Format Details: Jewel Case
Release Date: 29 March 2004
Label: Ace Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 029667199926
Description
On most CDs that the Ace group of labels release, we have a reasonably good idea of how many copies they are likely to sell immediately, and how many they might go on to sell in their catalogue lifetime. More often that not - happily, much more often than not - we're nigh on spot-on in our assessments, give or take a handful of copies. Sure, there are times when we're off beam - we're only human, after all. Generally, though we're there or thereabouts. We've been doing this a while now, so there'd be something seriously wrong if we were not. However, every so often something comes along which does very nicely, very quickly, and thus surprises us in the nicest possible way. It's only been a few months since we put out our first Roy Acuff release, combining his two early 60s Hickory albums Once More" and "The King Of Country Music". Now, we expected this to be a nice addition to our growing country catalogue, and also a useful stock item that would tick over year-in, year-out. Turns out, though, that we may have underestimated the demand for Mr Acuff just a tad, as we've already sold almost as many copies of our first Acuff 2-on-1 in two months as we originally thought we might sell in two years! Naturally we're very happy to be wrong on these kind of occasions, as it gives us the excuse to bring you further recordings from Acuff's Hickory catalogue, and bring them to you more quickly than was originally envisaged. So it is that, in March 2004, we have for you another excellent coupling of the man's Hickory long-players, both from the early 1960s and both featuring this legend of country music at the peak of his vocal powers. These days, "Americana" is a term you hear used a lot to describe traditional and real country music, ie the kind that American radio prefers to ignore while they're busy assaulting eardrums with loud AOR-rock that sounds like it escaped from a mid-70s Styx or Rush session. The two albums compiled here are thus "Americana" in every sense of the word - they're traditional, and real. "American Folk Songs" and "Hand-Clapping Gospel Songs" are both self-explanatory "concept" albums. And like the proverbial Ronseal, they both do exactly 'what it says on the tin'. AFS is Acuff's homage to the songs he learned as a boy and youth in South Tennessee, in the days when such songs as Little Rosewood Casket, Zeb Turney's Gal and House Of The Rising Sun were the equivalent of "regional chart-toppers" through sung per-formances, rather than recorded ones. Acuff's early musical experiences again played a great part in the selection of repertoire utilised on HCGS, although he also dipped into the catalogues of 20th century songwriters like Albert Brumley, the Bailes brothers and Hank Williams to give the album a more contemporary edge. Roy Acuff was never in better voice than he was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and he's heard to his greatest advantage on "American Folk Songs" especially. So intense are his performances at times
Tracklisting
Richard Thompson
Little Richard
Elmore James
B.B. King
B.B. King
Young Jessie
Wynonie Harris
Willie Hightower
Young Jessie
Wanda Jackson
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
