Customer Reviews

Golden Steel Guitar Hits / Steel & Strings

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd is "marred" by one thing: slightly cheesy, Swingle-singer-esque (for those that can remember the Swingle Singers) vocals. This is the same sort of thing that plagued the Scotty Moore cd, although in Scotty Moore's case the backup vocals were laid down by the Jordanaires.

BUT, and this is a HUGE but...BUT, no matter how slightly cheesy the vocals may be on this cd, it cannot in any way, shape or form take away from Jimmy Day's eloquent playing. In a word, it is phenomenal. You can actually feel Jimmy's emotion, heart and soul pouring from each note of every song. And it is truly remarkable.

The first half of this cd is the "rag" section, characterized by mostly upbeat, swinging songs. The second half of the cd is much more laid-back and mellow (3/4 time) kind of songs. It has, in what is my humble opinion, one of the greatest renditions of Willie Nelson's penned-tune, "Funny How Time Slips Away." It's hands-down one of the best versions I've ever heard and in and of itself is worthy of the cost of this disc.

If you're at all familiar with Jimmy Day's work, you will not regret getting this disc. Definitely also check out some of Buddy Emmons releases, as well as those of Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West. Of course, Bear Family put out an amazing 4-disc Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West anthology, but for those who don't like the high cost of admission on Bear Family releases, also be on the lookout for a Sundazed Records release called "Frettin' Fingers" which is a beautiful 3-disc collection of Jimmy Bryant's stuff (with a ton of Speedy West collaborations). The liner notes on the Sundazed anthology are fantastic, and even feature a commentary by none other than Deke Dickerson, legendary picker of the double-necked Mosrite that Joe Maphis and Little Larry Collins used to play.

Also....back to this Jimmy Day release....(sorry for the digression)...speaking of cheesy background vocals...something worth noting is the fact that on the second half of the cd, one of the background vocalists is the legendary Anita Kerr. Some of you may be familiar with her work with Chet Atkins, the Norman Luboff Choir and even her own outfit, the Anita Kerr Singers. I was quite impressed to see her name on the roster.

Again, get this cd...you will definitely cherish it for years to come.

This is classic Steel Guitar at its best! "Golden Steel Guitar Hits" brings all the favorite uptempo and swing tunes while the "Steel and Strings" portion has the ballad side. Jimmy Day will remain as the true master, someone who set standards for the instrument. This guy played with Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush and lots of others. The recordings were made around 1960, as usual Bear Family provides and extensive booklet with lots of photos and information. No collection should be without that record! Get it!

There's more emotion and feeling in these recordings than in anything since on the steel guitar. Even the lame vocals and strings can't take away the 5 star rating.

Jimmy Day was a master of the pedal steel. His heart-felt approach and flawless technique have influenced nearly everyone who has ever tried to play the instrument. The two LPs represented on this CD were the best pedal steel recordings ever made when they were released, and they hold up remarkably well even today.

Jimmy is gone now, but the beautiful sound he made will be with us forever.

A great album featuring some of the best steel guitar songs from the past. Good sound and a good collection of some slow and some fast selections. If you're a steel guitar fan, this IS your album..

One of the top steel albums ever! I love the vocals and think they give the album a fuller sound and make it more interesting than a standard wall to wall all steel sound album. I listen to this album a few times a year and am still trying to discover how Jimmy played some of those flowing riffs. I've seen Jimmy play live and up close twice and his D9th tuning has a real fat sound to it. The rhythm section on the Golden Hits tunes is so smooth and the drummer is really in sync with the tunes. The whole album is a sonic work of art.

This is a fine album. The only reason I rate it 4 stars is compared to Herb Remington. Herb's Steeling albums, his Floyd Tillman album and 'A Jimmy Day with Herb Remington', all from Glad Music are better by at least 1 star - in my humble opinion.