Matthew Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 It's something that I never thought would happen, but I've become interested in early Country and Western music. About a year ago, on a whim, I purchased the Proper box on Ernest Tubb (please don't yell at me!) and I have enjoyed it ever since. The singing on the Tubb's box is wonderfull, and the man did write great songs. A couple of months ago I got the Hank Williams set, and, again, I enjoyed it. Now I'm wondering what are the ligit cds and box sets out there that I should be getting. I really, really don't like what's on country radio, and the era that seems to match my interest in up until the 1960s. So, let me have those cds recommendation that I really need! Quote
connoisseur series500 Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 I'd ask Sangry... B-) Quote
.:.impossible Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 I'd like to piggyback this request with an even more specific request. While you guys are thinking about Country and Western recordings, I'm looking for Country and Western recordings with vibraphone. I know Gary Burton went to Nashville in the late 1960s and recorded Tennessee Firebird. I've been told there were a few percussionists in Nashville before he got there that played sessions with vibes in the arrangement. If you can think of any while you are on this tangent, please throw them out there. I tried before with a thread called "Nashville Vibraphone" and came up empty. Maybe throwing this in on a broader thread will help. Unfortunately, I don't have any specific recommendations for you Matthew, but I do like that classic C&W sound! A lot of today's country sounds like a total de-rail to me too. Quote
J.A.W. Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 (edited) My recommendations are listed below (I haven't updated this list for quite a while). The list is by no means complete, and many CDs are probably OOP. Not included: Bluegrass, the Singing Cowboys, Johnny Cash, the Singer / Songwriters and Outlaws of the 1970s, and the New Traditionalists of the 1980s and 1990s. OLD-TIME MUSIC Various - White Country Blues: 1926-1938, A Lighter Shade of Blue - 2CD, Columbia Various - The Bristol Sessions - 2CD, Country Music Foundation Uncle Dave Macon - Travelin' Down the Road - County Uncle Dave Macon - Go Long Mule - County OR Uncle Dave Macon - Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy - 9CD, Bear Family Skillet Lickers - Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia - County Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Old Time Songs, 1925-1930 - County Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Vol.2: Old Time Songs, 1926-1930 - County Charlie Poole - The Legend of Charlie Poole, Vol.3: Original Recordings, 1926-1930 - County Darby & Tarlton - Complete Recordings - 3CD, Bear Family Carter Family - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Carter Family - In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain - 12CD, Bear Family Jimmie Rodgers - The Essential Jimmie Rodgers - RCA OR Jimmie Rodgers - The Singing Brakeman - 6CD, Bear Family BROTHER DUETS Various - Are You from Dixie - RCA Blue Sky Boys - The Sunny Side of Life - 5CD, Bear Family Delmore Brothers - Sand Mountain Blues - County Delmore Brothers - Brown's Ferry Blues - County Delmore Brothers - Freight Train Boogie - Ace (UK) Louvin Brothers - Country Love Ballads / A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers - Capitol (UK) OR Louvin Brothers - Close Harmony - 8CD, Bear Family WESTERN SWING Milton Brown & the Musical Brownies - 5CD, Texas Rose Bob Wills - The Essential Bob Wills - Columbia (1992 issue) Bob Wills - The Bob Wills Anthology - Columbia OR Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose - 12CD, Bear Family Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing Band - Sacramento 1952-1954 - Joaquin COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1940s Roy Acuff - The Essential Roy Acuff, 1936-1949 - Columbia (1992 issue) HONKY-TONK Ernest Tubb - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Hits Collection - 2CD, Collector's Choice Ernest Tubb - Walking the Floor over You (1936-1947) - 8CD, Bear Family Note: There are many more Bear Family Ernest Tubb boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion, and it has the original recordings, no remakes. Floyd Tillman - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Floyd Tillman - The Best of Floyd Tillman - Collector's Choice Cowboy Copas - Tragic Tales of Love and Life - King Hawkshaw Hawkins - I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy: The Anthology, 1946-1963 - Westside (UK) Hank Thompson - The Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol Hank Williams - Rare Demos, First to Last - Country Music Foundation Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams - 10CD, MGM / Mercury Webb Pierce - King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Decca Masters, 1952-1959 - Country Music Foundation Webb Pierce - The Wondering Boy, 1951-1958 - 4CD, Bear Family Ray Price - The Essential Ray Price, 1951-1962 - Columbia OR Ray Price - The Honky Tonk Years, 1950-1966 - 10CD, Bear Family Note: Price's 1960s recordings heavily feature the so-called "Nashville Sound" Kitty Wells - The Queen of Country Music - 4CD, Bear Family Lefty Frizzell - Look What Thoughts Will Do - 2CD, Columbia OR Lefty Frizzell - Life's Like Poetry - 12CD, Bear Family Carl Smith - The Essential Carl Smith, 1950-1956 - Columbia OR Carl Smith - Satisfaction Guaranteed - 5CD, Bear Family Jean Shepard - Honky-Tonk Heroine - Country Music Foundation George Jones - The Best of George Jones, 1955-1967 - Rhino (Starday, Mercury, United Artists and Musicor recordings) George Jones - Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years - 2CD, Mercury George Jones - The Race Is On - Razor & Tie (United Artists recordings) George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (The United Artists Years) - 2CD, Razor & Tie George Jones - A Picture of Me (Without You) / Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) - Koch (Epic recordings) George Jones - Anniversary - Columbia (Epic recordings) George Jones - The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country - 2CD, Columbia COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1950s Moon Mullican - Showboy Special: The Early King Sides - Westside (UK) Moon Mullican - Moon's Tunes: The Chronological King Recordings, Vol.1, 1947-1950 - Westside (UK) Moon Mullican - Moonshine Jamboree - Ace (UK) (King recordings) Moon Mullican - Seven Nights to Rock: More King Classics, 1950-1956 - Ace (UK) Faron Young - Live Fast, Love Hard: Original Capitol Recordings, 1952-1962 Hank Snow - The Essential Hank Snow - RCA Hank Snow - The Singing Ranger: I'm Movin' On, 1949-1953 - 4CD, Bear Family Note: There are many more Bear Family Hank Snow boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion. COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1960s Porter Wagoner - The Essential Porter Wagoner - RCA Porter Wagoner - The Thin Man from West Plains - 4CD, Bear Family Porter Wagoner - The Cold Hard Facts of Life / The Carroll County Accident - Eagle (EU) BAKERSFIELD Wynn Stewart - California Country: The Best of the Challenge Masters - AVI Buck Owens - Together Again / My Heart Skips a Beat - Sundazed Buck Owens - I've Got a Tiger by the Tail - Sundazed Buck Owens - Country Ballads - Sundazed Buck Owens - You're for Me - Sundazed Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.1 - Rhino Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.2 - Rhino Merle Haggard - Strangers - Capitol OR Merle Haggard - Strangers / Swinging Doors - Capitol (UK) Merle Haggard - I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - Capitol Merle Haggard - Branded Man - Capitol Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home - Capitol OR Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk - 5CD, Bear Family Merle Haggard - Mama Tried - Capitol Merle Haggard - Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol Merle Haggard - More of the Best of Merle Haggard - Rhino Edited September 12, 2004 by J.A.W. 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Matthew Posted September 12, 2004 Author Report Posted September 12, 2004 Wow, Hans!!! Is Groningen in the European Panhandle? Quote
J.A.W. Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 Wow, Hans!!! Is Groningen in the European Panhandle? Quote
street singer Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 Great list there, J.A.W. That should get you started, Matthew! No shame in listening to good ol' C&W. The new stuff you hear on the radio...that's something else entirely. Hank Williams is definitely the place to begin, IMO. From there, you can pretty much go with anything on J.A.W.'s list. I can personally recommend anything by Ernest Tubb (as you already know!), Hank Snow, Hank Thompson, Bob Wills, Merle Haggard (there's a great 5-disc box on Capitol called 'Down Every Road')... Also, in regards to Proper - there's a box called 'Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years Of Western Swing' that's a great introduction to that music (especially for $20!). Enjoy! Quote
sheldonm Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 It's something that I never thought would happen, but I've become interested in early Country and Western music. About a year ago, on a whim, I purchased the Proper box on Ernest Tubb (please don't yell at me!) and I have enjoyed it ever since. The singing on the Tubb's box is wonderfull, and the man did write great songs. A couple of months ago I got the Hank Williams set, and, again, I enjoyed it. Now I'm wondering what are the ligit cds and box sets out there that I should be getting. I really, really don't like what's on country radio, and the era that seems to match my interest in up until the 1960s. So, let me have those cds recommendation that I really need! My recommendation would be to stay away ! Quote
paul secor Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 (edited) Hans has already given you more than enought to begin with. I'll just add a few personal favorites that didn't make his list: Old Time Mountain Guitar 1926-1931 (County) Cliff Carlisle: Blues Yodeler and Steel Guitar Wizard (Arhoolie) Roscoe Holcomb: The High lonesome Sound (Smithsonian Folkways) Roscoe Holcomb: An Untamed Sense of Control (Smithsonian Folkways) Gene O'Quin: Boogie Woogie Fever (Bear Family) Johhny Paycheck: The Real Mr. Heartache - The Little Darlin Years (Country Music Foundation) Stanley Brothers: Earliest Recordings - the Complete Rich-R-Tone 78's (1947-1952) (Revenant) Stanley Brothers: Long Journey Home (Rebel) Forgot a favorite ET: Ernest Tubb: Live, 1965 (Rhino) Edited September 13, 2004 by paul secor Quote
BruceH Posted September 12, 2004 Report Posted September 12, 2004 My recommendations are listed below (I haven't updated this list for quite a while). The list is by no means complete, and many CDs are probably OOP. Not included: Bluegrass, the Singing Cowboys, Johnny Cash, the Singer / Songwriters and Outlaws of the 1970s, and the New Traditionalists of the 1980s and 1990s. OLD-TIME MUSIC Various - White Country Blues: 1926-1938, A Lighter Shade of Blue - 2CD, Columbia Various - The Bristol Sessions - 2CD, Country Music Foundation Uncle Dave Macon - Travelin' Down the Road - County Uncle Dave Macon - Go Long Mule - County OR Uncle Dave Macon - Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy - 9CD, Bear Family Skillet Lickers - Old-Time Fiddle Tunes and Songs from North Georgia - County Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Old Time Songs, 1925-1930 - County Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers - Vol.2: Old Time Songs, 1926-1930 - County Charlie Poole - The Legend of Charlie Poole, Vol.3: Original Recordings, 1926-1930 - County Darby & Tarlton - Complete Recordings - 3CD, Bear Family Carter Family - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Carter Family - In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain - 12CD, Bear Family Jimmie Rodgers - The Essential Jimmie Rodgers - RCA OR Jimmie Rodgers - The Singing Brakeman - 6CD, Bear Family BROTHER DUETS Various - Are You from Dixie - RCA Blue Sky Boys - The Sunny Side of Life - 5CD, Bear Family Delmore Brothers - Sand Mountain Blues - County Delmore Brothers - Brown's Ferry Blues - County Delmore Brothers - Freight Train Boogie - Ace (UK) Louvin Brothers - Country Love Ballads / A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers - Capitol (UK) OR Louvin Brothers - Close Harmony - 8CD, Bear Family WESTERN SWING Milton Brown & the Musical Brownies - 5CD, Texas Rose Bob Wills - The Essential Bob Wills - Columbia (1992 issue) Bob Wills - The Bob Wills Anthology - Columbia OR Bob Wills - San Antonio Rose - 12CD, Bear Family Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing Band - Sacramento 1952-1954 - Joaquin COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1940s Roy Acuff - The Essential Roy Acuff, 1936-1949 - Columbia (1992 issue) HONKY-TONK Ernest Tubb - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Hits Collection - 2CD, Collector's Choice Ernest Tubb - Walking the Floor over You (1936-1947) - 8CD, Bear Family Note: There are many more Bear Family Ernest Tubb boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion, and it has the original recordings, no remakes. Floyd Tillman - Country Music Hall of Fame - MCA Floyd Tillman - The Best of Floyd Tillman - Collector's Choice Cowboy Copas - Tragic Tales of Love and Life - King Hawkshaw Hawkins - I'm a Rattlesnakin' Daddy: The Anthology, 1946-1963 - Westside (UK) Hank Thompson - The Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol Hank Williams - Rare Demos, First to Last - Country Music Foundation Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams - 10CD, MGM / Mercury Webb Pierce - King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Decca Masters, 1952-1959 - Country Music Foundation Webb Pierce - The Wondering Boy, 1951-1958 - 4CD, Bear Family Ray Price - The Essential Ray Price, 1951-1962 - Columbia OR Ray Price - The Honky Tonk Years, 1950-1966 - 10CD, Bear Family Note: Price's 1960s recordings heavily feature the so-called "Nashville Sound" Kitty Wells - The Queen of Country Music - 4CD, Bear Family Lefty Frizzell - Look What Thoughts Will Do - 2CD, Columbia OR Lefty Frizzell - Life's Like Poetry - 12CD, Bear Family Carl Smith - The Essential Carl Smith, 1950-1956 - Columbia OR Carl Smith - Satisfaction Guaranteed - 5CD, Bear Family Jean Shepard - Honky-Tonk Heroine - Country Music Foundation George Jones - The Best of George Jones, 1955-1967 - Rhino (Starday, Mercury, United Artists and Musicor recordings) George Jones - Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years - 2CD, Mercury George Jones - The Race Is On - Razor & Tie (United Artists recordings) George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (The United Artists Years) - 2CD, Razor & Tie George Jones - A Picture of Me (Without You) / Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) - Koch (Epic recordings) George Jones - Anniversary - Columbia (Epic recordings) George Jones - The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country - 2CD, Columbia COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1950s Moon Mullican - Showboy Special: The Early King Sides - Westside (UK) Moon Mullican - Moon's Tunes: The Chronological King Recordings, Vol.1, 1947-1950 - Westside (UK) Moon Mullican - Moonshine Jamboree - Ace (UK) (King recordings) Moon Mullican - Seven Nights to Rock: More King Classics, 1950-1956 - Ace (UK) Faron Young - Live Fast, Love Hard: Original Capitol Recordings, 1952-1962 Hank Snow - The Essential Hank Snow - RCA Hank Snow - The Singing Ranger: I'm Movin' On, 1949-1953 - 4CD, Bear Family Note: There are many more Bear Family Hank Snow boxes, but this one is the best in my opinion. COUNTRY MUSIC IN THE 1960s Porter Wagoner - The Essential Porter Wagoner - RCA Porter Wagoner - The Thin Man from West Plains - 4CD, Bear Family Porter Wagoner - The Cold Hard Facts of Life / The Carroll County Accident - Eagle (EU) BAKERSFIELD Wynn Stewart - California Country: The Best of the Challenge Masters - AVI Buck Owens - Together Again / My Heart Skips a Beat - Sundazed Buck Owens - I've Got a Tiger by the Tail - Sundazed Buck Owens - Country Ballads - Sundazed Buck Owens - You're for Me - Sundazed Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.1 - Rhino Buck Owens - The Very Best of Buck Owens, Vol.2 - Rhino Merle Haggard - Strangers - Capitol OR Merle Haggard - Strangers / Swinging Doors - Capitol (UK) Merle Haggard - I'm a Lonesome Fugitive - Capitol Merle Haggard - Branded Man - Capitol Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home - Capitol OR Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk - 5CD, Bear Family Merle Haggard - Mama Tried - Capitol Merle Haggard - Capitol Collectors Series - Capitol Merle Haggard - More of the Best of Merle Haggard - Rhino Yep, that pretty well covers it. 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Tjazz Posted September 13, 2004 Report Posted September 13, 2004 Merle Haggard Buck Owens Hank Thompson Louvin Brothers Lefty Frizzell Rose Maddox Emmylou Harris Dolly Parton Waylon Jennings Willie Nelson Johnny Cash Ernest Tubb is great. If you keep your eyes open, you can find alot of his old LPs cheap. I have all of his BEAR FAMILY box sets, so what can I say? Quote
street singer Posted September 16, 2004 Report Posted September 16, 2004 I can already tell this thread is gonna make the ever-widening hole in my pocketbook even larger... Where's the best place to buy these Bear Family sets, Clem? Quote
Joe Posted September 16, 2004 Report Posted September 16, 2004 This is not pre-1960 (1962 to be exact), but it is a masterpiece of it's kind... Quote
Joe Posted September 16, 2004 Report Posted September 16, 2004 Oh yeah... splurge on some Roger Miller while you're at it... Quote
catesta Posted September 16, 2004 Report Posted September 16, 2004 I've never been a huge C&W fan, but I've liked some. For me, Buck Owens is and always has been the real deal. I can dig some George Jones as well. Impressive list, Hans. Quote
J.A.W. Posted September 18, 2004 Report Posted September 18, 2004 Just spotted-- Uncle Dave Macon, 9 cds + 1 dvd... damn. It was and still is on my list above... Quote
paul secor Posted September 18, 2004 Report Posted September 18, 2004 Fogot these Bakersfield area faves: The Farmer Boys: Flash, Crash and Thunder (Bear Family) Quote
street singer Posted September 18, 2004 Report Posted September 18, 2004 Anyone participating in this discussion like Wayne Hancock? Just saw him again last night...and was, again, absolutely floored. Incredible... Quote
wesbed Posted September 20, 2004 Report Posted September 20, 2004 I grew-up with country music. My Dad played it all the time when I was a kid. I remember many songs by Merle Haggard, Don Williams, and The Statler Brothers. I started listening to music at a young age. I remember my Dad's record albums from when I was five years old. Country music was all I knew till I was twelve years old. I 'know' country music. I understand it. I've had good times and good memories as a result of it. I appreciate the mood created by the music. Still, at certain times, the music touches my soul where in places where no other music can. Tonight, I'm tired of the TV news. I don't feel like watching a movie. For something different I switched to CMT on my cable box. Brooks & Dunn is playing as I type these words. A song entitled 'That's What It's All About.' Their sound is following the country music formula perfectly. The song has a good sound and I understand its meaning completely. At the same time, unfortunately, the music seems, to me, sort of simplistic, overly predictable... and dumb. I'm reminded of why I grew tired of country music and left it behind several years ago. I was happy to get the dog back, get the truck back, get the job back, and discover I'd never really spent time in prison. Feck. Quote
wesbed Posted September 20, 2004 Report Posted September 20, 2004 Anybody ever had raspberry wine, tomato wine, strawberry wine, or watermelon wine? Yeah, funny, me neither. Only in the words of country music. Quote
alejo Posted September 20, 2004 Report Posted September 20, 2004 (edited) Nothing wrong with country music, as long as it's pre-CMT. Another vote for the Louvin Brothers. Pick up When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers ASAP. It's a great introduction to one of the greatest vocal groups ever! Watch out because this stuff is highly addictive...if you're not careful, pretty soon you'll be getting into the heavier stuff like Bluegrass or perhaps tomato wine. Edited September 20, 2004 by alejo Quote
wesbed Posted September 20, 2004 Report Posted September 20, 2004 I recommend Bob Wills. Mr. Wills and I are still close. The countrified/Westernized version of jazz and swing. Bob Wills had one of the best fiddle players of all time, Johnny Gimble, on his payroll. To my ears, Johnny Gimble ranks right there with Stephane Grappelli as one of the best violin players that ever was. Quote
wesbed Posted September 20, 2004 Report Posted September 20, 2004 Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones... please, take me away. B-) Quote
catesta Posted September 21, 2004 Report Posted September 21, 2004 Senor Catesta-- if you can dig Buck (& the mighty Don Rich), there's a bunch of other HOT Bakersfield stuff for ya', before, during & slightly after peak-period Buckaroos (which is all reissued on Sundazed). Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out. Quote
DTMX Posted September 21, 2004 Report Posted September 21, 2004 (edited) I don't think this name's come up - Charlie Rich. I know, I know. But the Feel Like Going Home: The Essential Charlie Rich 2 CD set is just amazing, particularly the material recorded at Sun Studios. On NPR, Sam Phillips said the best song he ever recorded was Rich's Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave. Some songs get a little countripolitan at times but there's enough soul on the other material to even it out. And Rich's last recording, Pictures and Paintings, made for a great swansong. Amazon's review follows: On Pictures and Paintings, Charlie Rich got the chance before he died to make the jazz record he always had in him, though of course, this is Charlie Rich, so even when he's doing Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," it's never just jazz. Always a singer's singer, Rich slides gracefully here - in the same song, sometimes even in the same phrase - from jazz and blues to pop and gospel, his gruff vocals straining, sighing, tearing, pausing, living in these songs until you'll swear you've lived them too. Backed by a swinging combo that includes his own Stan Getz-influenced piano, Rich is flawless throughout, whether he's laying down a definitive "Am I Blue" or revisiting his own "Feel Like Going Home." --David Cantwell Edited September 21, 2004 by DTMX Quote
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