Live at the Cellar Door [Live]

Seldom Scene | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 16, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Rebel Records
• ASIN: B00000023A
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,953 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #30 in Music > Indie Music > Country > Bluegrass
  • #98 in Music > Indie Music > Country > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good 'grass with a little acid, November 22, 2001

By 

Smallchief - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Live at the Cellar Door (Audio CD)

If you can accept urbanized bluegrass this is the ultimate CD. It's a long way from here to Ralph Stanley but the Seldom Scene impress with the quality of their music. This is a live album, but exceptionally well-recorded (especially since it was made about 1975). Every jack-hammer note of the banjo and painfully high pic of the mandolin comes through sharp, crisp, and clean. Although some may disagree, I enjoy the inane banter of the band and their weak attempts at humor. The SS even poke a little fun at the dead-serious bluegrass traditionalists.
The music is outstanding, especially the opening and closing numbers. The SS clown their way through "Doing my Time" but the harmonies and the instumental solos are of near unbeleivable qualtiy. And "Rider" a version of a Dead song, belongs among bluegrass's all time hits. Bob Dylan's "It's all over now, Baby Blue" is another standout. I guess I like the SS best when they're doing a 'grass version of a un-grass song.
One of the things I like is the exotic -- non country --sounds the SS sometimes get out of their instruments. Some of the notes they hit would be appropriate as back up music for "Star Wars" or a yoga class. You don't have to like country music or bluegrass to enjoy the Seldom Scene. They are quality musicians by the most exacting standards.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bluegrass As It's Meant To Be Heard...Live!, June 2, 2007

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Cellar Door (Audio CD)

Studio recordings never have the same energy as a live recording. So after four stellar albums, The Seldom Scene recorded their shows at the Cellar Door Dec. 27 and 28, before an appreciative hometown audience. The result is one of the finest albums of their storied career.

The band could have simply cherry picked highlights from their first four albums. Instead, over the course of 22 tracks and more than an hour of music, the audience is treated to no less than 18 songs previously not recorded by one of the best bluegrass bands of all time.

For the most part, the band keeps things fairly traditional--at least by Seldom Scene standards. The set opens with the classic "Doing My Time" and continues with songs by Bill Monroe (three in all), Carter Stanley, and Jimmie Martin. And while there is a hint of parody in their version of Martin's "Hit Parade of Love," it's obvious the sendup is done with affection for the material. Also, there are no fewer than four instrumentals--five, if you count the mostly instrumental "Panhandle Country." Especially enjoyable is hearing basist Tom Gray in the spotlight on "Grandfather's Clock."

The Seldom Scene, however, do not entirely abandon their progressive ways. [Listen to the end of "Panhandle Country" when one of the band members mutters "Look out, New Grass Revival."] They cover Bob Dylan's "Baby Blue." John Duffey takes the lead vocal on Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter." And they expand "Rider" (from ACT 3) to nearly seven minutes. All told, this is a welcome addition to the Seldome Scene catalog and one of the most influential bands in bluegrass. [Running Time - 66:53] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Seldom Scene, January 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Live at the Cellar Door (Audio CD)

One of their best. Traditional bluegrass with modern influences at its finest. Grateful Dead fans will absolutely love the version of Rider. This is from the original lineup of the 'Scene, with John Starling on vocals and guitar and Tom Gray on Bass.