|
Rating:  -
Long time Flatt & Scruggs collectors (as me), aswell as bluegrass collectors have long been awaiting for the official release of these DVDs.
Bootleg copies of some Martha White and Pet Milk shows have been circulating for quite some time, first on 5 VHS, then on 2 DVDs.
However, quality was very often not high, color wasn't balanced etc...
These DVDs are a real treat! The quality has been incredibly enhanced, and the audio track must have been remastered too, as it's much better than the bootleg copies.
Now to the music, useless to say that the Foggy Mountain Boys deliver the best in traditional bluegrass music. Lester's smooth voice, solid yet fluid guitar style and runs and warm behaviour are fully featured in these shows. As always, Earl Scruggs is perfect, tasteful, driving and with a tone that is just amazing! In some shows, you'll get to watch close ups of Earl's hands, and that's already a good reason to buy the DVDs. The "corny comedy" skits that dobro player Josh Graves and bassist Jake Tullock do on the shows are classics, and their vocal duets are a real gem.
Last but by no mean least, you have Paul Warren, as Lester used to say "Still what we think one of the best old-time fiddlers in the business" at top form, fiddlin' his way to your heart, and tenor singing-extraordinaire Curly Seckler, playing mandolin with the Foggies. There is something so enigmatic in Curly's face while he sings and plays that's just a pleasure to see.
The DVDs include the most famous hits of the band, plus old time fiddle numbers, banjo instrumentals by Earl, and great duets.
There exist a total of 36 episodes of the Flatt & Scruggs show, all donated to the CMHOF. Rumors has it that all episodes are going to be released in the future with the help of Shanachie. Well, we can't wait to get them all!!
All this to say, if you're a bluegrass fan get yours now. It won't get any better than this!!
Rating: -
The music seems so sweet, so well done, the voices so warm, the comedy so fresh. Maybe, it is my nostalgia for the days and rather naive ways on television of a homefolks show like this from the early 1960s, but the nostalgia in these programs for me is almost as great and as the music. This may be a result of my antiquity since I've been a Bluegrass fan and sometimes guitar player since shortly after the time these videos were made. A lot of the Flatt and Scruggs recordings in the early 1960s were oriented to reaching into the Folk audience and thus contained fewer real Bluegrass songs and more "traditional" material. Sometimes, the studio albums sounded pretty bad as they were multi track recorded, and sound a bit fishy and underwater.
The sound here is good enough for my ears. The songs are a good mix of country songs and sacred numbers. On this DVD Paul Warren seems to be the hot person in the band besides Earl. I've always treasured Earl's guitar playing and I am that there are two guitar leads by Earl here including Jimmie Brown the Newsboy, one of my long time favorites. Both on guitar and banjo, the advantage here for the shade-tree musician like myself is seein exactly how Earl, Lester, and the others pick.
The notes supplied with this DVD are first rate, so good I have used it as a source in a serious research article I am writing.
But what I love is the fun and friendliness that the shown transmits. Of course, as others mention, the old 1950s commercials for Martha White's various self-rising flours, with the reminded that each dish does not take as long as it did before with non-rising flour brings back to me my grandmother making pies and pastries on Friday or Saturday night for weekend company and the explosion of bakin gin general back when self-rise came out.
Tony
Rating: -
I purchased both volume 1 & 2. For bluegrass fans and banjo players this is probably the Holy Grail. Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were at their peak during the time period these TV shows were recorded. The performances are a seminar in how it is done. The quality of the arrangements, the tightness of the band and the control over their instruments, as far as volume and not interfering with the singer or other soloist, are outstanding. These DVDs should be required viewing for any bluegrass musician who ever gets together to jam with other musicians. Get these DVDs and see and hear how it should be done. Great performances, one after an other, from the masters of the idiom.
Rating: -
Love it--I hope they continue to release more of these old Martha White series Bluegrass Flatt and Scruggs shows. TERRIFIC!!
Rating: -
I really enjoyed getting to see Flatt & Scruggs ca. 1962, before they really hit the big time. Earl Scruggs, besides doing his normally amazing banjo work, does a lot of guitar playing on these sessions. I also especially enjoyed Uncle Josh & Cousin Jake's harmony duet on "Feast Here Tonight." Although the price seems high, this tape is definitely worth it for diehard bluegrass afficionados!
Television Show
Collectibles
Movie Searches
|
|
|
Search for posters,
art prints, photos, collectables, merchandise, toys, t-shirts
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TV Guide
Program listings, celebrity profiles, industry
gossip, movie reviews, puzzle.
More
Entertainment
& TV Magazines
This site is
Hosted
by Bluehost
Read
my Bluehost Review
Most Popular TV collectibles
|
|
Home
Articles
Images
Forum
Search
Shopping
TV Trivia
Watch TV
Wallpaper
