Customer Reviews

Memories

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This was my first of the twenty-or-so Doc Watson recordings that I've picked up over the years, bought in the 70's after I saw Doc playing rhythm guitar behind Chet Atkins on the Johnny Carson Show. Most notable here is the sheer breadth of music, ranging from flatpicked fiddle tunes of a century ago (Double File/Salt Creek) to Texas Swing (Hang Your Head in Shame) to Blues (the famous Columbus Stockade Blues) to Ragtime (Steel Guitar Rag) to Country classics (Wabash Cannonball) to Bluegrass (My Rose of Old Kentucky). Some of Merle Watson's best work is on this recording, also - Merle was a superb slide guitarist and rhythm player.

22 songs here, not a stinker in the bunch, and worth the price for the cover photo of Doc with the Abe Lincoln beard.

Doc Watson has recorded dozens of albums for many labels over the decades, but MEMORIES is one of my favorites. Originally recorded for Capitol and released in 1975 as a 2-LP set, these twenty-two songs are an excellent introduction to traditional American music and what makes Doc Watson one of the best flatpick guitarists ever.

These tunes reveal Doc's influences from Jimmie Rodgers to the Carter Family to Mississippi John Hurt and Bob Wills.

Many of these songs are performed with a full band--including drums--but the best performances are when the accompanyment is sparse, like on "Shady Grove," "Keep on the Sunny Side" and "Double File and Salt Creek," where it's just Doc, his son Merle and a bass player. Especially enjoyable is when Merle plays slide guitar on tunes like "Curly Headed Baby," "In the Jailhouse Now," "Steel Guitar Rag" and "Wabash Cannonball," the latter includes Sam Bush on fiddle. [In fact, Bush plays fiddle on six tracks in addition to playing mandolin on "Mama Don't Allow No Music.]

The album closes with what Doc says "is one of the most beautiful tunes I have ever heard." The song, "Thoughts of Never," was written by Merle who performs this instrumental on classical guitar with only Chuck Cochran accompanying him on piano.

If you're looking for a solid introduction to the world of Doc Watson and his son Merle, this is an excellent place to begin the journey. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I've never heard a Doc Watson song I didn't like, which is something I can't say about many other artists out there, so it wasn't a big surprise to me that I absolutely loved this CD. If you already like Doc Watson, get this, it's fantastic. If you don't know Doc Watson, you should remedy that situation as soon as possible, and this album is the perfect one to start your collection with. It has a huge variety of music on it, from bluegrass to folk to blues to driving old-time instrumentals and more. It's sort of a sampler of Doc Watson's long and fruitful musical career. There's something for everybody on this recording.

Guy Clark had this to say: "I have seen the David, seen the Mona Lisa too, and I have heard Doc Watson sing Columbus Stockade Blues." This disc contains Columbus Stockade Blues and 21 other songs. including such classics of the genre as Shady Grove, Miss the Mississippi and In the Jailhouse Now. As far as I know, Doc Watson never put out a bad record, but this is my favorite. The album would still be a good deal if all you got was Columbus Stockade Blues.

I have seen other professional reviews give this collection mediocre reviews, but after years of enjoying doc, this is still my favorite. It is simple and pure and beautiful. Totally satisfying and you unsuspectingly are immersed in his genius. Most popular bluegrass includes such full bands that hearing some of the gentle sad ballads is so moving (although plenty or of rockin blues tunes are on here). You want and can sing along and feel the emotion so strongly. I adore this collection after many years. He is a treasure.

When I first heard Doc Watson was in West Virginia, about 1980. Then I found this album in a record store sometime later. There's never been and unfortunately never will be another Doc Watson. When I found this album, I thought, man, now I've FOUND IT!! It became obvious later that this wasn't just another production album thrown together at the behest of some record company because someone had to do X recordings in X years. The liner notes show, as does the quality of the music that these were Doc Watson's personal treasures. I wore out the record so now I have to buy the cd.

I have owned this album since it was probably new back in 1975. I still listen to a tape copy in my car. I have not heard a lot of other Doc Watson cd's / albums to compare this to, but his one is definately top notch.

This album is amazing. its for shure the best doc album right up with home sweet home. It starts of with the first song doc ever learned on the banjo (his first instrument after the harmonica), and from there it is some what chronological, starting with old time ballads and foot stompers and ending with full band arangements and merle's masterpeice; thoughts of never. It is full of merle tearing it up on the slide guitar and has a bunch of songs where doc kills the banjo clawhammer style. There are songs with drums, fiddle and even fender rhodes piano on a couple. Cloumbus stockade is a standout dark and roudy number, and moody river will break anyones heart thats not a complete idiot. Merle plays a real pritty slide guitar on miss the mississippi next to doc's real, real pritty singing. Anyways, this cd is full of serious heart breakers and roudy numbers that will have you hitting the bottle and letting out rebel yells. This is the best doc watson album ever.

Doc Watson's long career has brought forth numerous excellent albums, but Memories is probably the best starting place. This disc has it all - old time fiddle tunes transcribed to guitar, folk blues, you name it. The playing is excellent, the recording is very good for its era and the song selection is spot on. Look at it this way: while recently loading all of my favorite Doc songs onto a new MP3 player, I was unable to leave a single track from Memories off. It is that good.