When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of the Louvin Brothers

Louvin Brothers

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B000002Z94
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #77,138 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
The great irony of the Louvin Brothers, today considered by many the best of the brother duos, is that they peaked at a time when the form was almost dead. Their vocal sound was as old as the Alabama hills, and they kept alive such archaic tunes as "Knoxville Girl" and "In the Pines." Yet their studio bands were up to date, if not exactly Nashville Sound knockoffs, and much of their material, including "You're Running Wild," was fairly contemporary. Traditionalists or modernists? When it's this good, who cares? And besides, who's going to argue with guys who knew Sin the way Charlie and Ira Louvin knew Sin? --John Morthland

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They gave their all to make it live, July 21, 2003

By	rballjones "rballjones" (Des Moines, IA USA) - See all my reviews

Like another reviewer, I was introduced to the music of the Louvin Bros. through Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. It's evident their wonderful duets were strongly influenced by the brothers.

The Louvin Bros. represent some of the finest old-time country music made. Not only were they great singers but songwriters and musicians too--during an era (the 50s) when country music could came straight from the churches and straight from the hills, without passing through a corporate music mill as we hear from Nashville today. Fans of old-time country, folk, bluegrass, gospel or the Everly Bros. should not miss these guys.

As a write this, the songs listed on the Amazon site are mistakenapparently from another record. Rest assured, When I Stop DreamingThe Best of the Louvin Bros contains all of their best known numbers, including "The Family Who Prays," "When I Stop Dreaming," "Don't Laugh," "I Don't Believe You've Met my Baby," "Hoping that You're Hoping,", "Knoxville Girl," "You're Running Wild," and "My Baby's Gone." It also contains most of the songs Parsons/Harris covered including, "Cash on the Barrelhead," "If I Could Only Win Your Love" and "You're Learning." This collection doesn't, however, include "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night." There are 24 songs in all--recorded from 1952-1962.

Ira and Charlie Louvin created some incredible vocal harmonies--as good as it gets. Ira's high tenor marks him as one of the most distinctive and greatest of country singers.

Another outstanding feature of their music is the quality of their band--usually consisting of Ira's mandolin, an electric guitar (Chet Atkins or Paul Yandell), acoustic rhythm guitar and acoustic bass with an occasional piano and drums. No steelexcept on Cash on the Barrelhead. Their backing is sparse and flavorful. One song I particularly enjoy is the story-like "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby." It begins:

"Last night, my dear, the rain was falling,
I went to bed so sad and blue--
then I had a dream of you.

I dreamed I was strolling in the evening,
underneath the harvest moon.
I was thinking a-bout you."

Paul Yandell's reverberated but unobtrusive guitar fills evoke an image of night, the strumming guitar or mandolin sounds like the patter of rain and the band creates a sound which perfectly compliments the lyrics. Its easy to understand why this song hit #1 in 1956.

Another favorite is "Hoping that You're Hoping." It swings. It's fun. ("Everytime I think about the way you spuddle up and cuddle up and fill me with your charms.") It also has a great guitar interlude (Again, by Paul Yandell. Between him and Atkins there are many such parts; this recording is a masterpiece of 50's style country electric guitar).

This greatest hits collection also contains some fine but lesser-known songs including a wonderful acoustic number "Gonna Lay Down My Guitar" in which Ira Louvin plays Rabon Delmores (of the Delmore Bros.) guitar.

This recording ends with a humorous but appropriate Roy Acuff song: "Stuck Up Blues"
"Show me a hundred stuck up folks and I'll show you a hundred fools"

But, no foolin'. Buy this record. Itll stick with you.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly excellent and Absolutely Essential Music, August 10, 2001

By	Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Like so many others, I learned of the Louvin Brothers from listening to Gram Parsons ("The Christian Life" and "Cash on the Barrelhead") and Emmylou Harris ("If I Could Only Win Your Love"). Reading about the enthusiasm of so many others for their music made me decide to give them a chance. I am delighted to be able to report that this is a stunning record.

Three things stand out on this album. First and foremost, this is am album about great, great singing. Unlike a large number of country and blue grass singers from the fifties and sixties, neither Ira nor Charles Louvin, despite singing in a high, high tenor and tenor respectively, had a whiny voice. Ira, in particular, had a magnificently throaty quality, even at the very highest ranges. And they are jutifiably famous for their gorgeous, tight harmonies.

Second, the songs are just incredible. I won't say every song is perfect. "Knoxville Girl," a particularly graphic narrative of a man killing his girlfriend didn't really appeal to me. But nearly everyother song on the record really hit me in a big way. And it is clear that Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris didn't just take average songs and make them great; the well-known songs are as good or better as performed by the Louvins. In particular, Ira Louvin's incredible rendition of "Cash on the Barrelhead" stands out.

Last, every song features absolutely first rate musicians. The backup musicians are superb, and Ira was not merely one of the best high tenors in country, but a highly accomplished mandolin player.

I was interested to see that the liner notes were written by Marshall Crenshaw.

This album will appeal to all fans of bluegrass, traditional country, Gram Parsons, or Emmylou Harris.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT HARMONY AND GREAT TUNES, December 6, 2003

By	helen tall (JENNINGS, LA.) - See all my reviews

I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE LOUVIN BROTHERS EVEN AS A CHILD.NOW AS A RETIREE, I FIND I ENJOY THEM EVEN MORE. THE CD "WHEN I STOP DREAMING" IS FABULOUS. AS A MATTER OF FACT IT IS NOW PLAYING AND I USUALLY LET THE LOUVIN BROTHERS LULL ME TO SLEEP. I SET THE CD PLAYER SO IF I SHOULD AWAKEN DURING THE NIGHT, THEY WILL BE SINGING FOR ME.YOU MIGHT SAY I'M A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH THIS PARTICULAR CD BUT HONESTLY ALL THE SONGS ARE GREAT AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOY THEIR GOSPEL MUSIC.IF I AM A LITTLE DEPRESSED, I PLAY THEIR GOSPEL CD AND IT MAKES ME FEEL MUCH BETTER.