Off The Record, Vol. 1: Live Recordings, 1956-1969 [Live]

Amazon.com essential recording
"Howdy, howdy folks. We're glad to be back for another show here. As we do the numbers now, we're gonna call each fellow's name out so we can get right along with the show." And what a show. Bluegrass has always been a live-performance genre, on stage or in the studio, and Bill Monroe never sounded better on stage than during these heady years of the folk revival. He had something to share and to prove to his new audience, and he wouldn't meet them halfway, choosing instead his grittiest traditional material and singing, especially in the late '50s, with full, high yodel and wail. His voice mellowed into the '60s, but his band, including many of the best bluegrass pickers ever (Bill Keith, Peter Rowan, Richard Greene, and Bobby Hicks for starters), never gave quarter. To understand Bill Monroe and his various ensembles, one needs to hear his stage brilliance, and there's no better place to start than with these warm, clear live recordings. --Roy Kasten

Product Description:
Previously unreleased recordings from the 1950s and '60s present Monroe concert performances, jam sessions, and festival workshops of Bill with the Bluegrass Boys and his brothers Charlie and Birch. This 75-minute collection captures Monroe with Peter Rowan, Bill Keith, Tex Logan, Bobby Hicks, Del McCoury, Hazel Dickens, Roland White, and many, many others. Includes rare photos and extensive notes by Ralph Rinzler. "...culled from both concerts and picking parties, [this recording] reveals what a holy terror [Monroe] was in front of an audience--even of friends, at 4:45 a.m." -- Newsweek

Tracks:

Watermelon Hanging On The Vine
Roanoke
Brakeman's Blues
Close By
Kentucky Waltz
Blue Grass Stomp
Blue Moon Of Kentucky
I'm Working On A Building
Angels Rock Me To Sleep
Wheel Hoss
Watermelon Hanging On The Vine
Katy Hill
True Life Blues
I Live In The Past
Wayfaring Stranger
Fire On The Mountain
Blue Grass Breakdown
Raw Hide
Y'all Come
Cotton-Eyed Joe
Get Up John
White House Blues
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Kansas City Railroad Blues
The Walls Of Time
When He Reached Down His Hand For Me
Monroe Family Segment

Amazon.com essential recording

"Howdy, howdy folks. We're glad to be back for another show here. As we do the numbers now, we're gonna call each fellow's name out so we can get right along with the show." And what a show. Bluegrass has always been a live-performance genre, on stage or in the studio, and Bill Monroe never sounded better on stage than during these heady years of the folk revival. He had something to share and to prove to his new audience, and he wouldn't meet them halfway, choosing instead his grittiest traditional material and singing, especially in the late '50s, with full, high yodel and wail. His voice mellowed into the '60s, but his band, including many of the best bluegrass pickers ever (Bill Keith, Peter Rowan, Richard Greene, and Bobby Hicks for starters), never gave quarter. To understand Bill Monroe and his various ensembles, one needs to hear his stage brilliance, and there's no better place to start than with these warm, clear live recordings. --Roy Kasten

Album Description

Previously unreleased recordings from the 1950s and '60s present Monroe concert performances, jam sessions, and festival workshops of Bill with the Bluegrass Boys and his brothers Charlie and Birch. This 75-minute collection captures Monroe with Peter Rowan, Bill Keith, Tex Logan, Bobby Hicks, Del McCoury, Hazel Dickens, Roland White, and many, many others. Includes rare photos and extensive notes by Ralph Rinzler. "...culled from both concerts and picking parties, [this recording] reveals what a holy terror [Monroe] was in front of an audience--even of friends, at 4:45 a.m." -- Newsweek

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2007-03-10

No one artist will ever be missed more by me than Bill Monroe. As a teenager back in the early 80's, before the corporate mentality took over bluegrass, Bill was out there burning things up. Nothing in this world will ever mean as much to me as watching Bill perform "My Last Days On Earth" live at Bean Blossom in 1983. His name is synonymous with people like Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Elvis and Roy Acuff due to his guiding influence.

What is found on this disc are two phases of Bill's career. The first is the mid to late 50's when rock n roll was gaining popularity and country artists were plugging in to keep pace. Bill, ever the purist to what he'd created and being his typical hard headed self, refused to put any band on the road that carried an electirc instrument. It was during this era that gigs were hard to come by for "hillbilly" music. That doesn't in any way take awy from these perfomances however. Bill and crew were at the top of thier respective game and the delivery is completely flawless. Ed Mayfield is the guitarist and lead singer on several of these cuts. The toure de force he turns in on Blue Yodel # 5 alone is jaw dropping. Also included is a guest spot with Don Reno playing banjo on Bluegrass Stomp, with Bill providing some of the spookiest, blusiest playing ever to be heard.
The second phase is equally impressive featuring the likes of Richard Greene, Pete Rowan, Bill Kieth (introduced as Brad because Monroe was to be the only Bill on stage) and Tex Logan. It was at this time that Ralph Rinzler had begun managing Monroe's career and a resulting rennisance was underway, which in no small way helped Bill attract younger, more progressive pickers. The most amazing cut from this period would have to be "Wayfaring Stranger" with a completely impromtu instrumental call-and-answer on Bill's break.

This disc, along with the Doc Watson duet (also on Smithsonian Folkway) and the Bear Family box sets of Monroe's Decca recordings are about all a bluegrass fan will ever need for a complete catalog of The Father of Bluegrass' genius.

An intimate glimpse at Monroe's onstage charm.......2002-12-19

A treasure trove of rare Monroe performances, from various folk fests and concerts. For the most part these live renditions don't capture the full intensity of Monroe's music, but there's certainly not a bad cut on this album. The best bit, though, is a track called "Monroe Family Segment," which consists of Q&A dialogs with fans and festival moderators asking Monroe to explain his techniques and how he learned them from various family members... Interesting in and of itself, but also a great glimpse at Bill's rapport with his fans.

That was I call MUSIC........2002-08-03

I have gotten myself into bluegrass lately even though I'm not new to it either. I grew up hearing bluegrass music on television like the Beverly Hillbillies, Hee Haw and the Dukes of Hazzard. However, I always wanted to learn more about Bill Monroe and his music. The music on this CD is of course authentic, traditional bluegrass. I highly recommend this to any bluegrass and even non-bluegrass listener. I would like to see America get back to its music roots. We are losing it with the non substance music we hear today.

Definitive -- Essential.......2001-05-23

This one is a must -- live recordings that show Monroe and the various Blue Grass Boys at their best. You will not be disappointed.

The very finest example of bluegrass ever!.......2001-05-04

I knew I liked the bluegrass sound, but I didn't own any... so on a whim I found this CD in a store. I bought it because I thought I recognized the name, and it did have more songs than most. That was four years ago and I still think of it as one of the best purchases I've ever made. If you like the mandolin and high old time sound... then you must have this CD!! It's over an hour of the best bluegrass ever recorded, and the information in the cover/recorded interview with Bill (#27. Monroe Family Segment) really let you get a chance to know the man.

Music Album:

Music Album