Appalachian music reviews

This is a really great record. Sometimes old-timey collections can be a little bit of a chore to get through, but this one is really fun, a record you can have on in the background and be delighted by. Especially nice are the robust, almost rowdy, gospel recordings made by the gruff-sounding Alfred G. Karnes and Ernest Phipps during the legendary Bristol recording sessions of 1927-28.

Contrary to the grouchy comments of the guy from Pennsyvania (below), the sound quality on many of these tracks is actually quite good, and the music is great. Besides, dude, what do you think Bill Monroe and all his buddies were listening to when they created modern bluegrass? This stuff. That's why it's so cool and so important... and if you can get in the right frame of mind, that's also why it's so fun!

This is a rare treat that any traditional bluegrass/folk/Appalachia fan should get right away. Some of the recordings have better sound quality than others, but considering the age of these songs, there's nothing to complain about. Everything sounds great in terms of technical quality, and the music is absolutely superb. It's a time capsule of little-known music in digital form that you'd be hard-pressed to find anything comparable. Listen and you won't be disappointed.

The previous negative review highlights an interesting point.
This music may not be suitable for people who don't listen to much "pre-Elvis" music. Shania Twain fans may be disturbed by the rawness of the music. "Terribly played, Terribly sang?"
Oh please, don't be silly. I play guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle, and this music, while raw and at times rudimentary, is entirely credible, impressive and has depth and emotional resonance that will be lost only on the souless. A related point to this, is that this CD should appeal to vintage blues fans. The musical interaction between black and white styles is immediately evident, and fans of powerful artists such as Charley Patton and Skip James should enjoy this CD, as it is mercifully free of much of the pathetic hokey white novelty aspects that have turned you off this music in the past. B.F Shelton, like his close contemporary Dock Boggs, has a dark savage power that will appeal to fans of the "hard stuff" and not family strummalong kumbaya singing kingston trio wannabes.

I bought this CD in Tokyo a couple months ago. I tried to play it but got no music. All I got was a kind of scraping, rubbing sound - as if there were some hamster in the machine frantically trying to claw its way out. I have three different players and in every one the same thing happened. Irritating, yes. But that's not the worst of it. I noted the address of Rounder Records on the back of the CD and sent them the damaged goods because it was too inconvenient for me to go all the way back to Tokyo to return the item to the store where I'd bought it. I got no response from Rounder for the longest time so I sent them an e-mail. Again, no response. A few weeks pass and I send them another letter. No response. You can reach your own conclusions about what this says where the people at Rounder Records are concerned. Hartford once warned us in a song ... "Don't leave your records in the sun/ They'll warp and they'll never play for anyone." I can't help but wonder if the fine folks over there in Cambridge, MA, aren't spending a little too much time in the sun themselves. In this age of a booming economy it would appear that accountability for even the simplest things has been lost. Buyer beware. I am out more than twenty bucks because I bought this thing.

If you've never listened to John Hartford, forget everything you think you know about bluegrass and treat yourself to some genuine Hillbilly fiddle. Along with two other fiddle albums recorded in loving homage near the end of his life (THE SPEED OF THE OLD LONG BOW and HAMILTON'S BREAKDOWN), John Hartford has created a lasting testimony to the best in American music. This is music that makes you move your feet.

This is a great CD to both listen to and learn from. I love the song "Squirrel Hunter". It makes use of Hartford's approach to generating variations which he calls "Windows". You will be entranced by this music.

If the CD in the previous review did not make it intact to Tokyo, that is likely to be due to shipping. My copy and my friend's copy both sounded flawless.

I love the claw-hammer style banjo on this CD, but the material was too uneven for me. I guess John McCutcheon could be considered a modern day troubador, like Pete Seeger. But it doesn't always work out that way for me.

I have enjoyed John McCutcheon's work ever since he first gave a concert in my town. Of his other records, such as Doing Our Job, Family Garden, etc., Sprout Wings and Fly is one of my favorites. The unusual and terrific songs on this album are Reuben, with a digeridoo background; Ludlow Massacre, a haunting tune about a miner's rebellion; Heaven's Wake, a lament by the love of a sailor; and Time Has Made a Change in Me, an all-out favorite of mine. If you like McCutcheon's work, I would say that this is a great one to add to your collection.

Wow. I had high hopes for tbis, but it is mediocre at best and unlistenable in a couple of places.

This album more than lives up to the precedent set by Dirk's other solo albums on Rounder. He consistently sets the bar for "modern" old-time music--soulful, musical, and full of fresh ideas, yet always very true to the genre. This is an example of the best of what contemporary old-time music can be. Lovers of this style of music will enjoy the new takes on old favorites, and listeners who are new to the music will be entranced. Highly recommended.

An exemplary set of oldtime-ish mountain music, Appalachian tunes played informally and with a relaxed warmth that takes off much of the edge that many contemporary old-timey revivalists have adopted as a badge of honor. Powell's approach is accessible and inclusive: there's no denying the authenticity of these songs, yet listeners who are apprehensive towards or new to the genre won't have to push past abrasive antonalities or shrillness in order to appreciate the music's depth. Doubtless there are crusty purists out there who will grumble about Powell "softening" the music, but there's an equally strong argument to be made that this music was originally intended as entertainment, and that clinging to dissonance as a litmus test of purity is just a form of snobbishness and exclusion. Obviously, there's room for both approaches: I like hyperpurist old-timey music when I'm in the mood, but it's also nice to be able to put on a record or two that friends can listen to as well. Along with a sweet set of traditional tunes and original compositions, this disc is peppered with home recordings of Powell and his maternal grandfather, James Clarence Hay, picking and reminiscing together in 1990. Just the right touch to anchor this album is the past, while personalizing Powell's deep connections to his Kentucky roots.

This album contains some of America's most cherished pieces of music. The melodies will captivate the imagination and will no doubt conjure up images a burgeoning America. Rhapsody in Blue will transport you to the bustling city, while Adagio for Strings and Appalachian Spring will bring you to the wilderness. These pieces are a must have, and a compilation album offers an outstanding value.

These four classics of Americana were recorded by a more youthful
Leonard Bernstein for Columbia/SONY back in the 1960's. No one conducts this music quite like him. I think his affinity for Broadway glitz gives him an edge on all others. Those older recordings(mostly with the NY Philarmonic)are still available today. Value wise you get him conducting and as soloist on the "Rhapsody". He conducts his own "Westside Story" with flair and even Copland has admitted that Bernstein is more diffinative
on "Appalachian Spring" than himself. You get a sumptious "Adagio" to conclude the album. All this at a bargain price and on one convient disc, recorded as DDD. Add a star if you think the wisdom of age triumphs over the vigor of youth!

This CD is a great example of traditional mountain songs being played by traditional mountain instruments. However, I bought this CD assuming that, in addition to the great music, I would also have a chance to learn all the words to so many of the old songs that I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Unfortunatly, this CD is entirely instrumental. There are no words. If you are looking for an instrumental CD, this is a great buy. But, if you want to learn the words to these great old songs, look elsewhere because this CD is no help.

Anyone with a love of American roots music, will cherish this record. It documents the style of music typical to Appalachian region of the Northeast. The plethora of musical instruments which ranges from the banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, and guitar creates a unique sound to the region. A great album for the interested in old, American music.

i got this for my grandmother. she enjoyed it quite a bit. it was her style of music. it's nothing that i'm too fond of, yet my grandmother is a sweet 67 year old lady who goes to church and enjoys singing. she doesn't like my headbanging music, so when i saw this i had to get it for her to sing along with. if you enjoy singing those old songs from church when you were a kid, this is the way to go.

My collie Damian loves music so I am a fan of the concept of music for pets. I recently purchased every title in Amazon related to pets. They are all very good attempts at soothing dogs (and cats too I guess!). Hands down - or PAWS Down - PET MUSIC - a 3CD set - is the very best.

Eugene Ormandy obviously knew he was stepping on Bernstein's toes by recording Copland's most famous score. Nobody involved could have thought that Ormandy's polite, rhythmically mild Appalachina Spring came close, and his Billy the Kid never hurt anyone in his life. But back then Ormandy was nearly as big a name with the record-buying public as Bernstein, and his fans wouldn't care. As a result, we get gorgeous playing frorm the orchestra and impactful sound--though not the best that Living Stereo has to offer--all in service of very dull performances.

For me, the main attraction was hearing Edurdo Mata's contribution. This talented Mexican maestro died young, and I missed him the first time around. He conducts a lively four scenes from Copland's Rodeo ballet , by far the best thing here, but his El Salon Mexico (ironically for a native-born musician) sounds anemic next to Bernstein's.

There is not a lot to get excited about in this RCA "High Performance" reissue of the works of Aaron Copland. The Ormandy pieces have been available on CD before (not sure about the Mata though), and the remastered sound does not offer any new revelations when comparing the "Billy the Kid" Suite here to its earlier incarnation on RCA Gold Seal (which includes performances conducted by Copland himself -- a better buy!). In general Ormandy's recordings for CBS from the late 1950s and early 60s (now widely available in the Sony Essential Classics series -- I have written numerous reviews), are much better than his later recordings for RCA from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Even though the Philadelphia Orchestra still shines, there must have been something more fun about doing it the first time around for Ormandy. Mata, on the other hand, is clearly a rung below Ormandy and his performances are quite honestly second rate. With so many other classic Copland titles available, many with the conductor himself or the next best thing, Leonard Bernstein (sometimes the composer even preferred Bernstein to himself!), why would you settle for this CD?

You get what you pay for. The singers put their own spin on the singing of each song. If you didn't hear the words you would not recognize some of them. Even some of the music sounds like a bad recording of music played on a turntable. Definitely not worth the price.

I wish this review had been here when I was thinking of purchasing it. I guess you get what you pay for. If you are thinking of buying this, you are better off recording your own CDs (or at least buying one that you can listen to a sampling of the songs). This album includes songs that were mere recordings of the songs playing on an old record player. It's almost so unbelievable that it is funny.

I red the comments of two other people who have bought this 4 CD BOX SET and it is not really so bad. I will even add that there are some excellent tunes. However, I must agree with the fact that few tunes seem to have been recorded 40 or 50 years ago, mainly when you hear the scratches of an old turntable but it is just 2 or 3 tunes. Furthermore, if you do not know American music, it is a good BOX SET to buy if you consider that you received 4 CD for 4$ including 100 tunes. On these 4 CD, I have heard some orchestration that I have never heard before and I consider that they are different but interesting. Any way, after hearing these 100 tunes, you will say to yourself that you like this tune, this other tune, this other tune and so on and you will be able to buy a more expensive CD with the tunes that you like. However, I have bought many CDs in the last few weeks and as you know, there are always some tunes that you like and some tunes that you do not like on every CD that you will buy. So, don't buy it at 25$ but at 4 or 5$ dollars, it is a very good choice for 100 tunes.