March 9, 2020

Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys: Live Recordings 1956-1969

Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40063

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Watermelon Hanging On The Vine (0:37)
02 Roanoke (1:19)
03 Brakeman's Blues (2:40)
04 Close By (2:26)
05 Kentucky Waltz (2:26)
06 Blue Grass Stomp (2:10)
07 Blue Moon Of Kentucky (2:00)
08 I'm Working On A Building (1:59)
09 Angels Rock Me To Sleep (1:53)
10 Wheel Hoss (2:08)
11 Watermelon Hanging On The Vine (0:31)
12 Katy Hill (3:06)
13 True Life Blues (2:40)
14 I Live In The Past (2:41)
15 Wayfaring Stranger (4:27)
16 Fire On The Mountain (3:37)
17 Blue Grass Breakdown (3:22)
18 Raw Hide (2:52)
19 Y'All Come (0:49)
20 Cotton-Eyed Joe (2:49)
21 Get Up John (3:14)
22 White House Blues (2:01)
23 Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (2:27)
24 Kansas City Railroad Blues (2:51)
25 The Walls Of Time (4:30)
26 When He Reached Down His Hand For Me (2:44)
27 Monroe Family Segment (9:45)
[Credits]
Bill Monroe (mandolin/vocals)
Producer & Liner Notes: Ralph Rinzler, Photographer: David Gahr & Phil Zimmerman, Mastering Engineer: Alan Yoshida
[Notes]
"Howdy, howdy folks. We're glad to be back for another show here. As we do the numbers now, we're gonna call each fellow's name out so we can get right along with the show." And what a show. Bluegrass has always been a live-performance genre, on stage or in the studio, and Bill Monroe never sounded better on stage than during these heady years of the folk revival. He had something to share and to prove to his new audience, and he wouldn't meet them halfway, choosing instead his grittiest traditional material and singing, especially in the late '50s, with full, high yodel and wail. His voice mellowed into the '60s, but his band, including many of the best bluegrass pickers ever (Bill Keith, Peter Rowan, Richard Greene, and Bobby Hicks for starters), never gave quarter. To understand Bill Monroe and his various ensembles, one needs to hear his stage brilliance, and there's no better place to start than with these warm, clear live recordings. --Roy Kasten

No comments: