Customer Reviews

Traitor in Our Midst/Don't Give Up Your Day Job

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

 

 

Sure, the two albums are a little too California for the majority of most east coast bluegrassers, but if you grew up listening to the (original) Dillards, Kentucky Colonels, and Vern & Ray, then you'll understand what drives this band. Alan Munde is just a monster -- absolutely rock solid, with licks that banjoists then, and banjoists now, can only dream of nailing. And playing off him is Byron's fiddling (with hands like hams, how the heck can he play such intricate double and triple stops?). Two of the best 70's bluegrass albums on the same CD. How CAN you lose??

Hippie-era newgrass doesn't get more genial or good-natured than this lively outfit, which featured banjo whiz Alan Munde, fiddler Byron Berline, bassist Rober Bush and singer Kenny Wertz, along with an amorphous cast of high-powered pals such as Clarence White, Herb Pedersen and Al Perkins. The band was an on-again, off-again project that got squeezed in between the demands that various bands such as the Dillards, Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers placed on the Gazette members... Although lumped in with the whole early-'70s country-rock scene, Country Gazette were clearly more traditionally and bluegrass oriented in musical terms, even if their song selection ranged from the Louvin Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs to Steven Stills and Elton John. Fortunately for us, they managed to eke out these two fine major-label albums, which radiate a keen sense of humor, a flair for showmanship and a profound understanding of musical history which keeps these recordings sounding fresh as can be, decades down the line. A nice prelude to their later indie-label works... highly recommended!

If you want the original Country Gazette, which i did, this is the best you're going to find on CD. They have some other great albums, but they haven't made it to digital media. This is basically Bluegrass with Pedal Steel. I love it.

Bryon Berline made his rep with this band almost 40 years ago and it's still better than most being recorded today. Turn up the volume and clog your ass off to "Lost Indian", smooth harmonies, good singing and kickass Banjo, great fiddling, chest pounding bass and a Mandolin that sings. This is an album on par with Flat and Scruggs, Doc Watson, Seldom Seen and Doug Kershaw.
American music at it's best!

When I was a high school kid in the mid-70s I hung out at this little acoustic instrument shop in Phoenix called "Mike's Music." Mike was a bluegrass-addicted picker with dreams of owning a music store. As store managers went, Mike was a great musician. The store didn't last long but while it did, I knew I could drive over there, play the Martins on the wall and listen to some great bluegrass music emanating from the stereo.

Mike had a real attraction to these two albums by Country Gazette. They were where I first became aware of that amazing fiddler Byron Berline, and although nearly 25 years went by between hearing these albums in Mike's music store and getting them on CD, I found that they'd lost none of their punch.

"Traitor" is my favorite of the two LPs here. The songs just seem to have a better flow with each other, but the playing on both albums is stellar.

Favorites include "Lost Indian," "I Wish You Knew," "Sound of Goodbye," and their interesting take on Elton John's "Honky Cat."

But it's all good. I've lost track of Mike, but a lot of the music he shared with me is on this CD. If you're the kind who likes to sit around pickin' on a Saturday afternoon, this is definitely a CD you should check out.

I used to listen to this every night before bed and dream of the prairie while living in Arizona. I believe I saw them live at the Coconino Arts Center. When you want some great bluegrass, it is right up there with my favorites. I have looked everywhere for these recordings of earlier albums. Favorites are My Oklahoma, Snowball, The Fallen Eagle, and all of them. Enjoy.