Hank, Bird, and Ernest V. Stoneman

[LouieB]

At the end of every year when critics give their best box sets of the year I check them out to see what I missed or might have been slightly interested in and then buy myself stuff for my family to give me for the holidays. I think I did a reasonably good job this year. It is only a matter of time before the box set goes the way of all things CD before the crush of the download, but before it does, there still seems to be a bit more unreleased or in need of rerelease material out there. Things have slowed down a bit with dozens of ways to get music besides buying a hard copy, but being sort of old school, I still dig it.

 

What seemed to be one of the greatest finds of recent years and finally released on the regular market (rather than the bootleg versions) is the first set of the Unreleased Recordsing of Hank Williams. Needless to say these recordings are something special, individual songs from the Mothers Best shows. There is a wild story about how these were actually tossed out and recovered. They have been cleaned up and restored on three CDs and this set is the first of several that are planned. They are live recordings and are a mix of Williams originals, old Victorian parlor songs, religious songs and other odds and ends (a great version of Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain for example.) If you are a Hank fan, these recordings are a freak out, with the band playing great and Hank at the heights of his vocal abililities. The set itself, released by Time Life is very nice and the liner notes informative. I suppose the main criticisim is that the songs themselves are disembodied from the show itself and while there is some patter included, the entire shows are not. Whether or not later releases will be presented in sequence I don't know, but if you like Hank, this is a good buy anyway. It shows why there will only be one Hank Williams (sorry Junior and III....).

 

Even fifty years after Charlie "Yardbird" Parker's death, his importance to both jazz and popular music in general has barely dimmed. His career is well documented by both studio and live recordings so the set Bird in time 1940-1947 uncovers the corners of Bird's career that aren't so well documented. The set includes four CDs of material that even the liner notes indicate are for fans only. This set is truly quirky and really interesting (at least to me...) It is in the old style four CD jewel case with two booklets of liner notes. Most of this material is either live material or obscure one-off sessions. It begins with Bird's first demo, as a member of Jay McShann's band, the Bob Redcross recordings (which have been released), Cootie Williams Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie Rebob Six. Intersperced with these recoridngs are interviews Bird himself, Max Roach, Milt Jackson and some lesser figures who were Bird's contemporaries. The liner nots are especially quirky (sorry to use that term twice, but it is true,) written by Michael D. Anderson and they attempt to put this arcane material into the context of Brid's career, so there is alot of biographical information, some pictures and explanations of how these recordings were made; (well sort of, some of the information is not that easy to connect to a source) in two booklets. Like I said this is sort of quirky stuff which is released on ESP and if you haven't listened to much Parker, then don't start here (start with the Savoy, Dial, or even the later career Verve sessions). Some of the recordings actually sound kind of lousy, but many sound surprisingly good and all of it will have a facination if this is your thing. Bird Lives, if you use your imagination then this will enhance it.

 

If Hank Williams was the first modern country star and certainly a transitional figure even for rock and roll, Ernest V. Stoneman (later known as Pop Stoneman) was there at the beginning of recorded country music in the 1920s. This set is called Ernest V. Stoneman The Unsung Father of Country Music. He is most famous for having helped set up the famous "Bristol Sessions" in Bristol Va/TN in 1927. This set has two CDs in a nice small book style arrangement, with a CD on each cover. The liner notes and notes on the songs are all really well done and released by 5 String Productions/Long Gone Sound Productions. This material is taken from the first era of Stoneman's career for many different labels. Needless to say these recordings, originally on 78s are not hi-fi, but they are nicely cleaned up and sound great. The configuration on these songs is different from song to song. Many harken back to the earliest days of popular music, material also from the Victorian age and earlier. Stoneman may not be the most compelling performer of this period, but his importance is undeniable. If you like the old timey stuff, traditional American music from ground zero of country music, Grayson and Carroll County in Virginia just north of the North Carolina border. (I took a trip to this part of the country a few years back and it was highly memorable, particulary the day I spent in Fries, VA where Stoneman and other early country singers were from. The day I was there the mill that sustained the town for years was half torn down, sadly.) Of the three sets, this one is the best all around one, but while Stoneman was an important figure during the first golden age of recording, he isn't the most compelling performer, but many of the songs on this set are important and enjoyable.

 

Okay, that's it. Hope this has helped some curious readers...sorry about any spelling mistakes...

 

LouieB

[tugmoose]

I downloaded the Mothers Best shows and the banter is kind of a trip.

[LouieB]

I downloaded the Mothers Best shows and the banter is kind of a trip.

Can you send me the link on that, I am not much of a downloader, but I am curious. Thanks.

 

LouieB

[HungryHippo]

just picked up the Hank boxed set! im digging it way more than i thought i would. his music is just so accessible. while listening to this set, you can't help but picture the guys all gathered around together with smiles on their faces just jamming out. oh, and all of those hymns are just wonderful. i'm a sucker for old gospel tunes. can't wait for the next release.

 

edit- i also want to mention how great these recordings sound. the music is so crisp and clear and the vocals are right up front. sounds like they were recorded yesterday.

[LouieB]

Wow. you pulled this thread out of obsurity. Thanks for posting up.

 

Yea, these are guys making music the old fashioned way. Picking up old songs and making them their own, as well as just playing and singing the heck out of whatever material they are choosing to play. Great stuff.

 

I am would love to understand the technology behind how they have cleaned them up so nicely too.

 

LouieB

[HungryHippo]

Wow. you pulled this thread out of obsurity. Thanks for posting up.

 

Yea, these are guys making music the old fashioned way. Picking up old songs and making them their own, as well as just playing and singing the heck out of whatever material they are choosing to play. Great stuff.

 

I am would love to understand the technology behind how they have cleaned them up so nicely too.

 

LouieB

i was also wondering how they cleaned them up so well. there's only so much one can do to help a recording sound better. i think a lot of it may be how the original acetates were stored. prolly in a temp. controlled room/ vault and im sure they were very rarely taken out to be played. someone mentioned in the liner notes how these recordings sound better than the original MGM recordings that we all know and love, lol.

 

i def. need to check out that Stoneman release you mentioned. i've also been meaning to check out that Folk Anthology set that was released years ago. that seems like a good way to dive into a lot of the performers i've never heard of before. i downloaded some Carter Family and Doc Boggs off it and listened to those few tracks all the time. talk about good music.

[LouieB]

i was also wondering how they cleaned them up so well. there's only so much one can do to help a recording sound better. i think a lot of it may be how the original acetates were stored. prolly in a temp. controlled room/ vault and im sure they were very rarely taken out to be played. someone mentioned in the liner notes how these recordings sound better than the original MGM recordings that we all know and love, lol.

 

i def. need to check out that Stoneman release you mentioned. i've also been meaning to check out that Folk Anthology set that was released years ago. that seems like a good way to dive into a lot of the performers i've never heard of before. i downloaded some Carter Family and Doc Boggs off it and listened to those few tracks all the time. talk about good music.

The amazing thing is that they were thrown away. How crazy is that? And I agree they sound much more alive than some of the MGM recordings. Those are good too though.

 

Regarding Stoneman, this is a sweet set I think. Stoneman recorded alot of stuff and this is a pretty good sample. I have read some criticism of him that he is not as compelling a performer as say Charlie Poole (that would be tough), but if you like old time music like this, it is well worth it. The Harry Smith Anthology remains the single best place to get aquainted with any number of musicians from the "golden age" of recording. After that nearly everything is available from various record companies (Yazoo, County, Document, JSP, Proper, etc.) so there is a world of music out there that is long forgotten. Occasionally Rosie even plays some on her radio show on WDBX (sorry for the cheap plug again.)

 

LouieB