June 2009 Newsletter

Transcription

1 June 2009 Newsletter Yesterday & Today Records PO Box 54 Miranda NSW 2228 Phone (02) It has been a while between drinks but all has been pretty good on this end. Had my first overseas buying trip in nearly 9 years and actually got to Nashville this time round. Let me say it was just wonderful. Music City USA is a great place. The people are friendly and there is a down home quality. The Country Music Hall of Fame has so much class. There is currently a Hank Williams exhibit but the whole place is just brilliant. Nothing hokey just brilliant fun all the way. Then I was lucky enough to be able to see the Always Patsy Cline show at the Ryman Auditorium. What a building!! It is hard to believe that there was a time in the 70s it was going to be demolished. Starring Mandy Barnett in the title role and the hilarious Tere Myers it is rivetting. Mandy is so good as Patsy that for the show s duration she ceased to exist. That was Patsy Cline on stage or so it seemed. Every subtle movement and vocal inflection was how you would have imagined Patsy. And Mandy like Patsy is all woman!! The other highlight was seeing Hugh Moffatt in the round at the Bluebird Café. The Bluebird has the word SHH!! plastered around and as strange as it may seem everybody there actually does listen. What next! That is something a lot of people in Australia would not believe Post 1 cd $2/2cds $3/3-4 cds $ Tennessee Ernie Ford 6000 Sunset Boulevard $32 One of my very favourite ever cds is the Capitol Collectors Tennessee Ernie Ford. I love it for many reasons; firstly there is Tennessee Ernie s amazing voice. Deep and mellow with a wonderful ability to make even the most mundane song exciting. Then there is the seemingly infinite variety of the material. Country boogies though broadway shows, all given his distinctive treatment. No one has ever been groovier than Tennessee Ernie. The massive hit Sixteen Tons is based around Ern s finger snapping arrangement which lifts it to a new direction. In an appearance on Ernie s tv show of the 50s, Ernie had a great conversation with Merle Travis, the author of the great song. Said Ern, I was going nowhere till that song came along. Replied Merle, That song was going nowhere till you found you. Merle of course was being typically humble

2 but Ernie single-handedly took it to a new dimension. We do have a couple (see rarities section below) but they will go quickly. This cd comes on the back of a new book written by Ernie s eldest son which reveals throughout his career Ernie was a deeply troubled chronic alcoholic; a man who had the public face of good-natured joviality (you d almost say Dick Clark was a grouch by comparison) but was different to what we imagined. Even harder to imagine after listening to this brilliant cd which on first playing was elevated to a position equal with the Capitol Collectors Series cd. These were recorded for radio shows, similar if you like to the Hank Williams ones. But there was an amazing looseness that even Hank could not emulate. Every one of the musicians is a star but initial praise must go to Billy Strange on rhythm guitar and George Bruns on bass. They lay down a rhythm which is unrelenting and lets the soloists take their turn without the songs missing a beat. Stars of this outing are Speedy West on steel guitar and even more so Billy Liebert on accordion and occasional piano. Liebert is everywhere and he seemingly doesn t play the same solo twice. West is similarly entrancing and it is hard to believe there is only one steel guitar playing. Joining them is Harold Hensley on fiddle and on Sophisticated Swing he plays a clarinet that is right out there. The notion of variety is something that never had any limits when Ern was at the mike. Here he does country covers such as Won t You Ride in my Little Red Wagon, songs from Broadway shows such as Pajama Game (many may know the Pointer Sisters version of Steam Heat which Ernie prforms here), and old vaudeville numbers such as Nobody (When life seems full of clouds an' rain and I am filled with naught but pain,who soothes my thumpin' bumpin' brain? Nobody). There are a few instrumentals and even a couple of quartet & trio vocals (Liebert, Strange, West & Hensley). Ernie s version of Georgia on My Mind instantly is elevated to that of Ray Charles and Willie Nelson; maybe Willie had this set in mind when he recorded his Stardust album. There are 23 tracks and many are quite short but I could not imagine anyone not loving this and then some. Tennessee Ernie, assuming that is his stage persona (compared to Ernest Jennings Ford his off stage persona) may be the most consummate entertainer in any genre of music. Incidentally the recording quality of this could not be equalled if it was done today. **Boyd, Jimmy and his Playmates with Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney & Gayla peevey 30 tracks from his early period $32 **Bush, Johnny Lillie s White Lies $30 What a singer and what a title song. Many know I consider Martin Delray s version of the title song as perhaps the greatest song deserving of a number one hit never to be even released to radio. Damn!! But Johnny almost gets there. Well, I played it 3 times in a row before I got to the second track so I guess he does get there. The song selection is just great. One Shot at a Time, from indie hero Curt Ryle is classic honky tonk. You re Turning Down the Flame is a great song written by Johnny himself (in cahoots with Lee Emerson who had the ignominy of being shot by Sergeant Barry Sadler, who served a whole month in the clink despite being convicted of his manslaughter). Mind Breakin Blues is another great Bush song. 15 tracks in all and produced by Justin Trevino. The album was recorded in both Nashville and in Justin s Brady, Texas studio.the Nashville sessions feature Don Helms on steel guitar, assumably on the 2 Hank

3 Williams songs featured on the album. One of Johnny s best but as with Martin Delray I still think it should be spelt Lily s White Lies. But I m not going to lose any sleep over it. **Richie Furay Band Alive Late 2008 release 2cds $35 which includes a great Buffalo Springfield medley as well as some great new versions of Poco songs (Furay was a founding member of both). This has been a return to the country rock style which he does so well. He had been taking a hiatus of sorts from that style; he has recorded 2 religious album but these recordings show why he has a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. **Wayne The Train Viper of melody $30 The great Wayne the Train Hancock s fabulous new Bloodshot label cd is as always with The Professor Lloyd Maines as producer. This is recorded live in the studio with his current touring band and they are all superb. Anthony Locke (called in as Tony when he does his great solos) is a steel guitar player of the highest order. Infinitely interesting with solos that are seemingly all different. Slap bassist Huckleberry Johnson gives a hound dog of a performance (get it!) and Throwin Away My Money has a wonderful solo which could be right out of the Maddox Brothers and Rose, whilst lead guitarist Izak Izzy Zaidman can be jazzy or bluesy depending on the mood. Wayne The Train is as always on his game. Working at Working is not an entirely new song but could be aimed right at today s troubled times. Mind you this could almost be lifted straight off a Hank Williams album but Wayne even manages a Jimmie Rodgers flourish at the end. Freight Train Boogie isn t the Delmore Brothers song but a new Wayne the Train composition which more than stands up to the original. I hope he comes to Australia again. His Sydney show of a few years ago was equal to the best offered by Dale Watson and that is a recommendation and a half!! **Joni Harms That s Faith (Gospel) $30 Joni s all new gospel album. It is a mix of originals and mainly traditional covers. Joseph Built the Cradle is a great Joni original with some fine dobro playing by Pat Severs. Dolly Parton s God s Coloring Book is made Joni s own. For the uninitiated Joni sings in a style reminiscent of a female Michael Martin. She uses a similar band with Hoot Hester on fiddle. The Place Where I Worship invokes the spirit of the Sons of the Pioneers, who of course did an early version of this classic. Dispense with the thankfully short opener (38 seconds) and you have a great album. Nice cover. **Cornell Hurd Band American Shadows: The Songs of Moon Mullican $30 Our Austin hero with 18 songs (always great value) associated with the great Aubrey Moon Mullican, who played a mean piano (he was perhaps the main influence of Jerry Lee Lewis) Floyd Domino and Miss Debbie are great guests on piano; T Jarrod Bonta is also featured. Guests include Justin Trevino ( Jole Blon ) and Bill Kirchen on the blokey front and Chris O Connell & Maryanne Price on the chickey front. The best remembered songs are all here in great CHB renditions, notably I ll Sail My Ship Alone, the oft-covered Cherokee Boogie and Pipeliner s Blues. They also feature some rarer songs such as A Million Regrets and Heartless Lover. Sadly this will be the last album to feature Cornell s guitarist supreme, Paul Skelton. **Dottie Jack With Every Heartbeat $30 Over the years an underlying fact of the many many great independent cds we have carried is that

4 most have been by men. There have been the occasional fine female album but that has seemingly changed for the better in recent times. Erin Hay, a resurgent Leona Williams, the sensational Amber Digby, the wondrous Miss Leslie (who has the honour of 2008 album of the year for Between the whiskey and the Wine..don t miss it) and now Dottie Jack. Dotty has a sound which is firmly rooted in classic country of the 60s a la Connie Smith, Norma Jean, Jeannie Seely and co. It is hard to listen to this and think it is contemporary despite the great recording. The production is superb but pays more than a nod to yesterday. Once a Day, is given a slightly more uptempo version than we may be used to but is just grand, especially when Amber Digby joins in on harmony. Two Separate Bar Stools is first class honky tonk almost a Patsy Cline feel to this one. Maybe it is just a testament to how well Dottie sells a song. Of a similar feel is Warner Mack s Talkin to the Wall. Jim Loessberg is certainly a great producer as well as being superb on steel guitar and bass (though probably not at the same time). Mind you he has some good men to work with in Bobby Flores, Jake Hooker and Dave Biller. A wonderful 5 star album. Amber and Leslie had better watch out. Just superb. **Josh Logan I Am What I Am $30 great new cd from the man who carries the spirit of the great Mel Street. He had a major label album many years ago, Somebody Paints the Wall, which falls in the ultra rare classics category. Josh knows how to read a lyric and This Thing Called Recession is a great ditty but Josh is the consummate balladeer as evidenced by his superb take on I Would Have Loved You All Night Long, which has appeared on albums by both Keith Whitley & Ron Williams but Josh nails it better than either. If I had to make a criticism of this album it would be too much reliance on the songs of producer Del Gray; he does 5 and they are the weakest on the album, though Josh is such a great vocalist many would not notice. I d say only 2 of those 5 are rank and the opener I Am What I Am is one. Best track is Change My Mind a great song co-written by the wonderful Jamey Johnson. A wonderful singer with some wonderful moments but somebody please introduce him to Justin Trevino. **Joey Martin Strong Enough to Cry $30 This is going to be in very short supply. It is a pre Joey & Rory album by Joey (Martin) and is produced by Rory. It was actually going to be released in 2005 on Giantslayer Records but the company folded before it was released and a few were pressed. This is what we have now. Like a Rodeo is a duet with Paul Overstreet (though harmonies by would be a more appropriate tag) and the title song may even be better (hard to believe) than anything on Joey & Rory. Her versatility is shown with a lovely reading of the traditional Old Paint Supply of this is extremely uncertain so do not dally. Of course we still have supplies of the Joey & Rory album just in case someone hasn t got this gem. Joey & Rory The Life of a Song $30. Two essential albums. **Willie Nelson Willie & the Wheel (with Asleep at the Wheel) $30 I like this yet I have reservations. Just to illustrate, Bear Family have issued 2 very comprehensive Bob Wills collection and Collectors Choice have issued what I consider the best in The Tiffany Transcriptions set. Add up the songs and I reckon it would be at least 400. Yet most Wills tributes have the same damn core songs. Why has no one ever done Drop Us Off at Bob s Place Driver which is one of the catchiest good time songs ever? Now, Willie & the Wheel is not just Bob Wills songs but

5 there are versions of Right & Wrong and Bring It On Down to My Place and also Hank Penny s Won t You Ride in My Little Red Wagon should also be put out to pasture as should Shame on You. So this cd is maybe not all it should be, but there are some great moments nonetheless. They do things very jazzily and the package is beautiful to behold. There is also a deluxe version for $40 which includes movie style placards for the group plus an additional track. **Joe Paul Nichols The Price is Right: My Tribute to Ray Price $30 Joe Paul, not to be confused with just plain old Joe Nichols, has produced around 20 albums all of which are very very good. He has cut some classic gospel but this time pays homage to Ray Price, and is ably abetted by the great Texas musicians in Dicky Overby on steel guitar, Jake Hooker on bass, Floyd Domino on piano and Bobby Flores on fiddle. Time to salivate and rightly so. In addition, the album is superbly produced by the great Justin Trevino. Joe Paul concentrates on Ray s shuffle songs and of note is his superb version of two Price originals in Your Old Love Letters and Twenty Fourth Hour. Generally he sticks to lesser known songs though his version of Heartaches by the Number is still nice to hear. Look out for a forthcoming biography on Price by Ray Waddell, who says Price s health is due to the fact he never smoked.. cigarettes that is! **David Peterson Comin on Strong $30 A graduate from bluegrass (but this is a non bluegrass album) where some of the best voices have come; he still performs in that vein where he is backed by his group 1946 who maintain the spirit of that music form a la Bill Monroe from that era. This is his first country album and a gem. 18 tracks and that rascal from Warren reckons it could be album of the year before the 2 nd track had finished. For starters there are 3 excellent steel guitarists in Buddy Emmons, John Hughey (one of his last ever sessions) and Paul Franklin. Peterson has a traditional voice but the production reminds of Vince Gill s classic The Key if that had been made in the 60s; modern but with a liberal nod to the classic Nashville sound. The title cut was from Little David Wilkins, who I guess would have fitted in shape wise with Mr Peterson. Come Back to Me is an emotional ballad in which his voice is heard at its expressive best. 18 tracks of mainly well chosen covers but he concludes with is own Neck Ties. Not to be missed. Superb. **Ruthie & the Wranglers Americana Express $30 Ruthie s first album in a while ditto for the Wranglers I guess! Certainly Ruthie doesn t let ego get in the way and lets other band members take lead vocals here and there. In the Tank features bassist Greg Hardin and Ruthie with the song coming like a cross between Six Days on the Road and one from the Rocky Horror Show. I Got a Rocket in My Pocket is full on rockabilly. The orininator, Jimmie Lodgson, (who recorded both in his own name and that of Jimmy Lloyd) is a cousin of Ruthie. Nice piano solo from band member Bill Starks. If I Could Turn Back Time is not the Cher song (that is a relief as I have yet to hear a Dianne Warren song I like), but ain t much to write home about just the same. Not as frantic as some of her previous releases with the more typical rockabilly songs being the best, though All the Honky Tonks Are Closing Down is darn fine. **Dale Watson The truckin Sessions Vol 2 $30 Our hero is back with a follow up to his late 90s album. 14 new tracks. He s a little greyer and I do believe even a little better. His touring band plays on this album but

6 better still is augmented by the wonderful Red Volkaert who is great on guitar (as is Dale himself as anyone who has seen him live would attest). Dale has revisited several tracks (from his Hightone albums) and the updated versions are just grand but the new songs are great. Volkaert is a great addition on guitar and Don Raby on fiddle is superb as well. Hero is about the bane of truck drivers everywhere; the driver who jumps in front of the truck, not realising the time it takes them to stop. The hero Drops it in low, but for their sake not mine is a great (mainly) instrumental track. Drag N Fly. I Got to Drive is about the joys of truck driving. A hero a true star!! **Gene Watson Reflections/Should I Come Home 2on 1 $34 Two of his early Capitol albums on cd for the first time. **Dallas Wayne I ll take the Fifth $30 New cd 13 tracker which sees some re-recordings of some of the tracks he recorded originally in Finland but then with a rock band. This is now real real country and includes a duet with the very talented Sunny Sweeney. Dallas nails a ballad as good as George Jones in his hey day. All the songs are originals as well, though they are so crafted many will be surprised. His original Finnish recordings (he moved there for work commitments of his wife) were fine but the Finnish musicians didn t really appreciate the subleties of country music and this has been remedied here. The opener, All Dressed Up(With No Place to Go) is a new one which is driven by the fiddle of Bobby Flores, the piano of Joel Guzman and the the steel of Tommy Detamore, who also produced the album. Not a Dry Eye in the House was recorded on one of his more recent Hightone albums but this version is better. It is slowed slightly to the previous version and Detamore s steel guitar plaing is superb. I ll Take the Fifth is classic honky tonk and a great play on words as you would probably gather. One of the finest of the Finnish years is I Never Did Like Planes one of 4 co-writes with Robbie Fulks. As always great word play. God Only Knows (certainly not the Beach Boys song) is a classic country shuffle. So many great albums by our all time heroes!! How great it is!! **Hank Williams The Unreleased Recordings Gospel Keepsakes $30 Second in the Mothers Best Flour series. Note: some of these are on the first box set and some aren t. This cd does gather them (the gospel songs that is) together in a very nice package though and there are new notes. Also to answer a common question, there is no sign of a second box as yet. ** Yates, Billy Favourites $30 21 track hits package with a new duet version of the song he wrote, Choices, with its hitmaker, George Jones. Pam Gadd Benefit of Doubt $30 New cd of Pam Gadd is very special in that it is a virtual reunion of Wild Rose that wonderful all girl group which made but 3 albums on Capitol Records. All were uniformly excellent I might add. Since then Pam has operated in the bluegrass field, in a similar way to the likes of Rhonda Vincent and Alecia Nugent as well as being the duet partner of Porter Wagoner; a very nice tribute Farewell Wagonmaster concludes this cd. She is great when duetting with Marty Raybon (ex Shenandoah) on a terrific version of the Loretta & Conway classic After the Fire Is Gone. She reprises two Wild Rose numbers and is joined by Wanda Vick and Nancy Gardner of Wild Rose. Other guests include Dale Ann Bradley, Bryan Sutton and Dolly Parton. Currently touring in Europe, these are in essence the last of this title

7 available until such time as she does a repress. Everything she has done has been of the highest quality and this is arguably her best yet.! **GeorgeJones A Picture of Me (Without You)/Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad as Losing You. $28 New two-fer on Collector s Choice stable mate label American Beat, after being out of print for a near a decade after a short release on Razor and Tie label. The first was George s Epic label debut and features some of the saddest songs he had ever recorded on one album. When singing of failed romances no one comes close to the Possum. Also, the song quality on this set is very high. Second Handed Flowers is a great Tom T Hall story song. The final track is a Peanut Montgomery composition. Peanut is the man that legend tells us had a shot fired at him (from point blank range) by George, who thankfully missed. The second album on this disc is the second cd George had Billy Sherrill as producer. Considering it was done by a teenage Tanya Tucker a year prior to George doing it, What s Your Mama s Name must be considered a rather unusual choice. He mustn t have scared Peanut too much as he contributes 3 songs all up including My Loving Wife whilst Wine, You ve Used Me Long Enough may be a hint of things to come as a man loses his woman to the thing she can t compete with, alcohol. What My Woman Can t Do written by George, Billy Sherrill and Peanut Montgomery may be the best track on the album and that is amongst a bunch of great songs. 2 of his best ever. Also by George on American Beat: **George Jones & Tammy Wynette We Go Together/Let s Build a World Together 2 on 1 $25 Great version of Something to Brag About **George Jones & Tammy Wynette Golden Ring $20 **George Jones The Grand Tour $20 in which George does a couple of songs in memory of his friend Mel Street. Great new label COW ISLAND. Lots of classy hillbilly come rockabilly come honky tonk on a label out of Boston. **Dixons Still Your Fool $30 This would please all fans of Dwight Yoakam s early days. Most of the songs are by Jeffro Mowrer, the lead vocalist. Still Your Fool is a classic. Jeffro s great vocal is augmented by some great steel guitar from Gerald Menke who is particularly strong throughout. Many of the songs sound like country classics but in essence 2 only are of vintage nature with a drawling version of Ernest tubb s Thanks a Lot just shading Wayne Walker s I ve Got a New Heartache. Nice.. **Arty Hill & the Long Gone Daddys Bar of Gold $30 The influence of Buck Owens can never be underestimated and the uptempo songs show that Arty is a huge Buck fan. The thing that sticks out though is the sheer quality of the songs all of which are group originals. Hall of Fame of Nothing is a ballad by a guy who sees himself as the ultimate loser. The title track is a honky tonk tour de force which is right out if the Buck school with great harmonies a la the Buckaroos. Drummer Jack O Dell has a strange voice but is great on his own two songs especially the witty I Might Have Been a Lawyer (But I Couldn t Pass the Bar), which has some great word play. Don t Take It Out on Tina is the ultimate in catchy. Great backbeat. Hankin Around has some semi Hank Williams references.

8 **Arty Hill & the Long Gone Daddys Back on the Rail $30 Latest from this great singer. There have been a few personnel changes but the material and performances are as strong as ever. I Left Highland Town shows another another rside as it is a nice acoustic ballad but Arty generally rips and doesit so well. Carries the personal endorsement of Jason Ringenberg. **L il Mo & Monicats On the Moon $30 On first listen comparisons may be made to Rosie Flores but I honestly believe Monica Passin is better in every way. Apparently she has a regular New York City gig and often plays with Lenny Kaye. There is great variety on this with the opener I Could Get Used To This being near rockabilly as is Rockin Chair on the Moon, an early Bill Haley song followed by a sparse ballad The Boy Who Loves the Blues and a tex-mex ditty Dance Crazed. Why Don t You Live With Me is a slow blues with jazzy overtones. I Really Love (To Really Love You ) has a poppy Mamas and Papas feel (almost). I ve Got a New Heartache and He s a Handful both have a great upbeat country arrangement. Dreamy sounds like Rickie Lee Jones with some seductive acoustic guitar from Hank Bones. Lots of variety. Nice production. And certainly an attractive package with very a very nicely air-brushed cover. **Starline Rhythm Boys Live at Charlies (superb) $30 This is one of the great live country albums and hard as it may seem is up there with Cornell Hurd s Live at the Broken Spoke.. It is that good. There is also great value with the cd running it at just under 75 minutes. They mainly stick to covers in this live show but the group originals (mainly by slap bassist Billy Bratcher and guitarist Al Lemery fit in brilliantly (notably Drunk Tank ), as do modern country songs such as Mike Henderson s One Foot in the Honky Tonk. High Noon s guitarist Sean Mencher is excellent on Dark Hollow. I always thought them better than the Derailers when the Derailers had Tony Villenueva. As I have always said the test of a live album is whether you wish you were there and the answer here is decidedly in the affirmative. Back in **Josie Kreuzer Hot Rod Girl $30 Of all the female rockabilly cds this stands as the best and hard as it may seem to those unfamiliar with this statuesque lady, she is better than Marti Brom! Josie sings in a spirit of the likes of Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin but also writes songs that are of high calibre. She wrote 10 of the 12 tracks and the covers would really be obscurities to most people ( Ain t Got a Thing and You re Doing Me Right ). Josie is the real deal. If you don t have it already, don t miss out this time around. **Jann Browne Buckin Around: ATribute to the Legendary Buck Owens $30 Back in stock. Jann has returned to the strengths of her first 2 Curb albums which are both classics. Great selection which doesn t stick to all the predictable tracks. In addition she has a great bunch of backing musicians notably Jay Dee Manness on steel guitar and Scott Joss on fiddle. The harmonies show they really did their homework. Jann had 2 great early 90s albums on Curb which are both out of print. They fit in so well with this gem. **Dale Watson One More Once More $32 (his swing album) Released only in Holland. Dale is the consummate vocalist. Whether a standard

9 such as It Happened in Monterey or a country track, Dale shows he is also the crooner we always thought he was. **Songs of the Year $30 Classic songs with different artists doing new versions eg Randy Travis delightful Chiseled in Stone ** Cowboy Slim Rinehardt King of Border Radio $30 Classic vintage performances from this early cowboy singer who became know across much of the states with the powerful Mexican border radio singnal beaming across much the country (as was done with the Carter Family). Standards, both pop and country, are given fine renditions though the traditional cowboy tunes are where Slim really shines. But I bet he wouldn t do a song called Return of the Gay Cabellero if the album was made today. 24 tracks plus his opening and closing radio theme. Also 1. Wendel Adkins Honky Tonkin Texas Style $30 A must for Waylon fans 2. Moe Bandy Songs My Mama Sang 2008 gospel album $30 3. Delia Bell Delia Bell $28 Featuring & produced by Emmylou. 4. Mark Chesnutt Doing My Country Thing $30. Pre Decca 5. Dead! The Grim Reaper s Greatest Hits $32 UK comp 24 tracks of songs of murder, mayhem, and self inflicted pain which sadly only result in one thing. First legal appearance on cd of Jack Kittel s Psycho and Ferlin Husky s The Drunken Driver. How great!! 6. Norville Dollar Through the Years. Great traditional style. 7. Amber Foxx Hi Fi Party $30 excellent west coast rockabilly. 8. Tom T Hall We All Got together And/The Storyteller $34 9. Tom T Hall In Search of a Song/The Rhymer & Other Five & Dimers $34 Two excellent UK 2 albums on 1 cd. 10. Dave Loggins Apprentice in a Musical Workshop $ Dave Loggins David Loggins $ Dave Loggins Country Suite $ Dave Loggins One Way Ticket to Paradise $ John Mceuen John McEuen $28 Reno & Me Tops. 15. Eric Weissberg & Deliverance Rural Free Delivery $ Kimmie Rhodes & Willie Nelson Picture in a Frame $28 Great album of all duets. The title song by Tom Waits has a superb melody. 17. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs Tv Shows Vol 7 & 8 DVDS $35 each. No doubt one of the greatest TV shows of all time is the Beverly Hillbillies and lo & behold who were on the other day but none other than Lester & Earl with Jethro playing the role of Mr Starmaker and directing Mrs Flatt, a lady with very Jane Mansfield like curves. Hilarious stuff. The continuing Flaft And Scruggs TV DVDS are great with many special guests and Lester Flatt is the consummate host. Country Joe McDonald On my recent US trip I called by to see Country Joe and pick up some of the cds he has put out on his own label in the last couple or so years. He is rather a serious camper, which was a little bit different to what I expected but the cds are real good. **War War War Live!! $28 This is a new version of his classic Vanguard album which featured the poems of Robert W Service set to Joe s music.

10 Robert W Service was a Canadian poet who many will know provided the material for Hank Snow s Songs of the Yukon album. This is better. The songs are haunting and varied (Hank Snow s album was perhaps a little one paced). Country Joe has always been identified with war, especially the Vietnam variety and that war was at its height when the original of this album came out in It featured Joe adding music to Canadian Service's book of poetry "Rhymes of a Red Cross Man", written after he had experienced the horrors of war whilst serving as an ambulanceman in France during World War I. Joe has not just done a straight presentation of the poems. "Foreword" is the only actually fully spoken song, and it is given a very dark arrangement. "Young Fellow My Lad" is given a jaunty accompaniment by Joe which defies the message contained therein. Similarly "The Twins" about two brothers John & James is about the treachery of war. Every song is nothing less than great but at the top of the pile is "Jean Desprez". Although a few seconds shy of ten minutes it is one of the most rivetting performances you could ever heard. Joe's narrative is superb. You hang on every word. Joe had tried unsuccessfully to get the masters from Vanguard records so did this new recording which is faithful to the original. By the way Joe has terrific diction so nothing is lost on this album. ** The Vietnam Experience $20 Joe was the leader of Country Joe & the Fish, a 60s San Francisco based group who had an anti Vietnam theme to many of their songs. This reprises some of them, including the famed I feel Like I m Fixing to Die Rag as well as new songs such as Agent Orange Song which has a hard hitting message. There is also a new version of his great Kiss My Ass, which was and probably still is part of Joe s great live show. Other songs include Secret Agent, Vietnam Veteran Still Alive and Vietnam Never Again There are 10 songs plus 2 instrumentals which serve as the soundtrack to an unmade movie. The first is long but very engrossing. ** $20 Limited edition numbered 20 tracker with both vocals and instrumental tracks. Joe is a great acoustic guitarist. All new songs and an interesting cover of Haggard s Rainbow Stew. Joe is a folky despite the name. A great bargain. On the war front is Charlie Don t Surf, which I guess is an ode to the complacency that a lot of Americans felt in fighting the Vietnam war. Some of Joe s acoustic guitar and harmonica work reminds of Bob Dylan. **The Borderline London 2cds $28 His complete stage show. Some great anecdotes but be warned he likes to drop the magic word a bit. Performs songs from his solo career and from that of Country Joe & the Fish. Some of the Country Joe & the Fish tunes work really well. Here I Go Again has a great melody. The spoken introductions are rivetting. Due Soon **Hoyle Brothers Don t Leave yet $30 Excellent honky tonk group s 3 rd album. **Daryle Singletary Rockin in the Country $30 superb vocalist and the first new album in a few years. **Rhonda Vincent Destination Life $30 **Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings Sings Hank Williams $30 Out of print for years. A must for fans of both men. **Nanci Griffith Loving Kind $30 New album will please fans of her earlier work. **Hank Williams Jnr 27 Rose Avenue $30 First in a while!!

11 **Joey Allcorn All Alone Again $30 new indie cd. The first was a gem and a must for fans of HankIII Bear Family News and New Releases Two George Jones are better than one!!! The first George Jones Musicor box was delayed as they had to go and reprint the book that accompanies it. Good news is that Vol 2 is due beginning of June so we will be combining this with our current order to get both Musicor boxes in the one order. Furthermore the book is now a soft cover not a hard cover so it means it is $30 less than we first thought. So the two new George Jones boxes are: George Jones **Walk Through This World With Me 5 cds + book $180 MUSICOR BOX #1 This first of two Musicor label boxes. This features 142 songs plus 2 sessions as George, the producers and the musicians run though various takes of Love Bug, Along Came You and I Made Her That Way. What makes these sets so great is many fold but initially most have not been on cd before. There are 12 duets with the fabulous Melba Montgomery, one of the best vocalists in country music history and to many sadly unknown. There are ballads, uptempo numbers, gospel, great covers and originals. George was of course more of a writer then than he was in later times and was able to supplement his own efforts with the best Nashville written material. Classic songs abound such as Even the Bad Times Are Good, My Favorite Lies, of course the title song and variants such as a country cover of the Eddie Fontaine rockabilly classic Nothing Shakin But the leaves on the Trees. Includes 10 previously unreleased songs. Quality musicians such as Bob Moore and Lloyd Green provide superb backing. Not to be missed. George Jones**Good Year for the Roses 4cds + book $150. MUSICOR BOX #2 The second box is named after perhaps the second best song George ever recorded (assuming every one would go for He Stopped Loving Her Today as number one). This has 131 tracks including 20 previously unreleased songs. It includes duets with Johnny Paycheck ( Your Angel Steps Out of Heaven ), some with Brenda Carter (including the original version of Milwaukee Here I Come which was covered by John Prine on In Spite of Ourselves ) and the first 6 recordings with Tammy Wynette. It includes track after track of classics such as Even the Loser Likes to Dream, great word plays such a I Don t Have Sense Enough (to Come in Out of the Pain ), a surprising number of covers of songs associated with other country greats ( Saginaw Michigan, Hello Darlin and even Okie from Muskogee ) plus tales of lost love and the barroom ( Heartaches or Hangovers, Divorce or Destroy etc). George may have had more success in a few more years from these but these are as fine a bunch of recordings that he ever did and whilst I may be going against popular opinion I may even suggest the title song as his finest ever recording. Regardless these 2 box sets are absolute must haves!! We always say that Bear Family box sets represent great value for money. To get the best George Jones at around a dollar a track is tantamount to theft!!

12 His Musicor duet recordings with Gene Pitney are not in these box sets. They are on the cd George Jones & Gene Pitney BCD for $32. Also by George on Bear Family. She Thinks I Still Care: The Complete United Artists Recordings 5cds + book $210 Also includes fabulous duets with Melba Montgomery. **Davis, Link Big mamou $35 Classic cajun flavoured rock & roll & rockabilly. 64 page booklet. Famed for the classic Big Mamou he was on a number of different labels and this cd features recordings from Okeh (Columbia) and Starday. Includes 7 previously unissued tracks. **McAuliffe, Leon Tulsa Straight Ahead $32 31 tracks from the former Bob Wills man and great artist (both vocal & instrumentalist) in his own right!! Includes the great McAuliffe favourite The Three Bears. It includes 4 previously unreleased tracks, one of which is a version of perhaps his signature tune Take It Away Leon, or certainly the one named after Wills famous catchcry. **Maynard, ken The Lonestar Trail $32 the first singing movie cowboy. Only 8 tracks but a whopping booklet makes it a must have package. In fact the booklet is 80 pages long. Some of the photo inclusions are remarkable. There is an early school report which shows he only had one day absent (and no days tardy ) but it also indicates he was poor at music but then again was excellent at USA History. The amazing thing is that 5 of the tracks are previously unreleased. Running time is under 26 minutes and whilst Red Pete may not approve he would no doubt give a thumbs up that the authors refer to Bob Dylan s Basement Tapes. Many great items of memorabilia are reproduced in the booklet. **Shit Happens $38 All the songs of bad luck and misery, Tear jerkers to beat all tear jerkers. **Songs of Love loss & Longing $35 a companion volume! Features songs about the love that lingers but only on a one sided way or so it seems. Just Get Over it!!! are certainly words the proponents here don t understand. **Wagoner, Porter Cold Hard Facts of Life $100 6 lps worth on 3 cds all his classic themed album such as Soul of a Convict and Confessions of a Broken Man. **Williams, Hank Rockin Chair Money $32 Beautifully presented package of Hank s up tempo pre rock and roll rock & rollers!! These are all the original recordings apart from a version of Roly Poly which features an overdub by musicians who include Grady Martin and Floyd Cramer and 6 other Williams demos which were subsequently overdubbed and are also included here including a version of Hank Thompson s Swing Wide Your Gate of Love and Jimmy Work s Tennessee Border. Great 43 page booklet (the 44 th attaches it to the digipak cover,) **Jimmy Dell Cool It Baby $32 Famed in rockabilly circles for the fabulous I ve Got a Dollar he is also remembered as a partner of Duane Eddy and the very first Duane Eddy single (with Jimmy), Soda Fountain

13 Girl is included here. 10 of the 20 tracks mark their first ever issue on this. Al Casey is featured on some of the tracks on this cd. **Charlie Rich Rocks $35 Great continuing series and this looks at Charlie s Sun, Smash & RCA rockers, something decidedly different to his Epic recordings of the 70s. 31 tracks and 75 minutes playing time. Gems include Mohair Sam, Charlie s Boogie, of course Lonely Weekends, Rebound, Big Boss Man etc. Some show an inkling of what he did on Pictures & Paintings the fabulous album recorded right at the end of his career. **Amos Milburn Rocks $35 31 tracks and over 80 minutes from late 40s to A must for fans of the likes of Fats Domino, **Frankie Lymon & Teenagers Rocks $35 33 tracks 75 minutes. ** Piano Red (aka Dr Feelgood) Rocks 33 tracks and 78 minutes. **George Hamilton IV The Drugstore s Rockin : To You and Yours $32 32 tracks. Before he appeared in the movie Hooteanny singing Abilene George was promoted as a teen idol and had some great rockabilly tracks with none better than Everybody s Body an out and out classic of the genre, but he also featured many tales of angst such as Why Don t They Understand and the fabulous Rose & a Baby Ruth, which I only found out years after first hearing it was a famous US candy bar. This also includes his early pop country classics such as the aforementioned Abilene and You Nearly Lose Your Mind. It is not surprising given the writer credits that George reminds a lot of John D Loudermilk, and believe me that is good. This is great for those who don t want the large Bear Family box. **Billy the Kid Emerson Red Hot $32 33 tracks and over 80 minutes recording. The title track was a hit for Billy Lee Riley and Bob Luman among others but Sun owner Sam Phillips always had a soft spot for the originator. Includes recordings from Sun Vee Jay and Chess labels. FUTURE BEAR RELEASES These are a while down the track but will include: **Sons of Pioneers Way Out there 6cds page book **Justin Tubb Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight **Johnny Horton Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight **Pat Boone Rocks **5 more in the Sweet Soul Music series inc. Omni Records A great little label with some great cds. Most have not been on cd before. In the near future they will be doing a Johnny Paycheck Little Darlin compilation which I am told will largely avoid the tracks which are on the landmark Real Mr Heartache album on CMF.now deleted and which sells for a lot more than I have on the 1 solitary copy ( in rarities). It is said to be going to include some rather rare archival material released by label owner Aubrey Mayhew in the days before his death in March. **Lorne Greene The Man $28 More tracks and a better selection than the long deleted Razor & Tie album. Includes the classic hit Ringo as well as 27 other tracks. Lorne, a Canadian, had a voice ideally suited to presenting this material, which is mainly spoken but with occasional lapses into actual song. An Old Tin Cup (And a Battered Old Coffee Pot)

14 is an ode to a miner who failed in his quest to find the gold that would put him on easy street. The tracks I m a Gun and Gunslinger s Prayer are self explanatory but works of art when Lorne wraps his tonsils around them. **Tommy Cash Rise & Shine/Six White Horses $28 Contains 2 full albums plus 8 songs from the concept album, The American way of Life. 30 tracks in all. Six White Horses is a tribute to the Kennedys and Martin Luther King. Includes songs about drug addiction ( Carried Away ), the plight of the working man ( Rise & Shine ) and domestic violence ( The Honest Truth ). Don t sell Tommy short as he is a great artist in his own right. **Dee Mullins The Continuing Story $28 The Continuing Story of the Harper Valley PTA was his sole charting hit which was recorded for Shelby Singleton s Plantation Records label. The 27 tracks consist of his one album plus singles. His style was a tad reminiscent of George Jones but anyone on Shelby Singelton s label was going to struggle for recognition. This is the cd that may change all that. **Pete Seeger Rainbow Race/Now/Young Vs Old 2cds $35 3 albums plus rare 45s, one of which is an unissued version of I Feel Like I m Fixing to Die Rag. Many of the songs have an anti war sentiment such as Uncle Ho. There is also his tremendously witty paean to aging Get Up and Go ( Up every morning I dust off my wits, open the paper and read the obits.if I m not there I know I m not dead so I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed. I huff to the store and puff my way back but never you laugh I don t mind at all I d rather be huffing than not puff at all. **Plantation Gold The Mad Genius of Shelby Singelton Jnr and Plantation Records 2cds 58 tracks $35 For years I had a guy ring me up and want Harlow Willcox s Groovy Grubworm. What? (you say). It was kind of a Bill Black s Combo style instrumental, inane but at the same time annoyingly memorable. Anyone with that persistence has probably been arrested by now but if not there is someone who will be ecstatic that Groovy Grubworm is (believe it or not) finally on cd. It seems almost an unintentional accident that Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C Riley, the huge crossover was a number one hit on both the Billboard pop and country charts. Without a doubt a country song (the next time it was achieved by a female was Dolly Parton s 9 to 5, which is decidedly pop). It also saw a swag of cover songs, surprisingly on the same label including Harper Valley CIA and the above mentioned Dee Mullins cover. But there were some tracks on the label and consequently cd which are just grand albeit a tad left of centre. Tokyo Matsu, a Japanese female vocalist who ended up at Branson may have been the first Japanese artist to record on an American label. She proves herself on a great version of Mum & Dad s Waltz though the compiler should have included the superb Diggy Liggy Lo. But that is a minor criticism. There are rare tracks by Lawton Williams (composer of Fraulein & Geisha Girl maybe the latter was written with a young Tokyo Matsu in mind??). Many of the tracks have a novelty edge such as Rod Hart s great C B Savage or Hello I m Johnny Credit by Johnny Credit. Then there are a handful of tracks by Little David Wilkins (who certainly wasn t little that is). There is the delightfully named Four on the Floor and a Fifth Under the Seat by Trooper Jim Foster and who can forget T Tommy Cutrer who was announcer at the Grand Ol Opry with his

15 narration about The school Bus. You can almost guess what is gonna transpire. There are also contributions by Webb Pierce, Teresa Brewer, and many others with great performances which belie their less than footnote status. How can this cd not be loved? I ask you! **Anita Carter Songbird $28 28 tracks including songs with the latter day Carter Family (which included Carlene) plus duets with Waylon Jennings, Hank Snow and Johnny Cash who was quoted as saying she was the greatest female country singer. It was her wonderful voice featured on many Cash recordings; it just soared. No duplication with Ring of Fire her cd on Bear Family and even if you have the Bear Family box set most of these tracks are not on it. Others **Biff Rose Biff Rose $28 Said to be a major influence on David Bowie a la Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust period **Porter Wagoner The Cold Hard Facts of Life/Soul of a Convict. Though both are on the 3 cds Bear Family box this is augmented by 4 singles not on the Bear set and there are those who would find $28 for this much more favourable than a $100 for the Bear Family set despite its amazing quality. **Hoyt Axton My Griffin is Gone $28 Greatly expanded version of the popular singer songwriter s 1969 album including 8 previously unreleased tracks. 24 tracks in all. **John D Loudermilk The Open Mind of John D Loudermilk $28 27 tracks of his best singer songwriter material. **Porter Wagoner The Rubber Room $28 Superb collection of his most eccentric material. **Henson Cargill A Very Well Travelled Man $28 Includes the huge hit Skip a Rope and a stack more. Sale Section Many are 1 only items so please do not dally. Box Sets Blue Sky Boys The Sunny Side of Life 5cd + 80 page hard cover book on Bear Family. As new maybe played once. Normally $210, this one is only $150. The equal in influence and main influence of Louvin Brothers. Boots, Buckles & Spurs 3cds 50 tracks in long book style box put out by Sony to celebrate 50 years of the National Finals Rodeo. Thus all tracks have a rodeo or cowboy theme. There are some rarities such as Hag s An American Cowboy and David Allan Coe s version of Ride em Cowboy. $35. Brooks, Garth The Limited Series $40 ss has Sevens/ Scarecrow/Double Live/ The Lost Sessions/All Access dvd 1 only Brown, Milton Daddy of Western Swing 4cd Proper $ tracks Can t You Hear Me Calling

16 Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Music. 4cds 109 tracks Sony music. Very nice set which starts with Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers and Charlie Poole & goes to the likes of Mark O Connor & Ricky Skaggs. There is a liberal selection from the greats such as Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe etc plus Osborne Bros, Molly O Day etc. $60 Includes 60 page book. Cash, Johnny At Folsom Prison 2cds + dvd $40 This is a proper box set. Long style box with large 40 page book. It has been released in regular jewel box in Australia. This is the real deal!! Cash, Johnny Original Album Classics 5cd $40 UK release of his early Columbia Albums in mini lp style covers. Has Fabulous/Hymns/Songs of Our Soil/ Ride This Train/Orange Blossom Special Cash, Johnny Come Along & Ride This Train 4cd + book on Bear Family. SS(still sealed) Normally $125. One only $100. The equivalent of 8 lps most only on cd in this box set. Fire/Fury Records Story Long style box on Capricorn label. Has 51 tracks on 2 cds and 16 page book. Artists include Elmore James, Wilbert Harrison,original Kansas City, Titus Turner, Buster Brown, King Curtis Plus a bunch of unknown (to me) such as Dr Horse, Wild Jimmy Spruill etc.$40 Jennings, Waylon Collectors Edition 3cds in Collectors tin $25 Jewel/Paula Story Long Style box on Capricorn 43 tracks & About 145 minutes and includes some unreleased Lightnin Hopkins plus Frank Frost, John Lee Hooker etc $40 Jones, George Collectors Edition 3cd in tin $25 Jones, Spike Judds Strictly for Music Lovers 4cds 95 track $35 Judds Collection 3 cds in bound book Style box. One of the spokes is broken so one cd tends to come loose. All in great shape apart from that. 35 page book. Nice denim style box. Approx 55 tracks. $48

17 Let Me Be Your Sidetrack: The Influence Of Jimmie Rodgers Bear Family 6 cds 159 tracks of all the Cover versions. Also a 188 page book. One only $100 SS(normally $160) Orbison, Roy Rock & Skiffle Williams, Hank Williams, Hank The Definitive 107 songs on 4cds in long style box with 96 page book. Have 2 copies. One as new $50. Includes Monument, MGM etc. Nice linen bound box. Quite a few previously unissued tracks. 4cds 100 tracks Skiffle & early UK style Rock & Roll. $35 The Unreleased Recordings SS 3cds box + book. A must $60. The famous Mother s Best Flour shows. Has score Mark on bar code. 54 tracks. Time/Life. Licensed from the Estate of Hank. Hillbilly Hero 4cds 80 tracks + 6 full Health & Happiness Shows $35 Williams, Hank Jnr Bocephus Box 3cds 70 tracks WB in long style box with 20 page book $50 Williams, Hank III Collectors Edition. His first 3 albums in A collectors tin. 4cds in all ( Lovesick, Broke & Driftin, Risin Outlaw & Straight to Hell which is 2cd $30 Wills, Bob Tiffany Transcriptions. New remasters On Collectors Choice. The best Wills by far. 150 tracks 10cds + booklet. Normally $210 now $140. A blinkin must. I was asked a rather strange question the other day and that was what is best value the $30 Milton Brown or this. I said they were both great value & exceptional but if pushed this is the best value in the whole list! Books. There are some great titles here and they are only one of each. Many are out of print. I have indicated weight in brackets after each book. All new or as new. Bill Monroe Reader: Edited by Tom Ewing 301 pages hardback 750 grams. $35 A series of collected articles by everyone from John Hartford to Newsweek magazine. Small text, lots of content. Bluegrass Reader edited Thomas Goldsmith Hardcover 356 pages (650 grams) This is a collection of 64 stories on bluegrass from scholars such