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Avg: 4.0 (15 ratings)
- Date Released: March 22, 2005
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Traditional Country
- Label: Dualtone
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We Say...
Released in conjunction with a PBS documentary on the birthplace of bluegrass and mountain music, The Appalachians pairs contemporary bluegrass and old-timey stars with back-in-the-day archival recordings from the likes of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. The result isn't a lesson in history or music so much as human suffering and the eternal struggle to, as songwriter James Hedley wrote a hundred years ago, look on the sunny side of life. The sequence of tracks that begins with Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting for a Train" and ends with the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower" contains 50 lifetimes of pain and disappointment, as faces weathered like mountain tops sing hauntingly of love and destitution, and how the two are one and the same. Kentucky balladeer Addie Graham's "We're Stole and Sold from Africa," a darker (literally) sibling of Ralph Stanley's "O Death," defiantly details America's unforgivable sin; Blind Alfred Reed's "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times" puts a face on financial disaster; and Rodgers' sweet "Waiting for a Train" desolately kicks a can down Tin Pan Alley.
The contemporary performances sound more optimistic thanks to cleaner production, even if the songs' subjects rarely hear change jangle in their pockets. Jeff Black's restrained cover of the standard "Dark as a Dungeon" is perfectly pitched; Rose Bell's scratchy fiddle on "Amazing Grace" explores the Appalachians' crucial bagpipe connection; Jason Ringenberg adds a bit of menace to the classic "Price to Pay"; Ricky Skaggs' "Soldier of the Cross" straddles the divide between old-timey and contemporary bluegrass with a very traditional arrangement spruced up with some decidedly modern harmonies; and Johnny and June Carter Cash's excellent duet on "The Road of Kaintuck" similarly spans bluegrass' ages. (I'm still trying to figure out how the fact that weird New York folkie Devendra Banhart sounds exactly like the archival recording of West Virginian Maggie Hammons' "When This World Comes to an End" fits into all of this.)
The Appalachians recalls Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's hugely important Will the Circle Be Unbroken, their 1972 album that featured collaborations with Doc and Merle Watson, the Carter Family and many others. The Appalachians' connections are much more spiritual and sequential than Circle's, but the purpose — to welcome mountain music into the modern age — is much the same. While many bluegrass revivalists insist upon ignoring the music's dark and pessimistic origins, the performers here revel in them, and this disc is absolutely essential as a result. -
They Say...
This soundtrack to the three-hour Public Television documentary of the same name chronicles the region's rich musical heritage from the Carter Family through Ricky Skaggs. It's a harrowing assignment, and while one could argue for days over which Jimmie Rodgers song to use -- the producers chose "Waiting for a Train" -- they've done a nice job balancing the old and the new, resulting in a listening experience that's infinitely more esoteric than collections' past. Highlights include Kentucky native Jean Ritchie's heartbreaking "West Virginia Mine Disaster," the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers' reverent and spooky "Northfield" and Paul Burch's contemporary sepia-toned painting "Electricity." Fans of the genre, especially those that like their old timey music peppered with equal parts field recording and modern stereo-goodness, will find much to love here.
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| 01. |
East River Of Shannon - Instrumental (Excerpt) |
0:24 |
|
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| 02. |  |
Boozefighters - Gandydancer |
1:27 |
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| 03. | |
The Road Of Kaintuck - June Carter Cash Feat. Johnny Cash |
2:55 |
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| 04. | |
I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home - Mac Wiseman |
2:50 |
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| 05. | |
Waiting For A Train
|
2:44 |
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| 06. | |
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times - Blind Alfred Reed |
3:12 |
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| 07. | |
Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
|
2:55 |
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| 08. | |
We're Stole And Sold From Africa - Addie Graham |
2:09 |
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| 09. | |
Northfield - Alabama Sacred Harp Singing Convention |
1:09 |
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| 10. | |
Wildwood Flower
|
3:11 |
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| 11. | |
Down On The Banks Of The Ohio - Blue Sky Boys |
3:20 |
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| 12. | |
Electricity - Paul Birch |
2:52 |
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| 13. | |
East River Of Shannon
|
1:32 |
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| 14. | |
Dark As A Dungeon
|
4:01 |
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| 15. | |
West Virginia MIne Disaster - Jean Ritchie |
2:45 |
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| 16. | |
When This World Comes To An End - Maggie Hammons |
4:39 |
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| 17. | |
Amazing Grace - Rose Bell |
2:32 |
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| 18. | |
Hillbilly Fever
|
2:22 |
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| 19. | |
Old Camp Meeting Time - Grandpa Jones |
2:12 |
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| 20. | |
Soldier Of The Cross
|
5:20 |
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| 21. | |
Price Of Progress
|
3:37 |
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| 22. | |
Wildwood Flower Instrumental
|
2:46 |
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22 Total Tracks, 60:54 Total Length
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Credits
- Alan Lomax - Engineer // Alan Lomax - Engineer // Charlie Barnett - Guitar // Paul Bell - Guitar // Robert Spates - Mandolin // Robert Spates - Violin // Paul Kingsbury - Compilation Producer // Charles Connor - Cover Photo // George Edward "Leo" Jackson - Engineer // Robert Santelli - Liner Notes // Mary Ann Evans - Compilation Producer // Rose Bell - Arranger // Harry Choron - Design // Phylis Geller - Compilation Producer // Chris Kosky - Bass
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