Customer Reviews

Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962

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Such a variety on one double-disk - it's incredible. What's more, it's soulful, handmade, down-to-earth music - a kind of music we will probably never hear again in the age of plastic and computer chips. Both Doc and Clarence are first-rate musicians, too. Dig the guitar playing and the banjo, dig the fantastic, never syrupy, harmony singing. And these songs tell stories, stories about ordinary people in a big country and a great nation. To me as a European, this music is probably as close as I can get to the soul of that dreamland - AMERICA. The packaging, the booklet and the sound quality (given the circumstances and the time of recording) are superb, too. US record number ONE of the 20th century?

I've owned these recordings first as records, then as tapes, and now as CDs since they came out in the early 1960s. After 40 years, they are still fresh, fun, and fantasic, they make me want to pick up my guitar and my banjo and pick behind them. You will find that there is a slight overlap in the cds compared with the original versions of the records. More tunes and more players are on here, particularly banjo players, than on the original records, and some tunes that were on the original recordings under this title now appear on Smithsonian Folkways' new version of the Watson Family. All and all, I couldn't think of the last 40 years of my life without these CDs.

This is one of the most amazing sets of recordings that I have ever heard. I listen to a fairly wide range of jazz and classical (Ellington to Ayler, Bach to Ligeti) but have only recently begun listening to old-time folk. The intimacy, clarity of sound and creativity of these recordings might be matched elsewhere, but they cannot be surpassed. The musicianship is quite incredible - I wish I did anything as well as these gentlemen play their instruments. Each song sends shivers down my spine. It is disturbing to consider how few people will hear this album. Order it now & become one of the blessed few.

I have most of the Doc Watson CDs - There are tons. This is my all time favorite. The tunes on this CD were compiled over 3 years. The liner notes lead you through the sequence. You can clearly hear how Doc and Clarence learn to mesh with each other as time moves forward. This is a beautiful collections of Folk and old-timey tunes. If your only going to own one folk CD, make it this one!

Another very cool CD is "The Doc Watson Family"

Stop reading stuff off the internet (it's only making you depressed anyway), turn off that damned computer and GO BUY THIS CD!! You'll never be sorry. This music is so great and so real. If you've gotten this far in the Doc Watson section, I guarantee you'll love this CD (and it just occurred to me that you don't need to leave your computer to buy it -- duh).

These recordings with Doc & Clarence Ashley are as good as American folk/old-time music gets. And the performances are truly timeless -- it could've been 1910 or 1960 or 2010. When you've had it with flash-in-the-pan, here-today-forgotten-tomorrow dreck that's on eMpTV and the radio, then put on this disk & enjoy the music.

In researching the original and ealiest recording of House of the Rising Sun for a recording project my search led me here to hear Clarence Ashley who orignaly recorded it as Rising Sun Blues in 1933. He got it from his music archivist father who appearantly found something of an old English ballad as a possable source. Doc Watson recorded it again with Ashley in this wonderful collection of musical heritage. Great collect of Americana/folk & blues...Highly recommended.

How great this site can be when you buy a Bruce Springsteen record & that leads you to buy a Pete Seeger record (or 20) & then that leads to the absolute goldmine of music within the Smithsonian Folkways catalogue. I've always been into UK folk music & it is just brilliant to discover new stuff like this (for me in the UK). With so much to explore I'll end up skint but who cares, when Roscoe Holcomb, Doc Watson etc. now exist where they didn't before?

In 1960 Ralph Rinzler "discovered" Doc Watson playing electric guitar in a rockabilly band in North Carolina. Rinzler encouraged Doc to return to acoustic guitar and play the traditional songs of his childhood. He then brought Doc to Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere where Watson became popular in the folk music scene of the early 60's. Rinzler made these recordings of Doc playing with Clarence Ashley, an older musician who first recorded with the Carolina Tar Heels back in the 1920's. Other featured musicians include Clint Howard, Fiddlin' Fred Price and Doc's step-father Gaither Carlton.

The playing and singing is top notch on old timey classics like "Rising Sun Blues" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" as well as lesser known gems such as "Run, Jimmie, Run" and "Hicks' Farewell". Watson shares the vocal duties with Ashley, Howard and others. So if want to her Doc singing on every song you may be disappointed. But, as a big Doc Watson fan, I have also come to greatly appreciate Clarence Ashley and the other fine musicians on this record and encourage everyone to buy it. When it comes to traditional American music it doesn't get any better than this.

I'm a big Doc Watson fan and was expecting more vocals from Doc. The CD featured more Ashley and less Doc than I expected. I was somewhat disappointed. If you're buying this CD because your an Ashley fan then I'd think that you'll find it satisfying. On the other hand, if you're getting it because you want to hear Doc, then you may be less than satisfied.