson in romance.The classic "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)" by Joe Maphis & Rose Lee is another classic country track lamenting the honky-tonk life.Bobby Austin's "Apartment #9" is a classic weeper that Tammy Wynette also recorded, "Loneliness surrounds me without your arms around me; And the sun will never shine in Apartment #9."Merle Haggard & Buck Owens are the two most famous artists associated with the Bakersfield sound.Merle & the Strangers have two tracks in this set."Sing A Sad Song" from 1963 is a classic pedal steel drenched weeper."Please Mr. D.J." is a midtempo weeper recorded a year later with Merle's tear-in-your beer vocals in full sob mode, "You won't have to call her name, she'll know it's meant for her, Play me that song of sadness & I'll be grateful to you sir."Rose Maddox is a powerful country queen with 3 tracks represented including "Kissing My Pillow" which is a classic heartbreak love song.On "Sing A Little Song of Heartache," Rose's most successful single, the music sounds happy while the lyric is blue."SwingWest!" is an excellent volume for those of us who love classic country.Most of the tracks were recorded for Capital or Tally labels and shows that good music never goes out of fashion.Enjoy!

The roots of the Bakersfield Sound sound great!
While Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam have the most famous names, California's been the adopted home of innovative country artists since the dustbowl drove Okies west. From the honky-tonks of Bakersfield,to the guitar pyrotechnics of Speedy West and Joe Maphis, to the vibrantswing scene of 1940s Los Angeles, California often led Nashville with newinstrumentation, musical composites and lyrical ideas. Though far fromdefinitive - it's only 3 CDs, after all - this set provides a superbintroduction to the many facets of West Coast country. A fine sampling of the essense of "Bakersfield Sound."
If, as a teen in the 1950's, you ever walked passed a bar on a hot afternoon and smelled beer and stale smoke wafting from the darkness and heard songs like the ones on "Swing West! Volume 1. Bakersfield,"and thought, "By gosh, I can't wait 'til I grow up so I can go inthere, buy a beer and listen to that music," then here's the CDthat'll take you there. Any reference to, or talk of, the "BakersfieldSound" is so dominated by the two giants of that sound, Merle Haggardand Buck Owens, that most listeners can't get a sense of what Haggard andOwens leaned on musically from the area, what was around them andinfluenced them.It was this; what's in this CD.A few cuts are almosttoo familiar, played to death at the time.Songs like "It's Such aPretty World, " and "Gone."Merle's first, best, and greatshot at stardom, "Sing a Sad Song," is here.In hisautobiography Haggard said he knew if given the opportunity to record thissong, it would be a hit; when you hear the range, power and nuance in hisdelivery you know it too. One of the top 5 classic country songs of alltime is included, "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, LoudMusic)."Heartfelt harmonies, simple, direct and unencumbered, abeautiful and effective song through and through.Wynn Stewarts'magnificent vocals are displayed in, "The Waltz of the Angels." There's a couple of Tommy Collins songs that might give you the willies. Or maybe just one of them will.Rose Maddox delivers two greatBakersfield-style songs, and one clunker, "Sing a Little Song ofHeartache," that should have been left off this CD. Merle Haggardsings the dead-on, "Please Mr DJ" that will make you want to popa cool one the second he kicks it off. The perpetually silly, "I'm aTruck" by Red Simpson is on this set but then so is "The HighwayPatrol," and comparing it to Junior Brown's cover is deja vu all overagain. Finally, the true essense of the CD comes through in the steelguitar intro of "Apartment #9" and so do visions of poor TammyWynette, bless her.She certainly didn't have to go much further to findthe soul of this song since author Bobby Austin's version has it blatantlybared throughout the tune. It must have been things like the unabashed,heart-busting steel guitar style of the Bakersfield sound that sointimidated the Nashville establishment at the time.It's no secret thatthe Bakersfield sound was looked down upon and dismissed by Nashville inthose days.Although it did fade away or was assimilated, it's mark andinfluence are still definitely present.Even if used in the context, asthis reviewer does, in comparing the low quality and triteness of today'scountry music to that of classic Bakersfield. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bakersfield Sound    2. Country    3. Country & Western    4. Country Collections    5. Honky Tonk    6. Pop    7. Traditional Country   

Reviews (9)

As good as it gets in old-time country music
I bought this CD based solely on the apparent theme (old-time country music) and Tim O'Brien's participation. It has since become one of my favorites. This is a collection of tunes from America's Scots/Irish and English immigrant past along with a few originals which are indistinguishable from "the real thing." The tunes range from straight ahead fiddle and banjo tunes with roots in European folk music to beautiful gospel harmony songs. I'd never heard of Tim's collaborators Dirk Powell and John Herrmann before, but they are clearly very talented musicians and songwriters. This collection was apparently inspired by a novel called "Cold Mountain" but you don't have to know anything about the book to enjoy the music. Alot of this music has a mournful quality, but it's uplifting at the same time. I would recommend this CD to anyone interested in what rural American music played by Anglo/Celtic immigrants in the 1800s and later probably sounded like. This is the music that spawned bluegrass (and many of these tunes remain in the bluegrass repertoire), but it is definitely distinct from the hard-driving music that we now think of as bluegrass. People who liked the soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" would definitely like this. Other people (like me), who thought that there were many other even better performances unheard by the millions, will really like "Songs from the Mountain." Heck, if you like "roots" music of any kind, you'll probably like this CD. As an aside, Tim O'Brien has done more to promote great acoustic music and awareness of traditional American music than anyone else I can think of and he deserves recognition for that. The guy is just great!

best cd i own!
all i can say is that this cd is the best one i have ever owned.it surpasses everything else in my collection due to selection of songs, amazing voices and deft instrumentation.'wayfarin' stranger' reduced my father-in-law to tears once bc the song was played at his daddy's funeral and this cd does the song so hauntingly well. 'skillet good and greasy' is fun and catchy.and the stephen foster tune 'hard times' is sung beautifully.all the instrumentals are played excpetionally well too.you'll never tire of this music if you enjoy bluegrass.

I PLAY THIS CD CONSTANTLY
I loved the book, COld Mountain, and I love Tim O'Brien.A few years back, listening to Tim live in JohnnyD's, a Boston-area music club, I shared a table with another musician, Taylor Armiding, who said, "Timjust isn't wired like the rest of us."And he isn't: he's somethingspecial.Traditional music occasionally loses ground to the next newthing, but there is something special about music that rests on richcultural heritage.Tim captured the music that must have been in CharlesFrazier's head while he wrote his novel and wrote new music in that samespirit. We always need to remember where we came from and Tim -- certainlya man who lives in the present and who has written wonderful songs aboutthe modern condition -- does that. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Country-Rock    2. Bluegrass    3. Contemporary Folk    4. Country    5. Country & Western    6. Country-Folk    7. Neo-Traditional Folk    8. Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (1)

Library of Congress Archive
The 13 tracks on this CD have been selected from the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture where recordings are stored of cowboys and old cattlemen singing these songs from the Texas cattle trails years ago.Thesingers are not professional singers, they are men who knew the cattle andthe hardship of the old drives.You liked LONESOME DOVE?These are thesongs those men would sing.I am 66 and a native Texan; my grandfather wasa trail-driver and sang these songs to me when I was a child.The music isauthentic, sentimental, sometimes funny.There are even cattle callsincluded.An excellent record. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Country & Western    2. Country Collections    3. Cowboy    4. Folk & Traditional    5. Pop   

Reviews (1)

Amazing Country Gospel
I liked the first song by the Jordanaires, but the others were not what I expected.Too many solos with little backup if any.I was very diappointed with the CD. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country & Western    3. Country Gospel    4. Country-Pop    5. Gospel    6. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    7. Pop    8. Traditional Country    9. Traditional Gospel    10. Urban Cowboy   

Editorial Review

This compilation from the darker strains of classic country provides an antidote to the sanitized, suburbanized fare that Nashville favors today. From Faron Young's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" credo through Tex Ritter's lethally deranged "Blood on the Saddle," the selections celebrate a musical multitude of sins. The most homicidally serious highlights are Johnny Paycheck's "(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone To Kill" and the Louvin Brothers' "Knoxville Girl," which make some of the rest (particularly Spade Cooley's "You Clobbered Me") sound like novelty toss-offs in comparison. Wanda Jackson's deliciously bad-girl cover of "Riot in Cell Block Number Nine" rocks harder than anything by the boys. Read more

Reviews (2)

Terrific and Bizarre
This one is surely not for all tastes, but if you want music from the traditional sounding and bloody-themed side of country, here is the sampler to get.Judging by the stylings and sound,you would think all the cuts date from about the mid- to late-fifties, but some of them are significantly newer.A few are sheer novelty, including Downtown Poker Club, You Clobbered Me (sung by an unidentified female vocalist, but credited to Spade Cooley who, as the CD liner notes and every review -- mine too! -- can't resist noting, later beat his wife to death.Without that life imitating art twist, this tune surely and deservedlywould never have been heard again), and Shootout at the Rocket Club.You get the old chestnuts in Folsom Prison Blues -- always worth hearing of course --, Hank Thompson's version of Cocaine Blues and a lesser known Marty Robbins song, Big Iron.Merle Haggard's Branded Man is a flat-out classic, as is wild Wanda's Riot in Cell Block Number Nine.The three songs that give the CD its most chilling edge are Johnny Paycheck's matter-of-fact (Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill, in which a guy finishes drinking at a bar and announces to all that he's now going off to shoot his wife and her lover, Tex Ritter's truly bizarre Blood on the Saddle, wherein a cowboy is crushed by his horse, and the Louvin Brothers' Knoxville Girl, the tale of a young man who kills his sweetheart for no apparent reason at all during a Sunday walk, throws her body in the river, and explains away all the blood on his clothes to his mother by saying he "was bleeding from the nose."The version is based on an old English folk song and very strong stuff.One listens in kind of amazement to this sometimes powerful, sometimes mindless CD and wonders how and why Nashville ever let itself become the purveyor of the homogenized pap it spews out today.

Kick ass Country from it's glory days!
Killer compilation of old country songs.I'd never heard "Pardon Me I've got Someone to Kill".There's some incredible Merle Haggard and other stuff on here too.This is the real deal from the 50s.These guyswere so cool. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bakersfield Sound    2. Country    3. Country & Western    4. Country Collections    5. Country-Pop    6. Cowboy    7. Honky Tonk    8. Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan    9. Pop    10. Rockabilly    11. Traditional Country   

Reviews (1)

Blues and Hokum from Dallas, Texas
The title of the album as it appears here is misleading. The Actual title is "Black Country dance music". Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Pop    5. Texas Blues   

Subjects:  1. Bluegrass    2. Folk & Traditional    3. Folk Collections    4. Old-Timey    5. Pop    6. Traditional Folk   

Subjects:  1. Country    2. Country & Western    3. Old-Timey    4. Pop    5. String Bands    6. Traditional Bluegrass    7. Traditional Country   

Reviews (4)

SO much fun!
Don't think too much about it -- just listen, get up and shuffle your feet around!I hope a new generation will rediscover these gems.

Buy It
If you are new to western swing or you're as old as dirt buy this here CD.As said, very good sound quality.I particularly like Curley Williams & His Georgia Peach Pickers (he was a friend of Hank Williams).Thiscollection is an excellent example of how `hillbilly" was drinking from thesame jug as R&B.

HILLBILLY BOOGIE IS A MUST HAVE--BUY IT TODAY!!!
I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN WHEN REVIEWING THIS CD. ALL OF THE SELECTIONS ON HILLBILLY BOOGIE ARE EXCELLENT. THE SOUND QUALITY IS GREAT. SOME OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES ARE: (1) TAKE IT AWAY, LEON (2) HAMBURGER HOP(3) GEORGIA BOOGIE (4) FIDDLIN BOOGIE (5) GET YOUR KICKS (FROM THE COUNTRYHICKS) (6) NEW BROOM BOOGIE (7) SALTY BOOGIE. ON MANY OCCASIONS I PUT THESESELECTIONS ON THE REPEAT FUNCTION OF MY CD PLAYER AND LISTEN TO THEM ASMANY AS 6 OR 7 TIMES. THEY ARE THAT GOOD AND I NEVER TIRE OF THEM. I WAS SOAFRAID I MIGHT RUIN THE CD BY LISTENING TO IT SO MUCH, THAT I BOUGHT ANEXTRA COPY, JUST IN CASE. IF YOU BUY THIS CD, I'M SURE YOU WILL FEEL THESAME WAY. SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT HAS DONE A VERY NICE JOB IN THISCOMPILATION OF CLASSIC COUNTRY AND WESTERN TUNES. IF ANYONE READING THISKNOWS OF OTHER WESTERN SWING CD'S WORTH BUYING, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AND LET MEKNOW. I ALSO HAVE OTHERS IN MY COLLECTION AS WELL THAT I CAN RECOMMEND.E-MAIL ME ATSSUTTON55@WEBTV.NET ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 40's    2. 50's    3. 60's    4. Country    5. Country & Western    6. Country Boogie    7. Country Traditional Collections    8. Pop    9. Traditional Country    10. Western Swing