Customer Reviews

Bluegrass Country Soul

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This ranks with the all-time best concert movies--"Woodstock," "The Last Waltz," and "Stop Making Sense." The fact that it's a bluegrass film is a plus for fans of the genre.

Almost any chapter of the dvd is worth the entire price, but the Earl Scruggs banjo finale is breathtaking.

A beautiful piece of work, lovingly crafted and a one-of-a-kind experience.

I'm a huge bluegrass DVDs and VHS collector, but I never saw anything like this in my whole collection. This is a serious must-have. If you ever been to a festival in the 70s (wich I haven't) you'll enjoy this DVD much more, it will bring back uncountable memories. It opens with a great footage of the Lilly Brothers & Don Stover with Tex Logan (wich is worth the price alone!) and it keeps going with Mac Wiseman, Earl Scruggs, the Bluegrass Alliance, JD Crowe, Blackwell & Collins and many many many more. It has a great quality, both video and audio, plus there's a great commentary by Fred Bartenstein (who actually was one of the organisers of the festival, when he sold Muleskinner News...). What are you waiting for? Buy it for they might be over soon :)

The DVD has many of the real pioneers of Bluegrass music performing in their prime, it is a treat to watch, especially for a johnny-come-lately bluegrass fan as I am. There is a sense of something wholesome going on there, not like other musical festivals like Woodstock, where there is a sense of something perverse going on. I love it when rockers come to bluegrass, produce one of something worth listening to and then vanish, because they don't understand the culture of the men who make their living palying music they love. This CD does an excellent job of telling a story and showcasing some truly legendary acts.

Having attended a few festivals back in the 70's, I found this DVD to be a wonderful recreation of some of the ones I went to. Some of the budding "newgrass" groups (Bluegrass Alliance, for one) are on here, along with Earl Scruggs playing with his sons, after he left Lester Flatt who went on to put together the Nashville Grass. Chubby Wise, one of the happiest fiddle players is on here playing the Orange Blossom Special with Mac Wiseman - I'll never forget him when he was with the Nashville Grass at the Gettysburg festival in '73. When the band bus arrived, all the others got off with their instruments in their cases. Not Chubby - he had the fiddle under his chin and played and danced from the bus to the stage. There is a lot of good music on here, including the Country Gentlemen doing "Matterhorn" and "Fox on the Run." While I really enjoy modern bluegrass DVD's, this one does a good job of documenting the smaller, more family-like atmosphere of the early festivals. Recommended.

This is like entering a time machine and what a pleasure it is.

The filmmakers have brilliantly captured the essence of what Bluegrass was at this brief point in 1971. It was just after the beginning of the "Bluegrass Festival". On this Labor Day weekend it was bloody hot, dusty, and, as you can tell by segments filmed out in the camping area, people slept in primative tents, vans, cars; sat in pre-war style lawn chairs, drank cheap beer, ate bologna sandwiches, and dressed in clothes unworthy even of a goodwill store today.

What the fans did not lack though, was a passion for Bluegrass that ran 24/7. Long late night jams was standard fare back then (they are rare today), and note that it did not stop with the fans. Some of the artists appearing on stage found their way to the jams after hours.

Anyone familiar with the genre will be surprised at the number of recognizable faces appearing on stage (although most were so young that it may require a second or third viewing to realize). Although they would all become names in their own right in later years, on this day, for most of the artists, it was probably their first gig for September (for many, 15 to 18 more locales would be demanded of them that month--that's how vigorous the business was then); and they simply wanted the heat to end, get paid, and travel all night to the next show.

Some of the memorable appearances are Earl Scruggs, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Roy Acuff, Ralph Stanley, The Country Gentlemen, Chubby Wise, and Don Stover. This is only a subset though---there are several more. The presence of drums and amps on stage during the Osborne Brothers' tracks is noted. It brings joy to this reviewer to know that one of their performances during this era was captured on film. The viewer who enjoys all kinds of music will notice that the genre was not destroyed because of those devices---it was still Bluegrass, and in this reviewer's opinion, the energy of their performances is multiple levels above the other bands.

As if this wasn't enough, the DVD features a commentary track (by Fred Bartenstein), and it too is top notch and worth a listen.

To anyone who cherishes Bluegrass Music and the artists who put it on the map, this DVD is a must-have addition to your library.

Wow! Absolutely amazing and fscinating pictures from out in the woods! This documentary is really a must have for any country music fan. Lovingly shots and great performances by the likes of THE OSBORNE BROS., THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN and the late great RALPH STANLEY who delivers a nearly definitive interpretation of »MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW«. The movie captures the laid-back and positive vibrations of a beautiful event! Just terrific!

If you love old time bluegrass....you have to buy this DVD. The quality is great and it is so much fun. Sit back drink a "cold one" and enjoy! This is the best blugrass video I've seen in a long time and it has some of the greatest pickers playing some of the greatest music.

This is performance based documentary of a 1971 bluegrass festival in North Carolina. Jimmy Martin provides some commentary and scenes of impromptu jam sessions and people wandering the camp grounds are also included.

But the focus here is on the musicians playing on stage and what an incredible line-up it is. Ralph Stanley, Earl Scruggs, the Osborne Brothers and the Country Gentleman are just a few of the outstanding artists that perform. There is even a band from Japan and a banjo centered stage jam that is excellent.

In addition, the DVD has a "time machine" element to it, as you really do feel transported back to the early 70's with the clothes, the hair and the laid back atmosphere.

This is highly recommended to all fans of that uniquely American music they call bluegrass.

This the most important concert movie ever made if you have any interest in bluegrass music!! The essence of the bluegrass festival is fully captured here in living color! From the opening with the old-time sound of Tex Logan and Don Stover with the Lillys, to the "rock" stylings of the Earl Scruggs Revue, the "hippie" bands like New Deal String Band and Bluegrass Alliance; this is an astounding historical document. Prime time footage of the Osborne Bros and Jimmy Martin (the King of Bluegrass!), Ralph Stanley singing the now well known Man of Constant Sorrow, backed by fiddle genius Curly Ray Cline and youngsters Keith Whitley and Ricky Scaggs, the "inventor" of bluegrass fiddle, Chubby Wise, the young Japanese bluegrass band Bluegrass 45 with their Country Gentleman-inspired stage antics; it's almost too much! The historical significance is massive, if only for the transitions occuring on this weekend in 1972: You have Tony Rice's first show with J.D. Crowe's Kentucky Mt Boys (which included Tony's brother Larry Rice), and his last gig with Bluegrass Alliance, which features Courtney Johnson and Sam Bush, shortly before they created NewGrass Revival. Tony is replacing Doyle Lawson in J.D.'s band (is that Doyle playing the other gtr in J.D.'s set?), while Doyle is seen in one his first appearances with the Country Gentleman (whew)! Also period-specific is the employment of (and general "acceptance" of) electric bass, drums, and electrified acoustic insts by Jimmy Martin, the Osbornes (you can see an Echoplex on top of Bobby's amp), and the Scruggs Revue. The rare festival appearance of Roy Acuff is so significant. If you like banjo, all of the best are here from "the man", Earl Scruggs to Sonny Osborne (the "mad scientist" of the banjo!), J.D., Don Stover and Dr. Ralph, of course!, Bill Emerson (he's SO good!), Alan Munde, Little Roy Lewis, Jimmy Arnold, John Farmer, and a coupla young upstarts like Rick Riman, playing in the then new "chromatic" style, pioneered by Bill Keith. Fiddle fans can thrill to seeing Chubby Wise, Curly Ray, Tex Logan, Tater Tate, Joe Greene, and Vassar Clements(!!), among others. Add to this the great "atmosphere" footage of the crowd (honest-to-goodness hillbillies with Brylcream and beehive hair-dos mixing with honest-to-goodness hippies), field pickin where pro musicians pick with amateurs, rural tobacco country, classic automobiles, Carlton Haney pouring his heart out and you have a documentary that should have won oscars!! Fred Bartenstein's loving and informative optional commentary is a great bonus! What are you waiting for click "buy" now!!!!

A great video piece for traditional bluegrass lovers. Just the 1 second shot of the guy in the cowboy hat hollering out a cat call during JD Crowe's train 45 was worth the purchase price for me. Good music and interviews with some real deal festival characters make this a fun little slice of life documentary.