May Newsletter. Post: 1 cd $2/ 2 cds $3/ 3-4 Cds $6.50 Registered or express post available.

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1 May 2010 Newsletter Yesterday & Today Records P.O.Box 54 Miranda NSW 2228 Ph: (02) Web: Post: 1 cd $2/ 2 cds $3/ 3-4 Cds $6.50 Registered or express post available This may be a bold statement but I believe this is the best newsletter I have ever put out. There are Literally hundreds upon hundreds of great titles. If you would like to order from this newsletter you can , phone or post an order. If phoning please feel free to call after hours From 8.00am up until 7.00pm is fine. I have a couple of pieces of bad news. Firstly my dear mum, Rose Reid, passed away on February 23 rd. Many knew her as she worked Wednesdays at the old Parramatta store from and filled in when I went on buying trips. It has been a trying period but I can honestly say she loved her time in the shop especially meeting and talking to many fine people and was a keen music buff, something that has passed on through the genes. Secondly, we lost a dear friend in Norm Pyne. Many who went to the Parramatta store would have seen a blind guy getting round with only a cane. My admiration for Norm was limitless. I never considered him handicapped in any way and he was always

2 thankful for his independence. It is a sad irony of life that it is probably this independence which saw him involved in an horrific accident which cost him his life. But he wouldn t have changed anything. He did things we could only hope to have done and lived his life to the fullest. He will be missed but anyone who ever met Norm would be better for the experience Merle Haggard I Am What I Am $25 Merle Haggard Kern River/ Chill Factor $30 Merle Haggard Out Among the Stars/ A Friend in California $30 There can be no question that Merle Haggard is the most popular country artist we carry. In fact daylight is second. It is also apparent that he continues to be a viable and as good as ever. I ve Seen It Go Away is a superb opening song. He sings of all the things he has seen and experienced and reflects he has Seen it go away. As much a confessional as you d hear but what as superb song. Long time Strangers Norm Hamlett & Biff Adam still back Haggard and Scott Joss, a wonderful artist in his own right is the new right hand man playing guitar and fiddle and providing harmony vocals. Oil Tanker Train is one of the best train songs he has ever done. A nostalgic look at a train that provided a moment of stability in his self proclaimed chequered past. Live and Love Always is the swing number in which Hag picks up his beloved fiddle and matches strides with the dexterous Joss. He even allows his wife Theresa a part of the lead. She does well as does his son, Ben, who (along with the great Reggie Young) provides much of the lead guitar. Freddy Powers (who has written some great songs for Merle) provides the bluesy The Road to My Heart and has some nice piano from Doug Colosio. Hag seems totally at ease as he tells him, Play it Dougie. How Did You Find Me Here is a wonderful confessional, a reflection on his relationship with his wife who lifted him out from the depths of depression. Bad Actor, the only co-wrote with his group is a another brilliant confessional I have a problem of knowing what s real he tells us in a reflective manner. As on most tracks there are few nice dobro runs from Rob Ickes. Mexican Bands, rather unsurprisingly has the feel of a Mexican cantina. The title track concludes the album as Hag tells us all at what stage of life he is now in. A very simple track with Hag playing acoustic guitar it is a perfect conclusion to an album I had to press the play button again after it had gone through the first time. Wonderful! In addition we get 2 x 2-fer reissues. Now, I may be out a little but I reckon if you go through all the Hag albums I have in this newsletter you are probably only missing 1 and that is Amber Waves of Grain. Kern River/Chill Factor is a US issue whilst Out among the Stars/ Friend in California is from BGO label in the UK. The former has the dramatic Kern River title track followed by a superb version of Hugh Moffatt s wonderful Old Flames Can t Hold a Candle to You and a great mix of ballads

3 permeated by the great Big Butter and Egg Man, a top jazzy swing number. Chill Factor has perhaps his last charting number one in Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star, though the cowrite with Hank Cochran, We Never Touch at All, may even have you thinking you were listening to George Jones. Out Among the Stars had been almost impossible to get on cd and it has some great songs such as the Gordon Terry ballad My Life s Been Grand though Red Lane s Tell Me Something About Tulsa is even better as is his take on Almost Persuaded. Hag s own Bleachers is a classic about life on the road and his swing number is a superb version of Pennies from Heaven. Five songs on Friend in California come from the great Freddy Powers of which the highlight is the pseudo answer song The Okie from Muskogee s Coming Home. Hard to believe these are 24 years old. They sound like new. MAY IS UNOFFICIALLY PROCLAIMED MERLE HAGGARD MONTH. Georgette Jones Slightly Used Woman $30 12 tracks from the daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette shows she has it all! Spookily like her late mother this album has you wondering why she hasn t made an album before. You and Me and Time was on George Jones Gonna Burn Your Playhouse Down and is also here where it is much more appropriate given her superb song I Hope You Know, a sad song written by Georgette and sung for/to her mother. Play these 2 together and be unmoved it is impossible. Most of this album was recorded in Texas under the direction of Justin Trevino with the great Amber Digby providing backing vocals. Jamie Lennon, who the notes tell us is Georgette s fiancé is terrific on steel guitar. The great Swedish Cowboy has been waxing lyrically over the shuffles Second Time Around and You Don t Hear, a nice Tommy Cash song. She does great versions of 3 songs intrinsically associated with Tammy. The title cut is chilling, but is more than just a copy with Justin s great production touches. Glen Martin s epic search for hope on I Still Believe in Fairy Tales is handled wonderfully by Georgette. On the Nashville cuts a duet with Mark McGuinn, Better a Painful Ending is the type of song George & Tammy would have done. Mind you these two do it great justice. He tries to sound very Jones-ish and he succeeds. The only track I am not overly fond of (but I am warming to it) is a take on The Race Is On. But it is grand overall and I hope there is another soon. I think any cynical opinion about the merits of this album as some novelty (prior to listening of course) will be well and truly eradicated on first listening. Great stuff. It must be the genes. You would not expect anything else. Miss Leslie Wrong Is what I Do Best $30 Miss Leslie is as good as it gets. As on her previous album, that is the official Y & T album of the year (2008) she sings with the spirit and nuances of George Jones, the only female who could ever carry that off. Funny in the notes she thanks Jason Allen for being

4 her George Jones on Let s Start Over. To be honest she is the one like George!! What can you say except that it is as great as her previous. 14 new originals (13 by Miss Leslie Sloan and one by Hilary Sloan, assumably her sister) show she is certainly not experiencing any writer s block. These are as fine a selection of honky tonk songs as you d ever hear. Classic irony in the title track. Every Tuesday Night is a classic honky tonker set in a honky tonk! The tag at the end of that song is so Jones-ish it is amazing. She has actually improved her band this time round. Her husband, steel guitar player Ricky Davis shines especially in tandem with Bill Kirchen, the former Commander Cody man. Along with Miss Leslie ( a fine fiddler) we have the three main soloists. Some Things They Can t Take Away is a classic tear jerker about hard times and the resolve to overcome them. Long time Miss Leslie fans will even notice how she almost smiles on the cover. On the back cover she is smiling.well she is smiling upside down anyway so that probably constitutes a frown. She Gave Up on Herself is a classic tale of a slide of a woman trying to keep her man. The Last Time I Drank is as good a honky tonk ballad as you d ever hear, and it owes more than a passing debt to Stoney Edwards great Two Dollar Toy though with a more tragic consequence. PLEASE, try Miss Leslie if you haven t. If you don t like it you can exchange it for something else! Justin Trevino & Amber Digby Keeping Up Appearances $30 It was a pleasure to see Justin and Amber when they played in Sydney some years ago. It was totally awesome to hear them do a couple of duets. Well the best news is that they have a new duet album, which was played over the phone to me and is currently in transit. It will be here when you receive this. All I can say is that as good as you would imagine this to be it actually exceeds expectations. It will be here when you get this; don t miss out on the pair who have so must talent and spirit. Tracks are: 1. Keeping Up Appearances 2. Wish I Didn't Have To Miss You 3. Right Combination 4. That Makes Two Of Us 5. High As The Mountains 6. Lead Me On 7. Wrong Company 8. Just Between The Two of Us 9. Which One Is To Blame 10. Slowly But Surely 11. After The Fire Is Gone 12. Kickin' Our Hearts Around 13. How's The World Treating You 14. Flame In My Heart Tony Booth Keys in the Mailbox/Lonesome $30 Tony Booth started out as leader of the house band at the now defunct Palomino Club which was the home of country music in Los Angeles for many years. All the big names played there and

5 Dwight Yoakam was just one of the many artists who got their start there. He had an engaging style, very much influenced by the west coast artists such as Buck and Haggard but also the likes of Ray Price. He was also a smart operator as seen by the fact he has licensed these two fine albums (which originally appeared on the Capitol label) for release on Heart of Texas label. I always think he looks a fine cut of a guy and is a great singer. He had his biggest hits with these 2, which are the title tracks on this twofer. It will be here with the previous! 1 Key's in the Mailbox 2 Down at the Corner Bar 3 Under Your Spell Again 4 Another Guitar Picker 5 Something's Wrong 6 Cinderella 7 Devil Made Me Do That 8 Nobody's Fool But Yours 9 Somebody Called L.A. 10 Whole Lot of Somethin' 11 Lonesome Second Fiddle 13 Maybe If I Close My Eyes (It'll Go Away) 14 Close Up the Honky Tonks 15 Congratulations 16 You're Absolutely Right 17 What a Liar I Am 18 You Left Her Lonely Too Long 19 Bad Bad Dream 20 I've Carried This Torch Much Too Long 21 Just a Man Kris Kristofferson Please Don t Tell Me How the Story Ends: The Publishing Demos $30 It may seem strange that I consider Kris one of my very favourite artists but I really only like his first 2 albums: Kristofferson (rereleased as Me and Bobby McGee) and The Silver Tongued Devil & I. They featured some of the greatest songwriting ever. I can remember reading an article in Time magazine, circa 1970 extolling the virtue of Kristofferson as a singing poet and by jove they were right. I don t know why but he seemed to lose that ability even as early as his third album, Border Lord and I found some of his political stuff such as Third World Warrior to be downright painful. I d even nominate Me & Bobby McGee as potentially the greatest song ever written. Who can forget that opening intro on the first album, if it sounds country that s what it is, it s a country song. His drawl seemed to enhance the song. My mate Andy, the Terry-Hillbilly, fancies himself as a bit of a lyric writer and uses the melody of Me and Bobby McGee to test whether the lyric scans correctly. He figures if he can work it to the melody of Me and Bobby McGee then it is a goer. It is also a song that I thought no one could do an injustice to, though hearing a busker in Peel St, Tamworth on my last visit there proved that notion was wrong.

6 After that intro I can only say this album instantly puts it right next to (and on equal footing with) those first two pearls. Firstly, the book that accompanies this is something else; 60 pages and has stories from Dennis Hopper, Kinky Friedman, Merle Haggard as well as a very informative article by Michael Simmons. The demo recordings are of fine quality; some feature just Kris and his guitar whilst others a small group of musos. 16 tracks and none less than great. Please Don t Tell Me How This Story Ends was a 1970 hit for Ronnie Milsap but can t get within a mile of this unadorned version. This Lady s Not For Sale was only recorded by Rita Coolidge but the magic is in this demo version. Similarly the demo version of Slow Down, which was recorded by Kris & Rita in duet form is infinitely better here. His association with Rita seemed to halt his creative juice somewhat (I think the word is totally ). Just the Other Side of Nowhere was unusual. It should have deserved the lofty coverage of the hits, but then we are the true aficionados after all! It is unusual to hear a totally stripped down version of If You Don t Like Hank Williams. The song went through quite a few lyrical changes! This is the best! Duvalier s Dream should have been a movie. What a great line Preferring strangers to the company of friends because strangers are so easily forgotten it may even rank just below Freedom s just another word for nothing left to lose That is just a cursory rundown. Truly it is superb. If you have ever liked a single Kristofferson moment then this is for you. Some facts: Sunday Morning Coming Down was first recorded by Ray Stevens, though Roy Drusky was the first to have a hit with a Kristofferson song ( Jody & the Kid). Bobby McGee was originally Bobby McKee. Epitaph (Black and Blue) was written as a tribute to Janis Joplin whose posthumous hit of Me and Bobby McGee ensured Kris would never struggle again. Wade Hayes Place to Turn Around $30 It is hard to believe it has been more 10 years since the last Wade Hayes album. He was one of the best artists of the 90s but for some inexplicable reason the label changed his last album before it was released, for one dropping his amazing version of Wichita Lineman from the mix. His deep voice and a great arrangement meant a lot of people would have bought it for that but instead the thing that came out was full of the crappiest radio-friendly fodder imaginable. I remember when the ill-fated 2SM country station was in Sydney and having a discussion with one of the management who told me a country fan supposedly wants to turn the radio on and be instantly familiar with what he/she hears. I think the results show I won that one. She Knows Me is one of 9 (of 11) great Wade Hayes tracks on this album. Superb delivery and that wonderful tag ( but she loves me anyway ) has classic written all over it. Apart from the opener, Good Day to Go Crazy this album is wonderful. Drinkin Thing was a hit for Gary Stewart, but Wade s deep voice works better for mine. His

7 cowriters are all excellent folk of the ilk of Jerry Salley, Michael White (their What s a Broken Heart to Do is a beauty), Chick Rains and Jim McBride. There are a great bunch of musicians in support such as Larry Franklin, Brent Mason, Rob Hajacos and Bruce Bouton. Wade, you should have been a star. Welcome back! David Ball & the Pioneer Playboys Sparkle City $30 Now firmly entrenched as an independent artist with an engaging style that is as good as ever. Tulsa is a lament of a guy chasing his dream I hope LA s glad to see me, Tulsa Won t Even Know I ve Gone. Maybe Tomorrow is when he will change his restless ways. What ll I Do If I Don t Have You sounds like a vintage George Strait song. Hot Water Pipe is an upbeat opener as is the catchy Country Boy Boogie. Back to Alabama is a laid back ditty with a nice jazzy feel. Houston Again has a nice accordion accompaniment as he sings about the place he doesn t want to go to again. David Ball is a great artist. His songs get better with each play. So long is an appropriate closer about a relationship he hopes to renew. He is a great lyric stylist. His style is very appealing! Flatt & Scruggs TV Show Vols 9 & 10 DVDS special price $25 ea. These are the latest in this excellent series with 2 shows on each. Volume 9 has special guest Stringbean; very hard to get footage of the man who sadly was murdered on the way home from the Grand Ol Opry. Each features their great live commercials for Martha White Flour. Flatt is an engaging highly personable compere and Earl is wonderful throughout as are the likes of Josh Graves, Paul Warren and Curly Seckler who are members of their band. Ray Sanders Funny How Time Slips Away $30 Hillside Records have made a great comeback with this following up some excellent releases from last year. This 20 track cd by Ray Sanders features a mix of vintage and new recordings. Ray is bit of a musical chameleon with a strong resemblance to Darrell McCall on some tracks, especially a great version of Crazy Arms which has some spectacular piano from Pig Robbins. Sanders originals are very good as well. Old Yellow Rose has a great country theme of a gal who finds an old yellow rose in the bible. It was given to her by her ex before it all fell apart. He Didn t Become Famous For His Song is perhaps his best. Very Cal Smithish in style. But then again Heart Full of Hurtin is a tale of woman who turns the table on her cheating spouse. Great on the shuffles of which Lonelyville has a great chorus. Harlan Howard s Out of a Honky Tonk is right up there with the great Charlie Walker. Steel is played by either Buddy Emmons, Sonny Garrish or Lloyd Green. This is a cd where you just can t lose. Brian Burns American Junkyard $30 Texas guy s 6 th album, all featuring (mainly) his original songs. He does a a fine version of the Amazing Rhythm Aces The end is Not In Sight His originals

8 have a distinctly Texas feel about them and he has guaranteed appeal to fans of the likes of Tom Russell & Dave Alvin. Reissue Central. Classics back in and newly arrived. Reissue of the Month **Marty Robbins Have I Told You Lately That I Love You/ I ve Got a Woman s Love $30 2 albums making their first appearance on cd anywhere. He mixes originals with covers and does more than justice to both. He does a wonderful slowed down version of Have I Told You Lately That I Love You that will make you think you are hearing it for the first time. A true stylist. 21 tracks. Others **Ed Bruce The Tennessean/Cowboys & Dreamers $32 UK issue of 2 MCA albums. **Tom T Hall We All Get Together And/The Storyteller $32 First time on cd with the second being his most popular album in Australia. Tom T could do no wrong at this time. **Mickey Newbury The Mickey Newbury Collection 8Cds box set. $160 Nicely miniaturised and remastered versions of all his Elektra albums recorded between 1969 and The albums contained on this set are: 1. Looks Like Rain 2. Frisco Mabel Joy 3. Heaven Help the Child 4. Live at Montezuma Hall 5. I Came to Hear the Music 6. Lovers 7. Rusty Tracks 8. His Eye is on the Sparrow 9. The Sailor 10. After All These Years If I repeated all the good things my supplier said about the Newbury estate, who control Mickey s recordings I would have a blank sheet of paper. So don t dally. This is a wonderful set but continued supply is a worry. ** Mickey Newbury Live at the Hermitage DVD $38 The dvd, recorded in Tennessee s Hermitage ballroom goes for a mighty 147 minutes and features Mickey performing all his best known songs including American Trilogy, Cortelia Clark, Just Dropped In and Frisco Mabel Joy a joyous song about a woman of the night. 22 songs plus interview. **Cal Smith Best of Cal Smith $30 Only ever collection of his Decca/MCA tracks. Extremely well compiled with all the must haves being here such as Jason s Farm, The Lord Knows I m

9 Drinking, Between Lust an Watching TV and of course Country Bumpkin. 16 in all and lyrics are included. **Marty Stuart Whiskey & Rhinestones The Ultimate Collection.20 tracker with the fabulous Hillbilly Rock being a great opener. Closes with a live version of Orange Blossom Special which has a big nod to his early years as a member of Lester Flatt s band. **Mel Street Mel Street/ Country Soul $32 UK release of the only 2 albums the troubled honky tonker ever recorded in his all too brief lifetime. No-one even close to Mel as a master of that honky tonk staple, the cheating song. **Gene Watson Matters of the Heart $30 20 track UK compilation of all his MCA best recordings. Includes gem after gem such as Baby me Baby, You Waltzed Yourself Right Into My Life, From Cotton to Satin, You re Just Another Beer Drinking Song, Old Loves Never Die etc. Truly a must have item. **Faron Young Here s Faron Young/ Occasional Wife $32 Two of his great Mercury albums on one. Other recent releases still selling well. **Augie Meyers Country $30 from Texas Tornados and Sir Douglas Quintet fame, and he very much reminds of the late great Doug Sahm who always reached his highest peaks when Augie was along for the ride. **Heather Myles In the Wind $30 First fully self promoted album by Heather, who is firmly entrenched at the top of the Yesterday and Today Record artist tree. Includes a duet with Willie ( Don t Call Me ) and enhances her standing as a great honky tonker! **Roy Orbison Sings/Mempohis/Milestones $35 3 albums on 2cds and is the only place you are likely to find his much requested version of Danny Boy heck it is nearly as good as that of Frank Hyde!! **Kenny Seratt Best $30 a classic vocalist who is more than reminiscent of Merle Haggard, Stoney Edwards and Lefty Frizzell. **Billy Edd Wheeler A Big Bag of Songs $28 so that is a lousy $1 a song as there are 28. Whilst he hit biggest himself with Ode to the Little Brown Shack Out Back, he wrote Jackson, The Reverend Mr Black, Jackson, High Flying Bird etc. **Ron Williams The Longer You re Gone $30 Son of Leona Williams and once step son of Merle Haggard, this was our hands down winner of the 2009 Album of the Year award. Great vocalist and songs. Can nail a ballad as godo as anyone I ve ever heard!! VARIOUS **Troubled Troubadours 27 tracks dealing with lust, murder, alienation, war, depravity and credit cards. Rarities galore including Dolly s The Bridge (from where she jumped!) and Marty Robbins The Chair (from where he received the just punishment for his crimes and even extends into the after life of things). Great selection. $28 *****DUE VERY SOON***** Hank Williams III The Rebel Within $28 Hank III has deservedly

10 achieved superstar status at Yesterday & Today Records. Apart from the cd version you can also get an LP version $35 which actually included a bonus cd. Will be expensive to post though. Do these tracks sound like Hank III: you bet your life they do!! 1. Getting' Drunk and Fallin' Down 2. Rebel Within 3. Lookin' For a Mountain 4. Gone But Not Forgotten 5. Drinkin' Ain't Hard To Do 6. Moonshiner's Life 7. #5 8. Karmageddon 9. Lost In Oklahoma 10. Tore Up and Loud 11. Drinkin' Over Momma Bear Family Records News Next lot of Bear releases will not be out till end of June, but as always there are some great ones. PLEASE let us know early if anything of interest as some titles prove to be popular down the track and so run out of stock. A classic example is The Girl Called Johnny Cash below, a wonderful collection. 1.Next Stop is Vietnam: The War on Record tracks and a 330 page book make this a memorable issue. 13 cds include popular, folk, country and rock songs of the day dealing with the Vietnam War and includes 2 cds of songs by Vietnam veterans. It is gonna be an epic and around $420 (to be confirmed) but almost a life changing event. 2. Big Bopper Hello Baby, you Know what I Like $32 the most complete Big Bopper package with 31 tracks (including several tributes) to the man who took Waylon Jennings place on that ill fated flight. Includes 52 page book. 3. Eddie Cochran Rocks $35 Latest offering in the series with 35 tracks. 40 page booklet. 4. Gene Vincent Rocks $35 So associated with Eddie it is only appropriate Gene should be given his own volume in this great series. 30 tracks plus 40 page book. 5. Pat Boone The Drugstore s Rockin $32 The pop hits of Pat Boone and a fitting companion to the Pat Boone Rocks cd. 35 tracks and 48 page book. It includes my personal favourite Wonderful Time Up There (aka Gospel Boogie ) Great stuff!! 6.Bobby Charles See You Later Alligator $32 28 tracks and 32 page booklet by the recently deceased singer & songwriter who

11 was able to expand the importance of New Orleans better than anyone, well certainly better than any other white artist. 7. Hedy West and Bill Clifton Getting Folk Out of the Country $32 Legendary 1974 meeting between the folk and bluegrass hall of famers. Recent Releases: **Buck Owens Open Up Your Heart 7 cds + 120pg hard cover book. The second volume in Bear Family s continuing Buck Owens reissue series includes everything recorded between 1965 and 1968 and also includes the Buckaroos albums. It was Buck Owens who had personally organised with Bear Family to reissue his complete works as only they can. This was Buck s most successful period with all singles going to number 1 on the charts. They include gems such as Waiting in Your Welfare Line, Sam s Place, Open Up Your Heart as well as the theme song Buckaroo. All up has 249 tracks with a running time of around 7 ½ hours. $270 **A Girl Named Johnny Cash an Other Tribute Songs $32 This is a classic case of one that may have been missed but when you find out about it, it will be a must have. Basically it is a series of tribute songs sung by well known artists to other artists. It takes its title from Jane Morgan s A Boy Named Sue answer song A Girl Named Johnny Cash, which considering she wasn t a country singer was just great. What makes it a must have though are 10 songs by Stoney Edwards, one of the greatest country vocalists ever and 9 of these are seeing their first release on this cd. He of course was responsible for the wondrous Hank & Left Raised My Country Soul but the other 9 are just as good. They were recorded at a 1973 session and included the likes of Grady Martin, Weldon Myrick, Tommy Jackson, Lloyd Green, Charlie McCoy, Hargus Pig Robbins etc. In addition there are guests, eg on The Night Ernest Tubb show Came to Town ET s guitarist Billy Byrd is a guest; on The Carter Family Mother Maybelle plays autoharp; on Roy Acuff King of Country Music we get guest appearances from both Jimmie Riddle and Howdy Forrester; Bob Wills, The Fiddlin Man features both Tommy Jackson & Leon McAuliffe. As wonderful as these are, there are no duds among the 18 tracks. Hag s Tommy Collins tribute, Leonard is indeed one of Merle s best ever, and Rudy Thacker s little known Ballad of Johnny Horton is indeed a joy. **Carl Smith Hey Joe $32 Great 34 tracker of the Columbia recordings of Carl Smith, who was married to June Carter and was father of Carlene Carter. It includes the hard to get Time s a Wastin, a duet with June which was featured in the movie Walk the Line, but this is the original!! Sadly Carl recently passed and this great cd is a fitting reminder of his greatness. **Jimmy Edwards Love Bug Crawl $32 Can t beat this from the Terry Hillbilly. Funny you should make that reference to the English Jimmy Edwards. As a kid in 1958 I was a fan of Freberg, Charlie Drake, Cribbins, Goons, etc and bought the Mercury 45 from Ashwoods for about 1/6, fully expecting Pommy Jimmy's antics and bombast. Imagine my delight and surprise when I got top quality rock'n'roll

12 bordering on rockabilly! Odd thing is that my Mum and Dad who both hated rock'n'roll actually loved this bloke (especially the flipside, /Honey Lovin'/). They also dug Elvis but pretty well no one else from the era...odd how these blokes slipped through their highly critical net. I have been waiting since then to get more and this is a gem ** Jack Elliott At Lansdowne Studios London $32 Seemingly these 1960 recordings were before he was officially titled Ramblin Jack! 33 tracks which date from 1959 and 1960 and feature 7 unreleased tracks. He does some great Woody Guthrie songs as you may expect and also some western flavoured songs. **Rudy Grayzell Let s Get Wild $32 32 tracks with some of the wildest rockabilly you would here. ** Johnny Horton Ballads of Johnny Horton $32 25 tracks which starts in 1951 and ends in A classic selection which is an ideal companion to both Rockin & Rollin Johnny Horton and Take me as I am: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight (a must). **Smiley Lewis Rocks $35 The man who defined New Orleans rock and roll better than just about anyone apart from Fats Domino, but fats recorded many of Smiley s songs and don t forget Dave Edmunds successfully revived his I Hear You Knockin. 36 tracks. **The Treniers Rock $35 The Treniers were with James Brown and Michael Jackson perhaps the greatest singer/dancers of the rock and roll era. They also had some highly memorable upbeat rock and roll. 32 examples are found here. Great upbeat stuff! ** Sven A Kirsten The Sound of Tiki $32 The hi fi nuts of the 50s (and beyond!) got their rocks off on the likes of Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman and all are represented on this. 17 tracks. Great Bear Family sound. ** Smoke That Cigarette: Pleasure to Burn $32 32 mainly country tracks which deal with the now taboo subject of cigarette smoking. $35 Great sound and great illustrated book. Includes a couple of odd ones such as Slim Dusty Sad Cigarette and Wilf Carter What Cigarette Is Best. 32 tracks including 2 early 50s advertisements. Nice. Cough!! **DVDS Town Hall Party March 28, 1959 $35 30 tracks with guests including The Collins Kids, Leon McAuliffe, Faron Young, Skeets McDonald, Tex Ritter etc. Great package and very rare footage. Town Hall Party July 25 th and August $35 39 tracks with Merle Travis, Billy Mize, Gene Vincent, Martha Carson, The Rockin Hawaiians, Jimmy Pruett (a blind multi-instrumentalist usually harmonica or piano and when I say steals the show it ain t no bull!!), Roy Lanham, Tex Ritter (Tex s family actually own the rights to this series) etc Town Hall Party August 29 and September $35 30 tracks including Tex Williams, Freddie Hart, Bob Luman, Skeets McDonald etc. Other Recent Bear Family Releases in Stock

13 The Browns A Country Music Odyssey $32 Great sound; I have said many times the Browns The Three Bells box is the best one I have heard on Bear Family. But this 36 tracker with a huge set of notes is the ideal answer if you don t want to shell out $270 for the box! Bob Luman Rocks 36 tracks $35 Jack Scott Rocks 26 tracks $35 Great singer and the great things is it doesn t duplicate the other Jack Scott cds I have listed in this newsletter. Sons of the Pioneers and Roy Rogers (King of the Cowboys) Complete Recordings 1934 to cd page book $ tracks which collect all the STUDIO recordings of both the Original Sons of the Pioneers and then when he went solo the recordings of Roy Rogers. Clocks in around 8 ½ hours. Of the 182 songs 52 are previously unissued recordings. All the original Sons of the Pioneers classics are here including Tumbling Tumbleweeds Roving Cowboy Cool Water along with all the Farr Brothers classic instrumentals. Roy s first solo turn was Cowboy Night Herd Song and includes the other gems such as Black Sheep Blues and Hadie Brown (what a yodeller!) and even has some early Christmas songs. They co-existed for quite a while but over the years the sheer power and magic of these original recordings could not be emulated. Each song is written about by Doug Green of Riders in the Sky, one of the foremost western song authorities. Spectacularly necessary and 10 years in the making. 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

14 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!! Rarities These are some of the best albums over the years and they are all out of print. Some of these go for 2 to 3 times what I have them listed as. All are in new/as new condition. Don t miss out, as most 1 copy only. Bandy, Moe Picture in a Frame $28 Bandy, Moe Act Naturally $35 Barker, Aaron/Curtis Wayne Straight from the Horses Mouth $25 Great honky tonk duets by 2 great song writers. Barnes, Max D Day After Forever $45 One of Nashville s best songwriters. Very very hard to find & better still he sings like Vern Gosdin! Bellamy Brothers Rebels Without a Clue $30 There MCA album from 1988 was their best with the title track, Fountain of Middle Age, The Courthouse & Andy Griffith Show being just some of the classics. Blaker, Clay Laying it All on the Line $28 Great debut which is highly reminiscent of Dwight! Bogguss, Suzy/Chet Atkins Simpatico XXXXON SALEXXXXX $20 Bond, Johnny Very Best $38 with Hot Rod Lincoln, Ten Little Bottles etc Boone, Larry One Way to Go $25 Boone, Larry Swingin Doors, Sawdust Floors $30 Boone, Larry Down That River Road $35 All 3 are as good as it gets. A great songwriter & singer he reminds of George Strait in the late 80s! Superb, Mrs Johnson. Boxcar Willie Just Train Songs $38 Great singer but if you try & buy his albums you will find they all have the same songs on them. This has 25 songs recorded specifically for this album. Great stuff. Brewer, Teresa Music Music Music: The Best $35 Long out of print & only place here original hits were available. Browne, Jann It Only Hurts When I Laugh. Great west coast singer reminiscent of Emmylou. XXXXXXON SALEXXXXX $20 Bruce, Ed Best $50 Again, hard to believe this super 18 tk long out of print cd on Varese is the only place Ed s original hits were available. Cargill, Henson All American Cowboy $45 Late 80s indie cd which was also a double lp. 20 great tracks produced by Buddy Killen. Cartwright, Lionel Lionel Cartwright $30 Was nominated as

15 Cash, Tommy Cash, Tommy Coe, David Allan one of 1989 s 3 best new artists along w. Clint Black and Garth Brooks. He loses absolutely nothing in comparison. Let An Old Racehorse Run $28 12 track indie on Playback inc duet with Jeannie C Riley Classics $30 15 tracks on his own label has Johnny cash on 4 tracks plus Connie Smith, Tom T Hall, George Jones etc Songs for Sale. $48 20 new original recordings (not re-recordings of hits) was first on the DAC label. All great Coe songs such as A Marriage Made in Heaven Went to Hell, The Devil was to Blame, Tennessee Waltz With Me etc Coe, David Allan Granny s Off Her Rocker $35 Another 10 new Coe songs the best being The Matador. What a storyteller!! Conlee, John Cook, Elizabeth Copas, Cowboy Cryner, Bobbie Curless, Dick Dalton, Lacy J 20 Greatest Hits $28 Only place to get to get them. Welder $20 (new album) Copasetic: The Cream of King-Starday Recordings $35 Out of print 26 tracker on the defunct Westside label. Bobbie Cryner $35 I always say this gem is the best album by a female we have ever had & (until Miss Leslie came along) the only time I have heard a female sing like George Jones. The Drag em Off the Interstate Sock It To Them Hits of Dick Curless $30 Classic out of print Razor & Tie comp. of Dick s original Tower & Capitol Hits. Crazy Love $30 Stunning album which features a great version of Van Morrison title but the highlight is Little Boy Blue one of the best things you ll ever hear. Delray, Martin Get Rhythm $45 This is absolutely one of the best albums we have ever had and whilst the title track featured Johnny Cash joining Martin in a sensational duet, I have no reservations in saying Martin s version of the Wood Newton song Lillie s White Lies is the best album track on any album we have ever had. The fact the rest of the album is nothing less than great makes this a must have. Trivia: Martin s real name is Mike Martin and he is a professional tennis coat. We still await his third album. Delray, Martin What Kind of Man XXXXSALEXXXX $25 Draper, Rusty Dunn, Holly Second of only 2 albums. Greatest Hits $28 Out of Print 18 tracker. Across the Rio Grande $38 MTM. This is very hard to get cd on the MTM label. The material on here is stunning with the title being an absolute standout. Although

16 Reba also cut it, Holly s version streets it! Edwards, Stoney Just For Old Times Sake. $60 Amazing late 80s independent by one of the best ever country vocalists. All great. Edwards, Stoney The Best Of: Poor Folks Stick Together $35 20 of his greatest Capitol hits on an out of print cd. Includes the amazing Two Dollar Toy, the controversial Blackbird & of course the classic Hank & Lefty Raised My Country Soul. Ford. Tennessee Ernie Capitol Collectors Series $35 This 29 tracker is out of print and contains the best single collection of Ernie s hits & more. This is the best ever US series. Freberg, Stan Capitol Collectors Series XXXXXON SALEXXXXX $25 21 tracks. Again, the sound and presentation is stunning. Collects the best of Stan s musical parody tracks plus his Green Christmas tracks. Frickie, Janie Labor of Love $25 This 1989 CBS release was her best with the highlight being a stunning version of Steve Earle s best song, My Old Friend the Blues. Gosdin, Vern Alone XXXXXON SALEXXXXX $25 Came after his best Chiselled in Stone and was 100% cry in your beer ballads. Gosdin, Vern Nickels Dimes & Love $25 It doesn t get better than his duet with Janie Frickie, Two Good People With Love Gone Bad Gosdin, Vern The Voice $ classic which proved Vern had not as yet reached the other side of the hill! Grand, Gil Famous Last Words $25 Never actually Greene, Jack released. The Jolly Green Giant $38 20 MCA & Decca tracks long deleted. Only time the originals have been on cd. Inc. 3 duets with Jeannie Seely. Haggard, Merle Chill Factor XXXXXXOn SaleXXXXXX $20 Just been reissued as part of 2-fer but this is the original. Haggard, Merle Capitol Collectors Series $25 20 tracks. Haggard, Merle The Way I Am $45 MCA out of print Haggard, Merle 5:01 Blues Epic Out of print $35 Haggard, Merle My Farewell to Elvis $25 MCA out of print. Haggard, Merle Country Boy $25 16 tracks, Capitol label on Pair label. Haggard, Merle I m Always on a Mountain When I Fall $60 Out of print MCA album Haggard, Merle Land of Many Churches $40 Razor & Tie reissue long out of print. Haggard, Merle It s All in the Game $38 Close to his best Epic label album with a great great duet with Janie Frickie and a superb Freddy Powers song Little Hotel Room which just so happens is almost the same as Randy Travis No Place Like Home you

17 would wonder about a court case. Hall, Tom T Old T s Back in Town $35 Long out of print cd of one of his best RCA albums inc. the great Greed Killls More People Than Whiskey Hardwick, Billy Too Country $25 A great singer and writer s only album. Like Dean Dillon. A+ Harms, Joni Hometown Girl $38 Joni s original Capitol album. Very hard to get. Harris, Emmylou Cimarron $38 On defunct Eminent label. Nice presentation with attractive slip sleeve over the jewel case. Harris, Emmylou Last Date $35 On defunct Eminent label & has 2 bonus tracks. This also has attractive slip sleeve. No slip sleeve $28 Hawkins, Hawkshaw I m a Rattlesnakin Daddy $35 24 King tracks on this out of print Westside issue. Hobbs, Becky All Keyed Up XXXON SALEXXX $20 Best ever female honky tonk album, with the best track being Jones on the Jukebox. Honeys Capitol Collectors Series $35 Fans of Beach Boys, and girl group sound. House, James James House $30 MCA debut House, James Hard Times for an Honest Man $35 MCA Husky, Ferlin Vintage Collection $28 20 hits. OOP Jackson, Larry The Blue Highway $35 Simply put one of of the best ever indie releases by a man haunted by personal demons, and ain t that so often the case. Stunning. Jones, David Bridges $30 Again a 10/10 oncer indie. Jones, George Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years 2cds 48 tracks $48 Jones, George Friends in High Places $30 All duets Jones, George Alone Again/Grand Tour $40 2 on 1. Alone Again is only available here & is rated one of his very best albums. Jones, George The Battle/ Memories of Us $30 OP 2on1 Jones, George Live at Dancetown $45 OOP 1965 live recordings, great sound OOP. Jones, George My Favorites of Hank Williams/ Trouble In Mind 2 on 1 OOP $30 Jones, George One Woman Man $35 Personal favourite Jones, George Sings Like the Dickens $30 Jones, George You Oughta Be Here With Me $38 This was the last album he did for Epic & it may be his best. Superb songs & he is in absolutely wonderful voice. Jones, George/Melba Montgomery Vintage Collection $55 20 classics!! Jones, George/Johnny Paycheck Double Trouble $50 Long OOP Kane, Keiran Find My Way Home XXXON SALEXXX $25 Kendalls 20 Favorites $40 The Kendalls made one album for Epic where they went and re-recorded their hits. The result was even better than the originals with the highlight being Royce s lead on Pittsburgh Stealers. Lind, Bob Best of Bob Lind $35 25 tracker

18 Inc. #1 hit Elusive Butterfly. Logan, Josh Somebody Paints the Wall $55 Just got another copy of this gem which is sung in the style, sound & spirit of Mel Street. Lyda, Jacob Here We Go Again $30 Lyda, Jacob Back in the Swing $30 Two great indie albums with the great indie producer Mike Headrick in tow. McCall, Darrell/ Johnny Bush Hot Texas Country $40 Great album McCarters The Gift XXXXOn SALEXXXX $30 McCarters Better Be Home Soon XXXXON SALEXXXX $20. Hard to believe they only ever had 2 albums. This billed as Jennifer MCarter & the McCarters features a stunning take on the Crowded House song. McDaniel, Mel Rockabilly Boy $35 There is no better song than You Can t Play the Blues in An Air conditioned Room!!!! McEntire, Reba Oklahoma Girl 2cds 40 Mercury tracks. Double cd case with attractive slip sleeve & book $40 Her best & most country. McQuaig, Scott Scott McQuaig XXXOn SALEXXX $25 Very remininscent of George Strait at his best. Macon, Uncle Dave Country Music Hall of Fame (MCA) $25 Martin, Mario Keep it on the Country Side $45 This is the greatest mystery I have ever contended with. This superb 1991 album featured great songs and a great singer who reminds of Ricky Van Shelton but was only 17 at the time!!! Everybody loves this and it is as rare as they come. James Stroud produced. Miller, Roger Best Of Volume Two: King of the Road Moffatt, Katy $30. Best single cd of his hits. Long OOP Greatest Show on Earth $28 Taken of the market as Ringling Bros objected to the title. Superb album & purists will need this version. It was later reissued as Evangeline Hotel. Montgomery, Melba Signature Series $25 14 tracks inc 5 duets each with Charlie Louvin & of course George Jones. Montgomery, Melba/ Norma Jean First Ladies of country 22 tracks $28 Only place you ll get Melba doing No Charge. Moore, Lattie I m Not Broke But Badly Bent: Best of King-Starday recordings $40 29 great tracks on defunct Westside label Morgan, George Room Full of Roses: the George Morgan Collection Razor & Tie OOP $30 Morse, Ella Mae Capitol Collectors Series XXSALEXX $30 Nelson, Leo Nelson, Willie Horse Called Music $35 Nelson, Willie Partners $30 Newbury, Mickey Lulled by the moonlight $30 O kanes Tired of the Running $30 Heavy for You $30 Hard to find 1 st album

19 O kanes Imagine That XXXON SALEXXX $20 Owens, Buck Hot Dog $30 Owens, Buck Kickin In $30 Owens, Buck Act Naturally $30 His 3 comeback albums which feature the likes of Emmylou, Dwight & Ringo (who did vocal on the Beatles version of Act Naturally ) Pacheco, Tom Sunflowers & Scarecrows $30 Pacheco, Tom/ Steinar Albrigsten Big Storm Comin $30 Pacheco, Tom Tales from the Red Lake $30 Pacheco, Tom Eagle in the Rain $35 Pacheco, Tom Bare Bones & Barbed Wires 2cds $40 Everybody s favourite songwriter, that nobody s ever heard of!!! Parker, Billy Parton/Wagoner Parton/Wagoner Parton, Dolly Paycheck, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Peters, Gretchen Peters, Gretchen Price, Ray Price, Ray And Friends $38 OOP Bear Family cd with 2 albums on the one. The first is stunning with all duets, Darrel McCall, cal Smith, Webb Pierce, Ernest Tubb etc!! Two of A Kind $28 20 tracks Sweet Harmony $30 another 20 tracks Both on the excellent Pair label. Just Because I m a Woman/ Just Between You & Me (with Porter) 2 0n 1 $30 Great album with Porter!! The Real Mr Heartache: The Little Darlin Years $55 Country Music Foundation with Paycheck at his best. I love George Jones but his Epic label gems owe more than a passing nod to this. 24 tracks. Mr Hag Told my Story $70 So hard to find. Was on cd for about 5 minutes. This is Paycheck singing in the classic style of the above. All songs are by Haggard who joins Paycheck on 3 duets. What is doubly great is that none of the 10 tracks are the common Haggard songs. By the way Amazon has 3 listed from 100 to 115 bucks. This is 100% mint!! The Difference in Me $30 His last hurrah Buried Treasures 14 great songwriting demos which place her in the same league as the likes of Iris Dement. $25 Comes with no booklet. Words & Music $25 Sony Tree release 20 tracks of her and others doing her songs. Sometimes a Rose $25 great 90s album Heart of Country Music $45 Step One label releases are so good. Ray works with a very sympathetic producer in Ray Pennington and a crack team of musos On this Ray does 20 country classics with largely acoustic backing. Interesting that on my Nashville trip last year I met Ray Waddell who is doing a biography on Ray Price and I told him how much I liked this and he told me it was also Ray s

20 favourite of all the albums he had done. Nothing is better than Ray s version of Is Anybody Going to San Antone. Price, Ray Portrait of a Singer Step One $40 Another gem on Step One which also came out as a double lp. Here Ray nails 20 pop and country songs, including some Sinatra classics in All the Way and Young at Heart. A stunner. Price, Ray Hall of Fame Series $40 Another Step One gem which doesn t really relate to the Hall of Fame as I can see but 13 great songs and the likes of Buddy Emmons & Rob Hajacos see a little swing in the mix. Price, Ray Just Enough Love $35 Step One Ray starts with Wind Beneath My Wings and it gets better from there. He actually makes it palletable!! But Harlan Howard s Better Class of Losers is definitely of greater comfort! 12 tks. Pruett, Jeanne Satin Sheets: Greatest Hits $40 Very hard Randall, Jon to get (note Amazon price US114 to 242) Cold Coffee Morning $45 This never made it to release. We have an advance with front and rear graphics but no notes. The strange thing is that Randall has had 3-4 albums that did make it to the street and none are within a mile of this gem. He does one duet with then wife Lorrie Morgan and does a duet with Willie Nelson on the fabulous Reno & Me & is joined on the chorus by his ex boss Emmylou Harris. Stunningly good. Rhodes, Kimmie West Texas Heaven XXXSALEXXX $25 In the top 2-3 female folk-country albums ever & has duets with Willie, Waylon & Townes Van Zandt. Ritter, Tex Capitol Collectors Series $38 25 tracks in this great series. Has all you need if you only want one disk! Blood on the Saddle/ Deck of Cards/ Hillbilly Heaven/ Just Beyond the Moon. Briliant selections Robertson, Kathy Hillbilly Down: Tribute to Roy Nichols $30 Slightly eccentric west coast artist with stunning selection of guests including Merle Haggard, Katy Moffatt, James Intveld and Rick Shea! Rogers, Roy/ Dale Evans Peace in the Valley $35 20 gospel tracks from RCA label. Includes Cowboy Heaven. Very hard to get. Schneider, John You Ain t Seen the Last of Me $25 Scott, Jack Capitol Collectors series $ Capitol tracks including the hit What in the World s Come Over You Also has 4 previously unissued tracks. All great! Sears, Dawn What a Woman Wants to Hear $25