Aereo-Plain

John Hartford | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder Select
• ASIN: B0000002O7
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,274 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #27 in Music > Indie Music > Country > Traditional Country
  • #38 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Traditional Folk
  • #58 in Music > Country > Classic Country > Old-Time Country

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harford Reinvents Bluegrass On "Aero-Plain", February 28, 2002

By 

Gavin B. (St. Louis MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aereo-Plain (Audio CD)

"Aero-Plain" has been called the "Revolver" of bluegrass. This 1971 release by John Harford, preceded the Dirtband's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (presumably the "Sargeant Peppers"), by well over a year. "Aero-Plain" is a song cycle which celebrates the rise and fall the old time music subculture. Ironically, Hartford's coda to bluegrass was premature, as "Aero-Plain" found a hip young audience. As a result, bluegrass began to morph into "new-grass" and "progressive" variations for 30 years. Producer David Bromberg had as much to do with the success of "Aero-Plain" as Hartford. Bromberg, a fellow traveller in folk circles, resisted efforts to do second takes, or embellish the tracks with overdubbing. Bromberg captured a pristine sound quality with the freewheeling ambience of a back-porch picking session. Hartford's quirky personna was served well by the lean production values.

The Aeroplane Band assembled by Hartford was astounding line-up of noteable country instrumentalists. Vassar Clements, ex-Bill Monroe fiddler; Norman Blake master of mandolin, dobro and flat-top guitar; and Tut Tyler, legendary innovator of the flat-picked dobro style. Randy Scruggs, normally a lead guitarist, played bass on the "Aero-Plain" session. Hartford moved with suprisingly equal facility between banjo and guitar. The song cycle begins with A.J. Brumley's anthem to old time gospel radio, "Turn Your Radio On". For 45 minutes, Hartford is the tour guide, sweeping the listener away on a wonderous "Steam Powered Aeroplane"; back to Hartford's days as a river-boat hand, down to the city dump where old timers pass relive past glories, up on the hill where they do the boogie, pausing to reflect on his first love, and landing at the Grand Ol' Opry; the country music shrine, Ryman Auditorium. It's sentimental stuff, but Hartford keeps the pathos at bay with his eccentric stoner/philosopher humor. "Boogie" may be the most bizarre song to ever reach vinyl. Accompanied only by foot stomping, Hartford grunts an invitation to "boogie", interrupted only by long fits of heavy breathing. "Holding" is about a frantic search for cannibas. The scope of the album is breaktaking, as Hartford skillfully lays claim to bluegrass credibility with a loopy counter-cultural sensibility.

In 2001, exactly 30 years after the release of "Aero-Plain", the bluegrass revival that Hartford shaped, rose like a sleeping giant to challenge the MOR country music establishment. The astounding dark-horse success of the "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack, sent the pop/rock stars of Nashville scrambling to figure out what a mandolin was, and how to use it on their next album. Hartford probably got a smile out of seeing his musical revolution come to fruition. "Oh Brother" (the "Nevermind" of bluegrass?) sold 3 million copies largely on word-of-mouth and won a Grammy for Album of the Year. They can tear down the Grand Ol' Opry, but the music that built it refuses to go away.
(BUYER TIP: In 2001 "Steam Powered Aeroplane Takes" was released. There are some fascinating outtakes from the 1971 sessions included; but this is the album that contains cream of the session).

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Album that changed Bluegrass Forever, August 4, 2002

By 

Ted The Fiddler "Ted The Fiddler" (Spring City, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aereo-Plain (Audio CD)

Well, many here have said it more eloquently than I, but I was a friend of Hartford's, and spoke off and on to many musicians over the past 30 years and every one, including myself, point to this recording as Life Changing. After we all heard this, we stopped being afraid. It's that simple. Sam Bush, Tim O'Brian, Pete Wernick, Tony Trischka, everybody that ever played progressive Bluegrass or New Grass points to this Album as the shining beacon that inspired them to take the risks that lead them to where they are today. I'm still trying to imitate what Vasser was doing on this album 30 years later... It's one of the few Perfect recordings of all time that I can genuinely recommend and say if you don't like it, I'd be absolutely amazed.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back in the Goodle Days, June 14, 2001

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aereo-Plain (Audio CD)

It's hard to believe that this album is now thirty years old--and even harder to believe that John Hartford isn't around any more to make his own brand of good time/old timey/bluegrass/country music.

When this album first came out on Warner Brothers in 1971 (now re-released by Rounder), the listener was confronted with this image of a shaggy hair, bearded hippie with aviator goggles. Don't let the look fool you. Hartford's lifestyle may not have been traditional, but the music contained on this disc is as traditional as his influences, notably fiddler Ed Haley and banjo players Earl Scruggs and Stringbean. And Hartford surrounded himself with like-minded musicians for the album: Norman Blake (guitar, mandolin), Tut Taylor (Dobro), Vassar Clements (fiddle) and Randy Scruggs (bass).

This album has it all--tight harmonies (listen to the gorgeous reading of the gospel number "Turn Your Radio On"), terrific songwriting (Hartford wrote all but the traditional "Leather Britches," "Turn Your Radio On" and "Tear Down the Grand Ole Opry," the latter he co-wrote with Robert Taylor), and wonderful picking throughout. While Hartford plays banjo on most songs, "Presbyterian Guitar" showcases his talents as an accomplished guitar player as well. Sure, "Boogie" is a bit goofy, but that's just John being John. In "Steamboat Whistle Blues" he sings "Bluegrass music is a thing of the past." Hartford helped introduce it to a brand new generation and was a major influence on bands like Newgrass Revival. He also spent the next three decades showing his audience that while bluegrass music was "of the past" it was a viable music force for the future as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED