Dirt

Dirt

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
As the title suggests, blues-rocker Mark Selby digs a little deeper for his sophomore solo album and comes up with the goods. The strengths of his previous album, 2000's More Storms Comin', are all present, and his songwriting has acquired more depth and maturity. Selby knows his strong points, and things kick in right away with "Reason Enough." The second song, "Back to My Heart," is something of a power ballad--a daring move, but Selby makes it work. "Willin' to Burn" grooves hard enough to power a V-8 engine. On the slower material, though, Selby still seems a bit self-conscious. Although he hits all the right notes, one doesn't always get the impression that he's writing from experience. On the other hand, the more uptempo material, such as "Unforgiven" and "Moon over My Shoulder," is so tasty that you might not care. There's no question that Selby can rock out. Think how great it would be to hear him really cut loose. --Genevieve Williams

Tracks:

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Love At First Feel
Big Balls
Rocker
Problem Child
There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'
Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round To Be A Millionaire)
Ride On
Squealer

Amazon.com

While Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap sounds like every other AC/DC album, it is distinguished by a lyrical puerility spectacular even by Bon Scott's standards. Two tracks--"Love at First Feel" and "Squealer"--are ruminations on the morality of sex with schoolgirls. "Big Balls," ostensibly a narrative from the perspective of an aristocrat socialite, is actually a somewhat labored excuse for the band to chant "We've got big balls." This juvenile posturing was, to a large degree, AC/DC winding up their burgeoning foreign audience by playing to stereotypical expectations of Australians. On Dirty Deeds, however, AC/DC try too hard. Only on "Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)" is Scott's laconic wit deployed to real effect: the sheer glee in the line "Get your fuckin' jumbo jet off my airport!" is almost worth the album's purchase price. --Andrew Mueller

Album Description

AC/DC's 1981 album digitally remastered and reissued in a special digipak plus a 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia and new 2003 liner notes. Epic.

Customer Reviews:

It's Bon Scott for Christ's sake!!!.......2007-07-27

No review does any AC/DC album justice. Leave the art to Da Vinci and the rock to AC/DC. It's all about fun.

I hate the song Big Balls.......2007-06-27

Everything on this album is fantastic except for Big Balls. How that song ever became a single I will never know.

Back in Black was great, but I prefer Bon Scott's lunatic rants on their earlier records........2007-06-13

I don't think this is really a 5-star record, but it's worth 5-stars to hear Bon Scott's barking about his "big balls" and his willing to play a hit man using 'high voltage'. Although this band is not a punk band, they are one of my all-time favorite punk bands, because they have the spirit. Bon Scott was so original and so amazingly wild.

Good Music.......2007-05-27

AC/DC stormed on the U.S. music scene with Highway to Hell. They toured the country opening for other guitar bands like Kiss. When we found out that AC/DC already had several albums previously released in Australia, well, we were just thrilled. This was one of those albums.

All of these songs are excellent songs with catchy rhythm tracks. The lyrics are attractive to the testosterone laden teenage boy: the title track, Big Balls, Rocker, etc... The chorus of Problem Child was one of the anthems of my teenage years.

What I like most about this band and this CD is Malcolm. He lays down some cool sounding rhythms that are fun and relatively easy to play. I got the tablature from the internet and worked my way through all of these songs. Friday afternoon I like to put this in my CD player and crank up my Seymour Duncans and play along.

Fantastic record but..........2007-02-16

What a bummer, the Australian Release of this record had the one song that really capped off this album. That song was of course, Jailbreak. It was the last song on the record.

It appears to be missing here! Not good. How can you take an absolutely brilliant record like this one and leave off its crowing glory. Jailbreak is one of the Bon Scott era trademark AC/DC songs. Not Impressed with this omission! This is not good. Also the cover is different. The original cover had the closeup of the parrot tattoo on Bon Scott's arm while Angus flipped you the bird in the background (irony?). This new cover makes it look like a Duran Duran record.

I always felt that this record was one of the major Bon Scott era records, along with TNT, Let There Be Rock, and Highway to hell (not just in sales, but in consistency, quality of music and lyrics). Dirty Deeds (first song) and Jailbreak (last song) made it a killer album. My personal favorite song was Ride On.

Definitely a defining album in the AC/DC catalog and one which you should seek to have because even now, 30 years later, it still sounds like the top notch record it was back in the day. It rocks. And remember, if it ain't loud, it's not on...

Average customer rating:

HOW IS THIS GRUNGE?
not that best album in the world, but decent
Dirt - a classic album, R.I.P. Layne Staley
One of the Greatest Albums of All Time
Damn, Absolutely owned by them.

Dirt
Alice in Chains
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Jar of Flies
Facelift
Alice in Chains
Superunknown
Sap

ASIN: B0000028M7
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

Them Bones
Dam That River
Rain When I Die
Down In A Hole
Sickman
Rooster
Junkhead
Dirt
God Smack
Intro (Dream Sequence)
Hate To Feel
Angry Chair
Would?

Amazon.com essential recording

Alice in Chains were initially tagged with the "grunge" moniker, when in fact their haunting, ponderous sound was far closer to the progressive rock of Queensryche. Their second album, Dirt, is a moody, portentous affair, filled with occasionally inspired riffing from guitarist Jerry Cantrell and hair-tossed wailing from singer Layne Staley. Perhaps the band got lumped in with Generation X because their lyrics focused upon depression, death, and drugs. Certainly, titles such as "Down in a Hole," "Junkhead," and "Hate to Feel" didn't leave much room for doubt as to Cantrell's perspective. The quartet did have a slightly lighter, almost poppy side to them, though, as "God Smack" and "Hate to Feel" indicate. Ultimately, Dirt is classic angst rock. --Everett True

Album Description

Millenium digipak edition, with original sleeve and 6 page booklet. 12 tracks including 'Rooster', 'Would' & 'Them Bones'.

Album Details

Digitally remastered millennium digipack edition. Includes a special 6 page booklet.

Customer Reviews:

HOW IS THIS GRUNGE?.......2007-07-31

this whole album is comparable to sabbath's heaviest songs like children of the grave, symptom, or their first, black sabbath. plenty of slow, wah pedal iommi-like riffs and about every song has a guitar solo. if you like metal, you'll like it, and if you like grunge, you will.

avoid nirvana, stp, and pearl jam to get the real deal: 70s metal like
SOUNDGARDEN AND AIC. by the way, this review comes from a straight metal/rock/prog head and grunge hater.

not that best album in the world, but decent.......2007-07-11

I admit- I checked this album out because people were comparing Alice In Chains to Black Sabbath, and people were telling me Dirt was the closest thing to a Sabbath record you will find. Well, not really.

Black Sabbath was much heavier, not to mention mainly focused on writing guitar riffs and adding tempo changes at unusual moments (at least, the original version of the band). The music on Dirt is almost identical to grunge rock, if you ask me. Some people will claim the music on this album is progressive rock, while others will just call it heavy metal. To me, it sounds exactly like the music Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and others were doing at the time- music that's not quite as heavy or memorable as people seem to think.

Dirt feels like a one-dimensional album, though sometimes it works to their advantage. "Them Bones" is a pretty good way to introduce someone who's never heard Alice In Chains before, with a smack of an updated rock sound to kick things off. It's energetic, and a pretty good tune. I think the best melodic moment on the album comes on "Down In a Hole". It has an upbeat vocal melody (despite what the lyrics might reveal) but it's not *that* great. The song kind of gets boring after a couple minutes. The verse melody is pretty good, but the chorus seems average to me which overall hurts the song a little. The overlapping vocal section near the end hurts it too. Actually, repeated listens reveal a rather sappy-sounding track, overall. The frightening lyrics may have been dangerous and unlike anything else back in the day, but now I can imagine grandmothers humming the melody.

"Junkhead" is pretty close to a Black Sabbath track with its dreary tone and atmosphere. Good track. "Rooster" is only worthwhile for the way the singer occasionally blurts out "Yeah, here comes the rooster". I can't get into the rest of the song, even after all these years. As for "Angry Chair", I'm not a fan of the intentionally careless style on the part of the lead singer. Sounds like he's deliberately dragging his vocal style across the verse melody for the sole purpose of being intentionally annoying. I'm not a fan of that. Actually the entire song seems to go back and forth between clumsy and obnoxious vocal melodies. I can't have it both ways, but the "I don't mind" chorus is more listenable. "Would" is more or less the same thing, though shorter.

Overall, I don't consider Dirt a classic album, and don't understand people who do. I guess because there was nothing like it back in the early 90's. I can respect that. I just don't care for the music too much.

Dirt - a classic album, R.I.P. Layne Staley.......2007-07-04

While other people were noting the rise of bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, the band I felt that was the new great "rock" if you will, was Alice in Chains. Dirt was the 2nd album they had and it has so many songs on it I like I could talk about them forever. With Dirt I just felt like it was good in all aspects, but especially songwriting. Staley and Cantrell are in sync here till the end, and despite the death of Layne a few years ago I still think they had enough albums to solidify themselves for a higher status than so many other bands that seemed to be riding the grunge train later in the 1990's like Silverchair and Creed. Rooster is my favorite song; it is so dark and powerful like most of the material found here, but also because it was a tribute from Cantrell to his father who fought in the Vietnam War. I still go back and enjoy listening to this album often, I just wish Layne could have stayed with us but I am happy for the great material this band produced during their tenure.

One of the Greatest Albums of All Time.......2007-06-30

Alice in Chains is to this day one of the most creative bands of all time and this album is the best way to be introduced to their music because not only is it their masterpiece, but it is the best representation of their music in every way. AIC makes dark, depressing, and creepy music and no other band has ever been able to capture these moods like this band has. It seems that it comes naturally to AIC because they convey these emotions through their songs so perfectly but effortlessly. Jerry Cantrell's spooky guitar playing and backing vocals and Layne Staley's chilling and powerful vocals are the most perfect match music as a whole has ever seen, and is the reason AIC was so perfect and unique in their songs. Their first album was more upbeat and fast-paced while their third and final studio album was extremely slow-paced and almost too creepy. This album, however, is AIC at their prime and contains their best songs including Down in a Hole, Rooster, and their greatest song, Would?. Every time I listen to that song I can't believe how great it is along with the band that made it.

Damn, Absolutely owned by them........2007-05-08

Back when I was young, I enjoyed listening to a ton of 90s bands. Around 1996, my friends were spitting out music from the recently passed grunge scene including Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and of course...Nirvana (Unplugged) along with a ton of other rock bands of that time (Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day, RHCP, etc...)

But there was one band I didn't listen to when I was young. Alice in Chains. It was just 1 year ago when I learned about them and decided to get myself acquainted with the band. I bought the album Dirt after hearing some of their songs on the radio. After just one viewing, I was hooked. Not only is this album quite possibly one of the most under-rated/under-appreciated album of all time, but it could be one of the greatest albums of all time. Almost every single song has a soul to it thanks to the songwriting of Jerry Cantrell as well as vocals by Layne Staley. Songs like Them Bones and Angry Chair gives the music a darker feel while others like Down in a Hole, Rooster, and Rain When I Die pack in a ton of emotion. God Smack is another decent track (and very likely the track where the band Godsmack got their name from)

And Dirt isn't just AIC's best music. There are still the Jar of Flies EP, Facelift, and their Unplugged album (when MTV was still showing music). All are highly recommended. Pretty much anyone should give Alice in Chains a listen...I don't care if you are part of the emo scene or the indie scene or still trapped in the 80s with your hair metal, give Alice in Chains a try. This is the best album really to start with.

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy

Average customer rating:

The Story of their lives in song
Are there more stars...
Brown Dirt Cowboy~ Elton John
Ending An Era In Style
Absolutely one of the greatest albums of all time!

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Elton John
Manufacturer: Island
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Honky Chateau
Madman Across the Water
Tumbleweed Connection

ASIN: B000001EGA
Release Date: 1996-05-14

Tracks:

Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Tower Of Babel
Bitter Fingers
Tell Me When The Whistle Blows
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket
Better Off Dead
Writing
We All Fall In Love Sometimes
Curtains
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
One Day At A Time
Philadelphia Freedom

Amazon.com essential recording

Elton John has always liked having it both ways. He's flamboyant and vain, yet empathetic and sincere. He sits at his piano playing sentimental melodies, but the words come not from inside his soul but from friend Bernie Taupin. For Captain Fantastic, he and Taupin wrote a concept album which sketches their career together. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is easily the strongest song outside of the concept. The addition of several songs "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" featuring John Lennon, "Philadelphia Freedom," and "One Day at a Time" blow the concept but up the entertainment value considerably. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

The Story of their lives in song.......2007-06-18

Elton John and Bernie Taupin closed the chapter of their peak years by writing a song cycle about how they got there. "Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy" put away the glitter and the costumes and painted an austere portrait of the artists in their hungry years. By reigning in the excess and making many of the songs modest and sincere, "Captain Fantastic" gave fans of Elton the best of both worlds. The simpler storytelling of the earlier part of Elton's career was matched to the increasing confidence of his and Bernie's songwriting. While there was no glammy-hit with catchy chorus to be found on this album, it is easily the most consistent work of their glory days. It even made history by becoming the very first album to enter the charts at number one.

It is also the most sentimental of Elton's albums. The humble beginnings are underscored by the title track, and the orchestrated original closer of "Curtains/We All Fall In Love Sometimes" is beautifully done. The late Producer Gus Dudgeon made this album glow rather than flash - he may be one of the most underrated participants in Elton's career. (He passed away in 2002.) This was such a departure for Elton stylistically that only one song became a hit single, the song of love lost without regrets "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," in which Long John Baldry and Bernie talked Elton out of going through with a marriage that would have seen him ending his musical career. It is a powerful ballad and fits in even better when positioned in the "Captain Fantastic" storyline.

Because the album is a concept album, it is best listened to as a piece. The angry "Meal Ticket" is a great rock song, as is "Bitter Fingers." But it is the way all the pieces fit that brings out the brilliance of this album. Even though two of the three bonus tracks are number one hits, they are actually a distraction here. Even the liner notes concede that point, claiming that Elton and Bernie were really trying to stay true to form, and had no issues with recording singles as items not album specific. Even so, how many albums can have bonus material as terrific as Elton's cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" or concert classic "Philadelphia Freedom?" Anyway you look at it, bonus tracks or no, "Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy" is a classic, the moment that captures all parties at the pinnacle of their powers at a time when they were also at their most commercially successful.

After-note: I received this album for a gift on my 15th birthday, and met Elton John in Philadelphia in 1989. When I told him how I got the album (and the poster), he laughed and said "you're making me feel f'n old." That poster - also signed by Bernie - is framed and hanging in a treasured spot on my office wall.

Are there more stars..........2007-05-08

Of all of the dozens of CD's you could get with this guy, you can't beat "Fantastic". The best of Elton John and Bernie Taupin is RIGHT HERE. You don't have to look no more!!! Gif.

Brown Dirt Cowboy~ Elton John.......2007-05-06

Bought this in vinyl but lost all my albums so
I bought it again when cassettes were the fad.
Just had to have it on CD..... bought it again!
Now I have in on my computer forever.
Love it!

Ending An Era In Style.......2006-12-02

Elton was just a singles machine, when this album came out. But he used all those singles to guarantee an audience for this brilliant, very uncommercial masterpiece. The album debuted at number one, but people expecting more "Daniel" or "The Bitch Is Back" were undoubtedly shocked, but hopefully not disppointed. This album has it all. It rewards the true Elton John fans who waited through numerous commercial hits for an album worthy of his earlier work. As if inspired by the story line, his early career with Bernie Taupin, Elton and Bernie seemingly go back in time and come up with just an incredible album as good as anything he had ever done to that point, and miles better than anything he would ever do again.

The bonus tracks include two number one monster singles. Not bad for bonus tracks.

Absolutely one of the greatest albums of all time!.......2006-11-05

Elton John was a 70s version of the fab four
rolled up in one... he's on full display here..
his band sounds amazing...

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (30th Anniversary Edition)

Average customer rating:

all time classic
I don't know, mate...
A piece of history
Great Album, Great CD, Great Amazon!
Great old country music

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (30th Anniversary Edition)
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 3
Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
The Three Pickers
Dirt, Silver & Gold

ASIN: B000063686
Release Date: 2002-03-26

Tracks:

Grand Ole Opry Song
Keep On The Sunny Side
Nashville Blues
You Are My Flower
The Precious Jewel
Dark As A Dungeon
Tennessee Stud
Black Mountain Rag
Wreck On The Highway
The End Of The World
I Saw The Light
Sunny Side Of The Mountain
Nine Pound Hammer
Losin' You (Might Be The Best Thing Yet)
Honky Tonkin'
You Don't Know My Mind
My Walkin' Shoes

Tracks:

Lonesome Fiddle Blues
Cannonball Rag
Avalanche
Flint Hill Special
Togary Mountain
Earl's Breakdown
Orange Blossom Special
Wabash Cannonball
Lost Highway
Doc Watson & Merle Travis: First Meeting (Dialogue)
Way Downtown
Down Yonder
Pins And Needles (In My Heart)
Honky Tonk Blues
Sailin' On To Hawaii
I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
I Am A Pilgrim
Wildwood Flower
Soldier's Joy
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Both Sides Now
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Warming Up for "The Opry" (talk)
Sunny Side (talk)
Remember Me

Amazon.com

In an age when the old-timey soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? sells 5 million copies, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary Will the Circle Be Unbroken seemed upon its release 30 years ago. The triple album (now rereleased as a two-CD set) paired many of Nashville's venerable country and bluegrass performers (Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements) with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or as Acuff called them, "a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys." The idea seemed nearly as foreign as Martians setting down in Tennessee, but the Dirt Band were Colorado hippies steeped in the genre, so there was no disputing the authenticity of the music, or its earthy appeal. Aside from the sheer joy of the performances (listen to Jimmy Martin's "whoop" on "Sunny Side of the Mountain"), there's great fun in hearing Roy Acuff give the boys a lesson in doing a song right the first time (and using the word hell before launching into a religious number). And Mother Maybelle wafts through like a benevolent ghost, or at least a patron saint. One caveat: The boast of four previously unreleased tracks is balderdash, since three are really between-track conversations and rehearsals, and only "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" qualifies as a real song. But that's nitpicking. Buy it. Love it. Wallow in it. O brother, that's country music! --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

all time classic.......2007-06-11

was the first record on blugrass I heard, is still an all time classic

I don't know, mate..........2007-05-29

Everyone seems to love this record, and I can see why. It's relaxed, old-tyme bluegrass from some of the masters, both (then) young and old. I don't want to come down too critically on this album, as it is quite solid, but - to my ears - that's the problem. It's solid without being inspirational.

Be honest- if you weren't familiar with the cast, it would just be another bluegrass album, no? It's just a hodgepodge of famous names, and very rarely do these all-star casts ever prove inspirational. Everyone seems to be enjoying everyone else's company, perhaps sipping a drink or two, and singing a few tunes here and there. Even Doc Watson sounds a little flat, save for "Black Mountain Rag." That should tell you something.

If you want FANTASTIC bluegrass, save your money. Buy a Kentucky Colonels or a Muleskinner record. Heck, buy an original album by any of these artists that have fire, inspiration, and are truly sensational.

A piece of history.......2007-05-16

I first purchased this album on in 1974 or there about. I recently re-purchased it on CD. It is as good today as it was then, maybe better. The music is breathtaking in it's straight forward simplicity and unadorned honesty. This is one if those albums that just happened at the right place and time. Sadly, so many of the folks on the album are no longer with us. This should be required listening for all the "young country" stars of today. Country music was never better than this.

Great Album, Great CD, Great Amazon!.......2007-02-21

Had been searching for this since hearing the LP in my youth. Just as good as I remembered. Love the additional tracks and great instrumentals. Great service from Amazon all the way to NZ.

Great old country music.......2007-02-11

I own the original LP and could no longer play it because I have gone to only CD's. I had been looking for the CD and was very happy to finally find it. This is a great classic BlueGrass album. I just love this music. If you love Bluegrass you need this album, it's a must have.

Average customer rating:

Voice still lovely; not country any more; sound complex, muddy
art with blemishes
Emmylou Atmosphere
Production is weak
Emmylou Rocks

Red Dirt Girl

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wrecking Ball
Stumble Into Grace
Pieces of the Sky
Roses in the Snow
Cowgirl's Prayer

ASIN: B00004WZOJ
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

The Pearl
Michaelangelo
I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now
Tragedy
Red Dirt Girl
My Baby Needs a Shepherd
Bang the Drum Slowly
J'ai fait tout
One Big Love
Hour of Gold
My Antonia (featuring Dave Matthews)
Boy from Tupelo

Amazon.com

Consider this Emmylou Harris's emancipation proclamation--an album that confirms that 1995's adventurously atmospheric Wrecking Ball wasn't an aberration, but a preview of more radical changes to come. Long the godmother of alternative-country's traditionalist wing, Harris here writes songs with Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff, sings a duet with Dave Matthews ("My Antonia"), and recruits Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa to provide harmonies on the album's most compelling ballad ("Tragedy"). The production by Malcolm Burn applies sonic treatments of drum machines, shimmering guitars, and echoed vocals to a song cycle by Harris that is largely original and deeply personal, filled with dream imagery and evocations of a spiritual quest. While material such as "Michaelangelo" and "Bang the Drum Slowly" suffers from an arty ponderousness, it's doubtful that Harris has ever recorded an album that means more to her than this one. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Voice still lovely; not country any more; sound complex, muddy.......2007-06-22

I have been a fan of Emmylou Harris for years. I loved her music back in the 1970s. She has one of the purest and most beautiful voices in country music. She also always had a wonderful simplicity and directness to her style.

I am not sure how to react to this new music. Her voice is still lovely. This is obviously a sincere, well-crafted effort.

However:

It is not county any more. I am not quite sure what it is, but she has left her country roots behind her with this. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I, frankly, have trouble following the logic of where she is going. Her back up sound has become very complex. To put a positive spin on it, it is lush. To be negative about it, it is muddy. To me, she has lost the beautiful simplicity of her earlier music. Is her new direction worth the loss? I will listen to the music some more. Maybe there is more here than I am hearing. But, so far, she is losing me.

art with blemishes.......2007-05-27

I recently came to Emmylou through her work with some of my heroes, Mark Knopfler and Neil Young. I've been digesting this disk and several of her others. In reading the comments, I see that some people just love this album and others love it but hate the production and the sound. I'm here to say that the complainers have a point: the purity of Emmylou on this album is marred by some immature over-production, and a few lurches over the line into pop, e.g., it is a little heavy on the drum machines. But it is just a scratch. I can also say that it does not sound as good as the later Stumble Into Grace, but the sound is not unusually bad either. And it is still well worth the price of admission. There is not a weak track on the disk. The title track is essential and note-perfect, and I would not be without several of the others. Emmylou is the real deal, and these are her songs. Do not be deterred.

Emmylou Atmosphere.......2007-05-07

The Daniel Lanois production on "Wrecking Ball" must have really tickled Emmylou Harris, because in the five years between that album and "Red Dirt Girl," she hired on Lanois associate Malcolm Burn to give "Red Dirt Girl" the same murky, gauzy production that the prior album had. While purists who wonder why Emmylou 'abandoned' her old sound may protest the rich atmospherics of the new CD, it really does give her a handsome frame from which to hang this new batch of songs.

The modernness of the sound also shows that Emmylou, as a kind of elderstateswoman, is willing to embrace new things. Think of her spate of guest vocals in the past few years. She's appeared with everyone from Bright Eyes and Steve Earle to a fantastic tour with Elvis Costello.

Emmylou also must have been biding her time in an effort to craft some fine new songs. All these titles are written (or co written) by her, a switch from "Wrecking Ball's" selection of suitors. Rodney Crowell and Guy Clark each take a credit for songwriting and a pair of winners. Crowell's tragedy adds a couple of familiar voices, as Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patty Scialfa add harmonies. And that is Dave Matthews' voice duetting on "My Antonia."

However, "Red Dirt Girl" belongs to Emmylou. The cloudy of the production adds a emotional haunt to the title song, reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's best albums. Same with "Michelangelo," which really does have that Gabriel/U2 vibe around it. It makes "Red Dirt Girl" a thoughtful and provocative album from Emmylou.

Production is weak.......2006-12-09

This is an outstanding album, one of her best, except for the production. The producer mixed in heavy distortion and gimmicks (a phone ringing). Emmy Lou Harris does not need gimmicks, or distortion. Her voice is wonderful, the lyrics outstanding, the musical scores superb, and that's more than anyone can hope for. Why she chose to let this producer push distortion and gimmicks is beyond me. I wish she would remix it! As it stands, it is one of my favorite CDs but is unlistenable. So sad.

Emmylou Rocks.......2006-11-04

What a beautiful voice! She's great solo doing her own songs although I really like her teamed with Mark Knopfler. A must have for lovers of great music.

Average customer rating:

El Bluegrass y sus seguidores en el mundo
Vol. 2 SUPERIOR to Vol. 1
In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Genuine heart-felt mountain music played by the best
My favorite Circle album

Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Manufacturer: Mca Nashville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002P8G
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Life's Railway To Heaven
Grandpa Was A Carpenter
When I Get My Rewards
Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan
Little Mountain Church House
And So It Goes
When It's Gone
Mary Danced With Soldiers
Riding Alone
I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World
Lovin' On The Side
Lost River
Bayou Jubilee
Blues Berry Hill
Turn Of The Century
One Step Over The Line
You Ain't Going Nowhere
The Valley Road
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Amazing Grace

Amazon.com

"We've lost the living room," Emmylou Harris says before her ethereal version of "Mary Danced with Soldiers," "but today I think we got it back." Full of back-home warmth, inspired pairings--Roseanne Cash and John Hiatt, Levon Helm and the host Nitty Gritty Dirt Band--and a song selection that walks the line between traditionals and excellent contemporary material, somehow this follow up to the barrier-breaking first volume is never nostalgic nor aimless. In fact, it's nearly as good--even John Denver sounds inspired. Jimmy Martin sings "Sitting on Top of the World" as if his life depended on it, and Ricky Skaggs and Levon Helm both turn in vocal performances that stand comfortably beside any of their careers. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

El Bluegrass y sus seguidores en el mundo.......2006-02-27

Me siento muy afortunado al poder expresar mi opinión sobre este gran album de "The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band".
Soy chileno, (CHILE - SUDAMERICA) Y vivo en una cultura distinta y muy distante de estas raices, lo cual siempre me ha significado una gran dificultad para seguirla, pese a todo, he buscado la forma de estar siempre y desde muy temprana edad en contacto con ella.
Mi afición por la música, por el estilo rock.folk, y en especial por la guitarra, me ha llevado desde muy niño a acercarme a este estilo musical, tan rico en el uso de las cuerdas en toda su gama y de una composición tan simple que permite el virtuosismo de todos y cada uno de los instrumentos que la componen.
Considero que este CD muestra la evolución del "Bluegrass" en el tiempo y a través de las generaciones que lo interpretan, fundiendo en este album la raíz folklórica de este estilo, con el avance tecnológico de nuestros tiempos, sin perder el espíritu que lo identifica.

Vol. 2 SUPERIOR to Vol. 1.......2005-10-25

As a fan of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for more than 30 years, it is easy for me to pick "Will the Circle Be Unbroken Vol. 2" as the band's best effort, by far. In 1989 the album won the Grammy Award for "Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal" plus two other Grammys for individual cuts, and won the Country Music Association's "Album of the Year." Pretty much enough said. Highlights include Paulette Carlson's vocal on "Lovin On the Side," John Denver's vocal on "And So It Goes," the incomparable John Prine on "Grandpa Was a Carpenter," and fine work by NGDB members throughout. (If you want to hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in microcosm, listen to their version of Buddy Holly's "Rave On" on the "Uncle Charlie and his Dog Teddy" LP.)

In the sky, Lord, in the sky.......2004-09-16

Some 17 years after their groundbreaking album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band decided to record a "sequel". While the original album featured the Dirt Band performing with veterans of the Nashville scene, they are more inclusive this time, teaming with old timers, contemporaries of theirs and even younger people who they may have influenced. While the results are not as good as the original Circle album, (and how could they be?), this is still a solid, enjoyable album. While it is hard to pick a favorite here, I am partial to the Jimmy Martin sung "I'm Sitting on Top of the World". There is a lot to enjoy here. Recommended to fans of "roots" music.

Genuine heart-felt mountain music played by the best.......2004-07-12

I bought this CD back in 1990 and it is one my favorites. The audio is supreme. The music sounds like a bunch of friends having a good time. Cash, Prine, Helm, Hiatt and Cash are the standouts. Even John Denver has a great song. I am not a "country fan." My tastes are Gov't Mule / Phish / Allman Bros.

My favorite Circle album.......2004-06-28

There are three Circle collections. General opinion is that the first album is the best, the third album is a close second and that this is the weakest of the three. I love all three but this one particularly appeals to me. It has many traditional musicians and singers but also a few less obvious singers like John Denver, Levon Helm (of the Band), John Prine, Roger McGuinn (of the Byrds), Paulette Carlson (of Highway 101) and Bruce Hornsby. Perhaps it is the presence of such guests that some dislike but you can't please everybody.

Whatever you may think of the normal music that some of the guests have recorded, they all justify their place on this excellent album of traditional music, sometimes singing songs they've previously recorded, but adapted to a traditional setting. For some of them, it may have been their chance to record some traditional country without upsetting their fans or their record label. Both would understand that this was (for them) a one-off. They certainly made the most of their opportunity.

So we get Bruce Hornsby singing and playing piano on Valley road, but in a traditional country/bluegrass style. Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, both ex-members of the Byrds, sing and play guitar on You ain't going nowhere, a Bob Dylan song that was recorded by the Byrds in the sixties. Michael Martin Murphey sings and plays guitar on Lost river, one of his own songs. John Hiatt sings a duet with Roseanne Cash on One step over the line. John Prine sings and plays guitar on his song Grandpa was a carpenter.

Some of the songs are oldies like Life's railway to heaven (featuring Johnny Cash), I'm sitting on top of the world (featuring Jimmy Martin), the title track (featuring everybody but particularly Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff and Ricky Skaggs) and Amazing grace, an instrumental solo by Randy Scruggs. Other songs appear to be originals including And so it goes (featuring John Denver), Mary danced with soldiers (featuring Emmylou) and Lovin' on the side (featuring Paulette Carlson).

If you haven't got any of the Circle albums, this album is a great one to start with, especially if you're relatively new to traditional country music.

Average customer rating:

"Camel Walk" ALONE is worth 5 stars
Dirt Track Great
Happy Gilmore soundtrack?
One of their best
Raucous fun; this band does better

Dirt Track Date
Southern Culture on the Skids
Manufacturer: Fontana Geffen
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Liquored Up & Lacquered Down
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Countrypolitan Favorites

ASIN: B000003TBN
Release Date: 1995-08-15

Tracks:

Voodoo Cadillac
Soul City
Greenback Fly
Skullbucket
Camel Walk
White Trash
Firefly
Make Mayan A Hawaiian
Fried Chicken And Gasoline
Nitty Gritty
8 Piece Box
Galley Slaves
Whole Lotta Things
Dirt Track Date

Customer Reviews:

"Camel Walk" ALONE is worth 5 stars.......2006-08-22

There needs to be more music like THIS at dance clubs and honky-tonks. Southern Culture on the Skids is some classic country-rockabilly with a modern edge. The music may sound like it could be duplicated on your back porch, but it is also very contemporary and fresh and witty and worth at least a head-nod or some toe-tap, evne if you're dead. I prefer a real country strut with my honey on my arm during this whole album, maybe a little Presley imitation thrown in now and then (and I'm talking old school King, when he could still do some hardcore pelvis shots and sway his knees about). I'm a fan of isolated tracks on other albums (40 Miles to Vegas is just impossible to keep your foot on the floor to), but this one keeps me jiggling the whole way through.

I first heard from this album when a local radio show would play "Camel Walk" almost to death, but still every time I'd crank up the volume and rock along. The song is astoundingly swinging and funny and a little bit scary--S & M involving oatmeal snack pies? To this day, if something catches me by surprise, I'll call out, "Little Debbie, Little Debbie! I'ma comin' on home, baby!" This song is a little more methodical than tracks like "Nitty Gritty" and "Greenback Fly," which just makes you want to be Johnny Depp in _Cry Baby_ all over again. And songs like "Galley Slave" and "Skullbucket" will bring you back to those great instrumentals like "Pipeline" and "Jack the Ripper."

It is hard to avoid making comparisons with the Reverend Horton Heat when talking about Southern Culture, mainly because they both run the same fine line between making fun of rockabilly while also deeply praising it. If psychobilly is the new moniker for modern rockabilly, then let this band sit on the throne with the Rev and hold sway over all that is good and true and makes you rock your bones just one more time.

Dirt Track Great.......2006-03-03

All the songs on this album are good, definently worth buying.My husband and I have enjoyed everything we've heard from this band.

Happy Gilmore soundtrack?.......2005-02-21

The first I heard of this group was, naturally, on the radio. The song "Soul City" (which none of the other "reviewers" mentioned)was occasionally being played on the radio, I believe, around the time Happy Gilmore came out. Coincidence? Not too many songs I hear on the radio DRIVE me to go ASAP to the store to get. I can't describe it's noise, but it affected me the same way Home Fries did. The movie? I was surprised of no soundtrack. I had to rent the movie to find Reverend Horton Heat's name. Then I had the unexpected ephiphany that maybe I was addicted to this strange, but not new genre, Rockabilly.

One of their best.......2004-09-25

I own every SCOTS CD they've put out. These guys are the
real deal Psychobillies. No poseurs, when they sing about fried
chicken, they're reallly singing about fried chicken. When was the last time you heard a CD that was just plain fun to
listen to?

This particular CD has been out for quite a while, but it's
worth tracking down. An excellent place to begin for those
unfamiliar with them. Best listened to with a bucket of
Col. Sanders, NASCAR on the TV, a bottle of supermarket scotch
on the TV tray and all your neighbors at the trailer park makin' that old doublewide rock...

Raucous fun; this band does better.......2004-05-04

A seemingly low three-star review for SCOTS is only due to the sense that SCOTS didn't reach its potential on this album. The sheer talent of this band flows from the seeming ease with which this album got tossed off. Perhaps the greatest charm of "DTD" is the sense that this group got together in a tin shed one hot North Carolina afternoon and tossed off 14 guilty pleasures.

Some of the songs stand up even against SCOTS' more polished work (check out "Liquored Up and Lacquered Down") - such as "Voodoo Cadillac," "Skullbucket," and "Nitty Gritty." Others, like "8 Piece Box" and "Dirt Track Date" sound like a good jam session gone awry -- the song has promise, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

The tiki-lounge beauty of "Make Mayan a Hawaiian" is charming, and the quick little ditty, "Whole Lotta Things" is sure to get stuck in your head (in a good way) long after it's over.

Most of SCOTS' songs have lyrics that remind you that the band is just havin' fun riffing away, and that's perfect for lazy Saturday afternoons. Unfortunately, this apparently relaxed attitude keeps "DTD" out of my regular CD rotation despite its charms (unlike "Liquored Up and Lacqured Down," which is a staple).

Tracks:

Mr. Bojangles
An American Dream
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
House At Pooh Corner
Male A Little Magic
All I Have To Do Is Dream
Grand Ole Opry Song
Jambalaya
Battle Of New Orleans
I Saw The Light
Buy For Me The Rain
Some Of Sally's Blues
Fire In The Sky

Customer Reviews:

I love the Dirt Band.......2006-07-09

This CD does give you the essence of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I would recommend it.

Great collection of hits.......2006-01-18

This cd of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band songs is great for a starter collection. Of notable interest on this cd is Mr. Bojangles, which is presented here in the shorter "B" side version of the song. The song was issued on both sides of the original 45, one with a minute and a half long prelude, then the song kicks in. When you flip the 45 over you get this version, which actually starts differently than the version on the A side 45.

For a very nice cheap budget price, this cd is a near definitive overview of their early hits, and I recommend this to anyone. Some of the other great songs on this cd are Buy For Me The Rain, House At Pooh Corner, and Will The Circle Be Unbroken.

If you want to dig a little deeper into the band's music, other cds that I recommend are "Dirt, Silver and Gold" for more songs from this era (which includes the original A side version of Mr. Bojangles), and also "20 Years of Dirt" for "Dance Little Jean".

Again, the B side version of Mr. Bojangles is on this cd, and it is in fact hard to find on cd. This cd has the basic early hits by the group, and is a must for anyone who likes Mr. Bojangles and wants to hear more of their hits.

Great album!.......2004-01-05

This is my only album of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and it is great. I hadn't even heard of them until the 4th of July last year when they came to my town. I didn't get to see them play but I heard they were great so I bought one of their cd's and loved it. One song I wish was on here though is "Fishin' in the Dark." That is a great song. Great cd and worth the buy.

The Dirt Band's Greatest Album.......2002-04-16

This is the greatest collection of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's late 70's and early 80's songs that I have seen. I orginally had the cassette version, and I just had to find this exact album on CD. This album WILL take you back to a time 20 years ago and let you feel like you did back then. The melodies capture a great era of music that we will never see again. I have frequently heard An American Dream on pop music stations. I even heard Make a Little Magic in a department store last week. This is just a can't live without for any Dirt Band fan. I can only wish that this particular album was more available on CD!

Real Country.......2001-07-17

It is hard to find good country music with all the new stuff comming out. But when I listen to the CD it brings back thoughts of being back on my farm with my family. I remember where I come from but more importantly makes me appreciate how things are now. It has a good feeling about the whole CD I really love it. Listening to the CD makes me feel like I am back in the glorious states once again.

Average customer rating:

Works for me!
Stoned In The Studio
Flatwoods Brass
Red Dirt Album

The Red Dirt Album
Stoney LaRue
Manufacturer: Smith Music Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Like It Used to Be

ASIN: B0009VNBSS
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Tracks:

Down in Flames
Closer to You
Idabel Blues
Downtown
Solid Gone
Walk Away
Texas Moon
One Chord Song
Bluebird Wine
Let Me Hold You
Forever Young

Customer Reviews:

Works for me!.......2007-05-21

I don't remember what made me buy this album but I am glad I did.
I am always looking for something good out of the mainstream and
this album fits the bill. Down to earth, no over production with
some catchy tunes and good lyrics.

Stoned In The Studio.......2006-10-25

If you've seen Stoney live, this album may seem a little subdued.
Sometimes a studio recording doesn't capture the soul of a song like a live recording. But there's no doubt Stoney's soul is in what he's doing.

Flatwoods Brass.......2006-01-10

Great music! Great voice!Fits right in with my Radney, Roger, Pat, Cory, Randy and Jack!

Red Dirt Album.......2005-08-28

Years ago watching Stoney perform in Stillwater, OK it was not hard to tell where his talent might take him. While live shows are Stoney's forte, he has put together a very solid studio album. A look in the liner notes of the album will reveal a mass of talent with the likes of Mike McClure, Scott Evans, Cody Canada, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and many more. From brand new tracks like "One Chord Song" and "Solid Gone" to old favorites like "Bluebird Wine" and "Forever Young" that Stoney has layed down in his own way, this album is a sure hit for anyone that has a nose for talent.

Average customer rating:

Timeless indeed
Defining Moment
NGDBs Finest Hour?
One of Rock's 10-best American albums
Uncle Charlie and his dog Teddy

Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000087DSO
Release Date: 2003-02-11

Tracks:

Some Of Shelly's Blues
Prodigal's Return
The Cure
Travelin' Mood
Chicken Reel
Yukon Railroad
Livin' Without You
Clinch Mountain Backstep
Rave on
Billy In The Low Ground
Jesse James
Uncle Charlie Interview
Mr. Bojangles
Opus 36
Santa Rosa
Propinquity
Uncle Charlie
Randy Lynn Rag
House At Pooh Corner
Swanee River
Uncle Charlie Interview #2/The End/Spanish Fandango
Mississippi Rain
What Goes On

Customer Reviews:

Timeless indeed.......2007-03-22

I think I was about 4 or 5 when my grandmother bought this album for me at a local department store, because it had the song "House at Pooh Corner" on it. That was in 1970 or 1971. I grew up with the record and still love it, at age 41. It still sounds fresh and sunny. For me "Some of Shelly's Blues" and "The Cure" are the standout tracks, but it's all great stuff. As another reviewer here has said, this record is timeless.

Defining Moment.......2006-08-24

The other reviews here are more eloquent and can tell you why you must have this in your collection. All I can add is that this album defines a very specific moment in music and social history. I was in an alternative college in 1970, and there were a few records that were the soundtrack of the hippie freak culture of the time. There were a lot of heavy trippy tracks, there was a lot of British blues, and then there were albums which simply made you happy; they made you dance like you were at a fiddle contest, they made you felel emotion and made you relax "and float downstream". This particular Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album defined the folk rock freak movement better than any of the others (except the music of The Band which is much "heavier"). I don't like the other Dirt Band albums, because I don't like the heavy country flavor of them. This album, however, broke through and made its own genre. I can't imagine anyone not listening and being mesmerized from start to finish by the entire experience. Definitely on a Top Ten must-have list along with the Beatles, Neil Young, Cream, Randy Newman, Donovan, Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton), John Mayall (with Eric Clapton), Bob Dylan and The Band.

NGDBs Finest Hour?.......2005-07-08

I had already heard the Dirt Band when this album was released.
I bought the single "Buy for me the rain" and thought this was a great group, worthy of an extended listen. Well, for some unknown reason, I never bought the first couple of albums they released. All that changed when I heard "Mr. Bojangles" on the radio. I was right. This was a band to listen to and to follow.
Mr. Bojangles, Travelin' Mood, Some of Shelly's Blues, Santa Rosa, Chicken Reel, Yukon Railroad, House at Pooh Corner...all great songs. And the amazing thing was..this band could also do country and bluegrass, as well as being a top notch rock n' roll band. Fiddles are on there, as well as banjos, mandolins, and a host of other instruments rarely (if ever) used by a rock band before. Now, to be fair, The Monkees and the Hollies had used banjos before, and the Monkees also used steel guitar, but had never incorporated these instruments into their over all sound the way NGDB did. I was just blown away. I am still blown away by the Dirt Band to this day, although they went pretty much mainstream country for awhile. But give Uncle Charlie a listen, then listen to Welcome To Woody Creek (their latest) and tell me they haven't gone full circle (no pun intended). The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band..Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy...good stuff indeed.

One of Rock's 10-best American albums.......2004-10-07

Albums that change things, define genres and otherwise make profound statements don't come along too often. You're lucky if lightning strikes once. With the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, it hit twice -- with "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and before that with this incredible album, "Uncle Charlie."

From the first second of this album, as John McEuen's slammin' banjo kicks off Mike Nesmith's "Some of Shelley's Blues," you know you've discovered something special.

Producer Bill McEuen just turned on the machines and let the band cut loose, and when it was done he pieced together the songs in an order that at times seems almost poetic. I'm tempted here to say that this is a "concept" album but I'll be darned if I could state exactly what that concept is.

What you find is a band that could play literally anything from country to bluegrass to rock to blues to folk and yes, even classical. Plus, you get the band's most lasting hit, their take on Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," which is still considered the standard take on this song.

The band also champions such songwriters here as Nesmith and Randy Newman, and in turn deliver what are probably considered the paramount versions of those songs, too. Their super-loud version of Buddy Holly's "Rave On" ( a song I saw them use more than once during encores to let the audience know that they were tired and it's time to go home now -- they'd crank the amps to ear-blistering levels for this one) is one that I'm sure would have made Mr. Holly think, "man, why didn't I play it like that?"

John McEuen does stuff on this CD that still drops my jaw when I listen to it. His banjo playing here rivals anything else he's ever done, even the great, good-as-Scruggs's stuff on "Circle."

I have never met anyone who didn't like this album and I probably never will. You'll like it, too. It's timeless. It's wonderful. And it's absolutely perfect.

Uncle Charlie and his dog Teddy.......2004-06-05

Those who don't have this record simply don't know what they're missing. I mail-ordered it after checking some reviews: I was interested in the Country-rock phenomenon, I liked the Eagles but I knew there was more to the genre than that. I was rewarded with this magnificent album: each single player seems transfixed by the lightning of inspiration, the music is great and brilliantly executed, Hanna's singing captures the spirit of the whole project. This simply IS Country-rock: banjo, harmonica and accordion fluttering in and out between the dusty guitars and the rusty percussions. The rythmic patterns change from song to song, some instrumental afterthoughts thrown in here and there show to the full the extrordinary skills of the band, both as composers and performers. You just can't sit still as you play the record: you sing along, dance the fast-paced rockers, enjoy the soulful ballads. It's a wonderful record, everytime I listen to it I am moved beyond tears. Everybody who has a decent record collection absolutely has to have Uncle Charlie!

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