Down From the Mountain: Live Concert Performances by the Artists & Musicians of O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Alison Krauss & Union Station (Author), Emmylou Harris (Author), Gillian Welch (Author), Chris Thomas King (Author), The Cox Family (Author), The Whites (Author), John Hartford (Author), Fairfield Four (Author), T-Bone Burnett (Author) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• ASIN: B002I6T7BC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,325 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2002 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. Featuring many of the artists who cut music for the Coen Brothers film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," the concert recorded for DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN happened long before the film's soundtrack resurrected interest in roots music, topped the country charts, and went platinum without the benefit of radio airplay. Presented using classic instruments and vintage microphones, this album mostly consists of traditional fare that rings with purity and kicks off with the Fairfield Four delivering a goosebump-inducing retelling of the a cappella wood-chopping work song "Po' Lazarus." Other standout performances include The Whites pumping rich harmonies into "Sandy Land," Alison Krauss & Union Station serving up a sweet version of Bill Monroe's "Blue And Lonesome," and the Cox Family getting sanctified on the gospel of "Will There Be Any Stars In My Crown." Fitting in neatly are originals by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (the Delmore Brothers-flavored "I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll") and the duo of Chris King and Colin Linden (the slide blues of "John Law Burned Down The Liquor Sto'.") The late John Hartford also makes one of his last recorded appearances with a playful reading of the late- '20s country nugget "Big Rock Candy Mountain."

1. Introduction By Holly Hunter / Po' Lazarus - The Fairfield Four

2. Big Rock Candy Mountain - John Hartford

3. Wild Bill Jones - Alison Krauss & Union Station/Dan Tyminski

4. Blue and Lonesome - Alison Krauss & Union Station/Dan Tyminski

5. I Am Weary (Let Me Rest) - The Cox Family

6. Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown - The Cox Family

7. Dear Someone - Gillian Welch/David Rawlings

8. I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll - Gillian Welch/David Rawlings

9. Sandy Land - The Whites

10. John Law Burned Down the Liquor Sto' - Chris Thomas King/Colin Linden

11. Green Pastures - Emmylou Harris

12. I'll Fly Away - Alison Krauss/Gillian Welch

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than O Brother itself!, October 12, 2001

By 

Chris Barnes "DollyOn-Line" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down From the Mountain: Live Concert Performances by the Artists & Musicians of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Audio CD)

I purchased this album the first week it was released becuase it featured three of my favorite artists, The Whites, Emmylou Harris, and Alison Krauss and I have found this album to be even BETTER than the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack! Emmylou Harris offers a fantastic version of 'Green Pastures' with Gillian Welch on harmony. The Whites perform an old tune 'Sandy Land' with Sharon White's amazing vocals on lead! Alison Kraus & Union station have two songs on the album, the first is 'Wild Bill Jones' with Krauss's band member Dan Tyminski on lead vocals, the second tune from Alison is her fantastic 'Blue & Lonesome'. Gillian Welch also presents two of her own tunes, with 'I Wanna Sing That Rock & Roll' being the better of the two. The album closes with Gillian & Alison's IBMA award winning 'I'll Fly Away'. The only disappointment on this album is the exclusion of bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, who performed on the concert, and is on the video release of the concert. But all in all, this a fantastic album for the bluegrass lover!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only Half the Story, October 27, 2001

By 

Diego Banducci (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Down From the Mountain: Live Concert Performances by the Artists & Musicians of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Audio CD)

This disk does NOT contain all of the songs from the soundtrack of "Down from the Mountain," or even the best ones. What it contains are the songs that did not make the cut for the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" disk. It is a supplement to the first disk.

I listened to it before I saw the video of the concert, and was disappointed. Now that I have seen the video (which is absolutely superb), I like the disk better, but as other reviewers have noted, it does not convey the magic of the video. Given a choice between buying the disk or the video, the video is clearly the winner.

John Hartford was wonderful in the video, but it's the ladies (especially Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss) who run away with the show.

Finally, if you're interested in seeing a live performance like this, Asheville (not Nashville) is the place to see it -- the Asheville, North Carolina folk festival begins every year on the first friday in August, 'long about sundown. The performers (all amateurs) drift down out of the hills with their guitars, fiddles, dulcimers and saws, and augmented by cloggers, put on a show you'll never forget. It's the kind of show John Hartford would have loved.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven sent - down from the mountain!, July 27, 2001

By 

T.W Trotter (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down From the Mountain: Live Concert Performances by the Artists & Musicians of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Audio CD)

While here has to be a hint of crass commercialism in the decision to release this CD given the success of the "O Brother" soundtrack the end result is still a boon for the listener and a continuation of the celebration of a very important musical style. This CD is a great adjunct to the soundtrack CD and introduces some new songs as well as different versions of songs found on the soundtrack CD. Songs like "Wild Bill Jones" and "I want to sing that Rock and Roll" capture the listener's attention with their strong melodies and crafted lyrics. Chris Thomas King's version of "John Law burned down the liquor sto'" highlights his blues talents and adds a needed depth to the selection of songs offered on this CD. For longtime fans there is much here that they will enjoy. To the neophyte listener who has just discovered this style of music through these CD's, this set of live recordings (with introductions by Holly Hunter) will further entrance them into a world of noble, yet simple popular music. This CD is well worth buying and T Bone Burnett (and by extension the Coen brothers) should be congratulated for his heavy promotion of one of America's finest traditions - mountain music.