Plum Pitiful (2004)

Product Summary Label: Time Life Music UPC: 00610583106923 Release Date: 10/26/2004 Buy.com Sku: 63911744 Item#: M3J2FG Buy.com Sales Rank: 25530 Format:  CD Song Listing Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. Pretty Polly - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists 2. Down In The Willow Garden - The Warrior River Boys ~ Various Artists 3. Little Glass Of Wine - Ralph Stanley/James King/George Shuffler ~ Various Artists 4. Little Maggie - Don Reno/Bill Harrell ~ Various Artists 5. Old Shep - Scott Brannon ~ Various Artists 6. Darlin' Little Joe - Don Reno/Bill Harrell ~ Various Artists 7. Long Black Veil, The - The Warrior River Boys ~ Various Artists 8. Memories Of Mother And Dad - James King/David Davis ~ Various Artists 9. Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine - David Davis/Scott Brannon ~ Various Artists 10. Baggage Coach Ahead - Bill Harrell ~ Various Artists 11. Evening Train - Danny Paisley/Bob Paisley ~ Various Artists 12. Six More Miles - The Basement Band ~ Various Artists 13. Speak To Me Little Darling - Don Reno ~ Various Artists 14. Mother's Not Dead (She's Only Sleeping) - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists 15. Rebel Soldier, A - Charlie Moore ~ Various Artists 16. Hero's Death, A - Mac Wiseman ~ Various Artists 17. Shackles And Chains - Charlie Moore ~ Various Artists 18. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists 19. Orphan Joe - Ray Davis ~ Various Artists 20. Man Of Constant Sorrow - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info Liner Note Author: Eddie Dean. Recording information: ??/??/1963-07/22/1998. Director: Francesca Chalukoff. Arrangers: A.P. Carter; Ralph Stanley; Raymond Davis; Carter Stanley. 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 Producer: Joe Sasfy (Compilation)   Technical Info Release Date : 10/26/2004 Original Release Date : 2004 Catalog ID : 18998 Label : Time/Life Music Number of Discs : 1 Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00610583106923    Product Image