Various Artists "GLORYLAND: 30 BLUEGRASS GOSPEL CLASSICS" (Time-Life Records, 2006)
Well, let's hear it for Time-Life! Cherrypicking the best gospel tracks from Rebel Records' independent bluegrass catalog, this slam-bang, no-nonsense 2-CD set is one of the finest, purest collections of its kind. It's great stuff, with heartfelt performances by folks such as J. D. Crowe, Jim Eanes, Del McCoury, Ron Reno, Larry Sparks, The Stanley Brothers, some early stuff by Rhonda Vincent and the ever-soulful Paul Williams. There are also some less well-known artists, such as the Marshall Family, whose songs of praise are every bit as spine-tingly and propulsive as the big stars mentioned above. Really, you can't go wrong with this set... If you want to hear some fine testifyin' and even finer pickin', then check this puppy out. Recommended!

Various Artists "HARD TIMES IN THE COUNTRY" (County/Rebel, 2004)
The vissicitudes of the marketplace -- in specific, of the Great Depression, when most of these songs were recorded -- is the focus of this excellent compilation, which speaks to how folks in the backwoods deal with economic hardship. Since they were mostly dirt poor to begin with, the Depression as such sometimes didn't make that much difference, but it sure didn't help much, either. Many of these songs are humorous -- because if you can't even laugh, then you really are screwed, right? -- although several are also pretty grim... A fascinating look at how rural folks dealt with hard times, great stuff both as music and as history... Recommended!

Various Artists "HARRY SMITH ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC" (Smithsonian Folkways, 1952/1998)
Oddball record collecting mystic-savant Harry Smith was one of the first eggheady bohemian types to take stock of the vast ocean of hauntingly evocative, genuinely odd, music recorded by rural blues and country artists during the Great Depression. While living in New York during the early '50s, Smith assembled a three-volume compilation of albums that acted as a Rosetta Stone for the nascent folk scene, moving many artists to earnestly take up the song-collecting banner, and later inspired others such as Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs to create a whole new folk canon of equal power. This widely-praised, Grammy-winning Smithsonian-Folkways box set reissues four discs worth of material originally assembled in the early 1950s by an oddball record-collecting savant who became the guru of the 'Sixties folk scene. And it's pretty awesome. (Note: legend has it that these albums represented only a fraction of his collection of rare 78s; the rest of them were pawned to the New York City Library, which musicians such as John Cohen and Mike Seeger -- of the New Lost City Ramblers -- later used as their creative wellspring during the folk revival).

Various Artists "HARRY SMITH'S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC, Vol. 4" (Revenant, 2000)
Another absolutely gorgeous release on this John Fahey-related label. This 2-CD set of primal folk and old-timey recordings follows in the wake of the Smithsonian-Folkways box set and has fewer unknown artists -- there are several tracks from way out in left field, but mainly it's heavily populated with well-known acts such as the Carter Family, Leadbelly, Memphis Minnie and the Blue Sky Boys. What is specially compelling about this set, though, is its excellent sequencing, in which each song -- even those by the well-known artists -- is set into a larger context, and sounds new, fresh, and mysterious. The collection opts for melody rather than the quirky starkness associated with old-timey music. The effect is lulling and trance-inducing, making this set much more accessible than many similar collections. In addition, the lavishly-designed booklet, which includes amused, laudatory essays by acoustic music veterans such as John Cohen (of the New Lost City Ramblers), Ed Sanders (of the Fugs) and John Fahey (who owns Revenant) is both aesthetically beautiful and wildly informative... a fitting tribute to one of the most charismatic cultural eccentrics of the Beat era. For accuracies sake, I have to point out that the provenance of this collection is a little up in the air, since the erratic Smith had assembled a precise playlist for Volume Four, but lost it during one of his down phases. Still, with the input of so many folks who knew him personally, I think it's safe to say that this collection is pretty much the real deal.

Various Artists "MORE BONA FIDE BLUEGRASS & MOUNTAIN MUSIC" (BMG Heritage, 2002)
There's actually a fair amount of un-grassy material on here, but also a lot of gems such as tracks by the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and the McPeak Brothers that'll knock your socks off. Also some later Lester Flatt tunes, from his early '70s RCA days, and some live tracks with Mac Wiseman. Kinda hodge-podgey, but worth checking out, especially since so much of this has been out of print for so long.

Various Artists "MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN: THE BLUEGRASS COLLECTION" (Varese Sarabande, 2002)
A nice set culled from the '60s catalog of the long-defunct cheapo label, Everest Records. Loads of talent on here, ranging from old-time hotshots like Joe Maphis (in one of his "folk" slumming moods) to clever young'uns such as Eric Weissberg, Erik Darling and Dick Rossmini, as well as smartalecky popsters like Mason Williams and David Lindley. A wide range of plunkers, to be sure, but this disc is packed with lovely moments, the best of which is Roger McGuinn's delicate, brilliant (but far too short!) "Banjo Bach," which adapts -- I think -- a fragment of one of the Brandenburgs. Sadly, the liner notes aren't terribly informative about recording dates and such, but that shouldn't get in the way of your enjoying this groovy little album. Really, it's worth checking out!

Various Artists "THE MUSIC OF KENTUCKY -- EARLY AMERICAN RURAL CLASSICS v.1: 1927-1937" (Shanachie/Yazoo, 1995)
An extraordinary (and very fun) set of old-timey tunes from Kentucky's Depression-era backwoods... Indeed, as pointed out in the liner notes, pretty much all of Kentucky still was backwoods at the time these recordings were made, with no electricity or paved roads in most of the state... But plenty of great music! This disc draws on two main sources -- the epochal Bristol Sessions in 1927-28, which were attended by both Ernest Phipps and Alfred G. Karnes, and some later field recordings that Alan Lomax, Sr. made late in '37, at the behest of the Library of Congress. It's all marvellous stuff, but the highlights are the robust, rowdy gospel recordings of Karnes and Phipps, performances that simply leap out at you over the divide of decades and multiple music technologies. While some old-timey collections can be a bit of a chore to get through, this one is a delight, with an almost rock'n'rollish immediacy to many of the tracks. Recommended!

Various Artists "THE MUSIC OF KENTUCKY -- EARLY AMERICAN RURAL CLASSICS v.2: 1927-1937" (Shanachie/Yazoo, 1995)
A fine followup to the first volume, though with more of a tilt towards ballads and back-porch, field-recording type material. Great stuff, though... and about as authentic as any folk music you'll ever hear!

"O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?" -- Wouldn't ya just know it? I actually have a whole separate page devoted just to this subject.

Various Artists "O MICKEY WHERE ART THOU? THE VOICES OF BLUEGRASS SING THE BEST OF DISNEY" (Walt Disney Records, 2003)
Bluegrass??? Collin Raye and Ronnie Milsap? Stonewall Jackson and Charlie Louvin? Sonya Isaacs? Robbie Fulks?? Uh, I don't think so. Anyway, aside from the cheesy opportunism of Disney trying to latch onto the O Brother Where Art Thou bandwagon, I guess this is an okay album. A lot of the more modern, crappy soundtrack themes ("You'll Be In My Heart," "Circle Of Life," etc.) are included, and an near-equal amount of oldies ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," et al) and while there are a couple of instrumentals (giving slight plausibility to the "bluegrass" claim), for the most part this is a fairly twangless album. I was happy to see the squeeky-voiced hillbilly filly Elizabeth Cook on here, even though her track doesnÕt highlight her strengths that well. Mostly this is a pretty iffy album.

Various Artists "O SISTER...A WOMEN'S BLUEGRASS COLLECTION" (Rounder, 2001)
Nothing to complain about here. Rounder cashes in on the O Brother Where Art Thou? phenomenon with a fem-centric collection packed with goodies by Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, Hazel Dickens, Suzanne Thomas, Lynn Morris and others. Sticks to the more traditional end of the spectrum, and keeps the momentum up throughout. Most of these gals are worth checking out on their own, but this makes a perfect introduction to their music.

Various Artists "OLD TIME MOUNTAIN BANJO" (County, 1969/2005)
When this album originally came out, it was one of the first collections of its kind, a deep exploration of pre-WWII banjo music that included some of the finest plunkers of the 1920s and '30s. Buell Kazee, Dave Macon, Charlie Poole and the Coon Creek Girls are among the more well-known artists on here, although it's the more idiosyncratic choices that make this such a charming set. There's plenty of the weirdness, spookiness, the authenticity and immediacy that makes these type of vintage recordings so fascinating... This is a great collection, the kind of music I could leave playing on the stereo for days on end, and be both satisfied and surprised anew each and every time I hear it. Great job on the sound remastering, too, by the way. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed the old Harry Smith collections.

Old-Timey compilations -- yes, there is some overlap, but also a few special surprises.

Various Artists "PINECASTLE CHRISTMAS GATHERIN' " (Pinecastle, 2003)
A swell holiday offering by some of best, most hearfelt indie bluegrass artists of the Pinecastle label's stable. Michelle Nixon, Larry Stephenson, David Parmley, Charlie Waller and others are included, drawing on material off of several albums recorded between 1996-2003, with most of the material apparently recorded just for this album. The highlights are two zippy instrumentals, "Frosty The Snowman" as done by Scott Vestal and his pals, and a version of "O, Come All Ye Faithful," featuring Ross Nickerson with some sweet banjo licks. Nice stuff! (By the way - if you like country Christmas records, I review a whole bunch of them on my hillbilly holiday page... )

Various Artists "RETURN TO COLD MOUNTAIN" (Compendia, 2004)
Well, leaving aside the question of why anybody would want to align themselves with such a crappy movie as Cold Mountain, this is actually a fairly sweet old-timey/folkie album, with standards like "Pretty Polly," "Shady Grove," "Lorena," and "Old Joe Clark," some of which date back the Civil War era, and others, curiously, which do not (like the gangster ballad, "Back In '29," which makes reference to the most decidedly post-Antebellum automobile...) The opportunistic O Brother-ish marketing gambit is a little cheesy, but the album is not. Some heavy hitters like David Holt and Jim Lauderdale appear on here, but most of the musicians are folks I've never heard of, which is always nice... Many, it appears, are North Carolina natives. Not a bad little set.

Various Artists "THE ROSE AND THE BRIAR: DEATH, LOVE AND LIBERTY IN THE AMERICAN BALLAD" (Columbia Legacy, 2004)
Music critic (and fellow Berkeleyan) Greil Marcus delves into the history of the American ballad, tracing the roots of Anglo-Celtic murder ballads and all-American disaster songs such as the "Omie Wise," "Barbara Allen," "Wreck Of The Old 97," etc. This album is a companion disc to a new set of essays by the same title, illuminating the use of story-songs in American popular culture. Although the album does have the overall feel of a college radio theme set that's gone on a little too long, it's still amazing how potent and immediate these old songs still seem. Marcus's selections are for the most part superior choices, particularly tracks by the Coon Creek Girls, Jean Ritchie, Mississippi John Hurt and a particularly haunting tune by Jelly Roll Morton ("Buddy Bolden's Blues"). The "through-line," as they say, is that these are all songs that tell a story, including many historical narratives and others that were tales floating around in the more general folk aether... There are also several songs that are interesting updates or recontexualizations of old themes, and many of these leap out with surprising immediacy inside Marcus's intellectual framework. Among these newer songs are Jan & Dean's "Dead Man's Curve," a surf-teen tune that takes the disaster-accident theme and moves it into modern-day LA, Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska," Marty Robbins's still-compelling "El Paso," and -- most masterfully -- Bob Dylan's "Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts," a song that was explicitly crafted as a reworking of old folk themes. Some of the selections seem a bit forced -- Bobby Patterson's soul version of "Trial Of Mary McGuire," a Duke Ellington opus -- but perhaps if I pick up the book, the reasoning behind their inclusion will become much clearer. At any rate, this is mostly a pretty cool collection.

Various Artists "TEXAS HOEDOWN REVISITED" (County, 1965/2007)
There's just something about Texas fiddling that is so super-sweet... Those fellas back in Virginia and the Kentucky had a rougher style, but over in the Lone Star state they liked to linger on the notes a little and embellish the melody. Want proof? Check out this swell set from the 'Sixties, an expanded reissue of a 1965 featuring three bowmen, Bartow Riley, Vernon Solomon and Benny Thomasson. It's a great collection, packed with captivating performances. Fourteen "new" tracks are added to the original album, including several tracks recorded a few years later; four songs from the original album have been pruned out (having already been reissued on an earlier CD of Solomon's work...) This is really sweet stuff, a real treat for fiddle fans of all persuasions. Recommended!

Various Artists "A TRIBUTE TO JIMMY MARTIN: THE KING OF BLUEGRASS" (Koch, 2004)
An all-star homage to the late, great Jimmy Martin, one of the grittiest, most "country" of the great bandleaders from the golden age of bluegrass. This tribute was organized by banjoist J.D. Crowe, along with several other alumni from Martin's bands. It's a great set, solid picking and singing throughout, and -- of course -- a stellar selection of Martin's bluesy, rollicking old songs. The band includes J. D. Crowe, along with Paul Williams and Audie Blaylock (who also worked with Martin over the years) as well as album producer Ben Isaacs, fiddler Mike Cleveland, Sonya Isaacs, and others. It's a good'n!

Various Artists "VIRGINIA ROOTS: THE 1929 RICHMOND SESSIONS" (Outhouse Records, 2002)
The 1920s marked the start of the modern country and blues record industry, with Southern artists trekking up to New York to cut sessions, and various labels and ethnographers heading down below the Mason-Dixon to either latch onto the next big thing, or to try and capture a wisp of the traditional regional culture before it succumbed to commercial pressures and modernity. The best-known of these Southern sessions is the Bristol, TN trip which brought the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers to national fame, but other expeditions yielded rich treasures, as heard on this 2-CD set which gathers together almost all of the three dozen or so tracks released by Okeh Records following a marathon session in Richmond, VA. It's great stuff and reflects the musical and ethnic diversity of the era and the area. There's squeaky old-time stringband material alongside African-American gospel music that's alternately rollicking and solemn. Most of the artists are quite obscure, and all are quite good. There's the Bubbling Over Five, the Salem Highballers, the Sparkling Four, The Roanoke Jug Band, Bela Lam, and the Tubize Royal Hawaiian Orchestra... Many of the songs are familiar, but these are unique versions, lovingly curated by a bunch of uber-collectors who just happened to have almost all the once-scattered 78s on hand for this collectors-only collection. (Available from www.outhouserecords.com )

Various Artists "WHITE COUNTRY BLUES: 1926-1938 -- A LIGHTER SHADE OF BLUE" (Columbia Legacy, 1993)
The hazy line between old-time hill music and blues-influenced proto-country is mighty fine... This set falls well into the blues camp, but it's such a great collection that if you're poking around the edges of antique twangcore, then this album might also run a shiver down your spine. Recommended!

Various Artists "WPAQ: THE VOICE OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS" (Rounder, 1999)
A fab collection of hard-core mountain music recorded several decades ago at a small, locally-oriented radio station in rural North Carolina. In assembling this disc, Rounder has stayed true to the station's local community orientation -- although big-name stars often visited the station, the tracks stick pretty firmly to obscure regional musician; Jim Eanes is probably the best-known artist on here, otherwise it's just plain folks, playing live on the radio. Murder ballads, bluegrass bounces, squeaky fiddle tunes and glorious/goofy gospel -- it's all here, and it's all really good. These recordings come from the days in the late '40s/early '50s when bluegrass was still ascendant, so there is a strong stylistic pull towards more melodic material, and you should be able to get your bluegrass-only pals to give it a listen...

Various Artists "YOUNG FOGIES, v.1" (Rounder, 1994)
Various Artists "YOUNG FOGIES, v.2" (Rounder, 1995)
Two great collections of various Rounder bands who play the plinky-plunky... Features folks such as the Dry Branch Fire Squad... etc etc... This was meant as a cheapie catalog sampler, but don't let that bother you -- all the performances are top-notch, and the enthusiasm of the bands shines through on every cut. Recommended!