Reissue Country Gentlemen CD not precisely what it seems
This post comes from our semi-regular correspondent, Richard F. Thompson. He writes from England, where he is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly served as editor.
Smithsonian Folkways has released Going Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains (SFW 40175) on CD, a collection of 16 songs recorded by the Country Gentlemen and originally released in 1973.
This set comprises Going Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains, Going To The Races, Azzuro Campana (Blue Belle), Dark As A Dungeon, Copper Kettle, Billy In The Low Ground, I Saw The Light, Tom Dooley #2, Brown Mountain Light, Electricity, Daybreak In Dixie, Mary Dear, Sad And Lonesome Day, Cripple Creek, Don’t This Road Look Rough And Rocky, and Muleskinner Blues.
Like its 2001 predecessor, The Country Gentlemen On The Road (And More) (SFW 40133) album, this new CD consists of live recordings. However, while the notes indicate otherwise, these performances are from later shows than those on the earlier collection and do not actually feature the ‘classic’ Country Gentlemen. They were recorded in 1964 after Ed Ferris replaced Tom Gray on bass.
Tom Gray says in a light-hearted tone, “I should be grateful for the good press, but honestly it’s not deserved.”
The most recent Newsletter from Martha and Eddie Adcock makes reference to there being “some unfortunate issues with the content of the booklet.” However, Eddie adds, “just get this CD, give it a spin, and enjoy the fabulous music!”
A biased plea maybe, but not having heard these recordings, I cannot give a dispassionate comment.
The liner notes, including song notes, in the accompanying 25 page booklet were written by Jon Hartley Fox, and the mastering was by Pete Reiniger.
Editor’s note: If any of our readers have a copy of the original 1973 LP release, we would be curious to know what those liner notes say about the composition of the band on the live recording.
Email This Post
| Print | Top | 0 Comments
Earlier this week, our eagle-eyed British correspondent, Richard Thompson, wrote a piece about the erroneous performance credits in the recent Folkways CD reissue of the Country Gentlemen's live album from 1973, Going Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains. Richard noted that the CD notes show indicate that...
Our intrepid British correspondent digs even deeper into the vaults for an update on the mistaken personnel credits listed on the new Gentlemen reissue.
Further to our recent discussions regarding the Country Gentlemen Folkways CD, Going Back To The Blue Ridge Mountains, I approached Walt Saunders,...
This post is a contribution from Richard Thompson, a founding member of the British Bluegrass Music Association, and a semi-regular correspondent and contributor for The Bluegrass Blog. He is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly...
Here's another post from our semi-regular correspondent, Richard Thompson. He writes from England, where he is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly served as editor.
Typically, the April edition of the British monthly print...
Former Blue Grass Boy Larry Richardson passed away on Fathers Day, June 17, after a six-month long battle with colon cancer. He died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Lake Butler, Florida.
Born August 9, 1927, in the Galax area of Virginia, Richardson was a highly-rated old style mountain banjo...
Here's another post from our all-the-more regular contributor, Richard Thompson. He writes from England, where he is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly served as editor.
The four-piece progressive bluegrass/jam band from Colorado,...
This post is a contribution from Richard Thompson, a founding member of the British Bluegrass Music Association, and a semi-regular correspondent and contributor for The Bluegrass Blog. He is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly...
This post is a contribution from Richard Thompson, a founding member of the British Bluegrass Music Association, and a semi-regular correspondent and contributor for The Bluegrass Blog. He is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly...
Our British correspondent, Richard Thompson, has an overview of a CD collection that was released back in August '07.
Time Life has released a further collection of bluegrass recordings. Classic Bluegrass Collection is a compilation featuring three CDs of well-known bluegrass recordings across...
Mastershield Records has released a second volume from Bill Yates where he reprises some of the classic songs from The Country Gentlemen. Bill was a member of the band for 20 years, and his first Country Gentlemen tribute CD was warmly received by their legions of fans.
Bill plays bass and sings (just...
After a break of over a decade Richard F. Thompson has rejoined the editorial team of British Bluegrass News (BBN). Following the recent re-organization of the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA), Richard has taken on the role of Features Editor of the association's quarterly magazine.
He...
Darren Beachley has written in to give us an update concerning the production of the second Country Gentlemen Tribute CD from Bill Yates. Darren and Bill are co-producing this new recording.
The first CD was released in December of 2006. We first brought you news of volume 2 in December of 2007. Darren...
Leave a comment
Comments are open and unmoderated for our registered users, only your first comment will require approval before publication. Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of The Bluegrass Blog. Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their content by The Bluegrass Blog.
You must