Customer Reviews

The Three Pickers

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs team up on what has to be as good as bluegrass music gets. You will play this one again and again. This hauntingly beautiful CD reminded me once again that most of the so-called music coming out of Nashville today masquerading as "country" and/or "bluegrass" is pure (junk). No tight jeans and cowboy hats here. Just first class music.

The pickers play a lot of older songs: "What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul," "Who Will Sing For Me," "Soldier's Joy," "The Storms Are On The Ocean," "Foggy Mountain Top," "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms." These men are as good as pickers get. Having Alison Krauss join them on some of the cuts only makes this CD better.

Difficult as it is to pick a favorite, I would probably vote for "Down In The Valley To Pray." Doc Watson begins this hymn, as simple and pure as your grandmother's pound cake, and is then joined by the voices of Skaggs and Scruggs, along with Krauss, in an a capella arrangement that will send chills down your spine. You are immediately carried back to a one-room church 50 or 60 years ago. The songleader began a hymn and then one by one, the congregation joined in while mothers fanned their babies with funeral home fans. Even though it never was, we thought life was much simpler then.

When I was learning how to play the guitar some 25 years ago, I was immediately drawn to bluegrass music. The earthy, humble appeal of so many of its performers, as well as the precision demanded to play it well, instantly captivated me and made me a lifelong bluegrass fan. This deceptively simple music, rendered by three giants in the field, is timelessly represented here on the Three Pickers CD.
By including the ambience of the crowd, and the fascinating stories told by the three pickers themselves, the producers of this CD have given us the experience of being in the audience watching the music being performed live. The audio quality is excellent. The selection of classic bluegrass tunes by Bill Monroe and the Carter Family add to the timeless appeal of the CD. I especially like the upbeat numbers like "Ridin' that midnight train" and "Roll in my sweet baby's arms". Only decades of virtuoso playing experience can enable someone to pull off licks like these guys do. By listening to the three pickers play, we are literally participating in history.
Like many people, I have long been familiar with the names of Flatt and Scruggs, Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs, and with their music, but knew very little about them personally. This CD contains some great stories shared by the three pickers themselves about their lives. Hear Doc Watson tell about hearing the Monroe Brothers for the first time on an old wind-up "Graphophone" record player. Hear Earl Scruggs talk about how he invented the distinctive three-fingered banjo picking style known worldwide as "Scruggs picking". Hear Ricky Skaggs and Doc Watson reminisce about churning butter and enjoying it with homemade bread. Stories like these personalize these legends of acoustic music, reminding us that they enjoy the simple pleasures of life just like we all do. Somehow, realizing that mere mortals made music this extraordinary brings out even more feelings of awe and admiration.
I recommend you experience this CD as soon as you can. Someday soon, we won't have these legends with us anymore, and opportunities to enjoy music like this will be gone. Don't miss it!

It has been years since I have listened to bluegrass. Recently I listened to Nickel Creek's excellent self-titled CD, and was very impressed. Then I switched to the more traditional American bluegrass of this album. The "three pickers" are Earl Scruggs, 79 years old and playing banjo, Doc Watson, 80 years old and playing guitar, and Ricky Scaggs, at 49 years old the youngest member of trio and playing mandolin. While these three men are not just pretty faces (they really are not), they are incredible artists, both instrumentally and vocally. They are also joined by various guests, most especially Alison Krause, who sings and plays violin.

I almost felt as though I was listening to early Grand Old Opry, because the Opry frequently featured bluegrass, and this bluegrass is some of the best available. Excluding the four spoken introductions, there are 19 superb instrumentals and songs that are sure to delight anyone who enjoys this uniquely American style of music.

"Feast Here Tonight" starts the album off right with a very traditional bluegrass song. The instruments generally stay in the background until an Earl Scruggs banjo solo. Later in this song Ricky Scaggs's mandolin takes front honors, and for a brief time Doc Watson's guitar takes a turn, all to introduce the quality to come. The more melancholy "What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?" follows; also a traditional bluegrass song. After a spoken introduction is yet another traditional song, "Who Will Sing for Me?" The harmonies in this song are traditional and as nicely executed as any harmony in a studio containing millions of dollars of electronic manipulation. After a second spoken introduction is a short, peppy instrumental, "Soldier's Joy."

The style changes a little with "Walk on Boy." This time we hear Doc and grandson Richard Watson play a song that has a strong blues flavor. This song is powerful because of its simplicity. The next song, "Daybreak Blues," stays in the blues vein, and even includes some yodeling.

The pace and style changes once again on "Don't Let Your Real Deal Go Down." There is some fast-paced picking on this song and a good deal of enthusiasm that the audience picks up. The next selection is "Pick Along," an instrumental that initially highlights Earl Scruggs's banjo, moving along to what I believe is Glen Duncan's fiddle. Next Doc Watson's guitar takes the lead with gusto. I believe Rob Ickes then takes a turn on banjo, followed by Ricky Scaggs on mandolin. Earl Scruggs then takes the lead to the end of the song. Somewhere on this instrumental is Mark Fain on bass, though I have difficulty picking the bass out.

The next song, "What Is a Home without Love," returns to a more traditional bluegrass style. This simple song is readily reminiscent of the Appalachian Mountains and an era but recently gone. "Doin' My Time" has a blues style that is similar to some of the music in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Earl's father wrote the next instrumental, which Earl says in the introduction he though he named after him, "Earl's Breakdown." This instrumental is fast-paced and, as with the other instrumentals, features several instruments in the lead.

The next song is "The Storms Are on the Ocean." This lovely bluegrass song is about separation and longing, and is a rarity among bluegrass songs in that it includes oceans. The first song on this CD to have a strong gospel flavor is "Down in the Valley to Pray." This a capella song features guest artist Alison Krause. "The Banks of the Ohio" follows and is as mellow as the former song. Alison Krause also sings on this song.

The pace picks up significantly with "Ridin' that Midnight Train." Having a train song is an excellent enhancement to this bluegrass collection.

The next instrumental was written by Ricky Scaggs and was performed by Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder, his band. "Road to Spencer" is bluegrass with a Celt flavor. I was immediately reminded of Nickel Creek's music when I heard this instrumental that is more strongly bluegrass than Nickel Creek's music.

The last three songs include Alison Krause and the performers who appeared on the previous tracks. "Katy Hill" and the last song, "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms," are traditional bluegrass music. The song in the middle, "Foggy Mountain Top," was written by A.P. Carter, Maybelle Carter and Sara Carter, also known as the Carter Family. The three songs are a marvelous finish to this CD, and will leave bluegrass enthusiasts wanting more.

Some of us may have forgotten what it means to play music. Today electronic effects hide mistakes and mediocre performances, turning street corner crooners who would scare chickens into marketable commodities. The three pickers and their ensemble remind us what it means to be in front of an audience with acoustic instruments and their voice. There are no pretty people here, just us. This music may have something to do with reminding us of our roots, but it may also tell us about ourselves, as we are now. The next time someone drives by and you hear thundering bass vibrating your bones, remember that loud electronic noise does not make music great, nor does it make up for lack of virtuosity, which does exist, here. You just need to reach for it.

I am suprised that some of the other reviewers are disappointed. Yes, this is not a studio album and therein lies some of what makes this CD magic. Are there better recordings? Probably, but this reminds me of summers in the mountains of North Carolina listening to local talent showing off at the music barn on Saturday night, the only difference is these men are legends. Yes, there is some talking, but that is too be expected. These men are friends and they like to talk about growing up with bluegrass. It is another part of the warm feeling this CD gives. If you want pure recordings without the feeling of being in the audience go buy one of the dozens of studio albums, but if you want the warmth of the live recording and the sounds of downhome music, this CD is for you.

If you loved the concert on PBS's Great Performances, this CD will not disappoint you. "The Three Pickers" is beautifully produced (by Ricky Skaggs), engineered, and mixed, and also includes some of the warm and humorous anecdotes by the performers. Standout tracks (among many others) are "Who Will Sing For Me?", "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down," and the amazing a cappella harmonies of Doc, Ricky, and Alison Krauss on "Down To The Valley To Pray." Three extra tracks ("Daybreak Blues" by Doc and Richard Watson, "Doin' My Time" by Earl Scruggs, and "Ridin' That Midnight Train" by Ricky Skaggs) are a great bonus. I have never been a huge bluegrass fan before, but the program captivated me, and the CD brings it all back!

About a year ago, I bought three albums --the latest album by the Blind Boys of Alabama (wonderful), R. L. Burnside's A Troubled Mind (one of the two best I bought from Fat Possum records --the other was Robert Balfour), and this album. In other words, I bought three outstanding albums, all at the same time.

So which one do I listen to most often? The Three Pickers.

I've been a fan of Earl Scruggs for a long time. His albums with Lester Flatt are incomparable. They're the only blue grass albums that compare to jazz in my opinion, like listening to early Louis Armstrong.

I like Ricky Skraggs, mostly for his background work on the Evangeline album, by Emmy Lou Harris. (I don't greatly like the one album I bought by Ricky with his own group.)

I know that Doc Watson is a giant and I love his voice and manner but I've never spent time listening to him, principally because C&W and folk aren't my first thing. I've spent fifty-five years listening to jazz first and classical music second. It's not that easy changing gears.

I bought this album first because Earl Scruggs was on it, second because Ricky and Doc are premiere players, and lastly because it looked pure and unadulterated, just world class performers playing together for fun.

That's what it is. All three pickers are in good form. They are having fun. It's clear they like being together. All of the songs they play are good, some wondrous.

I like the cuts with Ricky Scraggs' group least, those with the three of the pickers and with Doc and his son most. Doc Watson has a beautiful tenor-baritone voice; he plays fine guitar both in background and solo. Earl Scruggs still plays with the fire and passion he had thirty-five years ago. What technical control he has! Ricky Scraggs is a first rate instrumentalist and very good in ensemble singing, but less successful as a solo vocalist. I wish I liked Ricky's group better --it's good but the cuts with the other groups are better. Alison Krause is on some cuts but doesn't have much to do.

I usually don't like chatter on a music record but here it fits. The love --for the music they are playing and among the three men themselves -- is transparent. It adds a warm glow to an exceptional record.

Dave Keymer
Modsesto CA

In December of 2002, three legends of bluegrass sat down to do some picking - Earl Scruggs (on banjo), Doc Watson (on guitar), and relative newcomer Ricky Skaggs (on mandolin). It was aired on the American Public TV program Great Performances, and it certainly was that! This is a great CD, a work of bluegrass art.

The music is absolutely wonderful to listen to, sure to be enjoyed by any bluegrass fan. I love listening to this album, and highly recommend it to you!

I eagerly anticipated listening to this CD, and was greatly disappointed. As great as the three pickers are, the quality of the recording is so bad that their talents are muffled. There's too much talking and the crowd noise is way too loud. A well-done studio album, such as Doc Watson's collaboration with Chet Atkins many year back, would have been a better format to showcase the wonderful talents of these three pickers.

This CD is one of our favorites in our collection. Our family loves bluegrass and there's not a whole lot of the traditional, old-style music coming out of many artists nowadays. This CD was a great breath of the past. Our kids play in a bluegrass band and have played many of these songs in it. They're mostly all the old-style, heart-of-bluegrass tunes, whether vocal or instrumental. Some of our favorites are "Feast Here Tonight" (our 4-yr-old sings this at the top of her lungs!), "Foggy Mt. Top", "Storms on the Ocean", "Soldier's Joy", "Walk On Boy"...just to name a few. Ricky, Doc, & Earl are awesome together. (Doc Watson is my personal favorite!) A guest appearance by Merle Watson, Doc's son, makes "Walk on Boy" a highlight for guitar pickers. All this to say---I highly recommend this CD for anyone who like bluegrass and likes it done well.

Heard buzz regarding this CD, and finally ordered a copy and can't stop playing it. The music is so captivating that I defy you to sit still while listening, even while driving. The guys obviously enjoy what they are doing and their talent and technical ability is astounding. Even my husband, who is not a big fan of country music, loves it and that's saying something!