Customer Reviews

Home Sweet Home

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

 

 

With apologies to Jack Lawrence and David Grisman, among others, Doc was at his dead-level best when playing guitar with his late son Merle playing back-up on banjo, guitar, or dobro. This recording is a true gem, and an impressive engineering feat as well. Here, Doc and Merle pick a few old bluegrass warhorses ("John Henry", "Old Joe Clark"), some Doc classics ("The Train That Carried My Girl from Town"), and some rather obscure songs as well ("Listening to the Rain", "Russian Grass"). This recording has been enhanced by the expert work of Sam Bush, Marty Stuart, and T. Michael Coleman, recorded three decades after the original tapes of Doc and Merle! As for Merle, this recording just makes you miss his understated style all the more. It's not perfection, but considering that Merle had only been playing the banjo for five months, it's phenomenal. The back-up work of Sam Bush lends an old-time tone to the recording, recalling Doc's earlier recordings with Gaither Carlton. Highly recommended for Doc fans, essential listening for those who still miss Merle.

Reviews of this Merle and Doc CD said it was a must have. We got it and agree. Doc and Merle's playing, mixed in with more recent collaborators, is inspirational, amazing banjo and guitar, we were smiling almost from the first minute of the CD. No bad or weak songs on this one. Merle would have been an amazing banjo player, what a loss. This CD is a tribute to him. With recordings like this, Merle lives on. RIP Merle. Doc, you are the best, and I don't say that lightly -- in my opinion, he is the best bluegrass and mountain song singer and player our country has. Just order this CD, you will not be disappointed.

This album is pure bluegrass magic. Firstly, the energy between father & son is amazing & inspiring. Secondly, the fact that Merle had been playing as long as he had played up to the time of this recording (5months) gives the entire album a unique, adorable synergy to it. You can really feel the fatherly excitement & happiness of Doc while he's watching & listening to his 18 yr old son playing such masterful banjo music. As of now, this is my favorite bluegrass album.

All my life I've been a true bluegrasslover and when I heard Doc Watson for the very first time it just knocked me out. Such a fabulous voice he has and his flatpicking and fingerpickingstyle are simply breathtaking. I own all of his albums exept two of them. Hopefully I will be able to get them also, which would make my collection completed.

As a fan of bluegrass for 10 years and a banjo and guitar player, I think this is one of, if not the finest bluegrass albums I've ever heard. Doc and his son Merle play the classic songs like they were meant to be played. You're going to be hard pressed to find better guitar playing, better banjo playing and a better representation of bluegrass music. To anybody interested in bluegrass and/or folk music, this would be one of the first albums I'd recommend.

It's not prefection? Do you know anything about playing the banjo? Merles banjo playing is more than prefection. Playing banjo for five months and tearing it up like that makes earl scruggs look like an idiot. And it makes anyone who gives this four stars look like one too. David smith's review was right on, This is the best bluegrass album i have ever heard and in my opinion the best doc watson album ever,(along with memories, but they are completely different). Merles banjo picking is the star of the show and it is just about the best banjo picking i have ever heard. Before i heard this i thought merle just played clawhammer like his daddy but damm was i wrong. Not only are these songs amazing but this album is full of soul and has a sort of personal fealing about it, sort of like you were there in the liveingroom with them. If you get this album and the song "big spike hammer" dosent break your heart, check you pulse. p.s- I know i cant spell but if you gave this album anaything less than 5 stars than you cant hear.