
DEL McCOURY 'Celebrating 50 Years Of Del McCoury' MCM-0050-CD
Over the years Del McCoury has recorded for a variety of labels including Rebel, Rounder, Arhoolie, Revonah, Ceili, and others, and he has maintained a remarkably consistent degree of quality throughout, even with numerous changes in band personnel in his early years. In this new 5-CD set, Del, and his current label, McCoury Music, have chosen to re-record songs from all those sources with his current band, making for a consistent sound, even if it's not a true "retrospective". The music is certainly solid and excellent throughout, and includes renditions of many lesser known songs in addition to his most popular numbers like RAIN & SNOW, HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN, GOOD MAN LIKE ME, COLD HARD FACTS, and 1952 VINCENT BLACK LIGHTNING. One negative here --and it is already being pointed to by some buyers --is the value factor. In this day of truly "DeLuxe" boxed sets, it seems a bit tacky to put only 10 songs on each CD, thereby stretching a comfortable 3-CD set into five discs in a transparent attempt to justify a higher price. Also, there's just one 12-page, CD sized booklet, quite adequate and appropriate for a single CD, but far from what you would expect in a 5-record, 50-year compilation. It would be nice to see a few more pages of photos of his early bands and so on, although one nice touch is a list of all 33 of Del's band members over the years, from Billy Baker to Alan Bartram. Despite these shortcomings, this is still a wonderful collection of songs by one of the finest singers in the history of Bluegrass music, and an artist who has remained true to his roots over half a century. 5-CD Boxed set: $ 45.00
Track Listing:
- DISC ONE:
- I Wonder Where You Are Tonight
- Remembering
- Rain & Snow
- Are You Teasin' Me?
- Dreams
- White House Blues
- Dark Hollow
- You're the Girl of My Dreams
- Don't Stop the Music
- The Prisoner's Song
- DISC TWO:
- Big Rock in the Road
- High On the Mountain
- Rain Please Go Away
- Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
- Good Man Like Me
- I've Endured
- Bluest Man In Town
- Don't You Call My Name
- Evil Hearted Woman
- Loggin' Man
- DISC THREE:
- Loneliness and Desperation
- I Feel the Blues Movin' In
- Don't Let My Love Get in the Way
- Who Showed Who
- Undone in Sorrow
- Take Me To the Mountains
- Eli Renfro
- Queen Anne's Lace
- Nashville Cats
- Beauty of My Dreams
- DISC FOUR:
- Cold Hard Facts
- Black Jack County Chains
- A Far Cry
- 50/50 Chance
- City Of Stone
- Never Grow Up Boy
- Asheville Turnaround
- Learnin' the Blues
- Cheek to Cheek With the Blues
- DISC FIVE:
- 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
- Let An Old Racehorse Run
- Same Kind of Crazy
- I'm Afraid I Forgot the Feeling
- All Aboard
- It's Just the Night
- Nothin' Special
- Unequal Love
- Mill Towns
- My Love Will Not Change