Customer Reviews

The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys

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4 star:		(1)
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This CD is apparently a reissue of the first album the Stanley Brothers recorded for King Records, before King started messing with their sound. The Stanleys were still using Bill Napier on mandolin and the four instrumentals, Mastertone March, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Midnight Ramble, and Train 45 are an eye-opener for people who have never heard anyone but Flatt & Scruggs. This album isn't as soulful as their Mercury sessions but there is a lot of hard-driving bluegrass on it. It ranks right up there with the Stanleys' best.

This was one of my first Bluegrass albums back in the 60's. I about wore it out! As far as Stanley Brothers albums go it's top five easy! Two great honky tonk songs, "The Memory of Your Smile" and "She's More to be Pitied". Carter and Ralph's harmony on the choruses of these two songs is worth the price of the CD. Instrumentals, "Mastertone March", Midnight Ramble" and Ralphs signature tune, "Clinch Mountain Backstep" (One of the "must learn" songs for flegling banjo pickers back then) are great. The rest of the songs are first rate also. One of the VERY few albums I have of any type of music that I can state that there isn't a clinker in the bunch!! If you are a Stanleys fan, a Bluegrass fan or just thinking of taking a flyer on this one. Take it!! You'll love it!

One of the best artists in his time, accompanied by a seemingly little known group, the Clinch Mountain Boys, who should have been headliners,
but it appears that never happened. Great stuff, but Stanley Brothers were not as effective as they once were.