Plum Pitiful: 20 Sad and Tragic Bluegrass Songs by VA (CD, Time-Life) Sealed!

Description: Tracks: 1. The Stanley Brothers: Pretty Polly2. The Warrior River Boys: Down In The Willow Garden3. Ralph Stanley/James King/George Shuffler: Little Glass Of Wine4. Don Reno/Bill Harrell: Little Maggie5. Scott Brannon: Old Shep6. Don Reno/Bill Harrell: Darlin' Little Joe7. The Warrior River Boys: The Long Black Veil8.James King/David Davis: Memories Of Mother And Dad9.David Davis/Scott Brannon: Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine10. Bill Harrell: Baggage Coach Ahead11.Bob and Danny Paisley: Evening Train12. The Basement Band: Six More Miles13. Don Reno and Red Smiley: Speak To Me Little Darling14. The Stanley Brothers: Mother's Not Dead (She's Only Sleeping)15. Charlie Moore: A Rebel Soldier16. Mac Wiseman: A Hero's Death17. Charlie Moore: Shackles And Chains18. The Stanley Brothers Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone19. Ray Davis: Orphan Joe20. The Stanley Brothers: Man Of Constant Sorrow The old folk songs of the Southern Mountains drew on a wide array of sources, from modal Irish laments, ancient Anglo ballads, remorseful hymns, and Afro-American blues, rolling everything up into a seemingly endless schedule of dashed hopes, broken hearts, cruel murders, train wrecks, and dying soldiers, until it would seem the only release from this vale is death itself. "I'm a man of constant sorrow/I've seen trouble all my days," sings Ralph Stanley in the now-classic Stanley Brothers version of "Man of Constant Sorrow," which is included here, and that sorrow is hardly any wonder, given the horrors that seem to unfold constantly in those ancient tunes. This litany of misery was the legacy that bluegrass assumed when it emerged in the late '40s and early '50s, and although the racing banjos and mandolins brightened things up a bit, nothing said high and lonesome like a good old murder ballad, nothing was sadder than a tale of love gone horribly wrong, no matter how many racing banjos propelled it. Plum Pitiful may have been assembled with tongue partly in cheek (there is even a sad-eyed hound on the front and back covers), but there is a lot of misfortune being documented here, ranging from cold, calculated murder ("Pretty Polly," "Down by the Willow Garden") to pure dime novel pathos ("Old Shep," "Orphan Joe"). In the end, with so much misery being bandied about, a song like "Mother's Not Dead (She's Only Sleeping)" becomes unintentionally hilarious, even though it isn't remotely funny. It's hard to imagine what occasion this collection is most suitable for, but it is probably no more depressing than any single day's newspaper, and the murders described here are certainly a lot more chilling (being executed for love) than the cartoon rants of latter-day gangsta rap (where violence seems to be mostly about revenge). Constant sorrow, indeed. It's a wonder anyone can sleep at night. ~ Steve Leggett Combined shipping discount on all items unless otherwise noted. Just use the add to cart option and proceed to checkout when done. Please note that the Buy It Now button voids the discount.

Price: 9.99 USD

Location: Old Saybrook, Connecticut

End Time: 2024-12-27T05:54:43.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.95 USD