Can anyone Recommend Some Good Bluegrass CD's

nikolas812
nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
edited July 2009 in Music & Movies
Just like the title says. Does anybody have any good bluegrass recommendations.. Preferably well recorded....
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  • BottomFeeder
    BottomFeeder Posts: 1,684
    edited July 2008
    Well, you HAVE to know about Alison Krauss. Yes?
    "Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then." Bob Seger
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited July 2008
    Ummm. Not country... Bluegrass.. You know.. Guitars and fiddles. Banjos, fiddels and guitars. That kind of stuff. Old time sound to it. I guess if your not from here you just don't know. Alison Krauss is border line Bluegrass. But not really.

    All though. The funny thing is. I am listening to Alison Krauss A Hundred Miles or more.:D


    Nick
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,964
    edited July 2008
    It isn't exactly bluegrass, but you might like a Boston-based "group" called The Wayfaring Strangers. It's a little self-consciously esoteric, but the playing's fine and I like it a lot. Try their first album, The Shifting Sands of Time, if you can find it. http://www.johnmcgann.com/wayfaring.html

    Another good, modern bluegrass band that I've seen live a few times is The Steep Canyon Rangers out of North Carolina. http://www.steepcanyon.com/

    Old and in the Way (a Jerry Garcia side-project) was a fun and quite authentic bluegrass ensemble, with one studio album and some live material now available on CD. Garcia and mandolinist David Grisman did some interesting things, too, and Grisman's "Dawg music" was (and still is) a virtuoso hybrid of jazz and bluegrass. Try The David Grisman Quintet, the album that sold me on Polk Monitor 7s at Soundscape in B-more way back in 1977.

    In terms of "real" bluegrass, I am quite partial to the Stanley Brothers... and, of course, there's Bill Monroe, who single-handedly created the genre. I have a nice Bill Monroe box set; I don't remember the title, though.
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  • candyliquor35m
    candyliquor35m Posts: 2,267
    edited July 2008
    john denver's greatest hits
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  • nspindel
    nspindel Posts: 5,343
    edited July 2008
    Maybe if you took the caps off your tweeters you'd realize that John Denver ain't bluegrass....
    Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited July 2008
    I can check some exact titles at home this evening. Just to clarify, though, a traditional bluegrass band does not have a guitar in it. Mandolin, banjo, fiddle, maybe an upright bass, but no guitar or percussion.

    Gimme some names of bluegrass outfits that you like, I'll find something that'll do you right.
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,964
    edited July 2008
    Dunno about guitar, but I do agree that drums have no place in traditional bluegrass.
    If you can stomach drums, though, you might enjoy the Picking on the Grateful Dead albums... bluegrass-style arrangements of Dead tunes. Kind of a cute diversion.
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  • Ricardo
    Ricardo Posts: 10,636
    edited July 2008
    candyliquor35m wrote: »
    john denver's greatest hits

    This has NOTHING to do with this thread. Deaf and also blind?

    Have a nice day. I know I am.
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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited July 2008
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Dunno about guitar, but I do agree that drums have no place in traditional bluegrass.
    If you can stomach drums, though, you might enjoy the Picking on the Grateful Dead albums... bluegrass-style arrangements of Dead tunes. Kind of a cute diversion.

    Yeah, I may need to back up a bit on that guitar comment...:o

    Went digging for some good recommendations and remembered Doc Watson's instrument of choice.

    So far, I came up with Doc Watson "Memories", any of the Old and In the Way releases, The Del McCoury Band "Into the Night" (though any of their stuff is solid), Nickel Creek has an SACD release called "This Side".
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • avguytx
    avguytx Posts: 1,628
    edited July 2008
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    Ummm. Not country... Bluegrass.. You know.. Guitars and fiddles. Banjos, fiddels and guitars. That kind of stuff. Old time sound to it. I guess if your not from here you just don't know. Alison Krauss is border line Bluegrass. But not really.

    All though. The funny thing is. I am listening to Alison Krauss A Hundred Miles or more.:D


    Nick

    Find some of the Allison Krauss and Union Station and there you'll here more "twang". Some of it is a little too twangy for me and I have to skip tracks.

    Other than that, how about the Deliverance soundtrack? :D
    Richard? Who's your favorite Little Rascal? Alfalfa? Or is it........................Spanky?.................................Sinner.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,964
    edited July 2008
    The "Live" Allison Krauss and Union Station album is superb in all respects.
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited July 2008
    You may have to hunt for some of the old guys like Flatt and Scruggs (Think the Beverly Hillbillies Theme - but DO NOT let that stop you from checking them out - they are GREAT!), and as mhardy6647 mentioned Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys and The Stanley Brothers (particularly Ralph Stanley). All of these guys are considered "Traditional Bluegrass". The guys who expanded the genre are considered "Progressive Bluegrass" and are artists like Alison Krauss and Union Station are indeed bluegrass although they fall into the progressive category. Some other contemporary progessive artists to consider are Ricky Skaggs, Bela Fleck and Nickel Creek. Some of the earlier progressive artists will include J.D. Crowe and Vassar Clements.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited July 2008
    strider wrote: »
    Nickel Creek has an SACD release called "This Side".

    Actually, there are 2 Nickel Creek SACDs....their self-title album and "This Side"....both produced by Alison Krauss

    586175004_a7b1293657.jpg
    586148962_e592997232.jpg
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  • shawn474
    shawn474 Posts: 3,052
    edited July 2008
    The String Chhese Incident. If you've never heard them, you owe it to yourself to go and buy any of their cd's. They are really good!

    Shawn
    Shawn
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  • phipiper10
    phipiper10 Posts: 955
    edited July 2008
    Yonder Mountain String Band
    You can download a well recorded live show in FLAC below
    http://www.archive.org/details/ymsb2007-10-06.NagraReelToReelAnalog.flac

    Hot Buttered Rum String Bad
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  • Big Dog
    Big Dog Posts: 7
    edited July 2008
    Here are two more contemporary recordings but with the right sound.
    -Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" from 1972. An awsome collection of bluegrass, old timey, country and traditional songs with an absolute all-star cast.There are three albums in the series but the first is the best.
    -Steve Earle's " The Mountain" from 1998 (I think) recorded with the Del McCoury Band.New music in a traditional style and killer chops from all on record.
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  • Music Joe
    Music Joe Posts: 459
    edited July 2008
    The Seldom Scene's early albums deserve a mention here "Act 1" ~"Act 4" and "Old Train" all mid 90's remastering.
    The Krauss+Union Station stuff is so well recorded and the live double is reference material worth having.
    "The Web is a monoblog"
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  • obieone
    obieone Posts: 5,077
    edited July 2008
    Check out Cherryholmes:D

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhRb_8n_JDg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2zPhvd8Hn8&feature=related
    I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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  • nikolas812
    nikolas812 Posts: 2,915
    edited July 2008
    This thread delivers.:D

    Thanks guys!!

    I will be picking up many of the CD's mentioned in this thread shortly.


    Nick
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  • jerryj12
    jerryj12 Posts: 451
    edited July 2008
    Don't forget- Hayseed Dixie and Iron horse.
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  • obieone
    obieone Posts: 5,077
    edited July 2008
    jerryj12 wrote: »
    Don't forget- Hayseed Dixie and Iron horse.

    LOL, The 1st time I heard Hayseed Dixie, I wasn't paying attention.....after a couple of mnutes, I was like "Am I listening to a bluegrass version of 'Warpigs'?":eek::D
    I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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  • jerryj12
    jerryj12 Posts: 451
    edited July 2008
    I think I have every album they have released......lol
    Its actually a cool sound.
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  • BrettT1
    BrettT1 Posts: 560
    edited July 2008
    Ricky Skaggs plays bluegrass.
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited August 2008
    I second the Nickel Creek suggestions, whether on CD or SACD. Excellent recordings, and Chris Thile is a freakin' genius on the mandolin.

    Speaking of Thile, if you want some bluegrass that feels more modern with a wry sense of humor, Thile has two solo projects that are must-buys. Both albums team Thile's mandolin prowess up with guitarist Chris Eldridge (Infamous Stringdusters, The Seldom Scene), bassist Greg Garrison, banjo player Noam Pikelny (both of cajun jam band Leftover Salmon), and violinist Gabe Witcher.

    The first is Chris Thile - How To Grow A Woman From The Ground. The second is Punch Brothers - Punch. Same musicians, different names, both recorded as live performances using two-track tape and vintage mics. The first album is the more modern of the two, with bluegrass covers of The White Stripes' Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground, The Strokes' Heart In A Cage and Gillian Welch's Wayside (Back In Time).

    The Punch Brothers album is more of a grand bluegrass experiment. Thile's intent was to create an epic classical style composition using bluegrass instruments, divided into similarly themed movements. The result is a 40-minute suite that showcases some of the most talented musicians playing today. Vocals are placed slightly off-center, which is initially offputting, but once you understand that you're hearing each person placed as they were during the recording, it works.

    Incidentally, Nickel Creek is what I normally use to evaluate speakers, since the mandolin and fiddle normally reveal any harshness in the high end.
    Equipment list:
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  • cubdog
    cubdog Posts: 835
    edited August 2008
    Big Dog wrote: »
    -Steve Earle's " The Mountain" from 1998 (I think) recorded with the Del McCoury Band.New music in a traditional style and killer chops from all on record.

    Excellent suggestion. Great recording!

    cubdog
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,131
    edited April 2009
    Danny Tse wrote: »
    Actually, there are 2 Nickel Creek SACDs....their self-title album and "This Side"....both produced by Alison Krauss

    586175004_a7b1293657.jpg
    586148962_e592997232.jpg

    Jamming to them now. She has a fantastic voice.
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited April 2009
    Speaking of Nickel Creek... Sara Watkins' solo album that just came out is freakin' fantastic. Produced by John Paul Jones, and sounds really good. I just love the way my speakers reproduce her voice. Worth picking up.
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited April 2009
    nikolas812 wrote: »
    ....good bluegrass...

    That is an oxymoron.


    Sorry, couldn't resist. ;)
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  • anton.chigurh
    anton.chigurh Posts: 239
    edited April 2009
    Your M5s will like these....mine do.

    Shady Grove...Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
    The Pizza Tapes...Garcia, Grisman, & Rice
    Late as Usual.....Sam Bush
    Glamour & Grits.....Sam Bush

    Jeff
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  • Conradicles
    Conradicles Posts: 6,131
    edited April 2009
    kuntasensei wrote: »
    Speaking of Nickel Creek... Sara Watkins' solo album that just came out is freakin' fantastic. Produced by John Paul Jones, and sounds really good. I just love the way my speakers reproduce her voice. Worth picking up.

    Thanks. Was not aware of that. I'll check it out today on Rhapsody.
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