Will the Circle Be Unbroken (30th Anniversary Edition) [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 26, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000063686
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,947 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #19 in Music > Country > Bluegrass > Contemporary
  • #36 in Music > Pop > By Decade > 1970s
  • #44 in Music > Country > Bluegrass > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In an age when the old-timey soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? sells 5 million copies, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary Will the Circle Be Unbroken seemed upon its release 30 years ago. The triple album (now rereleased as a two-CD set) paired many of Nashville's venerable country and bluegrass performers (Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements) with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or as Acuff called them, "a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys." The idea seemed nearly as foreign as Martians setting down in Tennessee, but the Dirt Band were Colorado hippies steeped in the genre, so there was no disputing the authenticity of the music, or its earthy appeal. Aside from the sheer joy of the performances (listen to Jimmy Martin's "whoop" on "Sunny Side of the Mountain"), there's great fun in hearing Roy Acuff give the boys a lesson in doing a song right the first time (and using the word hell before launching into a religious number). And Mother Maybelle wafts through like a benevolent ghost, or at least a patron saint. One caveat: The boast of four previously unreleased tracks is balderdash, since three are really between-track conversations and rehearsals, and only "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" qualifies as a real song. But that's nitpicking. Buy it. Love it. Wallow in it. O brother, that's country music! --Alanna Nash

Product Description

Two generations of country artists came together 30 years ago, when this epic meeting took place between the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff and LOTS of other legends. This anniversary reissue features their remarkable renditions of Black Mountain Rag; Nine Pound Hammer; Honky Tonkin'; The Precious Jewel; Wabash Cannonball , and 33 more!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

468 of 474 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars you are there.... April 1, 2002

By John McEuen

Format:Audio CD

As Will the Circle Be Unbroken came together I was living the dream of a young picker: getting to play with the people who created the form of music I had grown to love and yearned to emulate. The story on how this came about is available, but the result is what counts here. It was one of the best experiences in my life, and captured a young band at its best, shining our spotlight at the time on our heroes. And boy, did they shine back.
Vassar set the benchmark for fiddlers to aspire to with his hot inspired approach.. Earl as always defined the 5 string banjo ... Roy sang great and his performances stand as some of his best work. Travis and his songs bring you in to a different branch of the country folk world with his genius guitar style matched by his wise words written from his Kentucky background. Doc shares with everyone his joy of hot music, and makes everyone feel at home. (The first time meeting between Doc and Merle helped us out, as when we saw it happening we realized we were in a group of great people who were all truly fans of each other as much as we were of them.) Jimmy Martin demonstrated to us between cuts that he knew what his music should sound like, and cordially let us in on the secrets. He is one of the best bluegrass/country singers, and here shows why that is said. Maybelle was like an angel and, never realizing her impact on music in general, just wanted to do her songs in a way that would 'please everyone... the more the merrier.. ' She would laid down the spirit of the whole project . This was not something she could teach, but from her we learned.

This is a great album, and I say this not because I am a part of it. I do not listen to a lot of albums. I rarely listen to other Dirt Band music, although I like it. And, I play it live. But, after I remastered this from the original masters, and having heard it over the years, it seems like I would have had enough. I have listened to this probably 50 times since remastering, and look forward to the next flight where I can take a trip back to a time that was in a space where we all are frozen in the moment.

Circle represents much of the best of American music, songs, picking, singing, writing... and still draws me to it. I am sure anyone who likes acoustic music of the Americana type will find themselves drawn to it also. Circle becomes a welcome part of your life.
Thanks to the 96/24 mastering, it sounds better than ever, too.

The new pieces I put in are all equally important to me. I am proud that the Washington Post's great review mistakenly said Earl played Foggy Mt. Breakdown. The talking cuts showcase Jimmy Martin and his way of getting to the point, and gives us further insight to the true bluegrass great: funny, natural, strange.. and a definite opinion of exactly where he wants his music. And he is right.

The piece around Sunny Side is there to show all who have asked over the years "what was it like?" It captures the true spontaneity of the sessions; the constant chatter of all the players, uncertain of who was going to play where, how it starts, if one should wear picks or not... and it all of a sudden blends in to the start of such a touching piece of great music that now obviously comes from real people who are creating it from the heart.

The perfect closing song for this remastered work I found in the hours of the constant running tape, the bit of song where Doc asks us to "Remember Me when the twilight begins to fall.." and seems to speak for everyone. As I sat in the control room on the third day of running the tapes I said to the engineer "I hope today we come across the perfect closer for this" and it was the next piece of music.

So here it is - this journey back in time we were so very fortunate to make and be a part of - Will the Circle Be Unbroken in time I believe we will find to be as well known in American culture as has Wizard of Oz, Dark Side of the Moon, The Music Man, Citizen Kane, The Tonight Show, The Grand Ole Opry, and ...

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This classic album got me "hooked" on the Dirt Band November 12, 2004

By Ken

Format:Audio CD

The original Will The Circle Be Unbroken album, which came out as a triple LP in '72 and was re-released in a newer version on CD a couple of years ago, is the one that got me hooked on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. After hearing my dad and one of my sisters play it, I bought Circle for myself. It soon became my favorite Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album and the one I played most often. Recently, I bought the remastered double-CD version of Will The Circle Be Unbroken. It has everything that was on the original triple LP, plus several new tracks.

When the Dirt Band's producer, Bill McEuen(brother of NGDB member John McEuen), brought the Dirt Band into the studio to record Circle in '72, they were five long-haired guys playing progressive country-rock. A lot of the veteran country artists the Dirt Band recorded with on Circle were conservative classic-country performers, so there was an obvious musical and cultural gap. However, the Dirt Band eventually won their veteran artist counterparts over by showing that they could play classic country and bluegrass with anybody. The result is a timeless album that's full of tradition.

Along with the Dirt Band members at the time--John McEuen, Jimmy Ibbotson, Les Thompson, Jimmie Fadden, and Jeff Hanna--Circle's roster of artists includes people who, in my mind, constitute a virtual Hall of Fame of country and bluegrass music: Earl Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, and Mother Maybelle Carter. There are also some great session players on here: Norman Blake and Oswald Kirby on dobro; Roy "Junior" Huskey on acoustic bass; Vassar Clements on fiddle; and Randy Scruggs, son of Earl, on lead guitar. And there are a lot of great musical moments. Doc Watson, with the Dirt Band backing him up, sings "Tennessee Stud" and "Way Downtown" and also does some clever guitar picking on "Black Mountain Rag" and "Down Yonder". Earl Scruggs provides excellent banjo work on a lot of the numbers, especially his own compositions: "Flint Hill Special", "Nashville Blues", and "Earl's Breakdown". Jimmy Martin, like Earl a prominent bluegrass performer, sings "Grand Ole Opry Song", "Sunny Side Of The Mountain", "You Don't Know My Mind", "Losin' You Might Be The Best Thing Yet" and "My Walkin' Shoes". Merle Travis contributes "Nine Pound Hammer", "Dark As A Dungeon", and "I Am A Pilgrim". Roy Acuff does a rousing rendition of Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light" and a memorable version of his own classic song "Precious Jewel". Maybelle's vocals are powerful on "Keep On The Sunny Side", "Wildwood Flower", and "I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes". Vassar Clements' fiddle work stands out on "Orange Blossom Special". The highlight, though, is "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", the title song, with the entire cast of musicians and singers and great singing by Mother Maybelle, Jimmy Martin, and Roy Acuff. Two of the bonus tracks are instrumentals: the bluegrass classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and the gospel number "Remember Me". The thing that really makes this record special is the between-song conversation among the performers, including a memorable dialogue between Doc Watson and Merle Travis, who first met in the studio while recording Circle with the Dirt Band.

I bought the second volume of Circle on CD before I bought the CD of volume one. Though Circle, Volume 2 has a lot to recommend it--for instance, more vocals and original songs by Dirt Band members--that album at times sounds like a slick studio product. This record, by contrast, sounds "live" even though it was recorded in a studio. Every song was recorded on the first or second try--"Do it right the first time," said Roy Acuff just before launching into "Precious Jewel"--and, as I've already stated, many of the interactions among the various performers made it onto the album. Also, I don't think it's any coincidence that John McEuen returned to the Dirt Band in '02 after a 15-year absence, about the time this remastered version of Circle came out. There are a lot of talented musicians on Volume 2 of Circle, but John was one of the guys who made the original Circle--and the Dirt Band--go. NGDB put out solid music after John left, but not too much of it had the bluegrass-country feel he provided. John's return to the band makes me appreciate this classic Circle album even more.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Join the Circle April 10, 2002

By "sedonatunes"

Format:Audio CD

I discovered this album nearly 20 years ago. I had left my North Carolina mountain home for the first time, and moved to a place where I was alone and a stranger. In taking my leave, I thought I had also shed my hick past (my definition then, not now) along with my accent. I had isolated myself from my family, my friends, and in a way, myself.

Will the Circle be Unbroken, along with Emmylou Harris' Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, helped me survive. They reminded me, in the most glorious way, where I had come from, who I was.

There are pieces of music that, on the very first listen, occupy a place in you soul that you didn't know was empty. Circle can do that. It provides a musical home for all who yearn for connection to a simpler place and time. It's a connection to the places in our hearts where we store the stories and lore of our ancestors.

The passions in the music are as they should be...raw and real. The lyrics are powerful in their simple straightforwardness. The performances are not flawless, but better. They have the character of masterpieces made on the fly.

Buy this album. Make it yours...or it might make you its own. And look to vol.2, produced in the '80's. It's slicker, yes, and casts a wider net, but it is also the natural extension of Will the Circle be Unbroken. These albums deserve to be viewed as national treasures. When you listen to them, you will certainly want to include them among your own personal treasures.