Echoes of the Stanley Brothers

Ralph Stanley | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Fontana
• ASIN: B00005A8MJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,163 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Are You Proud Of America

2. Rock Bottom

3. Another Song, Another Drink

4. Take Me Back

5. You're Going Away

6. Hulla Gull

7. Let's Keep Old Glory Waving

8. River Underground

9. Ain't It Hard

10. Daughter of Geronimo

11. Buckwheat

12. Keep My Love With You

13. Let Walk Lord By Your Side

14. In Heaven We?ll Never Grow Old

15. Wings Of Angels

16. The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn

17. Working On A Building

18. Gathering Flowers For The Masters Bouquet (Masters Bouquet)

19. Leaning On The Everlasting Arm (Leaning On Jesus)

20. White Dove

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar two-fer reissue of powerhouse bluegrass lineup, June 15, 2001

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Echoes of the Stanley Brothers (Audio CD)

This reissue combines two albums, "Michigan Bluegrass," and "Sing Gospel Echoes of the Stanley Brothers," that were recorded for the tiny Jessup label within six weeks of each other in 1971. At that time, five years after the passing of his older brother, Carter, Ralph was carrying on the Stanley Brothers sound, but moving it forward, creating a unique, vital second act to his career. He was also launching the careers of several soon-to-be country music stars.

The 1971 lineup of the Clinch Mountain Boys included veteran members Curly Ray Cline on fiddle and John Cooke (who'd returned from a stint with Bill Monroe) on bass, as well as several stellar new players. Carter's vocals were replaced by Roy Lee Centers (and surprisingly well, considering the original harmonies were crafted by brothers), and additional harmonies and picking were provided by future superstars Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs.

Both albums are based on the classic mountain soul of the Stanley Brothers, drawing on the experience of the veterans and the detailed knowledge (and energy) of the newcomers. The first, "Michigan Bluegrass," is titled for the location of the recording rather than anything to do with the music itself. Stanley's twelve original titles include numerous tales of film noir like fatalism, rendered in close harmony with achingly beautiful (and just plain aching) bent, blue notes. "Rock Bottom," "Another Song, Another Drink," "River Underground" and others tell tales of men controlled by love - often love gone very, very wrong.

The opener, "Are You Proud of America," was likely inspired by the societal tensions of the Vietnam era, but the questions it asks run deeper than mere jingoism, and still merit consideration. Removed from their original context, they read more as philosophy than civic pugilism. The similarly inspired "Let's Keep Old Glory Waving," with its simpler message of national pride, also finds a more positive tone in the post-war period. The instrumental "Hulla Gull" gives the band a chance to show off their ensemble string work.

The second LP, "Sing Gospel Echoes of the Stanley Brothers," draws all twelve of its faith-based titles from the public domain. The hopefulness and redemption that permeate these tracks are a perfect counterbalance to the dire circumstances charted on "Michigan Bluegrass." Recorded only six weeks later, the songs of belief and the freedom of afterlife form an answer to the hopelessness and fatality of the first LP. The combination of the two albums creates a cohesive work of immense thought and strength.

Given how tightly traditional bluegrass has held to its roots, the music on these thirty-year old albums seems not to have aged a day. Stanley's singing and banjo picking is as effective as ever, and the playing of the veterans and young hot-shots gels into a superb band. These two albums, available for the first time on CD, make an excellent addition to any bluegrass fan's library.

4.0 out of 5 stars RALPH STANLEY AND HIS VERY BEST BAND - 14 OUTSTANDING SONGS AND 10 DUDS, March 22, 2011

By 

John - See all my reviews

This review is from: Echoes of the Stanley Brothers (Audio CD)

The first review of Echoes of The Stanley Brothers gives you a good context from which to understand this cd, and includes much material from the liner notes that accompany this cd. In essence, Echoes of The Stanley Brothers is the compilation of two albums which were both released in 1971. Hence the first 12 songs on this cd are secular bluegrass (album one) and the remaining 12 songs are bluegrass gospel (album two). These two albums were both recorded shortly after Carter Stanley died and left Ralph Stanley alone to carry on their bluegrass tradition. Fortunately for Ralph, he was able to assemble what is now regarded as his best and most talented band ever in order to record the 24 songs found on Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers. Already knowing the outstanding reputation of this particular bluegrass band, I was somewhat disappointed when I listened to the first 12 secular bluegrass songs (album one) on Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers. All 12 of these secular bluegrass songs have some bluegrass merit, with Roy Lee Centers singing outstanding lead vocals on some of the songs and Curly Ray Cline adding two excellent fiddle tunes, but only three of these 12 songs, Are You Proud of America and Curly Ray Cline's two fiddle tunes, truly stand out as among Ralph Stanley's finest music. Even when we come to the first of the 12 gospel songs, I was not positively impressed. However, when we come to the remaining 11 bluegrass gospel songs (album two minus the first gospel song), the absolute brilliance of Ralph Stanley and this version of The Clinch Mountain Boys becomes very, very apparent. These 11 gospel songs are all among Ralph Stanley's best ever music! These 11 gospel songs include much beauty and passion. These 11 songs can make you cry. These 11 songs can make you rejoice. They are all outstanding spiritual stories of life and death that should bring you closer to God and to those people whom you love but have died and went home to heaven. The bluegrass harmony in these 11 gospel songs is brilliant! I am unable to pick a favorite gospel song because all of these 11 bluegrass gospel songs are so very, very good. What this means, of course, is that the very best music on Echoes of The Stanley Brothers begins with song number 14 and continues for the remainder of the cd. The producers of Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers chose to master these two albums in consecutive order, beginning with the album which was first created and continuing with the album which was next created. However, it would have been more convenient for the listener if the best music (album two) had been placed at the beginning of Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers so it was most accessible for the listener. In fact, the very best way to approach the music found on Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers would have been to create a Ralph Stanley cd that contained only 14 songs: the first secular song, Curly Ray Cline's two fiddle tunes, and the last 11 gospel songs, and to forget about issuing the remaining 10 songs on cd! Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers, as it now stands, contains many outstanding lead vocals, many outstanding group harmonies, with many outstanding instumental contributions, and two excellent fiddle tunes, along with 10 songs that are easily forgotten, and thus deserves a four star rating.

John

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Stanley Brothers, September 6, 2008

By 

Jonathan Brown (Fair Oaks,, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Echoes of the Stanley Brothers (Audio CD)

This is an early Stanley Brothers album with some classics. The harmonies are great and this is a bit more rustic than some of the later projects.