The enormous success of CMH’s Pickin’ On series is due partly to its ability to appeal to both bluegrass and novelty fans, and mostly to the fact that the performances are innovatively and impeccably arranged by a slew of the industry’s finest session musicians. The 14 tracks chosen for Pickin’ On Classic Rock are a fair spread of the obvious, “Ramblin’ Man,” and the not so obvious, “Stairway To Heaven.” The twin guitar assault that peppers the end of The Eagles “Hotel California” is replaced here by fiddle and dobro, as is the sullen melody of “Sounds Of Silence” by Simon And Garfunkel. “Strawberry Fields Forever” is the real catch. With its laid-back strings and front porch strumming it sounds positively high and lonesome, conjuring up the image of Hank Williams, drunk and cross-legged in front of the Maharishi, wondering how in the Hell he ended up in India. – James Christopher Monger