Ken Burns’ Country Music on PBS

Agreed

 

To follow up on my point:

If someone thinks an artist was overlooked or did not receive enough attention, I suggest writing a post where you celebrate that artist.

Say, "If you enjoy country music, check this artist out..."

Either tell forum members why the artist is worthwhile, tell a little of the artist's story, tell forum members about some recommended recordings, or post some links to such information and maybe a photo.

It is pointless to say Ken Burns was a jerk, imposed his worldview, or did not do enough.

Add what you think is positive about artists to help others get into those performers that you admire.

I think saying that so-and-so should not have received as much attention is a waste of time. The film is done. There will not be a remake.

 

We just finished it, as well.

I like your take.

As the music gets closer and closer to the present, it becomes more and more difficult to place it all in historical perspective or to weave a tapestry that puts it all in perspective....we need time to accomplish that. So the last episode almost necessarily had to have more of a catalog vibe than an historical influence feel.

I liked that the main start and end points could be placed into one family tree, so to speak, beautifully done.

The final episode of this series and the Jazz series both ended up with a bit of a "then there's this person, and, oh, yeah, here's that person" kind of list thing. It's like hitting your word limit on an assignment and having to smush in a bunch of quick points at the end of an essay!

Any time someone tries to distill anything into a documentary/historical concept piece, there will be criticisms that someone's favorite artist is being given short shrift or being unfairly over-looked. TS to those critics, I say. Look at the bigger portrait that was created.

We give this series utter praise. It was moving, insightful, and amazingly intimate! makes ya think....all this has happened in a span of time from Maybelle to Marty!

Exceedingly well done.

 

Anyone with the vinyl...who cut the lacquers please ? Vic Anesini mastered the CDs, so I'm covered there.

 

Here is another plug for the very best CD overview of country music after 1945. It is a series of 26 individual CDs (not a box set), one for each year from 1945 through 1970.

Each volume is a hardcover, CD case sized book with a text (with photos) of about 70+ pages and a CD of up to 32 tracks by different artists from the time. They do not attempt to be the top 30 sellers on the charts or necessarily the 30 most important tunes, but just a superb overview of the well known and less well known. The books are incredible.

Start with a few years, and you will get hooked and want them all.

It is called

Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music
Bear Family label (Germany import)

Search for your best price.

This image only shows up to 1965 as they were not all issued at the same time.



Typical front covers





Typical back cover



A nice spread



These are like gold.

 

There isn't anything exactly like this for the years 1928-1944 or after 1970. Maybe some other forum members will make some suggestions.

 

For the 1970's, there are a few Time-Life series worth tracking down:

Country USA has a single disc covering each year 1950-1972.
Contemporary Country is 22 volumes covering the '70s to mid-'90s.
Classic Country is a gargantuan set (about 30 separate 2-disc collections) covering 1941-84
Golden Age Of Country is a rehash of earlier sets, but the ones I've heard sound really good.

Someone else can critique the relative sound quality of these sets.

 

This collection is extremely addictive!

 

Most of those collections are OOP. Hopefully Bear Family will continue their collection past 1970.

 

Nothing in the deadwax. Nothing at all. One of the inner sleeves repeats the digital credit of Vic Anesini.

Only took 25 hours from ordering to receiving. Good job Barnes & Noble.

 

It would've been nice if they had more explored the Scotch-Irish origin of a lot of the fiddle tunes that A.P. Carter and others, appropriated. Since they're tied to Sony, they could've got one or more of the participants of that "Goat Rodeo" series that Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell were involved with.

 

FWIW:

The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash movie review (2019) | Roger Ebert

 

Hey all. I’m reluctant to get too deep into this thread yet as I’m only episode 3, but damn I’m loving it. Since I think all the right eyes are peeled here, is there a good Ernest Tubb compilation that is fairly all encompassing; maybe 2-4 discs. Those Bear Family boxes look great but it takes so many of them boxes and discs to cover his career.

 

Proper Label, budget priced. do some searching for best price, consider used copies

 

I just finished the entire series & all the extras. Awesome!!! I plan to watch it again real soon. There's a couple funny occurrences though. One of them is on the last disc in the Special Features section. Go to the 31:35 point of "The Song Into Outer Space". Dwight Yoakam mentions "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams Sr. When he sings a part of it, he instead sings "Oh lord I've got em', I got the lovesick blues" (The song is actually "Honky Tonk Blues" with L.B. replacing H.T.B. in the song.

 

It's amazing how quickly the discussion ended in this thread.

On to the next thing.

 

Anyone ever review how the CD box set sounds? I think Legacy handled it.

 

I have played most of CD's 2, 3, and 4 from the box set and the sound is fantastic. Vic Anesini at Sony's renowned Battery Studios in New York remastered the entire collection. It is fantastic to hear songs like Harper Valley PTA and Sammie Smith's Help Me Make It Through The Night in gorgeous sound for the first time. Wow, we are super fortunate that Vic was chosen to helm this project from a remastering standpoint.

 

I was surprised at how much time was spent on Howard Crockett.

 

Over 2,000 comments is a pretty good discussion.

 

Indeed, it’s too bad, I’ve loved reading this thread and all the recommendations etc. But out of sight, out of mind I suppose.

I’ve only watched parts one and two of the documentary so far, as each part makes me do a deep dive with a certain artist (in the case of part 1 it was Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family, part 2 it’s Bob Wills and Bill Monroe), and I’ve been waiting to watch further until after I finish each obsessive listen-a-thon. At my current rate I’ll finish the documentary sometime next year...

 

Asking for a friend..... Will PBS replay this doc anytime soon?

 

Highly doubt it.

 

It should be available on the PBS streaming site...and it will possibly get a rerun in late spring/early summer rerun season...his other docs have had similar treatment

 

It's actually on DVD. I have a copy, courtesy of my local library.