Customer Reviews

Appalachian Swing

5 star:		(5)
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3 star:		(1)
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This is the CD, along with the Doc Watson-Flatt & Scruggs 'Strictly Instrumental' album, which set the standard for the bluegrass instrumental album.

Of greatest interest is Clarence White's guitar playing - nobody before or since has played the instrument with as much command, with such a complex understanding of time, with such tastefulness. His work on 'Nine Pound Hammer', Listen to the Mockingbird', and 'I Am a Pilgrim' - just awesome.

Perhaps even more impressive is the interplay between the players here - For those of you who get together and jam with friends, listen to this as a primer - when one instrument leads, the others fade and follow - check out Clarence and Roland trading licks playing 'I Am a Pilgrim' and 'John Henry'.

This one belongs on the shelf right next to the best by Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Bros, Doc Watson, etc.

I bought my copy of this CD from Roland (White) at a concert in Chattanooga, TN in 1999. There are still some out there. If you have a chance to go to a Roland White concert go if for no other reason than to get this CD, although Roland is always great. The interplay between Clarence & Roland on Nine Pound Hammer is phenomenal and worth the price of the CD by itself. With the exception of Listen To The Mocking Bird, which I never liked and seems out of place on a Bluegrass CD (to me, anyway) every tune is a masterpiece. John Henry and Sally Goodin also display that extraordinary communication that Clarence and Roland had. This is the best example I have heard so far of Clarence White's guitar playing. What a shame he died so early, he was an incredible talent. This album should be on every Bluegrass and flatpicking fan's list of must have recordings.

My first encounter with Clarence White was on the Byrds SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO album. After being astounded by his guitar playing in a country/rock context I worked my way back eventually to this album. While much of the praise has gone to Clarence White and his phenomenal flat picking (and justifiably so), this is very much a band effort. Older brother Roland is an excellent mandolin player (and would go on to spend time with Country Gazette and The Nashville Bluegrass Band), and Billy Rae and Bobby Slone are equally adept at the banjo and fiddle respectively. [Leroy Mack adds Dobro to "Wild Bill Jones" and "Faded Love."]

But the standout performance is Clarence's guitar playing. If you're a fan of Tony Rice, you'll notice the obvious influence Clarence had on his playing. All the more astounding is that Clarence, at the time of this recording, was only nineteen! [One of the most treasured albums in my collection is an old Sierra Records LP (SILVER METEOR) that includes the last four tracks Clarence was working on before his untimely death in 1973.]

There are a number of Clarence White/Kentucky Colonels albums available--some with less than stellar sound--but the twelve instrumentals on this disc have a bright, crisp sound and belong in any serious bluegrass collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I actually got to hear this album driving down US 41 (a two lane highway) through Kentucky on a sunny spring afternoon. If there ever was a more perfect soundtrack to a trip.... This is the greatest bluegrass music I have yet heard. What enhances it is the variety you get. On one track you might find lightning fast banjo and mandolin, while the next will be a gentle acoustic guitar. By having Clarence White's guitar in the band, the entire meaning of bluegrass takes on a whole new level. It is wonderful, it is beautiful, and it's out of print right now!

Ever since I can remember as a kid watching old reruns of "The Beverly Hillbillies" I have always loved listening to good, fast banjo-playing and guitar flatpicking and even watching "Deliverance" years later hasn't dampened my enthusiasm one bit! :-) I actually got this because I wanted to find out more about what all the fuss was about one Clarence White who was held out as among the greatest flatpicking guitarists who ever lived all those years ago when I was first learning how to play the acoustic guitar. I managed to find a cd of him jamming at home which was good but ultimately not as satisfying as this great cd of him playing along with the Kentucky Colonels. Not only do you get to hear Clarence but you also get the lot with great banjo, national steel guitar dobro, mandolin and standing bass playing. Although all the tracks are instrumentals here that doesn't bother me that much as I'm really more interested in the guitar techniques on show and the only way to describe them is WOW! The sound quality is good for a 1964 recording and it is admirable how they managed to eliminate most of the hiss for a largely very good sound quality recording.

Fans of old style country and especially of Bluegrass instrumental playing will love this album and as far as mini-lp replica sleeve (mlps) releases go fans and collectors are in for a treat here! The mlps design is very good and very well put together making this among the best that I've ever encountered.

Excellent mlps design, very good sound quality and great content make this an easy review.

Highly recommended!

I purchased the Cd for a few cuts that feature Clarence Whites Signature flatpicking style. Listen To the Mockingbird is a prime example of Clarences ability to take a standard and put his own unigue crosspicking style on it. The Cd is a good cd but the quality of the mix was somewhat lacking when compared to todays standard. The talent is still there however. I view this as a must for any flatpicker that wants a lesson on the way flatpicking should be done. When you learn to play like Clarence could please give me a call and teach me if you can. Kip