MIKE SEEGER "Close to Home" - Old Time Music from Mike Seeger's Collection 1952-1967

Collected by Mike Seeger from 1952 to 1967 as he roamed around the Appalachian Mountains, Close to Home is one of the better detailed sets of authentic old-time Southern American music to be found. Though mostly recorded at the musician's home on a single, hand-held microphone, the warmth and charm of the performances captured make up for any supposed lack of recording quality, as Seeger no doubt took great pains to document these archaic stylings before they died with their performers. Of the 38 tracks featured, some legends like Sara and Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family fame, Elizabeth Cotten, and fiddler Eck Robertson appear, though the majority are simply local legends or unknowns. As such, it might come as some surprise to hear the level of accomplishment reached by these common folks, as a few were even said to have been badly out of practice when recorded. A majority of the tracks are lively fiddle or banjo instrumentals, though a few harmonica workouts, gorgeous autoharp and dulcimer tunes, and a cappella tracks appear, as well. This is very honest music, without a hint of pretension, and one can only wonder how many similar talents lived and died without ever having shared their talents outside of their local community. Excellent liner notes composed by Seeger himself give a wonderfully detailed commentary on how he came about to record the featured artists, and also place the performers within their historical context. There might be more complete collections on the market, but for the single-disc price and the amount of quality music here, Close to Home is highly recommended. (ALLMUSIC)

trax:
1. In the Sweet Bye and Bye - Elizabeth Cotton 2. Tie Your Dog, Sally Gal - Will Adam 3. Banjo Instrumental - J. C. "Cleve" Sutphin 4. Lost Train Blues - Vernon L. Sutphin 5. Shortening Bread - Vernon L. Sutphin and J. C. "Cleve" Sutphin 6. The Train that Carried My Girl from Town - Vernon L. Sutphin and J. C. "Cleve" Sutphin 7. Old Gambling Man - J Neece 8. John Henry - J. J. Neece, Vernon L. Sutphin and J. C. "Cleve" Sutphin 9. Shout, Little Lulu - Louise Foreacre 10. He Will Set Your Fields on Fire - Kilby Snow, Mike Seeger 11. Gather in the Golden Grain - Ernest Stoneman and Hattie Stoneman 12. Going to Lay Down My Burdens - Elizabeth White and Gideon Craig 13. John Henry - Leslie Riddle 14. Pretty Fair Damsel - Tom Ashley 15. It's These Hard Times - Pearly 'Grandma' Davis 16. Old-Time Reel - Pearly 'Grandma' Davis 17. Jackson Schottische - L. Hall 18. Lone Prairie - Wade Ward 19. Molly, Put the Kettle On - Wade Ward 20. Last Gold Dollar - Edsel Martin and Bill McElreath 21. John Henry - Bill Davis and Jean Davis 22. Three Nights Drunk - The Blue Ridge Buddies, Estil C. Ball, Orna Ball and Blair Reedy 23. Jimmie Sutton - The Blue Ridge Buddies, Estil C. Ball, Orna Ball and Blair Reedy 24. Going to Lay Down My Old Guitar - Snuffy Jenkins and Ira Dimmery 25. Black Mountain Rag - Arthur Smith, Sam McGee and Kirk McGee 26. A Talk on the World - Clyde Lewis 27. Red Wing - "Lost John" Ray and Walt Koken 28. Leather Breeches - A. C. "Eck" Robertson and The New Lost City Ramblers 29. Blackberry Blossom - Sherman Lawson 30. Alabama Girls - Emmitt Cole 31. Old Joe Clark - George Landers 32. Sugar Baby - Dock Boggs 33. Queen Sally - Archie Sturgill 34. Poor Orphan Child - Kate Peters Sturgill 35. My Virginia Rose - Scott Boatright 36. I'm Leaving You - Maybelle Carter and Sara Carter Bayes 37. He Said if You Love Me, Feed My Sheep - Stancer Quartet 38. I Would Not Live Always - Clarence Ferrill
...served by Gyro1966...