Earl Scruggs and Friends

Amazon.com
As Earl Scruggs broadened his horizons into country-rock in the early 1970s, two albums much like this one appeared, featuring cameos from Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez, etc. Now as then, the results are mixed. Sir Elton John renders a mature, definitive "Country Comfort." Dwight Yoakam's newly penned "Borrowed Love," "True Love Never Dies" with Travis Tritt, and John Fogerty's "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues" all honor bluegrass traditions. Vince Gill and Rosanne Cash ("I Found Love"), Marty Stuart ("Foggy Mountain Rock"/"Foggy Mountain Special"), and Johnny Cash with Don Henley (the eerie "Passin' Thru") are focused and flawless. The misfires are equally spectacular. Billy Bob Thornton's "Ring of Fire" doesn't bode well for his 2001 country album. Not only are Melissa Etheridge and Sting out of their element, their overwhelming performances relegate Scruggs to the distant background. Likewise, his signature instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" buckles under the weight of 10 guest pickers including Steve Martin and Paul Shaffer. All-star tributes can be a bear to manage. Given that reality, 8 out of 12 ain't bad. --Rich Kienzle

Tracks:

Country Comfort (w/ Elton John)
Borrowed Love (w/ Dwight Yoakam)
Ring Of Fire (w/ Billy Bob Thornton)
True Love Never Dies (w/ Gary Scruggs and Travis Tritt)
The Angels (w/ Melissa Etheridge)
Fill Her Up (w/ Sting)
Foggy Mountain Breakdown (Instrumental) (w/ Steve Martin and Jerry Douglas)
Somethin' Just Ain't Right (w/ Randy Scruggs)
I Found Love (w/ Vince Gill and Rosanne Cash)
Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (w/ John Fogerty)
Passin' Thru (w/ Don Henley and Johnny Cash)
Foggy Mountain Rock/Foggy Mountain Special (Instrumental Medley) (w/ Earl Scruggs and Marty Stuart)

Amazon.com

As Earl Scruggs broadened his horizons into country-rock in the early 1970s, two albums much like this one appeared, featuring cameos from Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez, etc. Now as then, the results are mixed. Sir Elton John renders a mature, definitive "Country Comfort." Dwight Yoakam's newly penned "Borrowed Love," "True Love Never Dies" with Travis Tritt, and John Fogerty's "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues" all honor bluegrass traditions. Vince Gill and Rosanne Cash ("I Found Love"), Marty Stuart ("Foggy Mountain Rock"/"Foggy Mountain Special"), and Johnny Cash with Don Henley (the eerie "Passin' Thru") are focused and flawless. The misfires are equally spectacular. Billy Bob Thornton's "Ring of Fire" doesn't bode well for his 2001 country album. Not only are Melissa Etheridge and Sting out of their element, their overwhelming performances relegate Scruggs to the distant background. Likewise, his signature instrumental "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" buckles under the weight of 10 guest pickers including Steve Martin and Paul Shaffer. All-star tributes can be a bear to manage. Given that reality, 8 out of 12 ain't bad. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews:

The Steve Martin Secret.......2006-10-30

Okay, this album is incredible, as much for the celebrity participation as the quality. The celebrities add their own touches to Earl's Superlative work. However, the most interesting celebrity participant isn't even mentioned on the album, Steve Martin. He plays a signficant part on Track 7, Foggy Mountain Breakdown. The song went on to win a Grammy.

Maybe they didn't mention him on the album since people would expect a comedy routine, but give a listen to Track 7 to gain a broader appreciation for one of our nation's formost novelists, essayists, actors, comedians, banjo artists and all-around brilliant guys-- STEVE MARTIN!

Great CD.......2006-08-29

If you like all types of music, you will love this CD. I enjoy each and every song on this recording. How many other CDs can I say the same about? None.

Earl Scruggs and friends.......2006-03-03

Excellent- but it is Earl Scruggs after all so it could only be excellent!

regarding the "all hands on board" jam.......2006-01-11

Whenever there's a "cast of thousands" of great musicians, the wow factor is for the experience more than the excellence. I'm reminded of the "Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary" concert, where at the end they had all those legends on 2 or 3 songs. It was just amazing to hear and, if you had the video, see all those wonderful musicians on the stage at the same time. It just wasn't that important how great it sounded (or didn't).

In fact, check THAT (the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert) out if you can find it.

Don't forget, a big part of the respect for Earl Scruggs is the influence that he's had and his willingness to try new things. A master of his instrument, a creative genius and (I met him once many years ago), a really nice guy.

If you've never imagined enjoying bluegrass... (4.5 stars).......2003-04-27

I'm a fan of bluegrass/country, but not in a big way. I saw the video for "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and liked it so I checked out the CD and got it. I think it's great and I think even people who don't enjoy the more 'traditional' bluegrass can enjoy this compilation.

I think Elton does a superb job; his voice transfers so easily into the country mode you don't give it a second thought. His is my favorite song, although "I Found Love" (V. Gill) is close behind. My favorite instrumental is "F. M. Breakdown". One may expect the song to fold given the cornucopia of musicians that are involved (as the Amazon reviewer noted), but I like it.

Billy Bob may try to sound too much like Cash but does decently. Etheridge's voice may overpower Scruggs but it's still worth a listen. Fogerty does admirably. So does Henley, but he doesn't have a country voice. The only one I don't like is Sting, but I'm not a Sting fan either.

And of course, all of the registered country players (Yoakam, Cash, etc.) perform very well, as expected.

Tracks:

Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs
Doin' My Time - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs
We'll Meet Again Sweetheart - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs
My Little Girl in Tennessee - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs
Blue Moon of Kentucky - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
In the Pines - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
Uncle Pen - Bill Monroe
Footprints in the Snow - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
Rocky Road Blues - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys

Tracks:

Nine Pount Hammer [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
Lonesome Ruben [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains [DVD] - Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Watson
Love Is a Four Letter Word [DVD] - Joan Baez, Earl Scruggs
Last Thing on My Mind [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
Streamlined Cannonball [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
Nashville Skyline Rag [DVD] - Bob Dylan, Earl Scruggs
Foggy Mountain Breakdown [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
You Ain't Going Nowhere [DVD] - The Byrds, Earl Scruggs
Nothing to It [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
Salty Dog Blues [DVD] - Morris Brothers, Earl Scruggs
On Top of Old Smokey [DVD] - Earl Scruggs
Black Mountain Rag [DVD] - Earl Scruggs

I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends

Average customer rating:

Some help, alright!

I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends
Earl Scruggs
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Country Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

Country Folk | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Anniversary Special, Vols. 1-2
Adieu False Heart
Dueling Banjos/Live at Kansas State
Earl Scruggs and Friends
The Best Of Linda Ronstadt: The Capitol Years

ASIN: B000CELOAY
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Tracks:

Lonesome And A Long Way From Home
Silver Wings
It's A Picture From Life's Other Side
Motherless Child Blues
Some Of Shelley's Blues
Never Ending Song Of Love
Rock Salt And Nails
The Banks Of The Ohio
Ring Of Fire
Propinquity
Fireball Mail
Tramp On The Street
The Cure
I Saw The Light

Customer Reviews:

Some help, alright!.......2007-01-05

This 1971 gemstone album is not merely flawless - it's sincerely flawless. Do songs by Delaney Bramlett, Mike Nesmith, and Merle Haggard belong in the same lineup? You bet. These tunes - written, chosen, arranged, and performed to perfection - cohere into a seamless album with a timeless feel. Linda Ronstadt and Tracey Nelson's duet on the old Utah Phillips chestnut, "Rock Salt and Nails", has never been equalled in all of popular music. This was the first country (vinyl) album I ever bought - and I definitely saw the light. Of course, nothing else was ever quite as good. BTW this is one of the CDs encrypted by Sony with the famous badware, XCP. The encrypted CDs were "recalled" but I was sold one by magicmonkey music anyway.

Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends/Nashville Airplane

Average customer rating:

Earl and Friends, and A Later Classic Flatt & Scruggs Album
Earl Scruggs And Friends
Flatt & Scruggs; His Family and Friends; Nashville Airplaine
Settin' on the porch with Earl and friends
Get It While You Can

Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends/Nashville Airplane
Flatt & Scruggs
Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Contemporary Folk | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Town and Country/Changin' Times
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Dueling Banjos/Live at Kansas State
Anniversary Special, Vols. 1-2

ASIN: B0000507ZR
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Nine Pound Hammer - Earl Scruggs
Lonesome Ruben - Earl Scruggs
My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains - Earl Scruggs
Love Is A Four-Letter Word - Earl Scruggs
The Last Thing On My Mind - Earl Scruggs
Stramlined Cannonball - Earl Scruggs
Nashville Skyline Rag - Earl Scruggs
Foggy Mountain Breakdown - Earl Scruggs
You Ain't Going Nowhere - Earl Scruggs
Nothin' To It - Earl Scruggs
Salty Dog Blues - Earl Scruggs
On Top Of Old Smokey - Earl Scruggs
Black Mountain Rag - Earl Scruggs
Foggy Mountain Breakdown (20-Second Excerpt From His Moratorium Appearance) - Earl Scruggs
Like A Rolling Stone - Flatt & Scruggs
Folsom Prison Blues - Flatt & Scruggs
Gentle On My Mind - Flatt & Scruggs
If I Were A Carpenter - Flatt & Scruggs
Frieda Florentine - Flatt & Scruggs
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Flatt & Scruggs
Rainy Day Women - Flatt & Scruggs
Catch The Wind - Flatt & Scruggs
Long Road To Houston - Flatt & Scruggs
The Times They Are A-Changin' - Flatt & Scruggs
Universal Soldier - Flatt & Scruggs

Customer Reviews:

Earl and Friends, and A Later Classic Flatt & Scruggs Album.......2005-04-01

First I really don't understand why they packaged this CD the way they did. I personally think they should've reversed the order, since the first 14 songs are Earl and friends (without Lester), and tracks 15-25 are one of Flatt & Scruggs last albums.

Earl had many guests on this, his first solo effort. The line up is impressive: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, The Byrds... all these people/groups show up here to lend their talents, showing how much each one respected Scruggs. That stands as testimonial to the influence this great musician/pioneer had and continues to have to this day. (Need further proof? Check out last year's Earl Scruggs and Friends).
Now for the F&S album: This is the "Hippy years" when Earl was into Dylan, Donovan and others of that "folk rock" era.
Now, while I'm sure the died-in-the-wool Bluegrassers of the time were probably cursing Flatt & Scruggs and calling them "turncoats", one still has to admit this is just plain good music, no matter what walls stand between styles. Good music is good music, right?
I love their version of Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", and I remember as a child listening to my grandmother's old 45 RPM of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" (written by Dylan). At the time, I honestly thought it was a Flatt & Scruggs original and to this day, no matter who I hear sing that song, I always compare it to this version. It's just great singing/picking.
"Folsom Prison Blues" just doesn't work here, because that song works only for Cash, and on "Rainy Day Women #12&35", it's just hard to listen to Lester Flatt sing about getting stoned. It just doesn't work.
"If I Were A Carpenter" is done very tastefully here as well as "Gentle On My Mind", "Catch The Wind" and (my personal favorite on the CD)"Universal Soldier".
If you buy this CD expecting Bluegrass, you'll be in for a shock, but if you buy this CD expecting just plain good music, you'll be in for a treat.

Earl Scruggs And Friends.......2001-10-11

Although this was not one of my favorite CD's done by Mr. Scruggs I do think is is worth buying.

Flatt & Scruggs; His Family and Friends; Nashville Airplaine.......2001-09-09

This is a very good CD and I would have rated it higher but it's just that I prefer the more traiditional Flat & Scruggs. Although - This is well worth a listen.

Settin' on the porch with Earl and friends.......2001-01-13

The review by "the music fan from Alexandria" is really quite good, so I will just add a few things.

I came across the "Earl Scruggs, His Family, and Friends" vinyl record the other day in a pawn shop for 50 cents! I had no idea what joys awaited my when I got it on my turntable. The music is outstanding, and the conversations between Earl, Doc Watson, Joan Baez, and others are fascinating.

Two songs, for example, were recorded at Doc's North Carolina home. Earl explains to the TV interviewer that the song they are about to play is un-rehearsed; Doc can be heard in the background saying "The music is usually better thattaway." And he is right - the ensuing performance of "The Last Thing on My Mind" is flawless, unless you count the sound of Doc's laughter early on...and who would call that a "flaw"?

At different times during the recording one can hear birds singing in the background, and during one segment what sounds like rain falling on the roof of the porch. This album takes the listener right to the porch with Earl, Doc, the Byrds, Bob and Joan (and the really great Morris Brothers, who I heard here for the first time). Is there any better setting for folk music?

I have not heard the "Flatt and Scruggs" album (tracks 15 - 25) but this CD is worth it for the first 14 tracks alone.

Get It While You Can.......2000-12-07

Wow, here are two classic LPs I never thought would see the laser-light of day on CD.

EARL SCRUGGS: HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS (a solo shot, not a Flatt and Scruggs album as suggested by the Collectibles label, which did the reissue) is taken from a 1970 PBS (then NET) documentary on Scruggs. The soundtrack is excellent, combining live tracks, back-porch guitar (and banjo) pulls and commentary by Scruggs. Highlights: An early melding of bluegrass and an incredible new musical gizmo called a synthesizer; guest shots by the Byrds, Joan Baez, Doc Watson and the Morris Brothers (Dylan's here too but his instrumental track is unremarkable); and a snippet from a performance during the Vietnam War Moratorium protest in Washington. This forgotten gems ranks as one of the best folk/bluegrass albums ever made.

Flatt & Scruggs' NASHVILLE AIRLINE is a bona-fide bizarro disc, born of Scruggs' growing interest in folk and pop music (culminating in the formation of the Earl Scruggs Revue in the early 1970s). F&S perform a variety of ill-suited pop and protest songs. Flatt's deadpan vocals on Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women" (everybody must get stoned) or Donavan's hippie anthem "Catch the Wind" makes you wonder if he realized what the words meant. I picture him putting up with this left-of-center material just to keep ol' Earl happy. "But, Earl, I don't get why everyone must have stones thrown at them." Not F&S's finest moment, but the combination of '60s kitsch and hot picking is worth the price of admission.

Tracks:

Lonesome And A Way From Home
Silver Wings
It's A Picture From Life's Other Side
Motherless Child Blues
Some Of Shelly's Blues
Never Ending Song Of Love
Rock Salt And Nails
The Banks Of Ohio
Ring Of Fire
Propinquity
Fireball Mail
Tramp On The Street
The Cure
I Saw The Light

Customer Reviews:

Some help, alright!.......2007-04-19

Bluegrass listeners with eclectic interests find much to enjoy.......2005-10-24

With a title that nods to the music of Hank Williams and The Beatles, "I Saw the Light with Some Help from my Friends" was an Earl Scruggs' solo album that represents a different creative era for banjo virtuoso. In 1969, Flatt & Scruggs parted ways as a result of their disagreement about repertoire and whether to include folk material into their sets. Scruggs was also looking to broaden his musical horizons. From 1971, this album gave Scruggs to team with three of his sons (aka Earl Scruggs Revue), fiddler Vassar Clements, along with popular country vocalists Linda Ronstadt (4 tracks), Tracy Nelson (5 tracks), Arlo Guthrie (3 tracks), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and some of Nashville's best studio musicians. Bob Wilson plays piano; Jody Maphis or Karl Himmel play drums; and Norman Blake appears on dobro.

Songs are drawn from the country genre (Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings," Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light"), blues (Tracy Nelson's "Motherless Child Blues") and pop (Michael Nesmith's "Some of Shelley's Blues" and "Propinquity"). The banjo is relegated to a more minor role than it played in Earl's earlier straight-ahead and classic bluegrass endeavors. I believe that the project was an effort to reach out to younger people, and Don Law's liner notes also acknowledged that "Earl Scruggs is far more than a bluegrass banjo picker." I consider the album (like the seminal 1971 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Will the Circle be Unbroken" project with also featured Scruggs) to be a popular success that served to help bring a largely urban youthful audience to bluegrass.

Like the Nitty Gritty project, "I Saw the Light with Some Help from my Friends" helped to form a new circle that would unite past and present through music. The success of albums like these were proof that different generations could respect each others' brands of music. Originally a folk singer from Wisconsin, Tracy Nelson could also belt out the blues and built her early reputation as a singer on the west coast before moving to Nashville. She appears on five tracks, but her own self-penned 1971 recording of "Motherless Child Blues" is a highlight. "Tramp on the Street," "Fireball Mail," and "The Cure" are previously unreleased cuts.

The songs chosen range across a wide musical spectrum from folk to rock, country to pop. Cross-pollination of musical genres has its place, and listeners with eclectic interests find much to enjoy from the resulting blend. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

I Saw the Light With Some Help from My Friends.......2005-09-17

It's classic artist having a good time.

One of my favorites.......2005-08-16

This is one of my all time favorite albums, and the only surprise is that it took so long for them to reissue it on CD.

Most of the album is more country than bluegrass - the drums are a dead giveaway - even with Earl Scruggs on banjo, Norman Blake on Dobro, and Vassar Clements on fiddle. Boy would I love to have friends like that!

My favorite vocals are from Linda Ronstadt (back in her country rock days - sounding like she did on "Heart Like a Wheel"), Tracy Nelson (sounding a lot like Bonnie Bramlett), and Arlo Guthrie (sounding of course like Arlo Guthrie).

If you still yearn for more of that early 70s sound, click on the buy button now. You won't regret it.

Ground-Breaking Album.......2005-08-10

I've always thought that this album inspired the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's, "Will the Circle be Unbroken", album. It was recorded not long after Earl and Lester stopped recording together, and was one of the first recordings that Earl made with his sons. So it predates the "Earl Scruggs Review" albums. The musicianship on the album is every bit as good as you'd expect from Earl Scruggs. It is a bit of a departure from the straight-up bluegrass, but you get some insight as to what a phenomenal musician Earl is. Earl joins up with a number of musicians, who were at the top of their game at the time, making this album a real treasure. I've been waiting for this to come out on CD for at least twenty years.

Music Album:

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