Customer Reviews

Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys: 1971-1973

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Ralph Stanley spent two decades as one of the Stanley Brothers and is now in his fourth decade, since Carter Stanley's death in 1966, of his solo career. This collection contains eight LPs that highlight the early years of the Ralph Stanley era. An excellent book contains contemporary reviews of the LPs, a discography,and photos from the early seventies.

The 96 cuts include Stanley's clawhammer and three-finger banjo picking, his unique a cappella gospel singing, over 25 songs originally recorded by the Stanley Brothers, and great instrumentals. The Clinch Mountain Boys of this era included Roy Lee Centers, whose vocals were as close to Carter Stanley's singing as anyone will ever get. The last of these LPs was cut shortly before Centers' senseless murder. Jack Cooke remains the bassist to this day. The late Curly Ray Cline played fiddle for Ralph until his retirement in the early nineties. Teenaged Keith Whitley and Ricky Scaggs also perform on several cuts as they begin their careers.

My favorites in this collection are THE LONESOME RIVER, LOVING YOU TOO WELL, and SIX MORE MILES. This version of THE LONESOME RIVER displays the Stanley Sound at its best. It features the high baritone trio harmony Carter and Ralph introduced on Columbia Records in the late forties. The similarity between Ralph and Roy Lee harmonies and the Stanley Brothers harmonies doesn't get any better than in LOVING YOU TOO WELL. Both songs are classic examples of Carter Stanley's writing talents. Ralph's solo on SIX MORE MILES is the best I've heard of this Hank Williams classic.

No matter what type of bluegrass or traditional mountain music you like, you'll find it here and you'll find it done right. Dr. Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys don't know any other way to do it!

In my opinion, this is the best representation of Ralph Stanley music available to the public. Ralph Stanley played the banjo during this period like no other picker nor frailer. Both right-hand styles are well-represented on these 4 discs. Please be aware, and this may go unnoticed by the uninitiated, but Dr. Stanley's right-hand style is akin to the phenomenon of why bee's fly, but physically shouldn't. He applies an extra grace note with his forefinger within both his clawhammer and three-finger styles making him unique among the species, known as banjo players. The result is more sound and rhythm with his phrases. The earlier frailers he was exposed to no doubt influenced this style. It is really amazing! It invokes the goal most old time banjo and fiddle players seek which is to create the sound of bagpipes. The bass drone occurs along with the tenor melody simultaneously. The dual voice fiddle is also well-represented on these discs. Seriously, dual voice fiddle is a real deal we should appreciate more when we listen to so-called bluegrass. I suggest this isn't bluegrass. This is old time music, please.

The unaccompanied ballads are haunting and truly a vista to the old Baptist rule of no instrumentation for the hymns in church. I play these discs so often, I'm worried about wearing them out. The instrumentals on disc 4 are great examples of Dr Stanley on his game!

This label and period is my favorite version of Ralph Stanely. Thank you Ralph Stanley!

It get's no better than this 4 cd set. If you want a true mountain music sound, this is a must have purchase. Most people know how haunting and authentic Dr. Stanley's vocals are thanks to the "O'Brother" soundtrack and you will get the same heartfelt sound on these CD's. What you may not know is that Ralph shares lead singing responsibility with Roy Lee Centers, perhaps the finest Bluegrass singer to ever step in front of a microphone. You may not know the name but Roy Lee was the lead singer and guitar player for The Clinch Mountain Boys from 1971 until his death in 1974. This is a huge portion of the best work the band ever did.

In addition to Ralph and Roy Lee's singing you get the added bonus of musicians like Curly Ray Cline, Jack Cooke and the Kentucky teenagers the world would later know as Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs. If you want to throw around the term supergroup, this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

This is Mountain Music based on the religion and heartache of Southern Appalachia. If you have never had the opportunity to sit in a holler and listen to the old folks harmonize and pick tunes on a cool fall night, this is a close as you will ever get. BUY IT TODAY!

Ditto to the above reviewers. It's mountain, but it's still bluegrass. Wonderful if you could be there to enjoy in a calm rural setting. And if you couldn't, sit back, listen, close your eyes and imagine a cool evening in a hollow somewhere in Appalacia. Or just listen for what it is = great music.

If you like Bluegrass music this old time style will be right down your lane. You will have hours of real old time Bluegrass music.

Wow !! I just got this today (via County Sales) I have an old (autographed) LP of Something Old - Something new that I've listened to for so many years. My brother had it when I was a little kid and a couple other Ralph Stanley LPs that I loved as well. This has all those tracks I grew up on and so much more. I'm from "East Virginia" but now can be in Clinch Mtn heaven. This is an awesome collection for the $$. Oh, it comes in an LP size box with a nice booklet too.

If you are tired of this red neck rock that is called country music these days, you must give bluegrass a try. This is American music at it's finest and Ralph Stanley is on top of the list of those performing it.

This 4-cd set includes some really wonderful bluegrass gospel - - some of the best that I've ever heard. There are other selections that are very similar in sound to the Stanley Brothers (including Stanley Brothers hits like "Poison Love"), but the gospel and the instrumentals (which are also great, especially the one that Stanley introduces with the promise that he will try to play it exaxtly as his mother taught it to him) are distinctively *Ralph* Stanley. The only thing I would say in disfavor of this set - - and only something superficial - - concerns the design of the box itself: there are four cds in a big wasteful package the size of an LP box set, with a big awkward booklet, and the photographs of Ralph leave something to be desired. But other than that, it is a real gem.

Well, I might have jumped too soon. The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is that it is missing some songs. 1) Oh, Death 2) Dream of A Miner's Child Outside of that it looks pretty good. Okay, I confess, I just realized it IS 1971-1973.

Well, I might have jumped too soon. The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is that it is missing some songs. 1) Oh, Death 2) Dream of A Miner's Child Outside of that it looks pretty good. Okay, I confess, I just realized it IS 1971-1973.