Customer Reviews

Tragic Songs of Life/Satan Is Real

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Many people have never heard of the Louvin Brothers, and that's a shame. This double-record CD is a good introduction, along with the "greatest hits" selection found on the CD, "When I Stop Dreaming." I found out about them by listening to Emmylou Harris's covers of their songs, which are beautiful and haunting.

The Louvins first sang gospel songs then moved into country. They popularized a style of singing called "close harmony" that was later refined by the Everly Brothers. What makes them fascinating to me is the dramatic contrast between their songs and their personal lives. As I listen to "I like the Christian life" (from "Satan is Real"), I can't help but think of Ira Louvin's alcoholism, fighting, and vicious personality (people around the brothers commonly referred to Ira as "mean as a snake"). As well as the fact that, when he died in a drunken automobile crash with his fourth wife, Ira still had four bullets in his back from when his third wife shot him.

It's that kind of incongruity that makes the Louvins fascinating to me. They were excellent musicians and songwriters, but Ira was also an extraordinarily conflicted individual. That had to color his artistry. And, it gives their music a depth and texture that transcends, at least for me, the religious themes that may put some others off.

You might want to give the Louvin Brothers a listen.

i ordered this for a gift, the person thanked me for this cd and remarked that this didn't take the long

a little too jesusie for my taste.
but u gotta love those louvin bros.