Apr 10
Bluegrass Classics: Real gems, Flatt & Scruggs LPs from the Sixties
Flatt & ScruggsRickey Lamb, my great friend and fellow contributor to BluegrassJournal.com, came up with a terrific idea a few weeks back.
“Why don’t we revive some of those old classic albums that meant so much to us and write reviews on them,” he said during one of his frequent and welcome afternoon visits to my house. “Some of those are priceless, just real treasures, even today. I bet people who remember some of those albums would get a kick out of reading about them again.”
He kicked off what was supposed to be the start of a classic LP series a couple weeks ago with his resurrection of John Hartford’s “Steam Powered Aereo-Plane,” certainly a classic album in many ways and definitely a worthy launch to his idea.
I relished Rickey’s concept, but confess to being a scofflaw in following through. I’m running behind because — stealing words here from my favorite DJ Eddie Stubbs — I had to dig way back in the vault, so to speak, to pick my first choice for this series. Trouble is, my deep vault no longer contains hardly any of those old LPs that meant so much to me. So, I turned to the Internet to make sure I had correct information before I sat down to write this.
And, I couldn’t pick just one. Would you believe three? All from Columbia’s catalog of Flatt & Scruggs releases. They are:
“The Fabulous Sound of Flatt & Scruggs,” released in 1964
“The Versatile Flatt & Scruggs,” released in 1965
“Hear the Whistles Blow,” a 1967 release
I bought all three LPs when I was a teenager, then a fledgling drummer playing in a high school rock ‘n’ roll band that played nothing but instrumentals, mostly Ventures tunes. (Laugh, if you must, but we didn’t have much of a sound system expense.) As I remember, I kept the Flatt & Scruggs LPs out of sight from my acne-adorned bandmates to avoid any kind of ribbing. I suppose you could say I started out as a closet bluegrass junkie.
But obtaining those LPs was kind of a natural. My mom had grown up on music by Jimmy Rogers, the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers. She loved Roy Acuff and had a bunch of old 78s from her own younger years. We constantly listened to a little rural radio station here in central Illinois that played a mix of old-timey, country and bluegrass. The station, WHOW in Clinton, Ill., gained a bit of historical bluegrass notoriety through the years. The Bray Brothers once had a regularly scheduled live show on the station, and a young rookie disc jockey by the name of John Hartford served a stint behind WHOW’s turntables.
I suppose I bought those LPs in the order they were released. I know I darn near wore the grooves off all three.
They contained tunes that would later become bluegrass standards. The track listings also include songs that had become standard fare by the time Flatt & Scruggs recorded them. And, they contained songs that are being revived by today’s generation of bluegrass stars.
To this day, I have yet to hear a bluegrass singer that clicks with me the way Lester Flatt did. He had the right drawl, the right inflection, perhaps the perfect imperfection in his voice that translates into pure bluegrass soul. I surely agree with every recognition, honor and praise that’s ever come Earl Scruggs’ way, but to my ears, Flatt & Scruggs wouldn’t have been anything without Lester Flatt’s incredible vocal deliveries. I have yet to hear a good imitator.
Aside from being enthralled by Flatt’s voice, I think these LPs made such a big impression on me because of the songs. Most of them were good story songs, tunes like “Father’s Table Grace,” “Roust-A-Bout,” “Amber Tresses,” “The Good Things (Outweigh the Bad),” “I’m Gonna Ride That Steamboat” and on and on.
I also gained a great appreciation for the Flatt & Scruggs style of vocal harmonies, which, compared to today’s contemporary grass, could be described as rather rural and rustic, maybe even a little rough. Bottom line, it was magical.
Besides Scruggs’ blazing banjo, Paul Warren’s aggressive fiddle playing and Uncle Josh Graves’ dobro — at the time, pretty inventive stuff — are instrumental staples throughout the three LPs.
While doing my Internet research to find the correct titles and track listings of this trio of gems, I discovered that the German-based Bear Family has extensive boxed sets of Flatt & Scruggs material, including all the songs that are on the three LPs. Kind of a hefty price tag for my meager CD budget, but it would surely be nice to hear those gems again.
For those of you who also remember these LPs, below are track listings from all three:
The Versatile Flatt & Scruggs
1. You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
2. I Still Miss Someone
3. Wabash Cannonball
4. I’ll Be on That Good Road Someday
5. Rock, Salt and Nails
6. Confessing
7. Will You Be Lonesome Too?
8. Soldier’s Return
9. Loafer’s Glory
10. You’ve Been Fooling Me Baby
11. Rose Conelly
12. Branded Wherever I Go
The Fabulous Sound of Flatt & Scruggs
1. Hello Stranger
2. Amber Tresses (Tied in Blue)
3. The Good Things (Outweigh the Bad)
4. Bummin’ on Old Freight Train
5. I’m Walking With Him
6. Train That Carried My Girl from Town
7. My Wandering Boy
8. Georgia Buck
9. Father’s Table Grace
10. When Papa Played the Dobro
11. Please Don’t Wake Me
12. Faded Red Ribbon
Hear the Whistles Blow
1. Southbound
2. East Bound Train
3. Roust-A-Bout
4. Bringin’ in the Georgia Mail lyrics
5. Hear That Whistle Blow (A Hundred Miles)
6. I’m Gonna Ride That Steamboat lyrics
7. Atlantic Coastal Line lyrics
8. Train No 1262
9. Orange Blossom Special
10. Starlight on the Rails
11. Going Across the Sea
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