Old Time Banjo Project

Elektra EKS-7276

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 Old Molly Hare (1:51)
A02 John Booker (2:01)
A03 Ramblin' Hood (1:19)
A04 Old Jimmy Sutton (2:36)
A05 Brighter Day (1:39)
A06 Waterbound (2:26)
A07 Chicken Reel (1:25)
A08 Pateroller Song (1:18)
A09 Johnson & Dixon (2:48)
A10 Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (1:02)
A11 Skillet Good And Greasy (2:11)
A12 Reuben's Train (1:27)
B01 Mississippi Swayer (1:50)
B02 Spanish Fandango (0:52)
B03 Bill Mason (2:33)
B04 Colored Atristocracy (1:42)
B05 Soldier's Joy (1:13)
B06 John Johanna (3:18)
B07 John Henry (1:13)
B08 Don't You Cry Melinda (2:36)
B09 Banging Breakdown (0:58)
B10 I Don't Reckon That'll Happen (2:31)
B11 Last Chance (1:17)
B12 Paddie On The Turnpike (2:23)
[Credits]
John Cohen (banjo/guitar/vocals) Allan Block (fiddle/vocals) Bob Siggins (banjo/vocals) Peter Siegel (banjo/vocals) Bill Vanaver (banjo) Hank Schwartz (banjo) Winnie Winston (banjo) Ralph Smith (harmonica/dulcimer) Walter Gundy (harmonica) Penny Cohen (guitar) Rory Block (guitar) Eric Thompson (guitar) Jerome Martin (artwork)
[Notes]
Rare album featuring John Cohen, Hank Schwartz, Peter Siegel, Bob Siggins, Bill Vanaver, and Winnie Winston. This is an unplayed first pressing mono on the gold label, and other than a cut out hole bottom left corner and the barely visible residue from a price tag on the back.

The Charles River Valley Boys: Bluegrass and Old Timey Music

Prestige Folklore FL-14017

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: United States
Released: 1963
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, & Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Rocky Island (3:27)
A2 White Dove (3:24)
A3 Front Porch Backstep (2:51)
A4 Flying Saucers 2:03
A5 Away Out On The Mountain (3:04)
A6 Foggy Foggy Dew (2:24)
A7 Easy Winner (1:44)
A8 Leavin' Home (2:57)
B1 The Auctioneer (2:56)
B2 Victim To The Tomb (3:19)
B3 Crazy Creek (2:23)
B4 Baby-O (2:39)
B5 Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me (2:27)
B6 Soldier's Joy (2:14)
B7 Oh Me, Oh My 2:37
B8 Short Life Of Trouble (2:44)
[Credits]
Bob Siggins (banjo) Ethan Signer (mandolin/fiddle) John Cooke (guitar) Fritz Richmond (washtub bass)
Liner Notes by Ethan Signer, Recorded by Stephen B. Fassette and Paul A. Rothchild
[Notes]
One has the tendency to relate certain types of music to certain record labels. Prestige, for instance, is known for its jazz roster. It comes as a surprise, then, to the post-millennium listener when the label reissues roots music recorded during the 1960s. But it shouldn't. Once upon a time, Prestige worked side-by-side with Vanguard and Folkways to bring LP buyers the best in folk-based music. The Charles River Valley Boys were born in the green pastures of Yale and Harvard in 1959 and blossomed into a crack outfit of down-home pickers. Bluegrass and Old Timey Music originates from two albums recorded by the group in 1962 and 1964, the first known by the same title, the second by The Charles River Valley Boys With Tex Logan. With traditional material, high-lonesome vocals, and fancy picking, a listener would never guess that Bob Siggins, John Cooke, Fritz Richmond, and Joe Val were anything but the real deal. The band's version of "White Dove" is every bit as raw as the Stanley Brothers' take, while "Uncle Pen" pays sincere respect to the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. The amazing thing about these recordings is how authentic they sound. Many accused young musicians involved in the folk revival of mimicking the old styles but failing to grasp traditional music at a deeper level. Again and again, the Charles River Valley Boys offer felt versions of classic bluegrass repertoire ("Angel Band," "Away Out on the Mountain"). Bluegrass and Old Timey Music offers a great intro to the Charles River Boys and shows how good revival bluegrass could be. (AllMusic Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.)

Charles River Valley Boys: Bluegrass And Old Timey Music:

Prestige Folklore‎– FL 14017

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Unated States
Recorded June 1962
Released: 1963
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Rocky Island (3:27)
A2 White Dove (3:24)
A3 Front Porch Backstep (2:51)
A4 Flying Saucers (2:03)
A5 Away Out On The Mountain (3:04)
A6 Foggy Foggy Dew (2:24)
A7 Easy Winner (1:44)
A8 Leavin' Home (2:57)
B1 The Auctioneer (2:56)
B2 Victim To The Tomb (3:19)
B3 Crazy Creek (2:23)
B4 Baby-O (2:39)
B5 Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me (2:27)
B6 Soldier's Joy (2:14)
B7 Oh Me, Oh My (2:37)
B8 Short Life Of Trouble (2:44)
[Credits]
Bob Siggins (banjo) Ethan Signer (fiddle) John Cooke (guitar) Ethan Signer (mandolin) Fritz Richmond (washtub bass)
Mastered by Rudy Van Gelder
[Notes]
One of the first urban bands to play bluegrass and old-timey music, the Charles River Valley Boys helped to spark the folk revival of the early 1960s. While their original repertoire centered around songs by Uncle Dave Macon, Charlie Poole and Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, the group's 1966 album, Beatle Country, marked one of the earliest examples of the British rock band's songs being rearranged as country music.