North Country

North Country

North Country

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A delightful introduction to a marvelous group. Cookie Rankin sings the melancholy alto lead on the separation ballad, "Borders and Time;" Raylene lends her high soprano to the pastoral paean, "Gillis Mountain;" and Heather belts out "Fisherman's Son." All three sisters are standout lead singers, and when they blend voices on the old Irish folk songs, "My Nut Brown Maiden" and "Tell My Ma," they're overpowering. Fiddler/pianist John Morris Rankin is the family's instrumental whiz who leads the way on a medley of reels. The group's most crucial talent, though, is Jimmy Rankin, who has written some of the finest folk-pop songs of the '90s, both love ballads like "Fare Thee Well" and working-class laments like "Tramp Miner" and "Orangedale Whistle." --Geoffrey Himes

North Country,The Rankin Family,Angel Records,Contemporary Folk,Country,Folk,Pop,Popular Music
The Carter Family: 1927-1934
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Indispensable
  • Carter Family CD boxed set
  • An Excellent Collection Of Songs By One Of The Great Bands In All Of American Music
  • Pure, Uncontaminated Music
  • RURAL TREASURES
 The Carter Family: 1927-1934
The Carter Family
Manufacturer: Jsp Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
Old-Time CountryOld-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
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AppalachianAppalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Country | Box Sets | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Volume 2: 1935-1941
  2. Recordings 1927-1933
  3. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music
  4. Can the Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family
  5. The Carter Family - Will the Circle Be Unbroken

ASIN: B00005TPB7
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Tracks:

  1. Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
  2. Little Log Cabin By The Sea
  3. The Poor Orphan Child
  4. The Storms Are On The Ocean
  5. Single Girl, Married Girl
  6. The Wandering Boy
  7. Meet Me By The Moonlight, Alone
  8. Little Darling, Pal Of Mine
  9. Keep On The Sunny Side
  10. Anchored In Love
  11. John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
  12. I Ain't Goin' To Work Tomorrow
  13. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone
  14. River Of Jordan
  15. Chewing Gum
  16. Wildwood Flower
  17. I Have No-One To Love Me (But The Sailor On The Deep Blue Sea)
  18. Forsaken Love
  19. Sweet Fern
  20. My Clinch Mountain Home
  21. God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign
  22. I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
  23. Little Moses
  24. Lulu Wall
  25. The Grave On The Green Hillside

Tracks:

  1. Don't Forget This Song
  2. The Foggy Mountain Top
  3. Bring Back My Blue-Eyed Boy To Me
  4. Diamonds In The Rough
  5. Engine One-Forty-Three
  6. The Homestead On The Farm
  7. The Cyclone Of Rye Cove
  8. Motherless Children
  9. When The Roses Bloom In Dixieland
  10. No Telephone In Heaven
  11. Western Hobo
  12. Carter's Blues
  13. Wabash Cannonball
  14. A Distant Land To Roam
  15. Jimmie Brown The Newsboy
  16. Kitty Waltz
  17. Fond Affection
  18. The Cannonball
  19. The Lover's Farewell
  20. There's Someone Awaiting For Me
  21. The Little Log Hut In The Lane
  22. When The Springtime Comes Again
  23. When The World's On Fire
  24. I Have An Aged Mother
  25. Dying Soldier
  26. Worried Man Blues

Tracks:

  1. Lonesome Valley
  2. On The Rock Where Moses Stood
  3. Room In Heaven For Me
  4. Lonesome Pine Special
  5. No More The Moon Shines On Lorena
  6. On My Way To Canaan's Land
  7. Where Shall I Be?
  8. Sow 'Em On The Mountain
  9. Darling Nellie Across The Sea
  10. The Birds Were Singing Of You
  11. Weary Prodigal Son
  12. My Old Cottage Home
  13. When I'm Gone
  14. Sunshine In The Mountain
  15. Let The Church Roll On
  16. Lonesome For You
  17. Can't Feel At Home
  18. Why There's A Tear In My Eye
  19. The Wonderful City
  20. Jimmie Rodgers Visits The Carter Family
  21. The Carter Family And Jimmie Rodgers In Texas
  22. 'Mid The Green Fields Of Virginia
  23. Happiest Days Of All
  24. Picture On The Wall
  25. Amber Tresses

Tracks:

  1. I Never Loved But One
  2. Tell Me That You Love Me
  3. Where We'll Never Grow Old
  4. We Will March Through The Streets Of The City
  5. Sweet As The Flowers In Maytime
  6. Will The Roses Bloom In Heaven
  7. My Little Home In Tennessee
  8. The Sun Of The Soul
  9. If One Won't, Another One Will
  10. Broken Hearted Love
  11. Two Sweethearts
  12. The Winding Stream
  13. I Wouldn't Mind Dying
  14. The Spirit Of Love Watches Over Me
  15. The Church In The Wildwood
  16. Give Me Roses While I Live
  17. I Will Never Marry
  18. On The Sea Of Galilee
  19. Home By The Sea
  20. I Loved You Better Than You Knew
  21. This Is Like Heaven To Me
  22. See That My Grave Is Kept Green
  23. Over The Garden Wall
  24. Gold Watch And Chain
  25. Will My Mother Know Me There?

Tracks:

  1. On A Hill Lone And Gray
  2. Cowboy Jack
  3. I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
  4. Away Out On The Old Saint Sabbath
  5. Happy Or Lonesome
  6. One Little Word
  7. Darling Daisies
  8. The East Virginia Blues
  9. Lovers Return
  10. It'll Aggravate Your Soul
  11. Hello Central! Give Me Heaven
  12. I'm Working On A Building
  13. You've Been Fooling Me, Baby
  14. Longing For Old Virginia
  15. March Winds Goin' To Blow My Blues All Away
  16. There'll Be Joy, Joy, Joy
  17. Are You Tired Of Me, My Darling
  18. My Heart's Tonight In Texas
  19. There's No Hiding Place Down Here
  20. Cowboy's Wild Song To His Herd
  21. The Evening Bells Are Ringing
  22. The Mountains Of Tennessee
  23. I'll Be Home Some Day
  24. Faded Coat Of Blue
  25. Sailor Boy

Product Description

Among the 127 tracks on these albums are:Little Log Cabin By The Sea, Keep On The Sunny Side, The Foggy Mountain Top, Engine 143, Western Hobo, Wabash Cannonball, Jimmy Brown The Newsboy, The Lover's Farewell, Worried Man Blues, Lonesome Pine Special, My Old Cottage Home, The Wonderful City, Broken Hearted Love, and Cowboy Jack

Format: CD

Amazon.com

Their setup was primitive enough--guitar, Autoharp, and vocals--but in the late '20s the trio of A.P. Delaney Carter, his wife Sara, and his sister-in-law Maybelle would change (chart?) the course of country music forever. They did it with haunting harmonies, incredible guitar playing (thanks to Maybelle's driving strums on her Gibson L-5 guitar), and a vast repertoire that included murder ballads, gospel tunes, love songs, and Appalachian folk tunes--many of which would be covered by musicians for decades to come. Unlike their musical peers in the late '20s and early '30s, the Carters weren't just playing "hillbilly" music; this was, quite simply, country music, and their timeless output still resonates with listeners today. JSP's bargain-priced, five-CD collection is easily the most complete, essential collection of their music available, capturing and remastering their RCA Victor recordings (their later, less-seminal sessions for Decca and the American Record Company are not included). Hearing five CDs' worth of music from the Carter Family is almost sensory overload--from the initial 1927 Bristol sessions, which Johnny Cash hailed as "the single most important event in the history of country music," to their depression-era recordings. Even today, Sara Carter's voice sounds aching, yet empowered. Whether they're yodeling through "The Foggy Mountain Top," singing a feminist anthem like "Single Girl, Married Girl," or harmonizing with Maybelle on "Worried Man Blues," you can hear the Carters' profound influence on country music. A must-have. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Indispensable.......2007-06-09

The Carter Family is the archetype of American Music. This JSP collection faithfully documents the original 78 rpm recordings in chronological order. Though the digital remastering is basic, having the complete sessions is indispensable.

5 out of 5 stars Carter Family CD boxed set.......2007-05-13

This was a great experience. The sale and timely delivery was excellent. My purchasing was very easy. The cds are prime quality.

5 out of 5 stars An Excellent Collection Of Songs By One Of The Great Bands In All Of American Music.......2007-04-27

Ralph Peer came south to Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927, to find some new "hillbilly" musicians to record for the Victor label. He ended up "discovering" both Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. These two acts would go on to form the basis for what came to be called country music.

The Carter Family's beautiful sound was powered by Sara's clear, gorgeous voice and Maybelle's unique and influential guitar style. The songs mostly came from "song catching" trips which A.P. would go on, sometimes with a black musician friend named Leslie Riddle. They would travel through states like North Carolina and Tennesse looking for gospel hymns, folk songs and love ballads that they could record. The Carter Family ended up becoming one of the most popular and important musical groups of their era and thus were able to bring to a wider audience many great songs which would have otherwise likely remained in obscurity.

When I listen to this music I often feel very relaxed and at peace. The music is almost like a time machine, taking you back to the past with its stories of ill fated romance, hobos on the railroad and mountain tops covered with wild flowers. There are so many songs that I love on this collection, too many to mention by name. But I especially appreciate their earlier material. For example, the first 6 songs on disc A, which are from their original audition in Bristol, have a sound that is so intensely raw and heart felt. But really the whole collection is great and a must purchase for any fan of great American music.

5 out of 5 stars Pure, Uncontaminated Music.......2006-08-30

I bought this cd set just before I drove up the California coast, and it provided a perfect soundtrack for the rural landscape and meandering highways. My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.

Like most boomers, I grew up completely unaware of the original Carter Family. I watched the Johnny Cash Show in the late 60s and knew about his wife June and her sisters, but still nothing about that older woman in their group. It wasn't until sometime in the late seventies or early eighties, perhaps from Rolling Stone, I learned that the original Carter Family had been a trio that recorded sometime back in the 20s and 30s. It was about this time I first heard the term "Carter Style" and "Carter Brush".

Then, a few years ago, I heard Uncle Tupelo's version of "No Depression", and I decided I wanted to investigate further. A friend loaned me some compilation CDs of old-time country music with the Carter versions of "Sunny Side of Life" and "Can the Circle be Unbroken" on them. I bought and watched the DVD of the PBS documentary. The more I discovered about these fascinating musicians the more I wanted to hear.

This is, quite simply, the most beautiful, purest, and least commercial music you will ever find on CD. It's hard to decide which is more riveting, Sara's electrifying vocals, Maybelle's trailblazing guitar, or the gut-wrenching harmonies which at times surpass that of the Beach Boys.

Throw your prejudices aside and listen to this with an open mind. "hillbilly music" has been satirized often; but there is no pretense or cynicism here. These people sang and played with their hearts, something that's rare in this American Idol era.

4 out of 5 stars RURAL TREASURES.......2006-06-19

Since my youth I have had an ear for roots music, whether I was conscious of that fact or not. The original of that interest first centered on the blues, then early rock and roll and later, with the folk revival of the early 1960's, folk music. I have often wondered about the source of this interest. I am, and have always been a city boy, and an Eastern city boy at that. Nevertheless, over time I have come to appreciate many more forms of roots music than in my youth. The subject of the following review is an example.

With the recent Johnny Cash movie biography Walk the Line the Carter Family has again come into greater public prominence. And rightly so. The trio performing simple country (or better rural) music mainly composed by A.P. Carter evokes, if not a simpler time, then in any case, a simpler type of music. While I cannot listen endlessly to such music at one sitting about one-half a cd at a time works. Why not the whole cd? There is a very similar melody and guitar line to their work in most songs. The value of each song sometimes gets lost in the basic repetition.

A note on subject matter- The bulk of the songs concern home, hearth lovesickness and religion as might be expected from mountain people. And that is okay. This reviewer, although not a religious man, can appreciate the simple, fundamentalist but very personal religion evoked here. Not to romanticize the simple rural folk of the past but I do not believe that the religious sentiments expressed here are the same as those of religious fundamentalists today who want to ram a theocracy down our throats in the United States.
Way Out West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection, Vol. 2
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Not My Style
  • Rockin' Western Collection
  • Hard to Find Great Western Themes
  • Western Music
  • A great follow-up
 Way Out West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by NewmanAll Works by Newman | Newman, Alfred | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
All Works by RossiniAll Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection
  2. Songs Of The West, Vol. 4: Movie & Television Themes
  3. From Alamo to El Dorado, Vol. 2
  4. The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection
  5. The Greatest Western Movie Themes

ASIN: B000060PBU
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

  1. The Hallejuah Trail-Overture
  2. The Alamo-The Green Leaves Of Summer
  3. The Alamo-Davy Crocket
  4. The Big Country-The Welcoming/Finale
  5. The Big Valley-Main Theme
  6. Blazing Saddles-Blazing Saddles
  7. Bonaza-Main Theme
  8. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid-raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
  9. The Comancheros-McBain/Main Title
  10. Duel In The Sun-Main Title/The Legend/Orizaba
  11. A Fistfull Of Dynamite-Duck You Sucker
  12. For A Few Dollars More-Main Theme
  13. Friendly Persuasion-Thee I Love
  14. Giant-Main Theme
  15. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly-Main Theme
  16. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly-The Ecstasy Of Gold
  17. Gunfight At The O.K. Corral-Suite
  18. Hang 'Em High-Main Theme
  19. The Hanging Tree-Main Title

Tracks:

  1. High Caparral-Main Theme
  2. How The West Was Won-Prelude/The Land
  3. High Noon-Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin'
  4. The Jayhawkers-The Lynching/Two Brothers/The Hayhawkers
  5. The Lone Ranger-William Tell Overture: Finale
  6. Nevada Smith-Main Title
  7. Old Gringo-Main Themes
  8. Once Upon A Time In The West-Man With The Harmonica
  9. One Eyed Jacks-Main Title
  10. The Proud Rebel-Main Titles
  11. The Quick And The Dead-End Titles
  12. Quigley Down Under-End Titles
  13. Rio Bravo-Rio Bravo/De Guella
  14. The Scalphunters-Main Title
  15. Shane-Main Theme: The Call Of The Farwaway Hills
  16. The Shootist-Main Title
  17. The Unforgiven-The Need For Love
  18. Viva Zapata-Gathering Forces
  19. The Virginian-Main Theme

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Not My Style.......2007-05-11

This CD has a lot of good songs on it, but it just too bland for our taste. We prefer Western music to sound as though genuine cowboys are singing it - not a fancy chorus!

5 out of 5 stars Rockin' Western Collection.......2006-08-28

For anyone who likes movie/tv music from westerns should purchase this CD. What a wonderful collection of both film and tv with great renditions of each piece. I'm about to purchase Vol. 1 to complete my collection.

5 out of 5 stars Hard to Find Great Western Themes .......2006-03-16

This CD has a number of great western themes that are not in some of the standard lists. For example it includes "The Hallejuah Trail", "Blazing Saddles", and "Giant". This CD also has what I consider the true theme of "The Comancheros". I have been disappointed with some other CDs I have purchased listing "The Comancheros" which had a song rather than this theme. Many of the tracks on this two disk CD go beyond the main theme music and are actually suites. The "Big Country" and "How the West Was Won" are just a couple of examples. It may be a little more expense than some CDs, but not bad for a two disk set. I am really happy with my purchase.

4 out of 5 stars Western Music.......2005-07-29

I enjoy this CD. It has many familiar melodies. Good background for reading, nice to listen while driving. It is also the only CD I've ever found that has the great theme from the movie "Giant."

5 out of 5 stars A great follow-up.......2003-08-29

This is the second collection by SilvaScreen, who are also responsible for "The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection" (see my review). And it's just as good as the first. There are themes in here that everyone will recognize ("Bonanza," "A Fistful of Dollars"), themes that may not be so familiar ("Duel in the Sun," "The Hanging Tree," the lively "Blazing Saddles"), and even themes you may not associate with Westerns at all ("The Friendly Persuasion"). And no duplication either: when this disc includes a piece from one of the same sources covered in its predecessor, it's a different piece. One great treat: the full lyrics to "Gunfight at OK Corral," which I've never heard outside the soundtrack of the movie itself. The arrangement from "Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid" includes not only the familiar song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" but an overview of the music--seguing almost seamlessly into Bernstein's magnificent "The Comancheros," a rare find indeed. An expensive item, but if you love Western film music, well worth it.
Volume 2: 1935-1941
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Good value, but more than a casual fan needs...
  • A Veritable Gold Mine, Dirt Cheap!
  • Better Than Vol 1?
  • wonderful
 Volume 2: 1935-1941
The Carter Family
Manufacturer: Jsp Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
Old-Time CountryOld-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
AppalachianAppalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Country | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Carter Family: 1927-1934
  2. Recordings 1927-1933
  3. Sara & Maybelle Carter
  4. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music
  5. The Carter Family - Will the Circle Be Unbroken

ASIN: B00008DAQO
Release Date: 2003-04-08

Tracks:

  1. Glory To The Lamb
  2. Behind Those Stone Walls
  3. Sinking In The Lonesome Sea
  4. He Took A White Rose From Her Hair
  5. Can The Circle Be Unbroken (Bye And Bye)
  6. Let's Be Lovers Again
  7. Your Mother Still Prays (For You Jack)
  8. Kissing Is A Crime
  9. Don't Forget Me Little Darling
  10. Sad And Lonesome Day
  11. By The Touch Of Her Hand
  12. East Virginia Blues No.2
  13. My Old Virginia Home
  14. My Virginia Rose Is Blooming
  15. My Texas Girl
  16. No Other's Bride I'll Be
  17. Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
  18. Gospel Ship
  19. Little Black Train
  20. Keep On The Sunny Side
  21. River Of Jordan
  22. Lonsesome Vally
  23. God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign
  24. Single Girl, Married Girl
  25. The Fate Of Dewey Lee
  26. Wildwood Flower

Tracks:

  1. Sea Of Galilee
  2. Don't Forget This Song
  3. My Clinch Mountain Home
  4. The Storms Are On The Ocean
  5. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone
  6. Broken Hearted Lover
  7. Little Darling Pal Of Mine
  8. The Homestead On The Farm
  9. Cannon Ball Blues
  10. Meet Me By The Moonlight Alone
  11. On The Rock Where Moses Stood
  12. Lulu Walls
  13. I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
  14. Worried Man Blues
  15. My Dixie Darling
  16. Give Me Your Love And I'll Give You Mine
  17. Are You Lonseome Tonight?
  18. The Last Move For Me
  19. The Wayworn Traveller
  20. Just Another Broken Heart
  21. When Silver Threads Are Gold Again
  22. There's No One Like Mother To Me
  23. In A Little Village Churchyard
  24. Jealous Hearted Me

Tracks:

  1. My Native Home
  2. Sweet Heaven In My View
  3. No Depression
  4. Bonny Blue Eyes
  5. My Honey Lou
  6. In The Shadow Of The Eyes
  7. Answer To Weeping Willow
  8. You've Been A Friend To Me
  9. Where The Silvery Colorado Wends It's Way
  10. Lay My Head Beneath The Rose
  11. The Broken Down Tramp
  12. Lover's Lane
  13. Hold Fast To The Right
  14. Lord I'm In Your Care
  15. Funny When You Feel That Way
  16. In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain
  17. Hello Stranger
  18. Never Let The Devil Get The Upper Hand Of You
  19. When This Evening Sun Goes Down
  20. Jim Blake's Message
  21. Honey In The Rock
  22. Look How This World Has Made A Change
  23. The Little Girl That Played On My Knee
  24. You Better Let That Liar Alone
  25. Farewell Nellie
  26. The Only Girl (I Ever Cared About)

Tracks:

  1. Goodbye To The Plains
  2. My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
  3. Dark Haired True Lover
  4. He Never Came Back
  5. Happy In The Prison
  6. Walking In The King's Highway
  7. St. Regious Girl
  8. Just A Few More Days
  9. Bring Back My Boy
  10. It Is Better Farther On
  11. Charlie And Nellie
  12. Cuban Soldier
  13. The Heart That Was Broken For Me
  14. You're Nothing More To Me
  15. Stern Old Bachelor
  16. Little Joe
  17. Reckless Motorman
  18. You Denied Your Love
  19. Oh Take Me Back
  20. You Are My Flower
  21. Who's That Knocking At My Window
  22. They Call Her Mother
  23. Coal Miner's Blues
  24. Young Freda Bolt
  25. Little Poplar Log House On The Hill
  26. The Dying Mother
  27. Buddies In The Saddle

Tracks:

  1. Heaven's Radio
  2. Beautiful Home
  3. There'll Be No Distinction There
  4. Give Him One More As He Goes
  5. Lonesome For You Darling
  6. Blackie's Gunman
  7. You've Got To Righten That Wrong
  8. Meeting In The Air
  9. My Home Among The Hills
  10. Black Jack David
  11. Look Away From The Cross
  12. We Shall Rise
  13. I Found You Among The Roses
  14. Bear Creek Blues
  15. I'll Never Forsake You
  16. Beautiful Isle O'er The Sea
  17. It's A Long Road To Travel Alone
  18. Why Do You Cry, Little Darling
  19. Lonesome Homesick Blues
  20. Dark And Stormy Weather
  21. In The Valley Of The Shenandoah
  22. The Girl On The Greenbriar Shore
  23. Something Got A Hold Of Me
  24. Fifty Miles Of Elbow Room
  25. Keep On The Firing Line
  26. The Wave On The Sea
  27. The Rambling Boy

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good value, but more than a casual fan needs..........2007-01-24

More than six hours of old-time mountain, country and Gospel songs, by the pioneer ensemble in all of country music history, and the sound quality is fine considering the age of the recording. I found my set in a bargain bin for two-thirds of the listed price, so I am even luckier, but it is a good buy at this price if you really, really like the Carters. The first two discs are generally wonderful, as is the fifth in the set. The middle two, covering the years 1936-40, however, will not be getting much repeat play in my home. The songs on those two CD's are largely undistinguished and the performances a bit lethargic. Although not as great a bargain, the single CD "Can the Circle Be Unbroken?" on Columbia, and the RCA Legends CD for the Country Music Hall of Fame feature about an hour each of truly great Carter performances, wonderfully remastered. If you are only casually interested in the early history of recorded Americana music, I'd buy those two releases (for about the same total price as these five discs.) There is little duplication between those two choices as well. Although I was not totally captivated by all 129 tracks on this set, there are some obscure Gospel numbers which are wonderful to hear. I prefer the secular or romantic Carter tunes in general to the hymns, but some of the religious songs you can find here deserve new arrangements and a revival. On Disc One, my favorites are "Sinking in the Lonesome Sea" (aka "Golden Vanity") and "Gospel Ship." On the second CD, covering 1935-36, I like "The Storms are on the Ocean" and "On the Rock Where Moses Stood" among a bunch of other greats. For Disc Three, my favorite was "Honey in the Rock" which stood out way ahead of the other 25 tracks. For the fourth disc, "Walking on the King's Highway" was my choice. The final disc, covering the original group's last sessions, has several fine songs: "Heaven's Radio" and "There'll Be No Distinction There" and "Black Jack David" are all neat, and so are "We Shall Rise" and "Keep on the Firing Line." Despite my feeling that six hours of the Carters is more than I need, especially since I have two more hours on the single releases I mentioned above, if I found the other JSP five-disc set covering 1927-34, for the same price, I'd grab it.

5 out of 5 stars A Veritable Gold Mine, Dirt Cheap!.......2005-12-27

As a Christmas present to myself, I purchased the two JSP boxed sets, The Carter Family, 1927-1934 and The Carter Family, Volume 2, 1935-1941. I have been playing them non-stop for the past four days, and I am absolutely thrilled with both of them.

The RCA Victor sides were issued "complete" a few years ago by Rounder records. The Rounder releases are supposed to be re-mastered, yet they don't sound any better than the tracks presented in the JSP collections. And the JSP collections include complete information on the original recording dates, which the Rounder releases do not. Finally, one reviewer here observed that the sleeve notes for the JSP Box sets are minimal; that's true, but when compared to the Rounder releases, I find that the JSP releases actually proffer a bit more biographical information, and better details on the records.

The first set (1927-1934) pretty much covers almost all of the original Victor sides; I have carefully compared the first set with the Rounder series (I have all nine titles in the Rounder releases) and I have only found two or three tracks that are missing from the JSP sets. This is The Carter Family, country music's first family, as they should be heard. Sara's singing is strong and clear; Maybelle's guitar playing is amazing, and A. P.'s harmonious accompaniment is wonderful. The early years are raw and unpolished, but that adds to their aesthetic artistry, and actually enhances their simple charm.

But Volume 2, (1935-1941) is truly exciting for the bulk of material that has not been available of CD before. This box contains the balance of the RCA Victor sides not included in the first set, but also includes dozens of later recordings originally issued on the ARC and Decca labels (Decca owned both). These recordings are completely glorious, and floored me when I heard them (and I've been a fan of "roots" music for many years). The sound is amazing, and the performances, both in terms of instrumental skill and vocal harmony, are far more polished than the early Victor sides. Aside from an MCA (Decca) issue in the "Country Music Hall of Fame" Series and an issue from Sony Special Products on the Country Label, these songs have been totally neglected as CD issues. Between the two JSP sets, the material covered represents about 90% of the original Carter Family records that I am aware of, although there may be many more that are lost forever. This is not likely to be corrected anytime soon. Decca Records is notorious for neglecting to reissue historic recordings, which is a real shame. I wish I had a dollar for every artist I have on a Decca vinyl that has not seen a CD release. Decca has released many historic Jazz recordings on the "Decca Jazz" label, but aside from the Country Music Hall of Fame series (a limited anthology series) it has not seen fit to issue much of the classic country music rotting in its vaults. And there are probably thousands of wonderful popular music recordings in Decca's vaults that may never see the light of day on CD, either. Concurrent with these recordings, the Carter Family also spent years performing live concerts on "border radio". Many transcripts of these fine performances were made, and a few have been made available on obscure labels. But the JSP sets contain most of their studio sessions.

For anyone who doesn't know, the original Carter Family practically invented country music. Sara and Maybelle, who were cousins, married the Carter brothers, A.P. and Ezra, and a musical family was born. They found their way to the 1927 "talent auditions" conducted by Ralph Peer, which also "discovered" Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music. I often say that if Jimmie Rodgers was the father, than the Carter Family were the mothers. The original group (Sara, Maybelle and Alvin Pleasant) split up in 1941, never to record together again (aside from the wonderful "Historic Reunion" album that Maybelle and Sara recorded in 1965). For many years, Maybelle continued to tour and record with her daughters, June Helen and Anita, under the name of the Carter Family. Of course, June later married Johnny Cash, who toured with June for years; this association helped keep interest in the Carter Family legacy alive for many years.

I have to honestly say that I can't remember when I last enjoyed a boxed set so thoroughly. The simple, pure singing of the original Carter Family is truly wonderful. Their harmony is amazing, their playing incredible. One is always conscious while listening to them that these are self-taught musicians, yet their professionalism is obvious. As I write these words, my stereo is pouring forth their 1935 version of Are You Lonesome Tonight, a song that became a multi-million seller for Elvis Presley 25 years later. I prefer the Carter Family version. You may too.

5 out of 5 stars Better Than Vol 1?.......2004-05-29

This box set is a continuation of the Carter Family Saga, and shows this group at the peak of musical power for this trio. This is essential music for understanding what Country music was in the 1930s. The harmony vocals and driving rhythm of guitar and autoharp stand in sharp contrast with what is called Country music today. The sound quality is superb (at times, it sounds like a modern recording).

5 out of 5 stars wonderful.......2004-05-22

anyone who loves the carter family will be extremely happy owning this 5 cd set! this is vol. 2, but that doesn't mean it's any less wonderful than vol. 1! my only complaint is that A.P. doesn't sing enough songs!
Hill Country Revue: Live at Bonnaroo
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Great cd!
  • Holy Crap This Thing Is Good
  • Great Hill Country Blues
  • Incredible Album
  • disappointing
 Hill Country Revue: Live at Bonnaroo
North Mississippi Allstars
Manufacturer: Ato Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00049QMVS
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Tracks:

  1. Shake 'Em On Down
  2. Po Black Maddie/Skinny Woman/Po Black Maddie
  3. Jumper On The Line
  4. Bad Bad Pain
  5. Down In Mississippi
  6. Never In All My Days
  7. Boomer's Story
  8. Psychedelic Sex Machine
  9. Shimmy She Wobble/Station Blues
  10. Friend Of Mine
  11. Be So Glad
  12. Snake Drive
  13. Goin' Home, Pt. 2
  14. Going Home South

Amazon.com

The stage of Tennessee jam band festival Bonnaroo is an unlikely setting for the year's most important blues recording, but young firebrands North Mississippi Allstars pulled off a creative coup in June of 2004 with their Hill Country Revue. The concert teamed patriarch R.L. Burnside and his guitarist and rapper sons, the late Othar Turner's fife and drum band, the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, and eccentric producer-pianist Jim Dickinson, the father of Allstars Luther and Cody Dickinson, with the wiry trio. The historic results handily blend all the racial, geographic, and cultural elements of the genre with adventurous musicality. Burnside is present more for his inspiration than his musical contribution. But his sons carry on the tradition while pushing its borders into hip-hop and six-string psychedelia. If there's a star here, though, it's guitarist Luther Dickinson, who playfully quotes Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and the elder Burnside, and then adds a level of tonal and textural exploration to his performance that makes him a one-man defibrillator for the genre--insurance that the heart of the blues will keep pumping into the future. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great cd! .......2006-09-08

Love the NM Allstars and Bonnaroo was a great show! Listen to this cd all the time!

4 out of 5 stars Holy Crap This Thing Is Good.......2006-06-29

I wanted to like the North Mississippi Allstars, they seemed to have all the makings of a great band, southern, blues rooted, and future minded, but their Cds just weren't ringing my bell. I had just about given up on them when SIRIUS starting playing cuts from this CD on the Jam_On channel. Since I liked what I was hearing, I decided to give these guys one more chance. Boy am I glad I did!!! This CD lit a fire under me like nothing had done since I first heard Fillmore East.

Similar to Fillmore East, this concert recording captures a band out to bridge the space between the blues of the past with current trends. The first two tunes "Shake 'Em On Down" and "Po Black Maddie>Skinny Woman>Po Black Maddie" take no prisoners and come charging right out of the gate laying down some serious blues that not only kicks some serious butt, but also shake some serious butt also. Once things get going they don't stop either.

5 out of 5 stars Great Hill Country Blues.......2005-12-07

I disagree about the sound quality. This is HILL COUNTRY BLues! It's sounds like that. This is a great example of that music style and it's a joy to listen to. I like kicking back to these guys - feels like a back porch on a summer night. It's earthy and REAL, not some sound studio contrived CD. Unfortunately, today most people are used the the big studio productions.

5 out of 5 stars Incredible Album.......2005-05-09

Wow. This album is one of my favorite blues albums. I saw the Allstars live with The Black Crowes and that is what turned me onto them. I think they are one of the most brilliant and true blues-based bands out today. I would reccomend this album to anyone who wants to hear great music.

1 out of 5 stars disappointing.......2005-01-30

This is a live recording and a very poor one. One of the worse sounding CDs I have - flat, boomy bass, poor highs, if any, etc.

The music is monotone, constant beating on the drums, all tunes sound the same, perhaps one of the reasons is the poor sound quality. If you are familiar with the band, then you know what you are buying. If you like to experiment like me, and are considering this CD because of the editor's recommendation, think again.
Can the Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The Carter Family takes off with this one
  • Best Of Folk Music
  • The Carter family- gift to music industry.
  • Is the tape speed too slow?
  • Carter Family
 Can the Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family
The Original Carter Family
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
Old-Time CountryOld-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
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  1. Wildwood Flower
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  3. Volume 2: 1935-1941
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ASIN: B00004RC8J
Release Date: 2000-07-04

Tracks:

  1. Can The Circle Be Unbroken (Bye And Bye)
  2. Lulu Walls
  3. My Clinch Mountain Home
  4. Wildwood Flower
  5. Worried Man Blues
  6. Keep On The Sunny Side
  7. Gospel Ship
  8. My Texas Girl
  9. Sinking In The Lonesome Sea
  10. Cannon Ball Blues
  11. I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
  12. River Of Jordan
  13. The Storms Are On The Ocean
  14. On The Rock Where Moses Stood
  15. The Little Black Train
  16. Single Girl, Married Girl
  17. Kissing Is A Crime
  18. Blackie's Gunman
  19. My Home Among The Hills
  20. Black Jack David

Amazon.com essential recording

Like so many Americans during the Depression, the Carter Family found themselves forced to stay in motion throughout the 1930s. Rural economies, the locales where country music had taken root, were hit unusually hard by the economic crash. The Carters left their original record label just prior to recording the first 17 of the 20 tunes on Can the Circle Be Unbroken, joining ARC for long enough to prodigiously churn out material they'd previously recorded. The 17 ARC songs here were recorded over 3 days in May 1935, and all reveal a Carter Family growing musically comfortable with their execution on these tunes--especially the slight dronelike quality in Sara's voice, which sounds settled and at times almost languid. Maybelle's voice and guitar emphasize the appropriately unhurried pacing (this was the Depression, after all). As for the closing trio of tracks, they come from a post-Decca session during their short tenure at Columbia, and all bear the mark of greater vocal harmonies between Sara and Maybelle, as well as an increased pitch in the vocals that quickens the pace a tad. These are vitally important recordings, to be sure, a fine, more multihued complement to the band's '20s-era recordings. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Carter Family takes off with this one.......2007-05-21

I absolutely loved this c.d. It took me back to another place and time in which I wasn't even born yet.

5 out of 5 stars Best Of Folk Music.......2007-05-13

I never new I could be more pleased with Folk music as I was when I received my Carter family CD from Amazon. Their music is as close to the best of Folk as you can get.

5 out of 5 stars The Carter family- gift to music industry........2007-02-06

Spending time in Carter Fold and seeing and being in A.P.Carter's little mountain home and seeing that Johnny and June just kept it nice made me love thier music more then ever. I want to say Americas first family of music but as a musician I have learned to never anwser that question; "who is the best". I just urge you to have this C.D.
Dave Nicholson

5 out of 5 stars Is the tape speed too slow?.......2005-08-20

Let me first say that this collection of recordings is wonderful. It is the first Carter Family CD I have ever heard.
But, since then, I have heard ealier versions of the songs, and later versions, and have come away a little confused. Their voices on the Columbia recordings are much lower (which at first I thought was cool that Sara sounds like a man) and the tempos are slower. I can only assume that the tape speed is considerably out of whack. Does anyone else know anything about this? I know that Columbia has made this mistake before, most notably on Mile Davis' "Kind of Blue".
Still, the Carters are the real deal. Virtually any of their recordings are fabulous.

5 out of 5 stars Carter Family.......2005-07-23

After watching the PBS special about the Carter family, and loving their music from my childhood, I wanted to hear again the many wonderful songs and sounds. I have always loved hearing the autoharp.
The cd is great.
Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Music From The Lost Provinces
  • another excellent release from old hat.
  • Threw her Arms around me like Grape Vines 'round a Gum
  • great old-time music
  • Super-cool, super rare old-timey music
 Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931

Manufacturer: Old Hat Records / Enterprises
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000I9NA
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Tracks:

  1. Train 45 - Grayson & Whitter
  2. Nine Pound Hammer - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers 3. Last Gold
  3. Ground Hog - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
  4. My Name Is Ticklish Reuben - Smyth County Ramblers
  5. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
  6. Nobody's Darling - North Carolina Ridge Runners
  7. Short Life Of Trouble - Grayson & Whitter
  8. Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
  9. Cluck Old Hen - The Hill Billies
  10. Likes Likker Better Than Me
  11. Way Down in Alabama
  12. The Fatal Courtship
  13. I've Always Been A Rambler - Grayson & Whitter
  14. I've Got No Honey Babe Now - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
  15. Governor Al Smith For President - Carolina Night Hawks
  16. Chinese Breakdown - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
  17. Be Kind To A Man When He's Down - North Carolina Ridge Runners
  18. Old Aunt Betsy - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
  19. Chased Old Satan Through The Door - Woodie Brothers
  20. Handsome Molly - Grayson & Whitter
  21. Sally Ann - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers

Amazon.com

For whatever reason, the so-called "Lost Provinces" of North Carolina--Ashe, Watauga, and Alleghany Counties--were a breeding ground for fantastic string bands in the late '20s. Maybe it was the isolated and tough nature of the region that inspired folks to turn to music. Or perhaps all those enterprising record companies were eager to sign old-time musicians. Whatever the case, the talent on this anthology of vintage 78 records is astounding and, at times, surprising. Is it possible, for instance, to listen to the Woodie Brothers sing "Likes Likker Better Than Me"--a woman's lament for her alcoholic love interest--with a straight face? Probably not. And why the heck did Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band use a Hawaiian guitar for the intro to "Chinese Breakdown"? Don't worry, there's also plenty of straightforward and memorable string band music here from the likes of Grayson & Whitter, Frank Blevins, the Smyth County Ramblers, and more. Throughout, you'll hear 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 Violin, Sing the Blues for Me compilation, you'll find copious liner notes and excellent remastering in this wonderful package. --Jason Verlinde

Album Description

Reissues 22 songs and tunes recorded between 1927-1931 by stringbands from Ashe County, North Carolina, a mountainous area in the northwest corner of the state once known as "The Lost Provinces" because of its extreme isolation. The music includes traditional fiddle tunes, folk songs, Anglo-Irish ballads, comic songs, topical numbers, and original compositions, all from a time period often called the "golden era" of old-time string music. The anthology brings together for the first time the complete recordings of Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers, the Carolina Night Hawks, the North Carolina Ridge Runners, and many more. All tracks on the CD have been carefully remastered from original 78rpm records. A 28-page booklet presents a detailed history of the music based on interviews with original band members. Also included is a complete discography and numerous vintage photographs, many never before published. Music From The Lost Provinces is the premier release! from Old Hat Records, a label devoted to quality reissues coupled with thorough historical research.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Music From The Lost Provinces.......2007-06-18

EXCELLENT. It is must have. It is a collection of the good ole country music. It features many different artists both who made it big in those days like Emphriam Woodie to the lesser names like Vance' Mountain Ramblers. It is an excellent find

4 out of 5 stars another excellent release from old hat........2007-04-04

i like or love everything that i've heard from the folks at old hat. it is simply a marvelous label that specializes in old-time music releases. "music from the lost provinces" is another outstanding cd from them. twenty-two fine tracks from 1927-1931 presented with very good sound quality. a cornucopia of fiddlers and guitar-pickers and banjo players and hillbilly singers. this is a must for all fans of old-time rural music. magic from a bygone era.

5 out of 5 stars Threw her Arms around me like Grape Vines 'round a Gum.......2006-11-20

This is the Holy Grail of Mountain Fiddle Music!

GB Grayson, the archetype of the Mountain Fiddler, lived near Mountain City and was one of the most influential fiddlers of the '20's, who, with his partner Henry Whitter, toured the coal fields of West Virginia, until Grayson was killed in a freak accident, falling from the running board of a car that he was hitching a ride on, on August 16, 1930.

But Frank Blevins is the real star on this recording. He is a fiddler more seminal than Uncle Pen, his fiddle wrapping you 'round in kudzu vines of primal melody...

Real "Tar Heel" rattlin'!

5 out of 5 stars great old-time music.......2005-09-18

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"
album for collectors and people that play old-time music.

5 out of 5 stars Super-cool, super rare old-timey music.......2002-07-27

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.
Wildwood Flower
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Wildwood Flower ~ The Carter Family is outstanding
  • The first Lead Guitarist
  • Carter Family
  • A good introduction to an influential family
  • An excellent primer on the first family of country music
 Wildwood Flower
The Carter Family
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
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  1. Can the Circle Be Unbroken?: Country Music's First Family
  2. Wildwood Flower
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  4. The Carter Family: 1927-1934
  5. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music

ASIN: B00004U9MY
Release Date: 2000-08-22

Tracks:

  1. Wildwood Flower
  2. Keep On The Sunny Side
  3. Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
  4. Little Log Cabin By The Sea
  5. Little Darling, Pal Of Mine
  6. Anchored In Love
  7. John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
  8. River Of Jordan
  9. Sweet Fern
  10. My Clinch Mountain Home
  11. I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
  12. Lulu Walls
  13. Foggy Mountain Top
  14. Carter's Blues
  15. Wabash Cannonball
  16. JImmie Brown The Newsboy
  17. The Cannonball
  18. Worried Man Blues
  19. Lonesome Valley
  20. Lonesome Pine Special
  21. I Never Will Marry
  22. Can The Circle Be Unbroken?
  23. My Dixie Darling
  24. Oh, Take Me Back
  25. You Are My Flower

Amazon.com essential recording

While the Carter Family is certainly worthy of deeper exploration, this 25-song compilation provides a very useful overview of the work of one of country music's cornerstone artists. Beginning in the late 1920s, Sara, Maybelle, and A.P. Carter delivered to the rest of the world British and Irish ballads that had been preserved in remote Appalachian regions. By fusing the concept of hillbilly string music with the vocal harmonies of religious music and then attaching this fusion to these timeless songs, they helped give country music its foundation, both sonically and spiritually. As a result, many of these tunes have become distinctively American staples of popular music. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wildwood Flower ~ The Carter Family is outstanding.......2007-05-13

This CD is terrific. It has over 20 songs sung by one of if not the most famous contributors to bluegrass. I really bought this CD for the title track, but there are a couple others that are near Wildwood Flower's caliber, and a couple other really good ones. The rest aren't bad, those ones just stand out. The one's that stand out are, of course, Wildwood Flower, the very familiar Carter Family song: Keep on the Sunny Side, and also Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow. These are true classics, and always will be. Thank God for bluegrass and the Carter Family. This CD will not disappoint.

4 out of 5 stars The first Lead Guitarist.......2005-12-17

Everyone knows that the Carter Family is the First Family of Country Music, and they, of course, started it all. But, if you listen to the 25 songs here (75 minutes of material), you will soon realize that this is the intro of the Lead Guitar in modern music. Mother Maybelle's guitar runs and leads, are the center of every song in which they are included, and often tends to overwhelm the vocals. You have to ask yourself, just where did she get the idea to play the guitar this way? Any famous name that has carried a Martin, Fender, or Gibson, owes it all to Maybelle. The songs here are in mono, and carry the classic radio sound of "live-recording"; long before studios. It is apparent that this trio was destined to be the originators of America's music: A.P. was the chief songwriter/arranger; Sara was the vocalist, and Maybelle was the musician. These recordings are three-quarters of a century old, yet the basic delivery, and patterns are still found in today's American music. Regardless of your musical taste, this is a must-have album; especially for aspiring guitarists. My one criticism, is the lack of lag time beteween numbers..it's as if the record company (ASV Ltd, Eng) were determined to use as little space as possible, as the songs nearly blend into each other!

5 out of 5 stars Carter Family.......2005-07-23

It's a great addition to my collection of old country music songs from my youth. I loved the CD.

5 out of 5 stars A good introduction to an influential family.......2004-10-24

In the twenties and thirties, country music was just beginning to assert its own identity separate from folk music but the Carter family's music was hugely influential in the development of both country and folk music in America. Not only has the music passed down the generations (tribute albums still appear at regular intervals) but the family has also produced June Carter, who was married for a time to country singer Carl Smith (father of Carlene Carter). More famously, June later married Johnny Cash (father of Rosanne Cash. So the family continues to exert an influence directly as well as via their old songs.

This compilation provides a good overview of their music, though you must allow for the age of the recordings. All the essentials are here including Wildwood flower, Keep on the sunny side, I'm thinking tonight of my blue eyes (which uses the same tune as Great speckled bird, Wild side of life and It wasn't god who made honky tonk angels), Can the circle be unbroken (better known as Will the circle be unbroken), My Dixie darling (revived by Carlene Carter on her classic album, I fell in love), I never will marry (revived by Linda Ronstadt on her classic album, Simple dreams), Foggy mountain top and You are my flower.

As a basic introduction to the music of the Carter family, this works brilliantly. It doesn't do full justice to their music but boxed sets by JSP and Bear family serve that purpose.

5 out of 5 stars An excellent primer on the first family of country music.......2001-01-04

This compilation features 25 of the Carter Family's classics taken from original 78's and were recorded in between 1927-1938. This collection actually sounds nice concerning the source material, age of recordings, etc and best of all, they are original recordings. Most of these tracks were originally released by RCA Victor, yet there are some later tracks on it as well and it features mainly their signature songs such as the title track, Keep on The Sunny Side, Worried Man Blues (later covered by the Kingston Trio as "A Worried Man"), Can The Circle Be Unbroken (later to be retitled "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" while Mother Maybelle recorded it on guitar originally, it's also worth checking out the re-recording that Maybelle play autoharp on which can be found on the Dirt Band original "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" album which is still in print and can be found right here or your local CD shop), My Dixie Darling, Wabash Cannonball, plus 2 tracks from the Bristol Sessions: Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow and Little Log Cabin By The Sea and many more. If you cannot afford the Bear Family box or the Rounder series or if you just want a nice sampler of their well known songs to enjoy while traveling, this is the best collection on the Carter Family to get and explains why they were inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
North American Ghost Music
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Good Stuff
  • I was there
  • A live disc worth the wait
 North American Ghost Music
Shannon McNally
Manufacturer: Back Porch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & AmericanaAlt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
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  1. Geronimo
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ASIN: B000E3K378
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Tracks:

  1. Weathervane
  2. Pale Moon
  3. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
  4. Bolder Than Paradise
  5. Sweet Forgiveness
  6. The Last Lonely Eagle
  7. Down and Dirty
  8. Geronimo
  9. Leave Your Bags By The Door

Album Description

Project profile: Drawing on the defiant spirits of outlaws and visionaries, Shannon McNally takes her listeners on a timeless and haunting journey through her self-coined North American Ghost Music.Armed with a spine tingling voice, easy inner beauty, and songs that linger, McNally's soul-wrenching vocals and uncanny songwriting sensibilities have cast a spell on audiences around the country.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Good Stuff.......2007-02-08

Shannon McNally will be a name we'll hear more of in the future, but the real star here is guitarist Dave Easley. Living in New Orleans, I have the good fortune of seeing and hearing Dave play with Coco Robicheaux in the Faubourg Marigny. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he is the premier guitar player that no one has heard of in the U.S. today. If Ms Mcnally is smart, she will have him playing in the studio as well as in her future live performances. I know this probably sounds more like an Easley review rather than one on Shannon Mcnally, and by no means is this meant to take anything thing away from Shannon's talent, but he's one of the main reasons for the 5 stars! Buy and enjoy.

5 out of 5 stars I was there.......2006-03-22

I love Shannon...and I was at this show, didn't know it was going to be a disc. I'll have to buy it now.

5 out of 5 stars A live disc worth the wait.......2006-02-11

If you have ever had the good fortune of seeing Shannon Live you will appreciate this disc. It captures the essence of her show depending on which group of musicians are backing her. Shannons version of the NRPS song Last Lonely Eagle must make Marmaduke Dawson proud. Down and Dirty has always been a favorite of mine and the live treatment is wonderful. As good as this is, seeing her life is a wonderful experience. Her charm along with her wondeful voice make for a great time. My entire family goes to see Shannon when ever she plays on Long Island or NYC( when they allow kids ).
Buy the disc, catch her shows and support indie music!
Old-Time Fiddle Tunes And Songs From North Georgia
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • An essential component of a good old-time collection.
  • As Good As It Comes
  • HELL BROKE LOOSE IN GEORGIA & OTHER OLD-TIME FAVORITES
  • Incredibly rollicking sounds from long ago and far away.
 Old-Time Fiddle Tunes And Songs From North Georgia
Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers
Manufacturer: County Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
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  1. Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931
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ASIN: B0000012FA
Release Date: 1996-04-16

Tracks:

  1. Rocky Pallet
  2. Rock That Cradle Lucy
  3. Soldier's Joy
  4. Sal's Gone To The Cider Mill
  5. Ride Old Buck To Water
  6. Molly Put The Kettle On
  7. Hell Broke Loose In Georgia
  8. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
  9. Liberty
  10. Devilish Mary
  11. Cackling Hen And Rooster Too
  12. Miss McLeod's Reel
  13. Pretty Little Widow
  14. Dixie
  15. Broken Down Gambler
  16. Leather Breeches

Amazon.com

Decades before rock & roll, the Skillet Lickers blasted through raucous old-time romps that still sound as fresh and edgy as they must've sounded back in the 1920s, when they emerged as hillbilly music's leading artist. Fiddles endlessly blaze and soar over dance calls and raw, down-home hollers while Riley Puckett's guitar work keeps it all anchored. Puckett was probably the first star guitarist of old-time music and his unique, single-string style of rhythm guitar--harmonically fluid but rhythmically adventurous--proved essential to the development of bluegrass, not only for early rhythm guitarists, but later on for lead flat-pickers like Doc Watson, who enhanced it and moved it to the foreground. The songs, from "Soldier's Joy" to "Cackling Hen" to "Dixie" to "Leather Breeches," fiddlers' standards even then, remain so today thanks in large part to these historic recordings. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An essential component of a good old-time collection........2005-12-06

Gid Tanner is a legendary old-time fiddler, so much so that old-time fans are frequently seen wearing t-shirts that say "Gid is My Co-Pilot". The old-time style here is, to discerning ears, quite different than the more common "Round Peak" style, made most famous by fiddler Tommy Jarrell, and quite obviously different than, say, Ozark fiddling. None of the styles are any better or worse, just different, and serious old-time fans will enjoy picking apart the nuances of styles.

More casual old-time fans will enjoy this record as well, though, for both the excellent repertoire and top-notch musicianship. If you think O Brother Where Art Thou is the real deal, I suggest picking this up and having a listen.

5 out of 5 stars As Good As It Comes.......2005-08-31

This very fine cd - from County Records of Virginia - is superb!
County have once again produced a well balanced selection from the archives and have presented it to the public for their delectation. I would recommend this item to all lovers of traditional American Country Music. Don't let it pass you by.

5 out of 5 stars HELL BROKE LOOSE IN GEORGIA & OTHER OLD-TIME FAVORITES.......2000-06-12

Dave Freeman's bluegrass and old-time country label, COUNTY, has been churning out "essential-listening" reissue albums for sometime now, all of which are classics that should be in every devotee's music library. A case in point is this 1996 compilation, THE SKILLET LICKERS: OLD TIME FIDDLE TUNES & SONGS FROM NORTH GEORGIA. Here we have on one CD 16 choice numbers, culled from the 88 sides recorded between 1926 -1931, by that great old-time string band, GID TANNER & HIS SKILLET LICKERS.

Our musical journey back in time starts off with the classic North Georgia-style fiddle tune, ROCKY PALLET, recorded in 1929, and ends with fiddle aces Clayton McMichen and Lowes Stokes, in true Skillet Licker fashion, wildly ripping through their 1930 rendition of that old-time warhorse, LEATHER BREECHES (the American version of LORD MACDONALD'S REEL). The Skillet Licker's unique sound was characterized by the interplay of the harmonizing fiddles (anywhere from 2 to 4 at a time, played by Clayton McMichen, Bert Layne, Lowe Stokes and/or Gid Tanner), Riley Puckett's inovative running bass lines on the guitar and Fate Norris' or Gid's rhythmic 5-string banjo accompaniment. Their highly syncopated, driving North Georgia style reflected the heavy influence of the African-American pre-blues fiddle and banjo tradition.

It was the Skillet Lickers, perhaps more than any other of the early old-time greats, that informed the evolution of the modern old-time string band sound in the 1970s and 80s. While seminal Revival bands like the Highwoods String Band and Bubba George drew their repertoires from many different sources and Southern regional traditions, it was the Skillet Lickers' fun-loving, raucous approach that truly inspired them and served as a model on which to base their own distinctive styles.

As always, this COUNTY album reflects that label's high standards. The original 78 rpm recordings have been remastered nicely and sound great, even to the virgin ears of listeners uninitiated in the mysteries of the raw, scratchy essence of these musical time capsules. The liner notes include highly informative essays by old-time musicologists Norm Cohen and Rich Nevins (though I have to disagree with Rich's dismissal of Fate Norris' banjo playing) and full discographical information on each cut.

If you want to turn on your friends outside the old-time fold to the inherent joys of your favorite music, this CD would be a good starting place. Likewise, I would recommend it to novice old-time musicians looking for some great classic tunes to add to their own repertoires.

4 out of 5 stars Incredibly rollicking sounds from long ago and far away........1998-12-21

One of the finest old time fiddlin' bands, ever. A collection of old time ("hillbilly") 78's from 1920's and early 1930's. Artists include Lowe Stokes, Clayton MacMitchen, Gid Tanner, Riley Puckett, Bertie Layne and Fate Norris (usually inaudible, unfortunately), this CD is guaranteed to either get your feet moving uncontrollably, whether it be dancing or running as far away as you can get from it.

Numbers on this disc include "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia", "The Broken Down Gambler", and a very rollicking version of "Dixie" (hey, they WERE from Atlanta!)

All in all, a CD to please the old-time enthusiast, and annoy just about everyone else.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As with many "country" bands of the time (1920's), these guys had their share of songs that would be considered embarassing and even unacceptable today. NONE of those numbers are on this disc.
The King's Singers Original Debut Recording
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • King's Singers Debut
  • Thirty years old: still terrific
  • This is vintage King's Singers!
 The King's Singers Original Debut Recording

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000A9F
Release Date: 1994-05-10

Tracks:

  1. The Peanut Vendor
  2. Shenandoah
  3. Cherry Ripe
  4. Summertime
  5. Time Was
  6. Scarborough Fair
  7. None But The Lonely Heart
  8. Linstead Market
  9. The Oak And The Ash
  10. Wives And Lovers
  11. Blow Away The Morning Dew
  12. The Green Leaves Of Summer
  13. What Kind Of Things

Amazon.com

As the line in the opening track, "The Peanut Vendor", says: "Fifty million monkeys can't be wrong." And back in 1971, the purchasers of this debut LP (originally The King's Singers: By Appointment) found overwhelming proof in its vinyl grooves that a refreshingly new quality product was on the market. Soon the unlikely lads known as The King's Singers were all over television screens in the company of the likes of Val Doonican, Shirley Bassey, and Nana Mouskouri--also, of course, performing bucketloads of serious repertoire in concerts. For those who rushed to buy the original, this re-release is a real trip down memory lane, the excellent sound enhanced by the extra detail and color in the CD transfer (though, please note, there's less than 35 minutes of music). "Cherry Ripe," "Scarborough Fair," and Bacharach's "Wives and Lovers" are here, along with lots more, performed with that familiar mix of vocal perfection and effortless poise and complemented by the discreet contribution of the Gordon Langford Trio. --Andrew Green

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars King's Singers Debut.......2007-01-12

I am a real fan of the King's Singers, and this album was very well received. I loved it. Recommend it to anyone.

5 out of 5 stars Thirty years old: still terrific.......2003-02-02

We have loved this album for 30 years. We are so pleased it has been released on CD. It was originally part of a very small collection of gramophone records, and is now one of hundreds of CDs, but it is one we keep playing and playing.

The singing is flawless, the songs are wonderful and the arrangements are very clever. What more could you want?

It includes The Kings' Singers theme song, "What Kind of Things (do the Kings' Singers sing?)" which is a humorous description of the variety in their music and in their vocal ranges.

Other highlights are:
Summertime, which is quite close to the orignal sheet music, carefully arranged for 6 voices.

The folk song Scarborough Fair adheres quite closely to the Simon and Garfunkel arrangement, whereas The Oak and the Ash and Blow Away the Morning Dew are special creations for the group by Gordon Langford.

Time Was and The Green Leaves of Summer show the group's ability to create a wonderful mood through slow, soulful singing.

Highly recommended. Timeless music.

5 out of 5 stars This is vintage King's Singers!.......2001-06-09

In the thirty or more years that the King's Singers have been going, they've released dozens of CDs. And as much as I adore some of their recent recordings, I still regard this first album as some of their best work.

This performance is both of a very high quality and is also a magnificent showcase of the variety of things the King's Singers sing. I doubt you would find many other recordings which contain works by Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Bacharach as well as traditional folksongs from the British Isles and America - especially not recordings that are of such a high standard. The vocal harmonies are just delicious, and the Gordon Langford Trio also provides a brilliant accompaniment and gives songs like The Peanut Vendor, Shenandoah and Summertime a delightful relaxed feeling. Then there is also the lighthearted and whimsical What Kind of Things - a song all about what sort of music the King's Singers sing!

I was going to give this CD four stars rather than five (mainly because I hesitate to give top marks to anything ever - I know, I'm picky), but in the end I honestly couldn't think of anything which would justify taking a star away. It's worth all five!

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