Sittin' Here Pickin' the Blues [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]

Product Description:
This album is an expanded edition of Doc and Merle Watson's classic Pickin' the Blues, with eight additional tracks from their Flying Fish Records catalogue. In the hands of Doc and Merle, the blues and country music are a natural fit, with songs drawn from a range of blues, jazz and country styles. In addition to Doc's flat-picking and Merle's slide guitar playing, this collection is a fine showcase for Doc's baritone voice, as natural and expressive an instrument as any in country music or the blues. With T. Michael Coleman, Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush and others.

Tracks:

Freight Train Blues
Hobo Bill's Last Ride
Mississippi Heavy Water Blues
Did You Hear John Hurt?
John Henry/Worried Blues
I'm A Stranger Here
Talking To Casey
Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
Any Old Time
Sittin' Here Pickin' The Blues
Stormy Weather
How Long Blues
Honey Babe Blues
St. Louis Blues
Carroll County Blues
California Blues
Going To Chicago Blues
Jailhouse Blues
Windy And Warm
Deep River Blues

Album Description

This album is an expanded edition of Doc and Merle Watson's classic Pickin' the Blues, with eight additional tracks from their Flying Fish Records catalogue. In the hands of Doc and Merle, the blues and country music are a natural fit, with songs drawn from a range of blues, jazz and country styles. In addition to Doc's flat-picking and Merle's slide guitar playing, this collection is a fine showcase for Doc's baritone voice, as natural and expressive an instrument as any in country music or the blues. With T. Michael Coleman, Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush and others.

Customer Reviews:

Doc & Merle at the Top of Their Game.......2005-11-01

Doc Watson is one of the premier flatpick guitar players ever, and some of his best albums were recorded with his late son Merle. SITTIN' HERE PICKIN' THE BLUES draws from the three early to mid-Eighties studio albums they recorded for Flying Fish (and one live track from THE TELLURIDE FESTIVAL TAPES). Here's the breakdown on the tracks:

RED ROCKING CHAIR (1981): "California Blues," "Did You Hear John Hurt," "Any Old Time" and "How Long Blues." T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Tom Scott plays clarinet on "Any Old Time."

DOC & MERLE WATSON'S GUITAR ALBUM (1983): "Talking to Casey," "Goin' to Chicago Blues" and "John Henry/Worried Blues." T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Mark O'Connor plays fiddle.

THE TELLURIDE FESTIVAL TAPES (1984): "Deep River Blues"

PICKIN' THE BLUES (1985): All twelve tracks from the original vinyl release are included. T. Michael Coleman plays bass on all tracks and Sam Bush plays mandolin or fiddle on many (except for "St. Louis Blues" which Doc plays solo).

Not only is Doc an accomplished guitar player, but his son Merle more than holds his own on slide guitar on most of these tracks. My only complaint is that the individual albums are currently out of print and more than a dozen tracks from RED ROCKIN' CHAIR and GUITAR ALBUM were left off. This should have been a double CD to enable all three CDs to be included in their entirety. But if you're looking for a solid introduction to the music of Doc & Merle, this is an excellent place to start. [Running Time - 60:05] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A Welcome Reissue/Expansion.......2004-09-22

This album is essentially a deluxe reissue of Doc and Merle's Pickin' the Blues (1985). Rounding out the tracks from that album are four choice cuts from Red Rockin' Chair (1981) and three fine instrumentals from Doc and Merle's Guitar Album (1983). Also included is a nice, but non-definitive, live rendition of "Deep River Blues" from The Festival Tapes / Tellulive (1979). This is a great sampling of the material Doc and Merle recorded for Flying Fish Records before Merle's untimely death on October 23, 1985. For those new to Doc's music, I would suggest exploring Doc's Vanguard recordings (On Stage, Southbound, Home Again, Ballads From Deep Gap) before you venture into this material. For those already familiar with Doc's early work and are looking for a good sampler of Doc and Merle's stint with Flying Fish, this is the best you're going to do.

Music Album:

Music Album