Generous anthology of prime gospel bluegrass
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 08/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Within bluegrass circles the Stanley Brothers have always been hailed as one of the genres leading and most unique proponents. Brother Carter is thought by many (including Bill Monroe) to have possessed the single greatest lead voice in the genre, and brother acts that followed (most notably The Louvins and Everlys), found Carter and Ralph's harmonies to be a nearly unreachable standard. In more recent years, with Bill Monroe having shuffled off this mortal coil and the popular phenomenon of "O Brother Where Art Thou," those outside the festival circuit have been drawn to Ralph Stanley as bluegrass elder statesmen, and with a little discovery the unparalleled brilliance, creativity and raw execution of the Stanley Brother's deep catalog of recordings.
This latest anthology cherry-picks 18 selections from a trio of gospel albums that the Stanleys waxed for King and Starday in '59 and '60: "Hymns & Sacred Songs" "For the Good People" and "Sacred Songs from the Hills." By 1959 the duo had been through three other labels (Rich-R-Tone, Columbia and Mercury) and was settling in for a fairly long stay at King. As they transformed their mountain string music into bluegrass throughout the '50s, they'd scattered songs of faith throughout their catalog, but upon landing at King they laid out full albums of sanctified material by William York, Bill Monroe, The Louvin Brothers, and the Stanleys themselves. The Clinch Mountain Boys lineups heard here includes the legendary Chubby Anthony, George Shuffler, and Curly Lambert. The true-stereo source tapes are crisp and provide a broad soundstage for the band's quartet singing. Bill Dahl's liner notes are informative, setting out these recordings place within the Stanleys' career, and providing rich song detail.
The Stanley Brothers are well represented in the CD era, with discs and box sets devoted to the various phases (and labels) of their career. Their work for King and Starday has been regularly anthologized, but Varese's 18-track collection fits perfectly between King's single disc 12-track anthologies and reissues, and their hefty 4-disc set "Early Starday-King Years 1958-1961." The latter, which includes all of the sides presented here, is a great buy for Stanley aficionados and bluegrass buffs, but those just wanting just a generous helping of the Stanley's bluegrass faith should start here. Those wanting an overview of their secular work for Starday and King should check out Varese's 2004 release, "The Essential Masters." [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]"
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1
