The album was the brainchild of TNGDB's manager Bill McEuen, who thought it would do the band some good to perform with old-timers to expand their audience. Having booked a recording studio and invited legends of the genre to play with the younger country rock band, every track was recorded on a two track, and on the first or second take, capturing the spontaneity and ease of the sessions. This followed Roy Acuff's advice that each time a song is performed, it loses something of the first performance. It went on to be TNGDB's most successful album, spending 32 weeks in the Billboard charts.
There are 25 songs on this album, and I'm only going to comment on a few of them, as the majority were pleasant, background country music as far as I'm concerned. The opener, Grand Ole Opry Song, is a strong introduction, with references to key, historic figures from the country scene, many of whom appear on this album. It is primarily vocals, banjo and fiddle with other instrumental backing and some nice harmonies on the chorus. Keep on the Sunny Side has "Mother" Maybelle Carter (mother of June Carter, Johnny Cash's wife) on lead vocals, and her delicate voice over Gary Scruggs' backing vocals works very well, with a nice uplifting lilt. The instrumental rag that finishes the song adds to the sense of positivity, and injects a bit of energy to the track. Dark as a Dungeon has a delicacy to it not present in the Johnny Cash version we heard a few weeks ago. I'm not sure which is better per se, but the lyrics here seem to come across in a more meaningful manner, which may not be surprising as it is performed by the original writer, Merle Travis. The Tennessee Stud sounds like a song I should have heard before, even with my limited knowledge of the Country genre, and tells a compelling tale of a man and his horse's adventures. I Saw the Light, a Hank Williams classic, is full of verve and energy, and Nine Pound Hammer has a real travelling bluegrass feel to it. Another Williams' number, Honky-Tonkin' is an early 'going out-out' song, with a light lilt to it, and My Walkin' Shoes is a lesson in how a fast and frenetic approach to a song can still feel controlled. Lonesome Fiddle Blues, an instrumental, moulds an energetic but mournful song out of the raw materials of primarily fiddles, and is the strongest of an impressive run of instrumentals. Doc Watson on Way Downtown makes what is quite a thin sounding voice manage to fill the song, whereas I am a Pilgrim relies on the strength of a gorgeous bass line to keep it rolling along. The title track feels like a glorious coming together of the whole project, with a weight to the chorus vocals.
The recorded conversations that appear throughout the album don't annoy as much as I'd anticipated they would, and manage to place the album in some context. You can really get a sense of the baton being passed, and the mutual respect between the groups is clearly evident. The songs are well constructed, and whilst they are slightly samey in nature for a two hour album, the variety of performers certainly gives some depth to the overall feel of the body of work.
Chloe's album rating: 7
Chloe's favourite track: 18
Olly's album rating: 7
Olly's favourite track: 6
Next week we have 975. All Hope is Gone by Slipknot; Chloe is utterly thrilled.
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