COUNTRY,
BLUEGRASS & OLD-TIMEY
The
Bailes Brothers -> The Bluegrass Album Band
THE BAILES BROTHERS |
Bear Family BCD 15973 |
Oh So Many Years |
● CD $21.98 |
28 tracks recorded for Columbia between 1945 and '47 by this
fine and popular family group. It includes their most popular song Dust
On The Bible plus other fine sides like Searching For A Soldier's
Grave/ I Want To Be Loved But Only By You/ / Whiskey Is The Devil In Liquid
Form and others.
|
THE BAILES BROTHERS |
Cattle CCD 227 |
Sing Their Hearts |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks from this fine old time country group recorded
between 1945 and '47 - many featuring the fine steel guitar or dobro of
Shot Jackson.
|
KENNY BAKER |
County 2708 |
Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe with Bill
Monroe |
● CD $16.98 |
1977 album now on CD. A selection of tunes composed by or
part of the repertoire of Monroe. With Joe Stuart, Vic Jordan and Bill
himself who takes a mandolin break on almost every tune!
|
MICHAEL BALLEW |
Bear Family BCD 15669 |
I Love Texas |
● CD $21.98 |
22 tracks, 65 minutes, recommended
Boosters of Lone Star
music will be enchanted by this spirited collection from West Texan
Ballew. A veteran performer (he's been recording since 1967), Ballew sings
the praises of his home state with intelligence and - perhaps more
important - without turning maudlin. This set is sprightly and varied, and
in the booklet you get to see a photograph of Ballew shaking hands with
Walter Cronkite. (JG)
|
MICHAEL BALLLEW |
Bear Family BCD 15896 |
You Better Hold On |
● CD $21.98 |
New recordings from veteran West Texas singer - with Buddy
Emmons/ pedal steel & Buddy Spicher/ fiddle.
|
MOE BANDY |
Razor & Tie RE 2096 |
Honk Tonk Amnesia - The Hard Country Sound
Of Moe Bandy |
● CD $17.98 |
20 track, 44 mins, highly recommended
In the 70s and early
80s Moe Bandy was responsible for some of the best honky tonk songs of the
time. This set features 20 of his hits from that period and though, not
all great, it does include all time classics like It Was Always So Easy
(To Find An Unhappy Woman) and the magnificent Hank Williams, You
Wrote My Life along with other fine songs like Honkey Tonk Amnesia/
I Cheated Me Right Out Of You/ She Took More Than Her Share/ Soft Lights
& Hard Country Music, an outstanding version of Hank Williams' I'm
Sorry For You My Friend and several duets with female singers like
Janie Fricke, Judy Bailey and the wonderful Becky Hobbs. Great sound and
excellent notes by Rich Kienzle. (FS)
|
BOBBY BARE |
Bear Family BCD 15663 |
The All American Boy |
● CD $99.98 |
Four discs 126 songs, approx. 5 hours, recommended
Bare
isn't new to the Bear folks. They previously reissued his late
sixties-early seventies Mercury recordings and the RCA album "Lullabyes,
Legends and Lies." This set is more important, for it compiles all the
essential Bare from the beginning. Starting with his first Capitol
recordings it covers the late fifties-early sixties Jackpot and Fraternity
recordings and the 1962-65 RCA material that established him. The Capitol
and Jackpot sides didn't fly and his first national splash came with
Fraternity. All American Boy, an original novelty, was inspired by
two events: Elvis's 1958 Army induction and by Bare's own draft notice,
received around the same time. Bare's friend Bill Parsons wound up getting
label credit and even toured behind the record while Bare marched and
saluted. Other Fraternity sides weren't that substantive, and only when he
signed with RCA and found a sympathetic producer in Chet Atkins did things
start to change. Except for a couple lost RCA masters, these are his
complete 1962-output, reflecting his distinct, folk-flavored style. After Shame
On Me charted in 1962, he started recording material by the hottest
composers of that day including Roger Miller, Harlan Howard and Hank
Cochran. All three hits that made him a star are included: Detroit City
and 500 Miles Away From Home in 1963 and Miller's Cave
in 1964.
His "Tunes for Two" duet LP with Skeeter Davis is included as
are several German language recordings Bare did. (RK)
|
BOBBY BARE |
Bear Family BCD 15683 |
Sings Lullabys, Legends And Lies |
● CD $21.98 |
Bear's reissue of this 1973 RCA LP is hard to figure, until
one realizes how popular Bare is in Europe. This set was a sort
of concept album comprised totally of Shel Silverstein songs, yielded two
huge hits: the terminally cute Daddy, What If, sung with his
son Bobby Jr, then five years old and the far better Marie Laveau.
It reflects Silverstein's skewed world view and is interesting if you're
big on songwriters. (RK)
|
JOHNNY BARFIELD |
Bronco Buster 9025 |
Soulful Country Ballads |
● CD $18.98 |
16 sides recorded in 1939 and 1940 by this fine and
distinctive singer/ guitarist from Georgia.
JOHNNY BARFIELD: Boogie Woogie/ Desert Lullaby/ Don't Cry My Darlin'/
Don't Take My Memories/ Gonna Ride till the Sun Goes Down/ Heartaches and
Tears./ Highway Hobo/ In a Sleepy Country Town/ In the Heart of the City/
It's a Long Lane That Doesn't Have a Turning/ Love Me Only/ Old Fiddler
Joe/ Sleep, Darlin', Sleep On/ The New "Boogie Woogie"/ True to
the One I Love/ When Daddy Played the Old Banjo/ Why Don't You Give Me My
Memories?/ You'll Want Me to Want You Someday
|
PHIL BAUGH |
Sundazed 6222 |
Live Wire! |
● CD $16.98 |
13 tracks, highly recommended
Reissue of 1964 Longhorn album
by this brilliant guitarist plus one track only issued as a single. Honky
tonk singer Vern Stovall is featured as vocalist on half the tracks. This
features some classic instrumental country music played by Baugh, on a
Fender Telecaster with a volume pedal. His amazing skills at imitating other
guitarists, best heard on the opening track, and his picking abilities
translated not only into a lucrative studio career (he worked on some early
Merle Haggard sides in the 60s) both in California and Nashville, but into a
reputation as a "musician's musician." Includes booklet with reproduction of
original notes plus extensive new notes by Deke Dickerson. (RK/ FS)
|
BIG SANDY
& THE FLY-RITE BOYS |
Hightone 8053 |
Jumpin' From Six To Six |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, highly recommended. Enjoy those White Label
Boppin' Hillbilly collections? Well, if so, you'll love this L.A.-based
band, whose music falls right into the same late 40's-early 50's mode.
Previously a rockabilly-oriented trio, the expanded group (with upright
bass and non-pedal steel) mixes hillbilly boogie, honky-tonk and forties
jump blues and they play it with fire and authenticity, never sounding
sterile or studied. The band also features non-pedal steel guitar and a
drummer who plays his accents on a cowbell. Dave Alvin's production helps
enormously, since he lets the guys play loose and natural. Sandy sings his
lungs out and the band plays it hot and fiery, like Hi-Billy Music and
This Ain't A Good Time. Though their version of Hank Williams's Weary
Blues (From Waitin') is a bit flat, most other material including their
originals is far above average. They even do one instrumental: the
humor-laden Barnyard Beatnik, a tribute to the guitar-steel instrumentals
of Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West. A favorite around the country (and
regular visitors to Bimbo's in San Francisco), these guys have a hell of a
debut here that makes one hanker to see them live. (RK)
|
BUD & JOE BILLINGS |
Cattle 207 |
Singing Pals From Kansas |
● CD $18.98 |
Bud & Joe Billings were actually Frank Luther and Carson
Robison who teamed up after the partnership of Robison and Vernon Dalhart
broke up. This collection features 21 songs, mostly written by Robison,
recorded between 1928 and 1930.
|
SMILIN' BILLY BLINKHORN |
Cattle 225 |
Bushland Yodel |
● CD $18.98 |
18 songs recorded between 1940 and '47 by Canadian singer,
yodeler & guitarist who relocated to Australia where these recordings
were made. Mostly just vocal and guitar plus a few with a small band - Back
To the Old Cariboo/ My Curly Headed Buckaroo/ Hilltop Yodel/ Sunny
Queensland/ Blue Mountain Blues/ Can't You Take It Back And Change It For
A Boy?/ There's A Hole In The Old Oaken Bucket, etc.
|
BLUE ROSE |
Sugar Hill 3768 |
Blue Rose |
● CD $13.98 |
This all woman studio supergroup gathers five accomplished
singers, players,and composes to create this always pleasurable and
sometimes inspired album. The Good Old Persons' Sally Van Meter
contributes her tasteful dobro on nearly every cut. Laurie Lewis plays
fiddle throughout, and takes four lead vocals. Banjoist Cathy Fink also
sings four leads, including a very nice version of Si Kahns' Wild Rose
of the Mountain. Marci Marxer plays lead guitar and mandolin and
contributes a nice version of Careless Love. Molly Mason is the
bassist throughout. Also included is an innovative arrangement of an
obscure song recorded by Hank Williams called "Blue Love", done
here as a swing number with Cathy singing lead, with 3 part harmony
back-up, Laurie on fiddle and Sally on lap steel. (RP)
|
THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Bear Family BCD 15951 |
The Sunny Side Of Life |
● CD $145.98 |
Five CD box set with hardcover book featuring all the
recordings made for Bluebird and RCA between 1936 and 1950 by this
distinctive, popular and influential duo. They accompanied their sweet and
mounrful vocals on guitar and mandolin and sang a selection of traditional
mountain ballads, Victorian parlor songs, shape note gospel hymns,
sentimental minstrel tunes and more.
|
THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
Copper Creek 121 |
On Radio, Vol 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 51 mins, recommended More fine sides including Were
You There?/ Oh, Sister Mary Don't You Weep/ As Long As I Live/ Watching
You/ Golden Slippers/ Drifting Too Far From The Shore/ I'll Be Listening
and more. Plus fiddle numbers from Curly Parker and comedy from Uncle
Josh. (FS)
|
THE BLUE SKY BOYS |
JSP JSPCD 7782 |
The Very Best Of Classic Country
Remastered |
● CD $28.98 |
Five CD box set, 121 tracks, highly recommended
Five CD
set featuring 121 sides by one of the greatest of country brother duos
Bill & Earl Bollick aka The Blue Sky Boys. With their sweet haunting
voices and exquisite harmonies they sang a wide variety of traditional and
more recent compositions accompanied by Bill's mandolin and Earl's guitar.
They were a big influence on latter duos like The Bailes Brothers, Louvin
Brothers, Armstrong Twins, Stanley Brothers, Everly Brothers and others.
Many songs the Bolicks recorded have become country and bluegrass
standards and even though they weren't always the first to record them,
their versions became the defining release including songs like The
Banks of the Ohio/ I'm Troubled/ The Knoxville Girl/ The Prisoner's Dream/
Katie Dear/ The Lightning Express/ Are You from Dixie/ I'm Just Here to
Get My Baby Out of Jail/ Mary of the Wild Moor/ Short Life of Trouble/
Turn Your Radio On/ I'm S-A-V-E-D/ The Butcher's Boy/ Kentucky/ Beautiful
Brown Eyes, and many others. The first three discs and half of the
fourth which features their recordings from 1936 through 1940 feature the
brothers by themselves. When they returned to recording in 1946 after a
period in military service they added a discreet fiddle and string bass to
their recordings. Sound quality is generally excellent and their
informative notes by Pat Harrison and full discographical info. If you
already have the more luxurious Bear Family box (BCD 15951 The Sunny Side
Of Life - $129.98) then you already have everything here - otherwise this
is a great and inexpensive way to get this great duos best recordings.
(FS)
|
THE BLUEGRASS CARDINALS |
Copper Creek CCCD 153 |
Bluegrass Cardinals |
● CD $16.98 |
Reissue of 1975 album , originally on Sierra, by this fine
bluegrass group originally based in California where this album was
recorded and who later relocated to Virginia.
|
Back To Country Music Index |