I am still patiently waiting for the Next instalments of Wilf Carter, Slim Whitman, Pat Boone , Connie Francis and Brenda lee .. would love to See Roy Accuff Hickory Years set , and another Billy Vaughn set of the 1960's Dot Masters Complete ! plus more Burl Ives A Complete Decca Burl Ives 50's Set Would be awesome ...
finally up for preorder on amazon! $129.99 https://www.amazon.com/Battleground...8832849&sr=8-1&keywords=battleground+korea+cd
This is not the version that Burl recorded for Decca in the 60s.Here is the record i got with the correct version.This record also contains a live version with Patsy Cline doing "Just a closer walk with thee" live at the Opry. A very good record. VARIOUS ARTISTS Country Line Specials vinyl LP | eBay A song from the record: Bill Anderson - Happiness.wmv
Just ordered it Direct from Bear Family themselves Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War (4-CD Deluxe Box Set) Subtotal $117.94 USD Shipping and handling $38.93 USD Total $156.87 USD
That shipping is brutal. The mvdshop order was $97 + $17 shipping = $114 which was much cheaper than the $140 for amazon ($10 tax included)
Just been playing the Jim Ford disc which I picked up on this very forum, great stuff, amazing story really!
Here's the press release. (This is a long post but I know some people don't like to click on links. Hope it's OK?): FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Febreuary 20, 2018 BATTLEGROUND KOREA — SONGS AND SOUNDS OF AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN WAR PRESENTS A FASCINATING MUSICAL LOOK AT THIS ALL-TOO-RELEVANT MOMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY B.B. King, Ernest Tubb, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Louvin Brothers, Fats Domino, Gene Autry and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are among the performers featured on this Bear Family Records four-CD box set. Billboard premiered a track: http://bit.ly/2ohuWxU LOS ANGELES, Calif. — There has never been a box set quite like Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War, due out in the U.S. on March 23, 2018. The award-winning folks at Bear Family Records have assembled an impressive four-CD anthology that is part ’50s American soundtrack and part historical document, representing the most comprehensive examination ever assembled of songs inspired by the Korean War. While the music of the World War II and Vietnam War eras garnered a lot of attention, far less is known about the sounds of the Korea War period, even though it stands as a significant time in American society, from the post-WWII boom years to dawning of the ’60s. The 121 tracks on these four discs incorporate a full range of American styles — country, blues, pop, folk, bluegrass, and gospel — and features big-time acts covering all of these genres. The selections include country stars like Ernest Tubb, Gene Autry, Jean Shepherd, Tex Ritter, Red Foley, and Merle Travis as well as blues legends John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Boy Crudup, andJimmy Witherspoon. There are songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, Dave Bartholomew, and 2018 inductee Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with Delmore Brothers, Louvin Brothers, Jim & Jesse, and (individually) the Osborne Brothers among the bluegrass luminaries in this collection. ] Each of the Battleground Korea’s four discs is organized around a different theme, essentially taking a chronological look at the war. CD 1’s songs are about “Going to War,” while CD 2 deals with being “In Korea.” “On the Homefront” is CD 3’s focus and CD 4 explores “Peace and Its Legacies.” One of the well-thought-out aspects of this compilation is that Bear Family created several short narrative-style song-cycles throughout. The “On the Homefront” CD, for example, has “A Dear John Letter,” followed by “John’s Reply,” “Dear Joan” and “Forgive Me John.” Another set of songs goes from “Please Daddy, Don’t Go to War” to “Why Does the Army Need My Daddy,” “God Bless My Daddy” and “Don’t Steal Daddy’s Medal.” The “Peace and its Legacies” disc, meanwhile, strings together a run of tunes that starts with “Leavin’ Korea” and ends with “Back Home.” This anthology also does a clever job of pairing songs. Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “The War Is Over” is followed by Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “The War Is Over. B.B. King’s “Questionnaire Blues” precedesJohn Lee Hooker’s version. CD 1, in fact, contains renditions of “Korea Blues” done by Fats Domino, Clifford Blivens with the Johnny Otis Band, and Willie Brown. Bear Family obviously dug deep to discover tunes for this set, and certainly came up with some interesting obscurities. Where else can you hear Hank Harral and His Palomino Cowhands do “When They Raised the UN Flag In South Korea,” Cactus Pryor and his Pricklypears’ tune “(In Again, Out Again) Packing Up My Barracks Bags Blues,” and “When They Drop the Atomic Bomb” from Jackie Doll and his Pickled Peppers? There is much more to Battleground Korea, however, than just the songs; archival non-musical material is woven in throughout. You will hear from General Douglas MacArthur as well as excerpts of speeches by presidents Truman and Eisenhower. There are field reports from war correspondents and public service announcements from Vic Damone and even Howdy Doody. The box also comes with a 160-page, full-color hardcover book, with liner notes from music scholarHugo A. Keesing detailing background information on every song and recording artist. Fully illustrated, the book also is packed with vintage photographs, flyers, advertisements, record covers, magazines, and other period memorabilia. Special chapters include an interview with country singerFrankie Miller about his time in Korea, a nine-page section with some rare photographs of Marilyn Monroe’s visit with the U.S. troops, and a history of the Korean War. Battleground Korea arrives at a timely moment, with Korea a frequent subject in the news and the U.S. government having a particularly fraught relationship with North Korea. This highly relevant box set provides a compelling collection of period music and historical perspective into the sights and sounds of America’s forgotten war. HEAR A TRACK: Billboard broke the story and premiered a previously unheard song from the collection: http://bit.ly/2ohuWxU Pre-order link: Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War (4-CD Deluxe Box Set) | Bear Family Records
I wonder if the fire in the universal music tape vaults a few years ago put an end to any chance of more dot masters of Pat Boone and Billy Vaughn Coming out ..any thoughts ??
I think the change in copyright laws probably has more to do with it (and an unwillingness to pay to use newer material). Ray Anthony recorded with Capitol through but the new Bear Family CD ends at 1962.
I believe with each new year there are far fewer people willing to spend money on such reissues, and the companies know that.
Been thinking about which BF box to hunt down next. Bonnie Owens has caught my interest, being one of country music's stories rarely told beyond her associations with Buck and Merle. I don't think Bear Family would ever resort to going the public-domain route. PD projects typically don't get access to master tapes, so we'd be hearing vinyl dubs and remasters stolen from other labels' releases. In the case of that Ray Anthony comp, it's meant to showcase his (sort of) rock 'n' roll recordings, so it makes sense to cut off in the early 60's. This is the more likely answer, hate to say.
That's probably true. On the other hand no one is buying regular CD releases so I wonder if more companies might try the Bear Family model with deluxe (and, unfortunately, expensive) packages for collectors. Time will tell.
Not all deluxe CD boxsets need to be expensive, Of course, the classic Bear Family Book is a big part of the cost - in all actuality a greater percentage of the cost than was represented in the old Bear Family price code system. This "less expensive" model (basically the music plus recording documentation, shorter essays and a smaller print format) is being used successfully especially in classical, by the major labels.
Vol.29 - Rockabilly & Rock 'n' Roll From The Vaults Of Crest Records (CD) | Bear Family Records Here's That'l Flat Git It Vol. 29, formerly a RWA project under a different title. I'm hoping the series continues to explore smaller labels like Crest, since much of the best rockabilly wasn't done for the big guys like RCA or Capitol.
I would love to see Bear Family Do box sets For Will Glahe And Helmut Zacharias and Robert Maxwell . all who had a smattering of Hit Singles , and Lenny Dee Remastered from the original tapes ..Also Perry Como ....But I doubt I will live to see any of these see the light of day ...interest would be very small....Also would be great to see Nat King Cole recording's Not on Mosaic and Not on Bear Family compiled ...
Ray Anthony is a very welcome re-issue as he had many charting singles in the 1950's I would have preferred a complete A & B Sides as now we wont get all the charting 50's sides witch is frustrating for a complete charting songs collector .
I Would love Bear Family to Do A series of Big hit Instrumentals and The lesser known Vocal Versions ..they have issued some Like Sonny James APACHE and Webb Pierce Raunchy ....and Rosemary Clooney's Syncopated Clock,