Customer Reviews

Cool Water

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Living Stereo Collection was a series of finely crafted LPs from the late fifties and early sixties that took popular songs of that era and added slick orchestral accompaniments for some truly remarkable finished products. This album is no exception.

Cool Water reprises many of the Sons of the Pioneers best loved tunes, including Wagon Wheels, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, the title cut and a dynamic interpretation of Ghost Riders in the Sky. The arrangements add the beauty of stirring strings, subdued brass and haunting woodwinds to the traditional western instruments; guitar, accordian and harmonica. The result is a wonderful musical combination that supports and enhances the incomparable harmonies of the singers.

As with many top groups, the lesser known songs are often like discovering buried treasure. For those not well acquainted with the Sons of the Pioneers, take the time to listen carefully to the almost classical harmonies of Wind, Blue Prairie, Blue Shadows on the Trail and Twilight on the Trail. There are also jauntily upbeat offerings like Way Out There and Ridin' Down the Canyon.

This album is a dreamlike journey down memory lane, to a time when music was simpler and more heartfelt, and we all felt comfortable singing along with our favorite melodies. Put Cool Water on the stereo and, before you know it, you'll find yourself joining in on these wonderful songs.

There isn't quite enough space in the title box to write the entire title I had in mind: If you don't like this music, it's your misfortune . . . etc. How lucky we are this wonderful music has made the trip through the generations and through the technologies from 78s to LPs to 8-tracks, etc. right down to the current CD.

Other reviewers have noted that the recording of Riders in the Sky on this collection is the exemplar by which others might be judged; I agree. In fact, this cut alone makes the purchase worthwhile in my view, but all songs here are good, and the up-tempo songs: Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, and Timber Trail are songs of which I never tire. The yodeling in three-part harmony of Way Out There is the inimitable trademark of the Sons of the Pioneers.

As I recall, Riders in the Sky was written by a Forest Ranger (Stan Jones). With or without the lyrics, this minor-key song is one for the ages. My other favorite rendition of it is by Fiedler and the Boston Pops on a CD called Pops Roundup -- if you can find it, buy it, and play "Riders" LOUDLY! and often.

If you like your western music the way I like my whiskey (straight), then look elsewhere. Let's face it, how many times have you seen a full orchestra sitting around the campfire? One normally envisions a guitar or two, and maybe a harmonica. That being said, this CD is remarkable on several fronts.

The original recording dates to 1959, using RCA's (then) new "Living Stereo" technology, the beginning of "hi-fidelity stereo" sound as we know it today. I can remember listening to the original LP in my dad's record collection during the mid '60s. I loved every minute of it then, and now. It was a very clean studio recording featuring tight harmonies, and the orchestral back-up added a "full" sound without overwhelming the vocals or the "mood." The frequency response of the original recording is impressive as well when you consider its 45 year age; nice string bass and crisp tambourine. This import CD can brag about its quality transfer to digital.

All of the Sons of the Pioneers favorites are here, including "the Last Roundup," "Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "Red River Valley," "Empty Saddles," "Wagon Wheels," and perhaps the best recording ever of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky." Enjoy!

I had this recording on 8-track tape back in the 70's. Until I found it here I had no idea how much I missed it. This CD takes me back to those years, listening with my Pappy to the Sons of the Pioneers, Jimmie Rodgers, Vaughn Monroe, and Homer and Jethro, and watching Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and The Lone Ranger in black and white. It reminds me of folks that I wish were still here, and it inspires me to write about them and the stories they told. Marvelous!

I have the original album & also the CD which has all 18 songs, not just the 8 that I read were on the one you sell. Simply put, this album is the one to judge all others by if one must compare. Yes,the CD is flawless, recording wise, but also performance wise. If there could only be one cowboy CD in your collection, this would be the one to have--period

The C/D contained most of my favorite Sons Of The Pioneer's songs. However, I was disappointed that their signature song "Cool Water" was missing the last four lines or verse, i.e.
The shadows sway and seem to say tonight we pray for water, cool water.
And way up there He'll hear our prayer and show us where there's water, cool water.
Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for just one thing more than water, cool water.
Like me, I guess, he'd like to rest where there's no quest for water, cool water.
This verse could have replaced "Ridin Home" 1:59.

I gave this CD a low rating, not because of the music itself, but because of the era in which the music was recorded. The LP version(s) captured on this CD were first released in the late 1950s and, to me at least, sound like "Lawrence Welk does Cowboy Favorites." I am a huge fan of the Sons of the Pioneers, and of cowboy classics in general, but this disc strikes me as schmaltzy--again, not the singing, but the overly slick accompaniment. This stuff should be earthy and folksy, not chrome-plated. If you are looking for truly authentic music by this illustrious group, try the Country Music Hall of Fame and Columbia Historic Edition recordings. Sure, there's a little noise on these older recordings, and the vocal and instrumental work is not always polished, but it's real. To my mind, some contemporary artists such as Sons of the San Joaquin, Michael Martin Murphey, and (gulp) Riders in the Sky have recorded the classic pieces in a more authentic style than the RCA (oops, German import) disc. Perhaps an analogy would help. The earlier recordings are like the earlier movies by the Duke (Stagecoach, the Searchers)--you get the feeling you're experiencing a piece of Americana--while the Cool Water disc is more like the later movies that have lost their authenticity and become charicatures. In turn, some of the newest moveis (e.g., those by Clint) have actually returned to a more authentic style. Good luck.

As a small child in the early 1960's, I was given an EP of four songs that were originally on the COOL WATER album (these were: "Cool Water," "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "The Last Round-up" and "Ghost Riders In The Sky"). At the time, I didn't know who the Sons Of The Pioneers were and had never heard any of their music. Long story short-- I LOVED that record. So, many years later, when the opportunity presented itself, I gladly bought the LP.

This early stereo recording (1959) is a marvel. Traditional cowboy songs with a full (yet not intrusive) orchestra. Gorgeous harmonies, classic tunes and excellent sound. COOL WATER is a truly great album that all fans of traditional American music should own. Highest recommendation.

First the history of this album for me, then my impressions of the CD.

As a kid, we'd leave my hometown of Tulsa and make the drive to my Great-Grandparents' home, in the little town of Holdenville, Oklahoma. While the adults hung up coats and fixed lunch and talked and talked and TALKED, I'd race to the back room.

The back room had tinkertoys, a handful of trinkets gathered from local eating establishments, but for me it mainly had a record player and a stack of records.

It didn't take me long to figure out that very little of my Great-Grandparents' music was going to appeal to me; however, among the stack, I found this album. I loved it immediately and played it every time we went to their house.

Years later I inherited that album, but by that time a bad needle had ruiend the recording and none of the digital "tricks" I had could resurrect it.

Fast-forward to today, and the CD arrives!

As you might imagine, I had high expectations for this CD. Not only does it meet my expectations, it completely exceeds it.

First, the songs are of course exactly as I remember. However, it's like a veil has been lifted between me and the performace... this isn't sound in a groove coming from a cone, they're performing in the room! I'd forgotten how irresistable it is to harmonize with them.

The dynamics are at least as wide as on the album, actually wider because there's no "overload" point where it turns to fuzz. Voices truly soar.

The recordings, while focused on the nartually-eq'd voices, are deep, rich, full, clear, crisp and fresh. This is a very well-balanced recording!

O.K, finally, this is a recording from analog tape form 1959... how's the hiss?

ABSENT.

No joke. I like to think I've got pretty sensitive ears, and I'm not hearing ANY tape noise even at loud volumes. Absolute worst noise is the slightest 60 cycle hum at the beginning or end of one or two tracks when one mic is open by itself. Frankly, I'm not convinced I'm hearing that! I don't know if the RCA producers were magicians with analog tape, or if the company that mastered this CD figured out how to take out the hiss without disturbing the rest of the music... but it is whisper-quiet. the CD label says "Advanced Noiseshaping Redither," and maybe that's the magic... whatever it is, WOW!

In very brief moments, to only the slightest degree, is there a hint of analog overload, but it NEVER distracts from the music and is only a surprise because you almost forget this isn't a full-digital recording!

If you have the SLIGHTEST interest in the Sons of The Pioneers, cowboy music, or simply want an excellent example of what the medium was / is capable of, please do yourself a favor and get this CD!

P.S. - An added bonus for me: ironically, my Great-Grandparent's copy was MONO. Obviously, these recordings were meant to be heard in stereo. If you listen to the files on this page, you'll hear some of the problems of listening in mono: phase issues, etc. Buy this, and listen through headphones for best effect.

P.P.S. - Dig that bass singer!!! :-)

This CD has some great songs sung by The Sons of the Pioneers. Ridin Home, Way Out There and Riders in the Sky are outstanding. This is the group that carried on after Bob Nolan retired. The singer who sounds like Bob Nolan is Tommy Doss who does a great job on Riders in the Sky and others. I bought this album in 1959 when it was originally available, and am happy it is now on CD.