Search - Doc Watson & Merle :: Sittin Here Pickin the Blues

A Welcome Reissue/Expansion

Mr. T. | New York, NY | 09/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album is essentially a deluxe reissue of Doc and Merle's Pickin' the Blues (1985). Rounding out the tracks from that album are four choice cuts from Red Rockin' Chair (1981) and three fine instrumentals from Doc and Merle's Guitar Album (1983). Also included is a nice, but non-definitive, live rendition of "Deep River Blues" from The Festival Tapes / Tellulive (1979). This is a great sampling of the material Doc and Merle recorded for Flying Fish Records before Merle's untimely death on October 23, 1985. For those new to Doc's music, I would suggest exploring Doc's Vanguard recordings (On Stage, Southbound, Home Again, Ballads From Deep Gap) before you venture into this material. For those already familiar with Doc's early work and are looking for a good sampler of Doc and Merle's stint with Flying Fish, this is the best you're going to do."

Doc & Merle at the Top of Their Game

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 10/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Doc Watson is one of the premier flatpick guitar players ever, and some of his best albums were recorded with his late son Merle. SITTIN' HERE PICKIN' THE BLUES draws from the three early to mid-Eighties studio albums they recorded for Flying Fish (and one live track from THE TELLURIDE FESTIVAL TAPES). Here's the breakdown on the tracks:



RED ROCKING CHAIR (1981): "California Blues," "Did You Hear John Hurt," "Any Old Time" and "How Long Blues." T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Tom Scott plays clarinet on "Any Old Time."



DOC & MERLE WATSON'S GUITAR ALBUM (1983): "Talking to Casey," "Goin' to Chicago Blues" and "John Henry/Worried Blues." T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Mark O'Connor plays fiddle.



THE TELLURIDE FESTIVAL TAPES (1984): "Deep River Blues"



PICKIN' THE BLUES (1985): All twelve tracks from the original vinyl release are included. T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Sam Bush plays mandolin or fiddle on many (except for "St. Louis Blues" which Doc plays solo).



Not only is Doc an accomplished guitar player, but his son Merle more than holds his own on slide guitar on most of these tracks. My only complaint is that the individual albums are currently out of print and more than a dozen tracks from RED ROCKIN' CHAIR and GUITAR ALBUM were left off. This should have been a double CD to enable all three CDs to be included in their entirety. But if you're looking for a solid introduction to the music of Doc & Merle, this is an excellent place to start. [Running Time - 60:05] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"