This document is intended as a companion to John Morthland's book The Best of Country Music (Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1984, ISBN 0-385-19192-8). In the book John Morthland provides an overview of the history of country music by way of the best recordings of its most influential artists. The book covers all styles of country music: early string bands, cowboy music, western swing, honky-tonk, bluegrass, the Nashville Sound, up to contemporary country. I believe that the book is out of print, but if you can find it, I would highly recommend it. It provides an in-depth critical and historical perspective, which I can only touch on here, and it served me well as a guide for exploring the world of country music. As he states in the introduction, John Morthland's interest in Country music is informed and influenced by his knowledge of blues, rhythm and blues, rock, and jazz. Since I have a similar bias to my interest in country music, I rather like his leanings. He does, however, cover the most influential artists in all styles, without being a slave to his personal preferences, although his comments often reveal his personal taste.
What I have provided here is a translation guide from the albums which Morthland recommends to currently available CD releases. The list itself and the section headings are from the book, Copyright 1984 by John Morthland, while the comments provided here are Copyright 1996-2002 by Jim Determan. Because the book is not readily available I have tried to provide more additional information then in the jazz list (see below). This means I've included a brief description of each style; some comments on what to expect from the artists, along with my personal preferences; and a few supplementary album listings, which are generally my choices. The form of the CD releases often differs from that of the listed LPs, particularly in the area of the earlier material, where better collections with more tracks have often been issued on CD. Although early country music has been slower making its way to CD then early jazz and blues recordings, companies like County and Rounder are working to make the earliest material available, and Capitol, Columbia, RCA, and MCA are reissuing fine collections of recordings by western swing, honky-tonk and bluegrass artists. Often the sound has been enhanced so that the older music is more accessible than ever. And most of the important artists have at least one good collection in print.
As a caveat, I cannot guarantee that all the information about available CDs is completely accurate and up-to-date. Your best bet if you can't find a disc you want is to try and order it from your favorite record store, they should be able to tell you for certain whether or not it is in print. I would appreciate your assistance in maintaining this list, please email any new information on the availability of albums on this list, or any comments to Jim Determan.
This website includes links to CDs at Amazon.com, so that you can listen to excerpts or conveniently purchase many of the albums listed here. These links are not meant as a blanket endorsement of Amazon.com, although they do have a very extensive country and roots music collection. However, you may find lower prices elsewhere on the web or at your favorite store. I have found local Ma-and-Pa hole-in-the-wall stores often have the best selection and the best prices, so if you have one near you, support it!
A similar list for jazz can be found here.
Bibliography:
Abbreviations:
Format of Listings:
<LP # ordered as in the book.> <Artist Name:> <LP name> (<label>) (<# of discs>)
- CD release info, either a quick comment, or in a format similar to LP info. Note that I generally only list number of LPs if 1, or if the LP and CD releases have different numbers of discs. "Not reissued" indicates the album is not available on CD. This may not be entirely definitive, however, I have made a reasonable attempt to locate all these albums, and I believe the information is in general accurate and up to date. "As is" means the LP has been reissued on CD with the same title; this comment may be appended by a change in label name or number of disks.
- Some additional comments on albums I recommend as substitutes for the listed album may be added in a second paragraph. The Supplementary section listings are CDs or sometimes just artists, and are generally my personal preferences, but some were also listed in Morthland's book. The Contemporary Country Supplementary list includes some recent albums which have come out since JM's book was originally published.
These are collections which provide overviews of the entire history of country music.
- Classic
Country Music - a Smithsonian Collection (4)
This set was compiled by Bill C. Malone, author of the definitive history of
country music (see bibliography). Unfortunately, the CD reissue is an abridged
version of the original LP set. The collection has been edited down to 97 cuts
versus the 143 on the original LP set. It has also been updated to include more
recent material. The overall result is to reduce the significance of the
collection. JM said he was glad the original collection ended before "the
slickest of the modern slickies take over," but with Dolly Parton's
"9 to 5" on here that is no longer the case. Also, extending the set
to include more recent performances coupled with eliminating a third of the
cuts has taken its toll on the depth of the coverage. This is particularly true
of the earliest material, much of which is hard to come by if not unavailable
elsewhere, whereas the more recent material is all readily available on CD. The
result is that we are left primarily with performances by big names like Jimmie
Rodgers and The Carter Family. The early string bands and balladeers, which
show the roots of country music in traditional music and other sources are
represented by a very few cuts, mostly by artists like Gid Tanner and Uncle
Dave Macon who are already represented by albums on this list. Many
historically important, influential, and defining recordings by artists from
whom you may not be able to justify an entire album in your collection, such as
A. C. "Eck" Robertson's "Sallie Gooden," considered to be
the first commercially issued country recording; Fiddlin' John Carson's first
country vocal on "Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" and later
recordings such as Jack Guthrie's "Oklahoma Hills" and Tex Williams
"Smoke that Cigarette" are gone. This makes the collection much less
appealing to a collector who wants to add depth and diversity to a collection
which already includes albums by many of the major performers.
The collection does still pick up a few important individual songs by artists from whom you may not want an entire album: like Vernon Dalhart's "The Prisoner's Song," Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama," and Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God That Made Honky Tonk Angels." It will also help to fill in a few gaps in the CDs recommended here by picking up songs that are noteworthy in their absence, such as Gene Autry's "South of the Border," Jerry Lee Lewis's "You Win Again," and Patsy Cline's "Faded Love." And it corrects a couple of complaints JM had of the original set: the coverage of rockabilly has been expanded to include Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis; and the coverage of bluegrass, which had seemed overrepresented, taking up an entire LP in the original set, is now reduced (although if anything the style is now underrepresented). This is still certainly the single best overview of the history of country music available, its just a shame that so much important music has been left off (Bill, give us a volume II!).
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
Entertaining stuff: lots of reels and breakdowns, some influence by early blues, minstrelsy and tin-pan alley. The roots of Country Music are here, as well as a chance to peak into a bygone era when music was played primarily for local gatherings and dances, and was handed down by tradition, or picked up from a minstrel show that passed through town. Of course you must accept the fidelity, but because the groups were small and the instrumentation largely strings (no horns or drums to overwhelm the early recording equipment) the sound is often quite good for the period, and listening can be down right enjoyable.
- Anthology
of American Folk Music (Smithsonian Folkways) (6)
This six CD set is a complete reissue of the classic "Anthology of
American Folk Music" which was compiled by folk archivist Harry Smith and
originally issued in 1952 in three two LP sets. "Volume One:
Ballads", and "Volume Three: Songs" (see entry #11 below) are both in
this list. This collection is credited with being a primary inspiration behind
the 50's and 60's folk revival, and the current reissue won Grammy awards for
Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album in 1998. (Note that at about $56,
less than $10 per disc, the internet store CD Now currently has the best price
I've seen on this collection.)
- Not reissued.
- Edison
Recordings - 1928 (County)
This is the only collection of Stoneman's early recordings on CD that I am
aware of. County usually does a good job, and this is prime early material, so
it should be worth a listen. I haven't seen or heard it yet, so I can't say
more than that.
- Not reissued.
- The Country Music Hall of Fame Series (MCA)
- Go
Long Mule (County)
- Traveling
Down the Road (County)
Any of these would make a good substitute for the recommended album. The Hall
of Fame CD is based on an MCA album released in 1966 when Macon was elected to
the Country Music Hall of Fame, but with 6 cuts added and 2 deleted for a total
of 16 tracks. Uncle Dave recorded a lot for Vocalian, as well as Brunswick and
other labels which MCA had access to draw material from for this collection.
The recordings are primarily from Uncle Dave's peak period in the mid to late
20's, and were selected to show the breadth of Macon's repertoire and styles,
including fingerpicked and frailed banjo solos; traditional, original, tin-pan
alley, and sacred tunes; and several sides featuring his string band, The Fruit
Jar Drinkers. Primarily these are the rousing high-spirited songs which Uncle
Dave liked best.
The County CD includes many cuts from the old County "Early Recordings" LP, which JM highly recommended, and which I found to be quite good. It includes cuts with the Fruit Jar Drinkers, as well as a unique recording with the Delmore Brothers, and also comes from Uncle Dave's peak period.
Born in 1870, Uncle Dave didn't record until he was in his 50's, and as one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry, he was one of the older performers to make the transition to the recorded era.
- Not reissued.
- The
Skillet Lickers: Old Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia
(County)
County has released this CD of the Skillet Lickers, one of the more raucous of
the early string bands. They feature the great fiddling of Clayton McMichen and
the strong vocals and rhythm guitar of Riley Puckett. It includes tracks culled
from Volume I and Volume II of County's old LPs, 16 cuts in all.
- Not reissued.
- Charlie
Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers: Old Time Songs (County)
This Country CD is clearly intended to replace the old LP. It has 16 cuts,
including all the cuts from the LP which JM mentions in the book, as well as
several other cuts he mentions being on other County LPs in his supplementary
list, including "White House Blues" and others that have remained
popular in folk and bluegrass circles. Sound quality is excellent for the
period (mid to late 20s).
- Reissued with some changes.
The changes mostly mean addition cuts have been added, there are now 19 tracks
in all, however, inexplicably, DeFord Bailey's theme "Pan American
Blues" has been left off (its not on Volume I either), although three
other tracks by Bailey, the first black member of the Grand Ole Opry, and a
brilliant harmonica player, are included. Also included are three cuts by Uncle
Jimmy Thompson, the fiddle player who was the original performer in 1925 when
George D. Hay started the radio show that would become the Grand Ole Opry,
people would phone in requests for Uncle Jimmy to play. According to Garrison
Keeler in a recent broadcast from Nashville, after an hour Hay asked Uncle
Jimmy if he was tired and he replied, "After an hour a fiddle player is
just getting warmed up." Born in 1848, Thompson was certainly one of the
earliest born rural performers to record, in a spoken introduction to one tune,
he says he learned it before the Civil War! Other artists featured include
early country guitarist Sam McGee (mostly playing banjo-guitar, though), and
Uncle Dave Macon. Volume
I is also worth hearing.
- Anthology
of American Folk Music (Smithsonian Folkways) (6)
This is a complete reissue of all three volumes of the series, see note under entry #4 above.
- Not reissued, but see below for a good substitute.
- White
Country Blues 1926-1938 A Lighter Shade of Blue (Columbia) (2)
This two CD set is almost certainly the most extensive collection of rural
white blues available. It includes many classic tracks by important early
country artists, including several that were previously available on the
"Mountain Blues" anthology above. The first disc is the best with four
tracks by slide guitarist Frank Hutchison, including a great slide guitar solo
on "K.C. Blues", and "Train that Carried the Girl from
Town" which entered Doc Watson's repertoire; "Carroll County
Blues" by Narmour and Smith, who sometimes worked with Mississippi John
Hurt, and helped him secure his first opportunity to record; a nice bluesy
instrumental version of John Henry by Riley Puckett, which he may have learned
from Blind Willie McTell; and some bluesy tracks from Darby and Tarlton,
Charlie Poole, and Clarence "Tom" Ashley. On the second disc the
quality thins out a bit. A drawback to this set is it draws only from Columbia
and its affiliates, so some important artists, like Sam McGhee and the Shelton
Brothers are not represented, instead we get cover versions of songs like the
Shelton's "Deep Elem Blues," and too many Jimmy Rodgers imitators. It
is much more interesting to hear what performers like Hutchison, Poole,
Puckett, Ashley, and Clarence Green were picking up from rural black musicians
than it is to hear other artists aping the ubiquitous Rodgers. Still, overall
this is a good collection, and shows how much early rural white musicians were
influenced by their black counterparts.
Here are the beginnings of commercial country music, dominated by the traditional sound of the Carter Family and the blues-influenced sound of Jimmie Rodgers.
- Not reissued. See note under entry #15 below.
- Not reissued. See note under entry #15 below.
- As is (KOCH/RCA). This is a nice disc, picking up a number of important songs that don't seem to be on most other hits collections, like "Hobo Bill's Last Ride," "No Hard Times," and "Mississippi Delta Blues." It has 16 tracks in all. Coupled with "The Essential," listed below, the two discs probably provide the best available introduction to Rodgers' career.
- The
Essential Jimmie Rodgers (RCA)
- Jimmie
Rodgers Recordings 1927-1933 (JSP) (5)
- Vol.
1 First Sessions 1927-28 (Rounder)
- Vol.
2 Early Years 1928-29 (Rounder)
- Vol.
3 On the Way Up 1929 (Rounder)
- Vol.
4 Riding High 1929-30 (Rounder)
- Vol.
5 America's Blue Yodeler 1930-31 (Rounder)
- Vol.
6 Down The Old Road 1931-32 (Rounder)
- Vol.
7 No Hard Times 1932 (Rounder)
- Vol.
8 Last Sessions 1933 (Rounder)
- The
Singing Brakeman (Bear Family) (6)
"The Essential" is RCA's offering among several single disc overviews
of Rodgers' work which have been issued. It is one of the better collections,
with twenty reasonably chosen songs, including many of his most famous, and
good sound quality, except for an annoying high-pitched tone during part of the
first track. This disc makes a good couple with "Train Whistle Blues"
listed above, since there is only one track duplicated between the two. Still,
even with the 36 songs on these two discs, there are a number of important
songs missing, like "My Rough and Rowdy Ways," "Peach Pickin'
Time in Georgia," and "Blue Yodel No. 9." The JSP box picks up
these and many more with five CDs for about $20, and JSP is known for excellent
sound quality. The German Bear Family box is complete and nicely packaged, but
comes at an import price; it is more for the serious fan or completist. The Rounder
series spreads the same material over 8 CDs (the Bear Family box is 6), and may
end up costing you as much.
Rodgers is known as the father of country music, although he probably would not have seen himself that way. His music ranged from the sentimental to his famous series of "blue yodels" in which he combined the blues with his own unique brand of yodeling. He recorded with a variety of accompaniments ranging from his own guitar to string bands to black jazz bands, including "Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing on the Corner)" which is believed to feature Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin Armstrong on trumpet and piano.
- Not reissued.
- Wildwood
Flower (ASV)
- The
Carter Family 1927-1934 (JSP) (5)
- Can
the Circle Be Unbroken (Columbia)
- Vol.
1 Anchored in Love 1927-28 (Rounder)
- Vol.
2 My Clinch Mountain Home 1928-29 (Rounder)
- Vol.
3 When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland 1929-30 (Rounder)
- Vol.
4 Worried Man Blues 1930 (Rounder)
- Vol.
5 Sunshine in the Shadows 1931-32 (Rounder)
- Vol.
6 Give Me the Roses While I Live 1932-33 (Rounder)
- Vol.
7 Gold Watch and Chain 1933-34 (Rounder)
- Vol.
8 Longing for Old Virginia 1934 (Rounder)
- Vol.
9 Last Sessions 1934-1941 (Rounder)
For my money, the ASV set is the best single disk introduction to the Carter
Family available, it includes 25 tracks, a healthy sampling of their most
important songs, drawn primarily from their somewhat rougher, but more soulful,
original RCA recordings with a few important later recordings added. The
Columbia set is drawn from the Carter Family's 1935 ARC recordings and has
smoother, higher fidelity renditions of many of their classic songs, as well as
the original version of the title track and several others. The JSP five CD
set, which can be had for around $20, is excellent, covering all of the Carter
Families sessions for RCA, except the final one from 1941, and has excellent
sound quality. The final volume in the RCA series picks up the remaining
session, including “50 Miles of Elbow Room”, which Iris DeMent has covered.
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
- On
Border Radio, Vol. 1 (Arhoolie)
Arhoolie is reissuing a series of radio transcriptions from the Carter Family
which will eventually include everything that was on the JEMF album, plus tons
more. This first CD in the series features transcriptions from different radio
shows then those that appeared on the JEMF LP, but still makes a good
substitute. A.P. Carter's singing is apparently heard to better effect on these
transcriptions then on their studio performances.
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
- On
the Banks of a Lonely River (County)
This is probably the best (only?) available Darby and Tarlton CD. It perhaps
puts a bit less emphasis on their blues performances than JM or I would prefer,
but other than that it is a good collection for this duo who played Spanish and
slide guitar respectively. Tarlton was probably the most influential early
slide guitarist in country music. They sing with rough harmonies, quite a
contrast to the smooth style of the brother duets.
- Brown's
Ferry Blues (County).
This County CD was clearly intended as a replacement for the old LP. It has
more cuts and covers much of the same material. This is great stuff. The fine,
smooth harmony singing and crisp guitar work make the Delmore's one of the more
modern sounding of the early country groups. Doc Watson was clearly very
influenced by this group, and this albums "Blue Railroad Train"
became part of his repertoire. The Delmore's continued to be successful through
the early 50's, and some of their later hillbilly boogie work is recommended in
#48 below.
- Fiddlin’
Arthur Smith and His Dixieliners (County).
This recently issued County CD was clearly intended as a replacement for the
two old LP volumes. It has 22 tracks and covers some of the same material (and
is complementary to “Nashville – The
Early String Bands, Volume 1”, see #10 above).
The
Essential Roy Acuff 1936-1949 (Columbia)
This collection covers much of the same material, and has more music with a
total of 20 cuts. Acuff was a major influence in changing the emphasis from
string bands to vocalists at the Opry. He is a fine vocalist and the songs,
like "Wabash Cannonball" are great.
- As is (Capitol). But see note below...
The Louvin Brothers were one of the last and best of the brother duet teams,
and they have a high lonesome, bluegrass-like sound.
When
I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers (Razor & Tie)
This CD is the best collection of Louvin Brothers material available and makes
a great choice as an introduction to their style. The emphasis here is a bit
different than on the aforementioned LP, however. This set covers the Louvin
Brothers hits and best songs from the 40's and 50's, whereas JM chose Tragic
Songs to represent the Depression Era because it concentrated on their
performances of tragic ballads and traditional material. The CD does, however,
include a couple cuts from the Tragic Songs LP, and might still be a better
first choice purchase.
- The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Will
the Circle Be Unbroken (EMI) (2)
Yes, the original one from back in 1972. It is hard to imagine a better
introduction to early country than this set which features the Dirt Band
supporting an all-star cast of performers that includes Maybelle Carter, Roy
Acuff, Merle Travis, Jimmie Martin, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Vasser
Clements performing nice renditions of their classic songs captured in high
fidelity stereo. If the voices of some of the older performers have frayed a
bit, the feeling is certainly there, and some, like Jimmie Martin and Doc
Watson are in peak form.
- Doc Watson: Doc
Watson and Clarence Ashley: 1960-1962 (Smithsonian/Folkways) (2)
- The Doc Watson Family (Smithsonian/Folkways)
- Southbound
(Vanguard)
- The
Essential (Vanguard)
- On
Stage (Vanguard)
In fact I would recommend just about any recording by this excellent flatpick
and fingerstyle guitarist and fine singer with a vast repertoire of traditional
and early country songs.
Some of this material includes authentic cowboy songs and ballads, but the majority are songs written for the romanticized version of the west ridden by Hollywood cowboys. The influence of the cowboy mythos on country music in general has been powerful though, and the real west and the Hollywood version are inextricably mixed in our collective consciousness.
- As is (Rounder). A long way from Gene and Roy, these are mostly field recordings of old cowboys made in the 40's by John A. Lomax. The primarily a cappella renditions by amateur singers are pretty rough, but it's a rare chance to hear authentic cowboy songs from the late 1800's and early 1900's - some apparently close to the origin of the songs - before the Hollywood cowboys took over. Unfortunately, the CD appears to be out of print.
- Not reissued, but see note under #27 below.
- Not reissued.
The
Essential Gene Autry 1933-1946 (Columbia)
This 20 track CD provides a good overview of Gene's career from an early sparse
duet version of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (complete with original
lyrics to this story about a mulatto woman) to his later pop hits. A few of his
big hits are left off, like where are "South of the Border",
"Souix City Sue", and "Riding Down the Canyon." This is not
real cowboy music, but rather Hollywood cowboy music, and to me Gene's vocal
talents seem rather modest, but the songs are pleasant and idyllic, and if you
are in the right mood, this can be quite enjoyable.
- Not reissued.
The Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol)
This CD, with a total of 25 tracks, including 3 cuts from Blood on the Saddle,
provides a good overview of Tex's career. As it turns out the songs on this set
I like the best are the sparse folkish ones from Blood, as well as a few others
in the same vein, which means I'd probably pick up the original album if it is
reissued on CD. As JM says, since Tex was a trained actor first, there is a bit
of self-consciousness to these recreated folk performances, like the assumed
dialect on "Boll Weevil", or the drunkenness of "Rye
Whiskey." "Blood on the Saddle" itself is a bizarre performance,
with a bass that sounds like a giant rubber band and Tex overdoing it to the
point of burlesque, but JM says Tex always considered it a novelty song. Some
of his pop hits get a bit too sentimental for my taste, but clearly Tex was
more interested in the folklore of the true West than most Hollywood cowboys.
This CD is out of print.
- Not reissued.
- Memories
of the Lucky U Ranch (Jasmine)
- The
Country Music Hall of Fame Series (MCA)
- Tumblin' Tumbleweeds, The RCA Victor Years Vol. 1 (RCA)
- Ultimate
Collection (Hip-O)
The Jasmine CD picks up material from the same radio show as the recommended
LP, and the Hip-O collection looks like a good one as well. As I haven’t heard
either of these yet, I would also recommend either the MCA or RCA CD of studio
recordings as a substitute for the recommended album. Tight harmony singing and
idyllic songs of the range are the Sons forte. The group lasted a long time and
went through many personnel changes. The MCA set features the original group
with Bob Nolan and Leonard Slye (who later became singing cowboy Roy Rogers) in
the group. Nolan was also the group's primary songwriter and wrote the Western
classics "Cool Water" and "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" which are
included (in different versions) on both these CDs. The RCA collection has more
tracks, but is made up of slightly later recordings after Slye had left,
although Bob Nolan is still featured (Roy Rogers does join the group for a
couple cuts as a guest). These CDs concentrate primarily on hits, which means
mostly ballads, but they do cover the essentials. They don't really show off
the groups up tempo work, or the instrumental talents of the Far brothers who
played fiddle and guitar for the group. It was this balance between ballads and
up-tempo numbers that led JM to chose the recommended LP. The album "Okey
Western Swing" (album #38 in this list) features one good up-tempo cut
which shows off the Far brothers.
- Not reissued.
- Willie Nelson and Leon Russell: One
for the Road (Columbia)
Just Willie and Leon having fun. Perhaps this doesn't belong here, but a lot of
the songs are associated with Gene Autry, and they show the good fun that can
be had with these old Hollywood cowboy songs. This is a double LP all on one
CD.
This amalgam of country, jazz, blues, and pop is just what American music is all about. I have to admit, though, as a young purist I was initially scandalized when I first listened to Bob Wills and heard horns and saxes on what I expected to be a traditional country recording. But inevitably the music won me over. These bands were dance bands, primarily from Texas, and Wills in particular was willing to try different instrumentations to compete with the jazz and swing bands which were his competition. His band essentially evolved alongside them, moving from a more traditional jazz sound in the early 30s to a swing/big band sound in the late 30's and 40's, although fiddles and steel guitars were always an important part of the sound.
- As is (1). The entire 24 cut double LP on 1 CD, but read on before you buy. (note: this is not the Rhino 2 CD set with the same title). This CD appears to be out of print.
-The
Essential Bob Wills 1935-1947 (Columbia)
I would recommend this CD as a first Wills purchase over the listed LP even
though it has fewer (20) tracks. The reason is that the newly remastered sound
is much better; and it has good liner notes, which were left off the CD reissue
of Columbia Anthology.
Although there is a fair amount of duplication between the two sets, there are 15 songs on Anthology not on Essential, including a few which are vastly different versions of the same song. For example the version of "Maiden's Prayer" on Anthology is an early instrumental string band version, whereas the version on Essential is a big band version with a vocal - together they vividly demonstrate Wills ability to take an old song and "rearrange it and make it swing." For this reason it is still worthwhile to have both discs.
The Rhino 2 CD Anthology is probably a good overview of Wills' entire career, but because it includes material from his weaker later periods with MCA and Liberty, it is probably of less consistent quality than the Columbia collections, I would recommend getting one or both of the Columbia collections and MGM's "24 Great Hits" rather than the Rhino collection.
- As is (Rhino) (previously issued on CD by Kaleidescope).
When this first volume of radio transcriptions came out JM said that they
claimed to have about 20 albums worth of material to release, but that he was
sceptical of their ability to maintain the quality of the first release. Now
with at least 9 volumes in print, the AMG and the RSAG both sing the praises of
the entire collection. The RSAG gives them all 5 stars, and calls it perhaps
the greatest period of sustained excellence in all of American music. That may
be overkill, but Wills was great, and could take a variety of styles (country,
pop, blues, jazz) and make them his own. A couple volumes are listed as
"The Best of the Tiffanies" and lean toward songs which are
associated with Wills, but the eclectic covers are great fun too.
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued, but see next entry.
- Not reissued.
- Milton Brown and the Musical Brownies: The
Complete Recordings of the Father of Western Swing 1932-1937 (Texas
Rose/OJL) (5)
All of Brown's recordings, including everything on the two aforementioned LPs,
is now available on this compilation, and with much better sound. The notes for
the set were written by Cary Ginell, who spent a good chunk of his life
researching Milton Brown, and has written a fine book, Milton Brown and the
Founding of Western Swing. Texas Rose can be reached at P.O. Box 85, Santa
Monica, CA 90406. (Thanks to Michael Kieffer for the above information).
- Not reissued.
- As is. Choates was on the swing side of Cajun and some traditionalists don't like him because of that swing influence, but he was the one who popularized Jole Blon (already an old song, and not on this collection, unfortunately), before he drank himself into an early grave (he died in jail). The album seems a bit schizophrenic, initially you'll think you're listening to traditional Cajun music, then with "Harry Choates' Special" you'll think you've got Bob Wills' Cajun half-brother, complete with Wills' style hoops and hollers and calling out the soloists by name. On some later cuts Choates does seem to be integrating the two styles better, with Cajun singing and melody, but looser, swing influenced solos.
- As is (1). The entire double LP is on 1 CD. Unfortunately, this CD is out
of print.
This set includes performances by most of the important Western Swing bands
from the late 20's to the 40's, and in that sense provides a good overview of
the genre. But mostly what it does is demonstrate why Bob Wills is still the
King, because any of the Wills collections are better overall than this (which
includes 8 tracks by Wills, none of which is really essential). So buy one of
them first, then get this CD if you decide you are a fan interested in the
history and development of the style.
The most revealing performance here for me was Emmett Miller's rendition of "Love Sick Blues." Miller was a minstrel show performer who was a significant influence on the three most important performers in country music, for it seems probable that Jimmie Rodgers adapted his blue yodel from Miller, Bob Wills sighted him as an important influence, and as this cut makes it clear Hank Williams got his first hit by virtually duplicating Miller's vocal performance note for note. On the track Miller is backed by a bunch of the best white jazz musicians of the 20s, including guitarist Eddie Lang (himself an influence on Western Swing), and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. The track clearly shows the important influence blackface and minstrel shows had on early country music, even if that influence is generally ignored today.
- Hank Thompson: Vintage
Collection (Capitol)
- The Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol) (out of print)
These CDs each includ 20 cuts by the last of the commercially successful
Western Swing Bands (50's to 60's). My preference is for the second one, but
unfortunately its out of print. Thompson did a lot of wacko novelties and a few
drinking songs and one attempt at Rock and Roll - "Rockin' in the
Congo", and pretty much all his best stuff can be found on either of these
CDs. His novelties have held up pretty well, although you may be left with the
impression that anyone who heard "Squaws Along the Yukon" while in
Alaska and decided he had to cover it must be a bit off.
But there are also some good straight songs: a fine cover of Woody Guthrie's "Oklahoma Hills," and "The Wild Side of Life", the question to which Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God That Made Honky Tonk Angels" was the answer. Even the novelty "Wake Up Irene" (a parody on guess what) has significance: Hank convinced the Opry that the snare part was crucial to the song and got them to allow his drummer to appear on stage when he performed the song. Before that even Smokey Dacus of the Wills band had to hide behind a curtain at the Opry.
- Asleep at the Wheel:
These guys carried the torch of Western Swing into the 70's, 80's and 90's.
- Bob Wills: Boot
Heel Drag: The MGM Years (Polydor) (2)S
- 24
Greatest Hits (Polydor) (out of print)
These collections pick up the classic "Faded Love" and other gems
from Wills' period with MGM (after leaving Columbia). Since the Big Band Era
had ended, Wills moved to a smaller band with more emphasis on guitars and
fiddles. I would recommend buying at least one of the Columbia collections and
one of these collections rather than the Rhino Anthology.
- Bob Wills: The
Longhorn Recordings (Bear Family)
This album is recommended primarily to Wills enthusiasts. It's an import album,
so it comes at an import price, but it represents a unique chapter in Bob
Wills' recording career. In the late 50's and early 60's Wills recorded briefly
for the small Longhorn label. About half of the tracks feature the full band,
and they are a damn sight better than his previous work for Decca, even if they
aren't in a league with his Columbia and MGM recordings. But the real item of
interest here is "Bob Will's Keepsake Album #1", an entire album
recorded in one take. It's just Wills reminiscing with some friends and playing
some old fiddle tunes with rhythm accompaniment from banjo, guitar and bass -
its pretty much like inviting Bob Wills and a few of his buddies into your
living room. While the music of the Texas Playboys took its clue from jazz and
swing, Wills' father and grandfather were champion Texas fiddlers, and many of
Wills' great songs were derived from old fiddle tunes, so this one opportunity
he took to look back at his roots is a nice find.
- The Balfa Brothers: Play
Traditional Cajun Music Vols. 1 and 2 (Swallow).
Although JM generally avoids Cajun music, since he sees it as a related but
separate style, I can't help but recommend this one CD as an introduction.
I first became aware of Dewey Balfa when an 8 1/2 by 11 flyer advertising a Cajun concert at UCLA caught my eye. It sounded authentic so I thought I'd check it out. The band consisted of Dewey on fiddle, his daughter on Triangle, and a couple other musicians. This was dance music, but the crowd, which consisted of maybe 15 people, was so small, that, despite the best efforts of the band and the infectious beat, they could only coax a few couples out on the floor.
It wasn't until a few years later when I opened up the latest issue of National Geographic and found myself starring face to face with Dewey standing in front of his Bayou home that I became aware of the importance of Dewey's contribution to Cajun music. Dewey and his brothers had a band which helped reawaken interest in Cajun music in the 60's; they were the first Cajun group to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. Unfortunately, his brothers were killed in an auto accident. Dewey, along with people like Doc Watson, Elizabeth Cotten, and Brownie McGhee, was recipient of a National Heritage Award, and that was the reason for his appearance in National Geographic. Sadly, more recently I have read that Dewey passed away. But his music lives on. The above CD collects the music from 2 LPs of the Balfa Brothers classic recordings from the 60's. There are actually more songs on the disc then listed on the cover, but since I can't understand the lyrics or pronounce the titles correctly anyway, not knowing the titles to a few songs is not a great loss, and the music is grand.
Bluegrass is what happened when the late great Bill Monroe put string band music into overdrive. The style has developed its own loyal following and puts a heavy reliance on traditional songs, instrumental prowess, and high lonesome vocal harmonies.
The
Essential Bill Monroe 1945-1949(Columbia) (2)
This 2 CD set includes all 40 cuts Monroe recorded for Columbia, including the
28 with Flatt and Scruggs in the band, everything that was on the above LP and
plenty more. In particular the tracks with Flatt and Scruggs show bluegrass
solidifying into the sound we identify it with today.
- Not reissued.
The
Music of Bill Monroe from 1936 to 1994 (MCA) (4)
This 4 CD set covers Monroe's entire career, including tracks from other
labels, such as two early duets by the Monroe Brothers (with his brother
Charlie) from RCA, and some of the seminal recordings with Flatt and Scruggs
from Columbia. That makes it the best available overview of Monroe's music, and
it includes a cut or two from the above LP, as well as many other tracks from
the same time period, which was Monroe's heyday at Decca (now MCA).
- As is, but see the note below...
The
Complete Mercury Sessions (Mercury)
This single CD with 28 cuts, covers material that was out of print when JM
wrote his book. It includes many bluegrass standards, among them "Roll in
My Sweet Baby's Arms," "Salty Dog Rag," and "Foggy Mountain
Breakdown," and should really be the first choice for a Flatt and Scruggs
album. Indeed, I would recommend it as the best single disc introduction to
bluegrass music.
- Not reissued.
- As is (King).
- Not reissued.
- Country
Songs Old & New (Folkways)
A reissue of their first album, and a good introduction to the group.
- Bill Monroe: Bean
Blossom (MCA)
Not just the Blue Grass Boys, but lots of bands, including the great Jimmie
Martin and his fine vocals, and a two record set on one CD, and live to boot!
The RSRG gives this 5 stars.
- Flat and Scruggs: Don't
Get Above Your Raisin' (Rounder)
More prime Flatt and Scruggs taken from their early work for Columbia.
- The Stanley Brothers: The
Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers (Columbia)
- Angel
Band: The Classic Mercury Recordings (Mercury)
- 20
Bluegrass Originals (Deluxe) (original King recordings)
Classic Stanley Brothers recordings from their periods with Columbia, Mercury, and
King (in that chronological order). The Columbia and King disks include their
versions of “Man of Constant Sorrow,” the arrangement which was used as the
basis for the version in the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou.”
- Bela Fleck: Bela
Fleck and the Flecktones (Warner Brothers)
- Flight
of the Cosmic Hippo (Warner Brothers)
Bela has taken the banjo from bluegrass to bebop and beyond, and if you want to
hear the cutting edge of banjo, he's your man. His current band, the
Flecktones, which includes Bela on banjo, Paul McCandless, formerly of the jazz
group Oregon, on woodwinds from alto sax to pennywhistle, Victor Wooten on
electric bass, and his brother Ray "Futureman" Wooten, looking like a
Berkeley street musician in Napoleanesque garb, on synth ax (a drum
synthesizer) is the most unlikely assemblage of musicians I have ever seen
sharing a stage. Despite that, the music is surprisingly accessible, and it was
fantastic to hear a banjo and funk bass exchanging riffs, or Scruggs' style
banjo fitting in beautifully in a jazz tune. The melting pot that created
American music is still cooking! By the way, Victor Wooten was voted best
electric bassist by his peers recently, so if you want to hear the cutting edge
of bass, the Flecktones are the band to listen to for that as well.
Influenced by western swing, but with smaller stripped down bands to fit postwar economics and the local bar, and singing songs geared toward the concerns of modern urban life, honky-tonk is probably the definitive sound of country music, and is often regarded as its peak.
- The
Best of Floyd Tillman (Collectors Choice) (previously on Columbia)
Finally, a selection of Tillman's best work is out on CD. This is not a reissue
of the above LP; instead it is a twenty-four track collection covering much of
the same material, including the essentials and a lot more. Tillman has a hard
country voice like Ernest Tubb, but he got his start in western swing and was
influenced by Bing Crosby, so it figures that his singing has a jazzy looseness
that is not typical of honky tonkers. He was also an important songwriter,
writing songs like "Slippin' Around" (included here) and "It
Makes No Difference Now" (Gene Autry's version is on "The Essential
Gene Autry", #27 above) that were hits for several artists and spawned
some of the earliest pop cross-over covers.
- Not reissued. See note under #47
- Not reissued.
- The
Definitive Hits Collection (Collectors Choice) (2)
- Early
Hits of the Texas Troubadour (ASV)
- The
Country Music Hall of Fame Series (MCA)
- (Bear Family)
The Collectors Choice collection does about as excellent a job of living up to
its name as can be done on two CDs, while, with 25 prime tracks from his early
years, the ASV set is probably the best single disk introduction to Tubb. The
MCA Hall of Fame album also features original recordings (the recommended LPs
often made due with later re-recordings), but at 16 tracks it is rather skimpy
for such an important artist. On the other hand, The Bear Family series of
boxed sets is certainly a bit overwhelming to anyone but a die-hard fan.
- Not reissued.
- Freight
Train Boogie (Ace-King)
This Canadian import covers much of the same material that was on the
Starday/Gusto LP, and includes "Mobile Boogie" (JM had complained
bitterly because it wasn't included on recommended LP). This is great hillbilly
boogie, with the guitar work revved up a notch from the Delmore's earlier work
(see #21 above), and with slightly more muscular harmony vocals. There are also
some bluesy ballads, based on the success of "Blues Stay Away from
Me." The title track became part of Doc Watson's repertoire.
- Not reissued.
- The
Best of Merle Travis: Sweet Temptation 1946-1953 (Razor & Tie)
- The Best of Merle Travis (Rhino) (out of print)
The Razor & Tie collection is a good, fairly balanced 20 track collection of
Merle Travis. The out of print Rhino CD is also a very good 18 track collection
covering much of the same material. Perhaps the biggest weakness of these disks
is that they tend to favor Merle's small band novelty honky-tonk/swing songs
over his folk songs and guitar instrumentals. The honky-tonk stuff is fun, but
rarely shows off Merle's guitar artistry. They each have one or more
instrumentals, as well as one or more of such folk numbers as "Sixteen
Tons," "Dark as a Dungeon," and "I am a Pilgrim," which
help to round it out a bit.
- Not reissued.
- Moonshine
Jamboree (Ace-King)
- Moon's
Rock (Bear Family)
Either of these CDs would be a good choice. The Bear Family CD has 32 cuts, but
comes at an expensive import price. The Ace-King CD, which is Canadian in
origin, has a reasonably generous 23 cuts, and comes at a better price. I chose
it because it was clearly drawn from Moon's classic period at King Records and
included most of his classics that I was aware of. It is probably a better
overview of Moon's style then the album JM recommended, since it includes a few
examples of his ballads, like "I'll Sail My Ship Alone," his biggest
hit, in addition to plenty of boogie.
Moon was known as "The King of Hillbilly Piano" and was a big influence on Jerry Lee Lewis. This is great stuff, and along with Tennessee Ernie Ford and the Delmore Brothers, Moon is my favorite hillbilly boogie artist.
-As is (1), the entire double LP on 1 CD. But see note under entry #53 below.
-As is (1), the entire double LP on 1 CD. But see note under entry #53 below.
Not reissued.
The
Original Singles Collection Plus (Polydor) (3)
40
Greatest Hits (Polydor) (2)
All of the Hank Williams albums mentioned above can be replaced by one of these
two collections. The Original Singles Collection gets in all his classic songs,
as well as some more obscure material. The more budget minded 40 Greatest Hits
picks up most of the essentials, but unfortunately leaves off a few classics.
The
Best of Lefty Frizzell (Rhino)
With 18 cuts, this is an excellent collection, and shows both his debt to
Jimmie Rodgers and Merle Haggard's debt to him, and covers his full range from
the overly sentimental "Mom and Dad's Waltz" to much better stuff. I
had not heard much of him before, and was impressed.
- Not reissued. Since this album covers more obscure Frizzell it might still be a good complement to the Rhino collection if it is reissued.
- Not reissued.
-I'm Movin' On and Other Great Country Hits (RCA) (out of print)
- The
Essential Hank Snow (RCA)
The first of these is an excellent 20 track collection of classic 40's and
early 50's Snow that was clearly compiled by a fan. The material is excellent
and well programmed, showing off Snow's instrumental as well as vocal talent
and including a great guitar duet with Chet Atkins. The only complaint I have,
and I'm being picky since the overall caliber of the material is so high, is
that four of Snow's important later hits which were on the Best of LP are not
included: "Now and Then There's a Fool Such as I" (later a hit for
Elvis), "90 Miles an Hour Down a Dead End Street," "I've Been
Everywhere," and "Miller's Cave." These four tracks are included
on the "Essential" disc, which also includes all the most important
of Snow's hits among its 20 tracks. This is probably the best introduction to
Snow's work, although I would miss the duet with Atkins.
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
King
of the Honky Tonk: Decca Masters, 1952-1959 (MCA).
This excellent 18 track single disc collection is a much better set then the
aforementioned LP. It has many more tracks and hits most of the high points,
although it does leave off one or two of Webb's later hits which were on the
LP.
- As is, but read on...
The
Essential Ray Price (Columbia)
This 20 track single disc collection has a lot more music and includes all but
2 lesser cuts from the above album. And it has much better sound than the
gawdawful tinny reprocessed stereo of Greatest Hits. So, get it instead. Some
of Price's songs like "Crazy Arms", "Invitation to the
Blues" (an early Roger Miller composition), and "Heartaches by the
Number" are classics (the first was covered by Jerry Lee Lewis, and the
third by Dwight Yoakam).
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
The
Best of George Jones (1955-1967) (Rhino)
This disc does a good job of collecting the best hits from several labels
before he went to Epic (18 cuts). Also UA has a hits collection out, which
seems pretty good, but its best cuts may be covered in the Rhino CD.
- Not reissued.
Greatest
Hits (Columbia)
Honky
Tonk Man - The Essential Johnny Horton (Sony) (2)
The greatest hits collection includes his big hits like "Battle of New
Orleans", "Sink the Bismarck", "North to Alaska", as
well as "Honky Tonk Man" (covered by Dwight Yoakam). Honky Tonk Man
is a two disc anthology which goes much more indepth.
- Tennessee Ernie Ford: 16 Tons of Boogie (Rhino) (out of print)
- The Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol) (out of print)
- Sixteen
Tons (Capitol) (out of print)
Any of these 3 CDs will do, there's a lot of overlap between the 3, and I think
the Collector Series CD is out of print. The Rhino disc is probably your best
choice. This is some of my favorite hillbilly boogie, including Ernie's hit
"Sixteen Tons" and great boogie stuff like "Shot Gun
Boogie" about his girl friend and her dad who are both crack shots
("I'll be back little girl when your pappy runs out of shells"). Hot
stuff from a guy who later concentrated on gospel.
- Merle Travis: Walkin'
on the Strings (Capitol)
- Folk Songs of the Hills (Capitol)
- Folk
Songs of the Hills (Bear Family)
These CDs make a good complement to the Best of CD listed above. Walkin' on the
Strings has 20 or so guitar instrumentals from Merle's prime, which show off
his pickin'. Folk Songs of the Hills is a reissue of a classic album that had
many of Merle's classic folk tunes on it, including "Sixteen Tons"
and "I am a Pilgrim." The Bear Family version includes 2 LPs worth of
material on one CD, but at an import price. The Capitol version includes a few
extra tracks beyond what was on the original album, and comes at a budget
price.
Combining elements of western swing and hillbilly boogie with the influence of black rhythm and blues and youthful exuberance, rockabilly was the white contribution to the foundation of rock and roll. Much of the best early rockabilly came out of Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Roy Orbison all got their start.
- Not reissued.
- Sun
Records Collection (3) (Rhino)
This three CD set has a nice healthy mix of the blues, country, gospel and
rockabilly coming out of Sun Records studios in Memphis back in the 50's.
- The
Sun Sessions CD (RCA)
This CD has everything from the LP plus additional alternate takes and
unreleased singles, some of which are quite revealing: for example Elvis' cover
of blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson's 1948 R&B hit "Tomorrow
Night."
- As is (2). The 3 LP set on 2 CDs.
- Not reissued.
- The Sun Years 1956-1958 (3) (EMI)
- The
Sun Years (Rhino)
- Up
Through the Years, 1955-1957 (Bear-Family)
The three CD boxed set has all of Cash's Sun recordings on it. Its all great
stuff, but if you don't want quite so much I would recommend getting the Rhino
disc, which has 18 tracks. The Bear-Family disc has 22 cuts, but is rather
expensive since its a German import. Cash's period with Sun is for me his most
consistent period, and produced many of his best songs, mostly with mature
themes, with the exception of a few attempts at teen hits, mostly written by
his producer Cowboy Jack Clemente.
- Not reissued. This was a boxed set.
-Blue
Suede Shoes: The Very Best of Carl Perkins (Collectibles)
-Original
Sun Greatest Hits (Rhino)
With 23 tracks, the Collectibles disk is the better of these two (the Rhino has
16) but they both pick up all the essentials from Perkins. The Rhino set has the
weekness that it doesn't really give any examples of his straight country
songs.
- Not reissued. This was a boxed set.
-18
Original Greatest Hits (Rhino)
-Original
Golden Hits Volume 1 & 2 (Collectibles)
With 18 tracks the Rhino disk is a good collection, although it doesn't include
Jerry Lee's great cover of Hank William's "You Win Again", but it
does get such semi-obscure stuff as "Drinkin' Wine Spodee-oodee,"
"Crazy Arms," "Lewis Boogie," and "Big Legged
Woman", which sort of makes up for it. The Collectibles disk is also a
nice choice, picking up all the hits, does include “You Win Again,” and also
“I’ll Sail My Ship Alone,” a nice cover of a Moon Mullican tune, which shows
his roots, but misses such powerful stuff as “Drinkin’ Wine Spodee-oodee” and
“Big Legged Woman.”
- Not reissued. Unfortunately I have read that MCA has said it will not be reissued on CD.
The
Great Buddy Holly (MCA)
The
Chirping Crickets (MCA)
Buddy
Holly (MCA)
For the First Time Anywhere (MCA) (out of print)
The
Buddy Holly Collection (MCA) (2)
From
the Original Master Tapes (MCA)
If you are interested primarily in a hits collection, either of the last two
CDs is a good choice, Master Tapes has 20 cuts on one CD, whereas Collection
has more than 40 on two CDs. But, its a shame to overlook his original albums.
Holly was always experimenting during his short career, so the non-hits are
worth hearing, and his albums hold together better than the albums of most
early rockers, which were generally just singles collections.
"The Great Buddy Holly" contains early material from before his breakthrough which was compiled and released after his death. It includes an early take on "That'll Be The Day" and some cuts that show him imitating Elvis before he found his own voice; interesting but unessential. "The Chirping Crickets" and "Buddy Holly" (with a portrait of Buddy sans glasses on the cover) are the only two LPs released in his lifetime, and are both great. "For the First Time Anywhere" contains some nice unoverdubbed versions of songs which were found after "The Complete" was issued. It has crisp versions of some rockabilly numbers and a beautiful and concise version of the pop song "That's My Desire." Unfortunately, the CD has been deleted, but check for it in cut-out bins. If you buy some of Buddy's original albums, you will still need a hits collection to pick up his pop experiments with strings (e.g. "I Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" and "True Loves Ways" ) which weren't issued on an album during his lifetime. Sadly, the deletion of "The Complete" means that the solo recordings Holly made in his hotel room in New York, are no longer available in unoverdubbed form. These recordings make it sound like Holly is about to invent folk rock a few years ahead of time, and include a great laid back version of Little Richard's "Slippin' and a Slidin'." I hope this stuff will not remain unavailable forever. By the way, since Holly never had a song that charted country, although that's clearly where his roots were, his inclusion here should give you some idea of JM's inclusive view to country music.
-Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n' Roll Trio: Rock
'n' Roll Trio/Tear It Up (BGO UK)
- Rockbilly
Boogie Bear Family
Take your pick, either CD has essentially all the recordings of Johnny Burnette
and the Rock 'n' Roll Trio, the hot rockabilly group Johnny and Dorsey Burnette
had before they went pop. These recordings have always been favorites of fans
of the genre.
- The Everly Brothers: Cadence
Classics (Their 20 Greatest Hits) (Rhino)
The last of the great brother duets headed for the youth market with a
rockabilly influenced sound, and created some fine music.
- Bill Haley: Rock
the Joint! The Original ESSEX Recordings 1951-1954 (Roller Coaster
Records/School Kids Records)
- From the Original Master Tapes, Greatest Hits (MCA)
- Greatest
Hits (MCA)
Bill Haley was the first white artist to achieve significant success with the
blend of rhythm and blues and country music that became known as rock and roll.
And even though in the end his style turned out to be rather limited, and his
heyday was cut short by the arrival of more charismatic performers, it is still
worth being reminded that there was white rock and roll before Elvis.
The first of these CDs includes Haley's early recordings for Essex, when he was first experimenting with R&B tunes, and before he moved to Decca and eventually broke through with "Rock Around the Clock." I have to admit I am partial to these tracks which are a little bit gutsier and a little bit more country (prominent steel guitar) than his later work. Even the novelties have punch to them. The only thing missing is Rudy Pompilli's sax work, as he had not yet joined the band.
This disc contains a number of firsts. "Rocket 88," in its original version by Jackie Brenston (featuring Ike Turner and recorded for Sun Records) is an oft mentioned candidate for the first rock and roll record. Haley's cover is sometimes sited as well, perhaps since it includes the country element, although the two recordings are so similar it seems absurd not to give Brenston's group the credit. It was, however, Haley's first R&B cover. At the time he was trying to make a career as a straight country artist (as several other tracks on this album illustrate) and wanted nothing to do with this cover, which his producer asked him to do. The track was geared toward the black market and it has a muddier sound, with Haley singing in a slurred, blacker style than on any of his other recordings. It failed to attract the black market, but along with "Rock the Joint," another R&B cover, it made Haley aware of an interest in this type of music among white teenagers, the market which Haley then went after. Haley's cover of "Rock the Joint" is also a contender for the first rock and roll record, and features the guitar solo which went down in rock history when it was used note-for-note on "Rock Around the Clock." "Crazy, Man, Crazy," a Haley original which makes use of the teen lingo of the day, is generally credited as the first white rock and roll song to make the charts (1953). Together these tracks, along with others on this disc, show Haley's western swing and hillbilly boogie influenced band taking on some R&B trappings and crossing the line into rock and roll.
From the Original Master Tapes is a 20 track collection which includes most of Haley's important hits for Decca, including "Rock Around the Clock," and is probably the disc most people want, if they want a Haley disc. Greatest Hits has a lot of duplication with Master Tapes, but is interesting because it includes a nice cover of Louis Jordan's "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (an influence), and "Sway with Me," a slow dance tune that adds variety to the usual Haley tempo.
I have heard it stated that Haley's main influences were urbane blues and jump blues artists like Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner, whereas Elvis was influenced by rougher country blues artists like Arthur Big Boy Crudup, and that this rougher blues has stayed a more major influence in rock than jump blues. But Jordan, T-bone Walker and other jump blues artists were a big influence on Chuck Berry, and his style certainly became a fundamental ingredient in rock and roll, so it appears its not so easy to make the distinction.
In part as a reaction to rockabilly, straight country music moved toward a more mainstream, pop sound, with strings and orchestras backing the singers. At its best singers like Patsy Cline and George Jones rode over or cut through the production, and the singers themselves often maintaining a country sound. In general, though, the tendency to overproduction was too great, and I tend to prefer my country music in rawer, more stripped down settings.
- As is (1), the entire double LP on 1 CD.
Note however that some of the versions of songs on this collection were overdubbed
with new orchestrations. It does, however, have the most tracks on a single CD
hits collection (20 or so).
There is a boxed set of all her work out, which is probably great for fans (The Patsy Cline Collection (MCA) I believe). I am hoping a single CD collection of her best work excerpted from the boxed set will come out to satisfy casual fans who want all original versions, like myself.
- Not reissued.
All-Time Greatest Hits (RCA)
This 20 track collection does a good job of covering Gibson's career. Gibson
was known as the Mr. Soul of Country, but is probably remembered more today for
his songwriting, in particular "Oh, Lonesome Me" and "I Can't
Stop Loving You," the second of which was a big hit for Ray Charles in the
60's. Some of his up-temp recordings combined the Nashville sound production of
Chet Atkins with a shuffle beat adapted from Rockabilly, an interesting
combination of these two adversarial country styles. I have to admit, after
waiting a long time to hear his original versions of his songs, I was not that
impressed.
- As is, but see note under #73 below.
- As is, but see note below.
20
Greatest Hits (MCA)
The
Country Music Hall of Fame Album (MCA)
Honkey
Tonk Girl - Collection (3) (MCA) These three collections are also available
on CD. The first is the best single CD collection since it has the most tracks
and has good song selection. The Hall of Fame CD is also a nice collection.
Unfortunately, these two and the two recommended CDs all have good songs which
are not on the others, but there is too much duplication between them to make
it worth buying them all, so you'll have to pick and chose. Any choice(s) from
among those four CDs will give you a good sampling of her material. Honky Tonk
Girl is a definitive three CD collection.
- At
Folsom Prison (remastered with additional tracks) (Columbia)
- At
Folsom Prison and San Quentin (Columbia) (the two LPs on 1 CD) (out of
print)
JM is really cheating by listing this as a Nashville Sound album. It may be
from that time period, but it is a rough live album all about presence, not
production. It is fantastic, and scary, featuring Cash's classic live version
of "Folsom Prison Blues," and the gallows humor of "Cocaine
Blues," and "25 Minutes to Go" (by Shell Silverstein), along
with a solo acoustic set featuring "The Long Black Veil" and such
purposefully corny stuff by Jack Clemente as "Dirty Old Egg Sucking
Dog" and "Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart." The new
remastered version includes a few additional cuts, and you get to hear the
swearing without the bleeps. San Quentin has "Boy Named Sue," which
might be good or bad, depending on your point of view; it is now available
separately.
- Killer
Country (Mercury)
- (Mercury) (3)
- All
Killer, No Filler (2) (Rhino)
Killer Country is probably the best single CD choice, but Mercury has issued a
3 CD series of Jerry Lee's country hits, which is a little too much for me. The
best material is scattered over the three disks. Alternatively, Rhino has
issued a 2 CD set which gives a good overview of Jerry Lee's early Sun
rockabilly and later Mercury country hits.
- As is.
This album has the not-exactly-feminist anthem "Stand by Your Man" on
it. Only 11 cuts. Not really my style of country.
- Not reissued.
Don't confuse this album with album #78, which is also on RCA and has the same title.
This one is earlier, and features Dolly's cover of Jimmie Rodger's "Mule
Skinner Blues."
- As is.
I was pleasantly surprised by this set. Most of the songs are Dolly's own
compositions (2 are by Porter Wagoner), and they walk the line between country
and pop, rarely falling too far into the later. "Jolene,"
"Bargain Store," "Coat of Many Colors," "My Tennessee
Mountain Home," and "Touch Your Woman" are among the better
songs, while "Love is Like a Butterfly" is a rather syrupy low point.
Only 10 or so cuts. Contains the original version of "I Will Always Love
You," written by Dolly and more recently a Grammy winner for Whitney
Houston.
- Not reissued.
- The
Essential (RCA)
- Sweet
Harmony (RCA Pair) (out of print)
Each of these RCA CDs has 20 tracks from Porter and Dolly. The Essential
Collection is a little classier, although I'm not sure which one covers the
recommended LP better.
- Not reissued.
- As is.
- Not reissued.
- As is (1). The entire 24 track double LP on 1 CD.
George Jones has an incredible voice that cuts through and rises above the
orchestrations which surround him on this album. This is probably my favorite
Nashville Sound album that really has Nashville Sound production.
- As is.
Buck Owens and Merle Haggard countered the Nashville sound by injecting country music with a good, healthy dose of its roots.
- Not reissued.
- Collection
(1959-1990) (3) (Rhino)
- The
Best of Buck Owens Volume 1 (Rhino)
- The
Best of Buck Owens Volume 2 (Rhino)
The 3 CD set has about all the Buck Owens you need (or want, I suppose), it
even has his duets on "Streets of Bakersfield" with Dwight Yoakam,
and "Act Naturally" with Ringo Starr (Buck wrote this song which
Ringo sang with the Beatles). The two "Best of" collections, also
from Rhino, collect all of his big hits from his heyday in the 60's (16 tracks
on each), and are probably a better choice for all but the most ardent fans.
Buck's songs feature his eccentric sense of humor and a rockabilly influenced beat, and are worth hearing.
- Not reissued. See note under #87 below.
- As is (but see below).
- Lonesome
Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology (Raser & Tie) (2)
- Anthology (1963-77)
- The
Capitol Collectors Series (Capitol)
- More
of the Best (Rhino)
The "Capitol Collectors Series" album provides a good 20 track
overview of Haggard's peak period. The Rhino CD was designed as a companion CD,
and it fills in several important songs from Merle's Capitol years, before
continuing on into his work with other labels, including MCA. A couple of the
best tracks from "Serving 190 Proof" can be found on here. The two
together provide a good overview of Merle's career. The two disc Anthology from
Raser & Tie may be a better choice overall, it has more tracks, and picks
up some early hits which aren't on the other two discs.
- Not reissued.
As is, but now apparently deleted, although once in a while a copy surfaces,
so check the bargain bins.
I am rather fond of this moody "male menopause" album of Hagg's.
Nearly all the songs are good, it holds together well as an album, the sound is
sparse and clean, and the Strangers pass solos around loosely and casually
showing how Haggard has assimilated the influence of Bob Wills into the group
without simply imitating (although he does get off one of Will's trademark
"ahaaa"'s in "My Own Kind of Hat").
In the 70's country artists moving toward pop (e.g. Charlie Rich) and pop artists moving toward country (e.g. Anne Murray) created this crossover genre which sometimes produced some nice songs, but often lost almost all vestige of its country roots.
- Not reissued.
- Not reissued.
- As is. Believe it or not, the RSAG gives this one 4 stars, and I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it. The quality of the songs is generally good, and many of the arrangements sound fairly sparse with fiddle, acoustic or steel guitar up front, and strings tastefully in the background. I always liked "Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue" with its Floyd Cramer style piano, even if it is rather pop, its a good crossover song.
- Glenn Campbell: The
Very Best
15 cuts on this one, but JM and I agree, "Gentle on My Mind" is his
best (but then it sounds more like bluegrass then countrypolitan).
The outlaw movement modernized country by returning to its roots, adding elements of rock and roll, and writing songs to appeal to a new younger audience. Since country is such a tradition oriented music, there is always a tension between trying to create a new, modern sound, and yet maintaining some identification with the musics roots so that it doesn't cease to be country music. The result is that often times the most progressive country artists are also the ones who are drawing the most and the deepest from its roots.
- As is.
Although Mercury also has 2 separate hits volumes with more cuts on each,
Golden Hits gets the essentials down in one package and is still the best
choice.
Roger Miller was quite unique among country performers, particularly during the few years of his heyday, when he surprised the country establishment with the success of a series of eccentric songs that combined cornball lyrics, scat singing, and a sparse acoustic sound.
- As is, but see note below.
- Shotgun
Willie & Phases and Stages (MFSL) (out of print)
This 2 on 1 CD carries the high price of the Original Master Recording Gold
Ultradiscs from MFSL, but if you find it at a descent price, it might not cost
much more than buying both albums, takes up less space, and might even sound
better.
- As is, the new remastered version adds a few additional tracks.
- As is.
- As is (Hightone).
-Out
of Hand/Your Place or Mine (Koch)
Now available as a two-on-one single CD.
- As is (Universal Special Products).
- Sugar Hill has reissued this album with 4 bonus tracks. Again JM stretches his definitions to the breaking point by including Jimmy Murphy under contemporary country, but as he says, he felt Murphy was deserving of wider recognition, and he didn't know where else to put him. Murphy's roots run back to Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams, and country blues; some of his early singles were marketed as rockabilly; and on this album he's backed by some of the best young (in 1978) bluegrass players, so he's not easy to pin down. Despite being a fine songwriter, having a strong country voice, and being a unique and interesting guitarist (he plays six and twelve string guitar exclusively in an open E tuning), Murphy recorded only sporadically throughout his career. This particular album came about almost by accident, when Murphy was rediscovered when one of his older recordings was being anthologized. This set includes fine versions of many of his best songs with a great back-up band including Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglas. If you like acoustic, tradition-based country music with some clever songwriting and fine musicianship, and you haven't heard Jimmy Murphy, you are in for a pleasant surprise!
- As is.
- Willie Nelson: Shotgun
Willie (Atlantic)
An earlier, formative attempt prior to Phases and Stages, but worth hearing. (See
#94 above for the MFSL twofer that has Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages on
one CD).
- Flatlanders: More
a Legend Than a Band (Rhino)
- Now
Again (New West Records)
The legendary original album (only issued on 8-track tape) and the recent
reappearance of the band that gave Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch
Hancock their start. Legend features the classic “Dallas” and an early version
of Joe Ely’s “Tonight I’m Gonna Go Downtown.”
- Dwight Yoakam: Just
Looking For A Hit (Reprise)
From the guy who put new wave country and LA on the map.
- Lyle Lovett: Pontiac
(MCA/Curb)
Definitely one of the more interesting voices in country music. The listed CD
is the highest rated by the RSAG.
- k.d. lang: Absolute
Torch and Twang (Sire)
From the big voiced controversial singer, who has obviously crossed beyond the
borders of country (and never really was accepted in that crowd anyway).
- Mary Chapin Carpenter:
Actually a folkie who moved toward country and achieved more recognition. Her
version of Lucinda Williams' "Passionate Kisses" and other stuff I've
heard is great.
A special thanks to Steve Gardner of Sugar Hill Records and John Porter of KOCH Records/RCA for information used to update this list.
Last update 19 December, 2002 by Jim Determan.
This page maintained by Jim Determan
and Mark Marley.