Search - Various Artists, Coon Creek Girls, Stanley Brothers :: Bluegrass Bonanza (Mini Lp Sleeve)

Some of the best music ever made in America

Jerome Clark | Canby, Minnesota | 02/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The 109 cuts in this box set document the evolution of bluegrass from its roots in early 20th-Century mountain string bands. Before the set ends in 1950, Bill Monroe, followed shortly thereafter by the Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs, has formalized a genre -- it had yet to be called "bluegrass" -- from which formula, more than half a century later, performers within the genre depart at their peril. The songs (and occasional instrumentals) are well chosen, and the sound quality is cleaner and sharper than one would expect from vintage recordings, some going back to the late 1920s. Besides the old-time string bands, Bluegrass Bonanza highlights once-popular hillbilly-brother-duet groups such as the Monroe Brothers (of course) and the Delmore Brothers as well as neglected acts like the Armstrong Twins and the Bailey Brothers. One whole disc (#2) is devoted to the Monroes together and apart. Given how hard it is to find his solo work on CD, the Charlie Monroe sides are especially welcome. If you don't love his "Bringin' in the Georgia Mail" (which sounds like a traditional folk song, though written by Nashville producer and tunesmith Fred Rose, better known for his [later] association with Hank Williams), you might put a mirror to your mouth to see if you're still breathing. Though no bluegrasser, Grandpa Jones appears on #3 and #4, evidently in recognition of his role in keeping mountain music, without which there would be no bluegrass, alive on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Curly Fox's one cut, the traditional "Come Here, Son" (#3; actually, "Fire on the Mountain"), hints at what bluegrass might have sounded like if electric guitar had not been forbidden therein at any early stage. Disc #4, except for a single Molly O'Day side (the murder ballad "Poor Ellen Smith") and Grandpa Jones's standard "Old Rattler," is all early Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and Stanleys, the last sounding a bit tentative, their sound somewhere between the Delmores and Monroe, minus the blues influence. It would be a while before Ralph and Carter found their voice, but even here their devotion to the older Appalachian traditions is palpable.Rather than pour on the superlatives and the flattering adjectives, just let me say that this box set does its subject proud. Whether you're new or old to country string-band music, you will want this collection. This is some of the best music ever made in America."

What a deal

Jerome Clark | 05/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hard to find a better deal than this one--over 100 vintage songs in a four-CD set (lasting about five hours) at a price that doesn't break the bank. The selection of songs is well conceived: a strong emphasis on the Monroe Brothers (a total of about an hour and a half, including the entire second disk, is devoted to them alone), along with well known songs by other classic bluegrass singers (such as Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Brothers, Delmore Brothers), and a very interesting first disk containing string-band songs from the 1920's and 30's (including my personal favorite, Uncle Dave Macon's version of "Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line," a traditional song about the Coal Creek Rebellion of 1891).The sound quality, as mentioned in the other review, is surprisingly good; some of the oldest songs are a little grainy, but most are quite crisp. The booklet, on the other hand, is somewhat disappointing. The information is generally accurate (disregarding the typos--for example, it's "Bringing in the Georgia Mail," not "Georgia Mill"), but the notes are conceptually thin, with very little discussion of the music itself, and virtually no reference to the lyrics.If you love bluegrass music--and it isn't for everyone--you can't miss with this set: all your favorites are here, as well as dozens of genuine old songs that you may not have heard before."

More Holes Than Swiss Cheese

Douglas Tuchman | Brooklyn, NY United States | 11/18/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's very difficult to put out a 4 CD history of Bluegrass music and leave as many gaps as does this compendium. There's some great music here, much of which isn't Bluegrass at all, but old-time Country Music (e.g. Gid Tanner, Uncle Dave Macon, Charlie Poole, etc). But Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and Flatt & Scruggs account for 50+ cuts. There isn't a single inclusion by Reno & Smiley, The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, The Country Gentlemen, Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman and others, however. I gave the collection two stars because the purchase price was so low as to make it worthwhile for someone starting out a collection."