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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb Stuff, September 10, 2001
This review is from: The Bristol Sessions: Historic Recordings from Bristol, Tennessee (Audio CD)
What a brilliant collection. The items by the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers are familiar. But the others, except for Blind Alfred Reed's 'Wreck of the Virginian', are new to me. And the majority really are very good. Uncle Eck Dunford's 'Skip to Ma Lou' gets the set off to a rollicking start, and the quality never lets up. Henry Whitter's harmonica playing is a revelation, and the various numbers by Ernest Stoneman reach the high standard expected of this fine traditional musician. For me, the high spot is the singing of Alfred G Karnes. What a superb voice this Kentucky preacher had. And his simple accompaniment on his Gibson harp-guitar complements his singing perfectly. This is the fountainhead of country music. And the sound quality is pretty good too - much better than might be expected from discs cut on primitive equipment at the dawn of the electrical recording era in a temporary studio set up in a one time furniture store. If you have any interest in country music, buy this and see where it all started. You won't be disappointed.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bristol Sessions, February 17, 2003
This review is from: The Bristol Sessions: Historic Recordings from Bristol, Tennessee (Audio CD)
This set is required listening (and owning) for anyone interested in American traditional folk music and/or country music before Nashville. Only 80% or so of the recordings are absolute gems, but pople can disagree about which cuts aren't gems. These recordings are touted as "the birth of country music". While that's pretty silly, it's not all that far from the truth. The recordings here give a wonderful picture of the state of mountain music within 100 miles of around Bristol -- from eastern KY to around Galax, VA, to southern WV and western NC, to east TN. Even what I think of as the duds are interesting and good music. You'll find the raw power of Alfred Karnes, the sweetness of the Carter Family, Nestor and Edmonds walking down from the mountains, and the jazzy modernity of Jimmie Rodgers and the Tenneva Ramblers. It's a wonderful panoramic view of great music.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sara Carter like you've never heard her, April 5, 2007
This review is from: The Bristol Sessions: Historic Recordings from Bristol, Tennessee (Audio CD)
I agree with the sentiments of the other reviewers here. So I will only add that those who are drawn to Sara Carter's hauntingly beautiful voice will be treated to her higher singing range, seldom heard later in the 1930's. It's quite noticable. When you hear her in the later recordings in the the late 1930's and beyond, her voice is nearly an octive lower and sounds a bit weary, at times, comparatively. The Bristol sessions are her finest, I believe.
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