Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Bill Monroe

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If you're already a Bill Monroe afficianado, then chances are you aren't looking for collections like this one (unless you want to take advantage of the clear sound resulting from the remastering on this disc -- not a bad reason to acquire this disc even if you already have all the tracks on it from other collections), but rather hunting down obscure recordings and rare tracks wherever you can find them, so I'll gear my remarks here towards the Bill Monroe neophyte. This collection is an excellent starting point, since every track on it is a gem. Bill Monroe is universally acknowledged as the father of bluegrass (which proposition is an understatement; he is also its grandfather, midwife, crazy uncle, and country cousin) and this collection lays out the reason why -- so if you don't like these songs, bluegrass ain't fer you. The version of Mule Skinner Blues on this track, something of a signature song for ol' Bill, has some of his best yodeling (if you can't like that track then _music_ ain't fer you); Uncle Pen is a real foot-stomper; these versions of the old traditionals I'm Working on a Building and I'm Sitting on Top of the World belong in every folk collection; and you won't find a better version of My Sweet Blue Eyed Darlin' anywhere else either.

Listen to Mr. Monroe attack the vocal as the band comes out of the first instrumental break on "Footprints In The Snow" - the clarity, the energy, the staggering mastery and the resulting sense of joyous freedom, and you'll wonder for a brief second how anyone else would dare call themselves a singer of songs. This collection is where the old wierd America (to paraphrase Greil Marcus) meets the last exhalations of the Jazz Age. A rare synthesis of post WWII bouancy and hard scrabble life in green, remote hills. Amazing.

Bill Monroe,created and developed the American music genre of Bluegrass.Starting in the early 30's he was the leader and most renowned artist in Bluegrass ;and continued to perform and entertain almost until his death in 1996.Well over 60 years,one of the longest careers in American Music.He was a class act in every respect.From the music he wrote,the perfection in the way he played it,the performances he made,the other musicians he helped along the way,and the fans he loved and who loved him back,the impeccable way he dressed and lived his life ,was never approached by any other in the American Music scene.Not only was he revered by his friends but everyone else in the business;particularly other musicians.
This CD is an excellent collection for anyone to get a feel for what his music was all about.It includes 5 of his self written songs as well as other musician's songs that he performed in Bluegrass style.

These are classic songs. This is a great album to help anyone appreciate musical history, and a great introduction to blugrass music. It's not as rich sounding as modern bluegrass recordings, but it has a nice feel to it. It has a similar feel/sound to '30s Bob Wills.

That's probably the only CD I like, I guess or I might like other ones, never know.

Well, I like this one called "The Best of Bill Monroe" & he plays an F-Style Mandolin with the fancier scroll & he wears a cowboy hat.

Bill Monroe is a bluegrass mandolin player & I like him.

This is Bill Monroe's Greatest Hits CD saying "The Best of Bill Monroe".

The songs I like are:

1. Blue Moon of Kentucky
2. Footprints in the snow
4. Uncle Pen
5. In the pines
6. I'm working on a building
7. Gotta Travel on
8. Scotland
10. I'm Sitting on top of the world &
12. My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin' (with Ricky Skaggs)

Ricky Skaggs sings with Bill Monroe on song 12.

I hope everybody likes Bill Monroe & his mandolin picking?

I enjoyed it.

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!