The Essential Roy Acuff (1936-1949)

Roy Acuff | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 13, 1992)
• Original Release Date: October 13, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002889
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,765 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very skimpy-Grt. Hits CD offers more, January 11, 2001

By 

Ronald George Reagan (Steele, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Roy Acuff (1936-1949) (Audio CD)

At a running time of just over 50 minutes, this one could've had a lot more added on to it. You get the bare-bones essential, gotta have type of stuff such as "Wabash Cannonball" & "The Great Speckled Bird", but missing are many of the selections that came from his long in print Greatest Hits CD such as "The Devil's Train", "Waiting For My Call To Glory" and many other fine selections.

"Lonesome Old River Blues" & "This World Can't Stand Long" are presented in alternate takes from their better known versions. I have always felt an "essential" set should provide the versions that were "hits" not alternate takes as this set would serve as an intro to Acuff's music-not an overview of alternate takes.

One plus is everything here is in it's original unaltered mono version-no fake stereo. In short, if you're not familiar with Acuff, this is not a bad set, but the Greatest Hits CD on Columbia offers a broader selection. Columbia, in the future, let Bear Family handle the alternate takes & stick with official versions on domestic releases.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD, January 10, 2006

By 

Jess "Jess" (Coal Country, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Essential Roy Acuff (1936-1949) (Audio CD)

Here's another fine offering by Columbia Country Classics; and this one covers the Father of the Grand Ole Opry. These are original recordings and considering the technology of the time, these are quite good. Of course, the set includes his signature "Great Speckled Bird" and "Wabash Cannonball", but there are other gems, including "The Precious Jewel", "Wreck on the Highway", and "Night Train to Memphis". To make the collection ever more interesting, is the inclusion of three previously unissued alternate takes of: "Steel Guitar Blues", "Lonesome Old River Blues", and "This World Cant Stand Long". Roy was never afraid to show a little emotion, and he never held-back when perfroming, and this CD showcases those talents. Country Music lost one of its greatest treasures with the passing of Mr Acuff; here's your chance to own a little of that magic.

5.0 out of 5 stars Classics from Acuff during his classic era, January 15, 2012

By 

J. Bynum (the southwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Roy Acuff (1936-1949) (Audio CD)

Roy Acuff / The Essential Roy Acuff 1936-1949 / Columbia Country Classics: This great artist came to be the master of the Grand Ole Opry and was later to become the first living member inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. These 20 Great songs show why he was a favorite with the public. Five Stars