Appalachian music reviews

This CD is a combination of songs sung by the Original Carter Family and Maybelle Carter and his daughters, the group that sang after the breakup of the original after Sarah divorced A. P. Carter moved to California and married someone else. Because of this juxtaposition, the CD sounds a little weird although some of us are grateful for anything the Carter Family did that is released on CD's. The first song, the classic "Wildwood Flower" is worth the price of this CD for Maybelle's guitar introduction with her unique picking style. The six numbers sung by the originals are all written or collected by A. P. The CD closes with their rendition of "Can The Circle Be Unbroken."

Johnny Cash joins Maybelle and her daughters on two cuts: "The World Needs A Melody" and "A Song To Mama," which, if I remember correctly, was the last major hit that this group had back in the early 70's. It is pure sarrharin-- "Mama, you mean a lot to me"-- and goes right to the bloodstream. And I love it. The inclusion of "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" with "Ring Of Fire" is interesting since both numbers have to do with a Carter woman's relationship with men who were not their husbands. Sarah Carter, in a radio program, dedicated the first number to her lover in California who heard her singing and came to her. June Carter allegedly wrote the county classic "Ring of Fire" about her obsession with Johnny Cash when at least one of them as I recall was married to someone else. The new Carters' version of "He Thinks I Still Care," as the youngsters say now, rocks. Only George Jones may have done it better with his great tenor voice.

While this CD could be better, at least we have some of Maybelle and her daughters' recordings here. There must be a market for more releases on CD of the many records that these four women did over the years.

Warning: Not everyone whose photo appears on the front of this CD sings on it. Rosanne Cash is nowhere to be found.

This is a grab bag of Carter material, consisting of same late-era recordings by the original trio; a 1960s reunion of Sara and Maybelle; and 1960s and early 1970s recordings by the reconstituted Carter Family (Maybelle, June, Helen and Anita, sometimes d/b/a the Carter Sisters). The songs are mixed together, with no regard for sequencing or thematic organization. There's also no rhyme or reason for Rosanne Cash's picture appearing on the cover -- she's not a Carter, and she doesn't appear on the record. Somewhat surprisingly, what makes this one worth the price of admission are seven the late-era Carter Family/Sisters cuts. There are plenty of CD featuring the legendary recordings of the original Carters. But, the latter-day group, featuring Anita's wonderful lead vocals and Helen's adept harmonies, is otherwise unrepresented on U.S.-issued CD product.

This is a nice album. The Carters recorded sixty sides in three sessions for Decca between 1936 and 1938. This set covers the twenty numbers from the first of those sessions, produced in New York City on June 8 and 9, 1936. Smooth sound, resulting from Decca's advanced ( for the 1930s ) recording techniques, combined with the polished professionalism of a group with nine years of recording experience, make for probably the best records, technically, that the Carters made. There is an intimacy about the sound that their recordings for other companies doesn't have. The songs are the usual mix of traditional, Victoriana, and gospel, with the bluesy 'Jealous Hearted Me' being particularly interesting. The group probably learned this one from their friend, Leslie Riddles, and it's interesting to speculate, when listening to the sexually slanted lyric, as to whether they actually knew what they were singing about. But good though this album definitely is, I couldn't help feeling that the performances are somewhat dispirited - like the group was, in some cases, simply going through the motions. Sara had been separated from A.P. for about three years by the time of this set, and was known to be less enthusiastic about recording than the other two. Nevertheless, Catfish have done a good job with this album, and it's well worth adding to your collection. Reissues of the Carters' Decca sides have been sadly rare over the years, and I look forward to Catfish completing the series with Volumes 2 and 3.

This album is strongly recommended for all dulcimer/fiddler players and fans. McCutcheon at his best!

The only thing that would have made this a better recording would have been additional comments from the recorded individuals as to where they learned the songs, what year it was, and how they learned the songs. I grew up hearing similar versions of many of these songs. It was truly a treat to have copies of the recordings made by Mr. Lomax in the field. I can now listen to these while I read through his books.

The only thing that would have made this a better recording would have been additional comments from the recorded individuals as to where they learned the songs, what year it was, and how they learned the songs. I grew up hearing similar versions of many of these songs. It was truly a treat to have copies of the recordings made by Mr. Lomax in the field. I can now listen to these while I read through his books.

The liner notes describe this music as the roots of country rock, but this is music that is coming into its own. The host of a local radio program recently claimed that bluegrass is the fastest growing musical genre in America. It's growth that is no doubt helped by sales of the soundtrack mega-hit, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Well, if you liked that and have an appetite for more of the gritty, yearning, "high lonesome sound", here's another collection of Old-Timey music that you'll want to check out.
These recordings span every decade from the '40s to the '90s, but all are faithful to the earthy, traditional bluegrass sound. Credits for the earliest recording are for Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys in 1947. The compilation is arranged chronologically (roughly) with the Carter Family providing bookends.
There are a couple of pleasant surprises in here. Alison Krauss sings a wistful lead in her clear voice on, "When God Dips His Pen of Love in My Heart" and if you like Jerry Garcia and David Grissman together, you'll find them on, "Old & In the Way".
Good stuff.

It?s great to see the Document label making its way into the compilation business; these releases should be great additions to their already exhaustive catalog. Given label owner Johnny Parth?s impeccable taste, it comes as no surprise that ?Rags, Breakdowns, Stomps & Blues - Vintage Mandolin Music (1927-1946)? does not disappoint.
The disc covers the various mandolin styles of the time quite well and there are some true gems here. ?I Shall Wear A Crown? by Arizona Dranes and Choir is one of the standout tracks. As is the Nashville Washboard Band?s ?Going Away To Make It Lonesome Here? if for no other reason than the fact that it has some of the weirdest percussion you?ll ever hear on a record.
The disc?s weakest point (if you could call it that) is that there are a few too many instrumentals on it. Although this is not that big of a deal, it is the thing that keeps it from getting five stars. By the time you?re halfway through, you get it, and the instrumentals start to get a tad redundant. Overall, the disc would have been a bit tighter and a better ride if one or two of them were either replaced or left off the compilation completely.
That said, the album?s strongest point is the fact that it?s colorblind. Hillbilly string bands segue into Hokum bands that segue into Gospel that segues into Delta blues, and so on. It does a wonderful job of demonstrating the huge amount of cross-pollination there was between white, black, secular and non-secular music back in the days before access to everything was a mere keystroke away. What a time it must have been...
If you?re a mandolin player, you?ll love this record. If you?re a curious fan of old time music, you?ll like it. As I said earlier, some of the instrumentals might get a bit redundant, especially for non-players. However, that doesn?t change the fact that this disc is a good one to have on your shelf. I wouldn?t describe it as ?essential,? but I would say that it is a great, if not perfect, point of departure to set out and discover some obscure players and rarities that are highly entertaining. Buy this disc and go forward from it.

Total Playing Time - 66:58 -- An old-timey band from the San Francisco Bay area, The Crooked Jades have a motto that "Old Time is Not a Crime." Guitarist Jeff Kazor formed the band in 1994. Besides Kazor, this album features four other Jades (Lisa Berman, Tom Lucas, Stephanie Prausnitz, Dave Bamberger), along with seven other special guests. On 23 tracks, the various instruments played include 6-string guitar, tenor guitar, high-strung guitar, fiddle, Hawaiian slide, banjo ukelele, baritone ukelele, organ, banjo, resophonic guitar, mountain dulcimer, pedal steel, tiple, single quill, mortar & pestle, and bass. The album's subtitle, Yellow Mercury, and the inspiration for the two Kazor instrumentals, "Yellow Mercury No. 1" and "Yellow Mercury No. 2" refer to the slang term for gold. Kazor uses it as an analogy for the greed, corruption, deception and environmental damage that resulted from the gold rush and its byproducts.

Their material draws heavily from the traditional, and liner notes acknowledge the sources for all pieces from Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and elsewhere. The band is at its best with lively twin fiddled favorites like "Indian Ate A Woodchuck," and "Tell Her To Come Back Home," snappy numbers with plenty of pep. Seven Jeff Kazor originals are also included, and he tends to write slower ballads and laments. His most interesting offering, co-penned with Tom Lucas, is "New Lost Mission Blues," a lament about San Francisco's Mission District where restoration by the middle class is displacing low-income folks. The song includes minstrel banjo, a grinding stone's rhythm and a fife-like instrument called the single quill. Fiddler Adam Tanner also composed "The Bull and The Bear" and "A Broken Time," two bouncy instrumentals.

The Crooked Jades have recorded three albums for Copper Creek, but this is their first after a three year hiatus. The sheer number of tracks, and the variety of instruments, make this an interesting and worthy old-time project. The Crooked Jades are a band of high-geared musicians that really feel their old-timey oats. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

I'm pretty well known for throwing the best parties in Gretna as you've prbably surmised from my previous reviews, but the great ones always look to take it up another notch even at the top of their game. I was always the first to know about new bands when they came out to Gretna because they were on my famous fiesta mixes. Fiesta is the mexican word for party, so I just subbed it in. I was cranking out Milli Vanilli before the kids in Elkhorn knew what it was. The annual Rick Mahler birthday bash was coming up in a week and I knew I had to go over the top on the music because Rick Mahler was everyone's favorite mid-80s Braves pitcher. Well, over the top I went, Communist government style. The party kicked off at 9pm with a 3-1 girl to guy ratio because that's how I roll. I went with some Hasselhoff remix stuff I got from a german kid named frumph to start the party off. Then came the curveball. I tossed on some music from the people's republic and it was as if everyone at the party had been injected with a crazy pill. With the rocker "Commune members are Sunflowers" to lead things off, how could one go wrong? Could it get better? Yes, it most certainly could because track 2 is the synth punk anthem "Songs in praise of the people's liberation army". Wow!! I was faced with a quandry at this point, a smoking chick wanted me to take her to the palace, but I wanted to see what kind of frenzy this CD whipped the party into. Let's just say after "People love chairman Mao" and "Boys singing class with teacher" I called the cops myself because I was scared of where this party was going. It was like Crunkfest, but with a bunch of white people listening to chinese music. I only bust this one out now when it's a large outdoor gathering. Please be careful.

I was borned in 1978 and the only image I had of China I had in my mind so far was the student stoping the tank, but certainly it took me more time to understand what was behind this scenario and what motivates people to act in these ways. This album is certainly a portal through time to China before the capitalism arrived and changed its life style, propaganda or not, creative or not, the performance of the music is powerful and contagious, envolves you in the environment of the unknown China, I'm not comunist nor interested in politics, but these songs are touching and inspiring.

This is a wonderful album. I happen to enjoy Communist propaganda music and was especially delighted when I saw that it had been produced in 1976 just at the end of the Cultural Revolution. How I envy those like the Carawans who got to China
just as it opened up. My first visit was in 1990 and I always had the feeling I got there too late. This really is a small treasure and a gift to us from these musicians from a China that doesn't exist anymore. I don't know much about Guy and Candie Carawan, but I see that the royalties from this album go to the
U.S.-China People's Friendship Association. The song titles are
charming and only best appreciated in the historical context.
I would love to find more music from this period such as "The East is Red"; "Socialism is Good"; "Without the Communist Party there would be No New China". That sort of thing.

Well, no, not really. The meager choice used here range from Carter "good" to indispensible, but the vast array of Carter riches available renders this selection meaningless at best, misleading at worst. And the use of a three decades later remake of "Wildwood Flower" is inexcuseable. Better to buy, piece-meal, the classic Rounder 9-volume series and see the whole picture, or hold back your pennies for the impatiently awaited 12-volume box set due soon from Bear Family. Of the other volumes available, the Country Hall Of Fame album is of major interest, the missing link of the 1936-38 Decca sessions, it has "Hello, Stranger" and fine remastering. "Clinch Mountain Treasures" has even more of A.P.'s eclectic choices, uncollected from 1939-1940, including "Heaven"s Radio" and "There'll Be No Distinction There". The Border radio transcripions are marred by poor sound and daughter Janette's yowling, but it does have more original songs, a couple of brilliant versions of "Just Another Broken Heart", and to be fair to Janette, an utterly bone-chilling "Oh, Death". (And also to Janette: her talents were really elsewhere. In the early-80's she penned a lovely memoir, not so much about her famous parents and aunt as of an apparently very good soul growing up in the shadow of Clinch Mountain. It's long out-of-print, though may still be available in local libraries, and I wish it had been twice as long.)

I picked this up for cheap in a used CD rack at my local record shop, and I can say I certainly got my money's worth. The ten songs on here do a perfect job of showing off the Carter Family's talents, and until a pick up a more hearty compilation, this will do (I don't have money to buy the Bear Family box set, nor do I have the money to buy any of the Bear Family's box sets). The songs collected here are raw and unproduced, as was all music was back than. It paints a picture of an "Oh Brother Where Art Thou"-era south that doesn't exist anymore, and may never have. The songs aren't technically awe-inspiring, but soul easilly trumps technical acheivements anyday. The singing and the songwriting are some of the most impassioned and soulful I have ever heard, and anyone with an appreciation of good music will fall in love with the group (or at least recognize their importance). I plan to pick up a more comprehensive anthology (which will probably regulate this to being sold used), but until than this will do fine, or if you just want a short budget sampler in your collection.

With out a doubt, this is a very good collection of the Carter Family's hits. But, it would be impossible to pick out any 10 of thier songs and call them the best of the best. This collection left me feeling hungry for more. While this CD does give one a taste of the quality of the Carter's talents a true Carter fan would be better served by the rounder series. Every song of the Carters is a treasure and a true fan will want to hear them every one.

The musical selection of this CD is certainly what the cover says, however the cuts are very short. Typically 2 to 4 minutes in length. in my personal opinion I prefer a little more continuity of content.

Of course they played Aaron Copland's music at one point during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Copland is the quintessential American "classical" composer. But if you were inspired by hearing "Hoe Down" from "Rodeo" to hear more of Copland's work, this "Greatest Hits" collection is a good news, bad news combination. The good news is that it does have the most familiar pieces of Copland's music, such as "Fanfare for the Common Man," "Lincoln Portrait" (used effectively before the Super Bowl this year) and "Simple Gifts" from "Appalachian Spring." But the bad news, as the latter indicates, is that we are dealing with "excerpts." So on the one hand I like the fact that this album offers up some choice examples of Copland's film work, such as "Morning On The Ranch" from "The Red Pony," but on the other hand I want to suggest that you find a complete version of "Appalachian Spring" to listen to instead. "Copland: Greatest Hits" just provides you a variety of tastes from this most American of American classical composers. For the complete seven-course experience you will have to look elsewhere and you are heartily encouraged to do so.

This is a wondeful CD- Aaron Copland is a pure geniuos and every songs is so beautiful and perfectly crafted. I cherish this CD and listen to it all the time- none stop. I would urge anyone to buy it. It's worth it.