Search - Stefan Grossman :: Those Pleasant Days: Anthology

+ 1/2 stars...Superb Look at Grossman's Transatlantic Years

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 03/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Stefan Grossman is an excellent guitar player, whether he's playing bottleneck guitar, fingerpicking a six-string or playing a 12-string. He began his recording career with the Even Dozen Jug Band (which also included David Grisman on mandolin), and over the course of the next forty years has released more than three dozen how-to albums, studio and live recordings and several collaborations with fellow guitarist John Renbourn.



This two-CD anthology collects 44 songs from Grossman's tenure with Great Britain's Transatlantic label. Here's a rundown on the original albums these tracks were taken from:



CD-1: 1-12 (THE RAGTIME COWBOY JEW, 1970), 13-19 (THOSE PLEASANT DAYS, 1971); CD-2: 1-2 (YAZOO BASIN BOOGIE, 1970), 3 (MEMPHIS JELLYROLL), 4-12 (HOT DOGS, 1972), 13-17 (BOTTLENECK SERENADE, 1975), 18-20 (MY CREOLE BELLE, 1976), 21-25 (STEFAN GROSSMAN LIVE, 1973).



All told, this is an excellent introduction to a guitarist who deserves a wider audience. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"