The Roots of Roots music
John Andrew Deskins | 02/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For all of you who just got turned on to "O Brother" etc., this is a great 2nd step. This album features the earliest records made by Sara, A.P. and Maybelle - before their radio show and before national fame. This is country music before there was country music, hovering somewhere between the twilight of Anglo-Scots balladry and the invention of Country & Western. The family did not write even one of these 16 tracks (although A.P. took credit for several), but they might as well have - no one has ever done them better. Just listen to Maybelle's classic guitar work on "Wildwood Flower," or those harmonies on "River of Jordan" and you'll see why every folk, bluegrass, country and old time musician in the world pays homage to the Carters.The paradox of these early recordings is the polish of the playing (again, particularly the guitar work) coupled with the rawness and energy of the performances. No record producer had yet had a chance to tinker with the sound and the result is entrancing.My personal favorites on the disc, aside from the original versions of "Wildwood Flower" & "Keep on the Sunny Side," are "Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow" (high and tight harmonies with some dynamite bass string guitar solos) and "John Hardy Was a Deperate Little Man," a period ballad that has been largely forgotten.For anyone ready to take the plunge into roots music, you'll find no better recording."
Genesis1:1 of Country Music
John Andrew Deskins | 02/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is it, the beginning of time as far as country music is concerned. It's important to remember that this is music from another world and values, long ago and far away; before advanced science and aesthetics and before information overload intruded, accessible now only through these recordings. It's also important to remember that the participants were quite young at the time-Maybelle was still a teenager and her cousins Sara and A.P. were in their mid-twenties and mid-thirties, respectively. Because of all this, the topics available were God, the life-to-come, forsaken love, Mother and Father, my old Clinch Mountain home, and most of the rest of Dixie, in just about that order, but thinking about it, is there really much else in life? Maybelle was already a budding guitar master and Sara's vocals, in a higher register than later years, gradually draw you in and hook you permanently and the primitive recording techniques actually helps the other-worldly quality of the songs and harmonies. I do wish Charles Wolfe would expand his invaluable liner notes for the series into a full-fledged biography, concentrating on the personalities involved, particularly the relationship between Sara and A.P."
Poor Remastering
Music Fan | NYC | 08/08/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The other reviews are accurate in terms of the importance of the music. The music is simple and enjoyable and the Carter Family's earliest recordings set the stage for what came later in both country and folk music. What holds this back from being a five star review is the poor remastering of the music. The process used created a high pitched whine near the end of most tracks, which is very annoying. There are better remastered versions out there, starting with the great Bear Family box. Seek out this music, but go for a different remastering."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1
