Folkways Years 1964-83

Red Allen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1964
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B00005ABLQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,877 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Red Allen is the kind of singer who makes one realize whence the term "high lonesome" originates. Possessing an intense tenor voice, Allen often sings like a man possessed. This compilation of his work with Folkways Records showcases the uncompromising nature of bluegrass music at its best, as Allen invests each song with searing conviction. One listen to the opening "Little Maggie," featuring the virtuoso mandolin of Allen's longtime partner Frank Wakefield, and the listener is transported. The Folkways Years includes the landmark 1964 LP Bluegrass in its entirety plus outtakes from its sessions and a handful of later recordings. Each song is a masterpiece in miniature, absolutely flawless in its compression of experience and feeling into its three minutes. Bluegrass music has a few legendary masters by which all others are measured (Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Brothers), and though Allen and Wakefield are part of bluegrass's "second wave," they must be held in nearly the same esteem as their better-known brethren. --Mike Johnson

Product Description

The late Red Allen is considered to be one of the most important exponents of the "high, lonesome sound," the epitome of bluegrass singing. Red Allen's spirited vocals and strong rhythm guitar make him one of the greatest innovators in bluegrass while remaining true to his roots, playing it straight and singing it with soul. Allen's 1964 Folkways album bluegrass, featuring mandolin virtuoso Frank Wakefield, is regarded as one of the most influential documents in the genre. Smithsonian Folkways presents this remarkable album plus six never-released cuts and additional selections from four later Folkways albums. 72 minutes, 36-page booklet, photos and extensive notes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great picking, good singing, April 18, 2005

By 

Ronald Levao (Princeton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Folkways Years 1964-83 (Audio CD)

Red Allen's vocals are indeed high and lonesome as the Amazon reviewer says, but they lack the chilling soulfulness of Bill Monroe or Ralph Stanley. But whose don't? The reason to buy this is for the extraordinary picking, esp. by Frank Wakefield (that's Franklin Delano Wakefield to you, New Deal nostalgists), as well as by Red. Bill Keith appears for a couple of dazzling banjo-mando duets, and Vassar Clements also performs some early magic. All in all, passionate, beautiful exhilirating!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 1960s bluegrass!, July 1, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Folkways Years 1964-83 (Audio CD)

A stunning set of "high lonesome" recordings from one of Bill Monroe's greatest folk revival disciples. The soft-pedaled vocals are sublime, the picking is flawless, and the material is classic. A wonderful retrospective, with not a single wasted moment. Highly recommended & sizzling.