These are five albums that are little “off the beaten path” so to speak, but each one of these recordings of music that I would hate to not have in my life. They are proof that not all great albums are big hits or records that jump into your mind. So, if you have any of these albums get them out and play them. If you don’t have them get them.
Joan Baez – Diamond and Rust in the Bullring
When I saw this LP in an email from Acoustic Sounds, I was shocked. I thought I had heard every Baez album she has released, but somehow this one had escaped me. Chad at Analogue Productions brought us this rare live album on both 200-gram vinyl and SACD. It was mastered from the original analog tape by Kevin Grat at Coherent Audio and pressed at QRP. I’ve actually reviewed this album before, but not recently.
The album is a recording of a 1988 performance by Baez in a bullring in Bilbao, Spain. The performance was dedicated to the mayor of Bilbao. I think this LP will give you insight into why she was an international success and so much more than a folk singer.
Side One is in English and side two is in Spanish. Both sides are just spectacular. As I said, I had never heard this LP, but I can’t believe how good it is. Of course, the title cut is great, but there is music on here that I had not heard her sing before. I loved hearing her sing “Famous Blue Raincoat,” “Let It Be,” “Txoria Txori” and “Llego Con Tres Heridas.” What great music! Don’t miss this one.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Americana
Released in June of 2012, this has become one of my favorite LPs of all time. Like several of my favorite LPs, Americana didn’t make that big an impression the first time I played it. Still, something in the back of my head said to play it again. I did and I keep playing it. When John DeVore visited I played it for him, and he said this was the best Neil Young album he had heard. He wasn’t talking about the sound quality but the music.
Americana was the thirty-third studio album by Neil Young and his first collaboration with Crazy Horse since 2003. I hope he doesn’t wait nine years to do it again. It is a collection of old folk songs like we sang in the car on road trips when I was a kid. We just never thought of singing them with the raw power and emotion that we hear them here. I promise you have never heard “Clementine” or “This Land is Your Land” like this before.
This is one fun, raw, powerful performance. At the end of nearly every song, I want to stand up and clap. By the way for what it’s worth the recording is great too. It is alive, with a huge soundstage, and the vinyl on my copy was dead quiet.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle be Unbroken
This is without a doubt one of the great LP sets of all time. It was originally released in 1972, and I’m lucky enough to have a first pressing from 1972. The set contains three LPs chock full of collaborations between the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and some of the greatest names in Bluegrass history, such as Roy Acuff, Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, and many more.
Most of the tracks were recorded on the very first take, a few from second takes, and all straight to two-track masters. This results in an album that sounds alive, real, raw and unprocessed. They also ran another recorder continuously throughout the entire week-long recording session capturing all of the dialogs between the musicians, much of which has been added to the LPs.
Now we have the 40th Anniversary Edition. It has been pressed on 180-gram vinyl and mastered from the original analog. The packaging is very nice and the sound is very good. It’s not quite as alive sounding as my original, but if I didn’t have the original I would enjoy listening to this reissue almost as much. If you’re not lucky enough to have an original then I highly recommend this 40th Anniversary Edition!
Larry McNeely with Geoff Levin and Jack Skinner: Confederation
Most of the early Sheffield Direct-to-Disc recordings were strictly for audiophiles and lacked much real musical value. There were some exceptions, and this LP is my favorite. Once in a while, you get a recording that sounds real. I’m not talking about sonics, but the feeling that it is a real event. Such an event took place in 1977 when banjo player Larry McNeely called his friends Geoff Levin and Jack Skinner and asked them to help him make a bluegrass album for Sheffield Lab. By the way, in 1977 Larry McNeely was the featured banjo player on Glen Campbell’s television show.
I promise you this recording makes you feel like you are sitting on one end of a big old-fashioned front porch and they are performing at the other end. The musical performance itself is just wonderful and very toe-tapping. The sound is equally good; it seems that bluegrass music was made for direct-to-disc recording. The presence and the warmth of this recording is a testimony to Doug Sax’s “single point” microphone technique. You can find used LPs of this recording, and I think you can still buy the CD. Get the LP, it’s worth it.
Norman Blake /Tut Taylor /Sam Bush /Butch Robins / Vassar Clements /David Holland /Jethro Burns – Sauerkraut ’n Solar Energy
This Flying Fish recording is very interesting. It’s been in my collection for at least thirty years. In some ways, it is very traditional bluegrass. There are mandolins, mandocellos, guitars, fiddles, banjos and an incredible stand-up bass played by jazz bassist Dave Holland.
It was recorded in 1974 in a Nashville recording session. While everything about it says bluegrass, it also has hints of jazz, western swing, and folk. The track selection is incredible, and the album is just pure fun. I’ve had this LP since 1974, and I’m not parting with it. You can still find it used for very reasonable prices, and it also is still available on CD.
