Audio CD review:
Doc Watson - The Doc Watson Family

Doc Watson - The Doc Watson Family

Band: Doc Watson Title: The Doc Watson Family Rating: Release Date: 1993-09-14 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Ground Hog 2: Every Day Dirt 3: Bonaparte's Retreat 4: House Carpenter 5: I'm Troubled 6: Your Long Journey 7: When I Die 8: That Train That Carried My Girl 9: Down the Road 10: Lone Pilgrim 11: Texas Gales/Blackberry Rag 12: Darling Corey 13: Triplett Tragedy 14: Muddy Roads 15: Lost Soul 16: Keep in the Middle of the Road 17: Old Man Below 18: Pretty Saro 19: Cousin Sally Brown 20: Look Down That Lonesome Road 21: Doodle Bug 22: Rambling Hobo 23: Cuckoo Bird 24: Frosty Morn 25: Shady Grove 26: Southbound

Good Collection Of Traditional Music But Missing Liner Notes The CD features 26 songs - 15 from the original 1963 Folkways record plus 11 additional tunes. As a fan of Doc Watson I enjoyed this historical recording of Doc playing with family members prior to his becoming a professional musician. So it is good value for the money. But while the back cover promises extensive liner notes that "provide important background on the recordings" none are included, at least in the product which I purchased new. I wanted to learn more about Doc's family. But only their names were given and nothing about who actually sang and/or played an instrument on each song. A couple of the songs clearly featured Doc. While others had either lead or accompanying female vocals by Doc's wife Rosa Lee. There was also a distinctly older female voice on "The Triplett Tragedy", perhaps Doc's mother or even grandmother. The rest it is only possible to guess at. In addition to his fine singing and guitar playing, I have always appreciated Doc's selection of material, mostly traditional folk songs of high quality. There are many good songs on here as well. They include instrumentals such as "Bonaparte's Retreat" and funny songs such as "Ground Hog". Some, like "The House Carpenter", have a long lineage that can be traced back to the British Isles. But one of my favorites was a rare Doc Watson original, "Your Long Journey", which he co-wrote with wife Rosa Lee. This song shows what a fine writer Doc actually was, though he most often played traditional songs written by others. The music I consider 5 stars. But I must remove 1 star because my version of this product lacked the promised liner notes which would have been of great interest to me. If other people received liner notes please let me know by leaving a comment. I do recommend this album. But those new to Doc might want to start elsewhere. My personal favorite is "The Best Of Doc Watson (1964 -1968)". But there are many other excellent albums to chose from as well. An absolute gem of the raw and pure beauty of pre-bluegrass This cd is as soulful and compelling as any I've ever heard in the genre of mountain music. Anyone remotely interested in Doc Watson, bluegrass, or early folk/mountain music do not hesitate to buy this album. One can still hear the echo of Celtic/European roots but with the unmistakable earthiness of American Appalaccia. The influence of African blues forms on traditional European folk songs could never be more evident than in this collection. This is Leadbelly meets Bill Monroe meets fourteenth century villages in both Ireland and Africa. Cannot recommend this album enough!. You will think you have died and gone to heaven Of all the Doc Watson albums I had, this was the first one I rebought on CD. This CD is old-time country (some call it "mountain" or "traditional") music originally recorded in 1963 (Folkways)and contains all 15 songs from the original release along with 11 new ones. It brings tears of sorrow and of joy. The music is unrefined, but powerful and clean. Ground Hog, Bonaparte's Retreat, House Carpenter, I'm troubled, Your Long Journey, When I die, That train the carried my girl from town, down the road, the lone pilgrim, etc. Also has ccukoo bird, shady grove, and southbound -- among other new cuts. If you think you know country, you might find yourself quite suprised . . . You can see a complete list of all Doc Watson discography, or go back to the Doc Watson tabs