Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains

by The Country Gentlemen

Overview

Originally released on Folkways in 1973, Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains captures 16 songs performed live by the "classic" Country Gentlemen. The circumstances surrounding this recording are shady; the location is unknown, and the date is speculated to be somewhere in the mid-'60s. Whenever and wherever this disc was made, the sound quality is sharp and the folks in the crowd, whoever they are, sound like they're having a good time. The songs themselves are somewhat tame compared to the progressive bluegrass this group is generally known for; signature tunes such as "Two Little Boys" are missing and a host of bluegrass standards like "Tom Dooley," "Cripple Creek," and "Mary Dear" make up the bulk of the recording. But if the track listing is nothing to write home about, the Country Gentlemen certainly do these songs justice. John Duffey is in top form here, cracking jokes ("For those folks who've just arrived, we're the Country Gentlemen -- better known as the Beatles of the Stone Age") and plucking up a storm on his mandolin. Seeing how the group's signature work isn't represented here, Going Back probably isn't the best entry point for newcomers to the Country Gentlemen's catalog. But tracks like "Dark as a Dungeon," "Electricity," and "I Saw the Light" all offer excellent reasons for fans to mosey through this reissue, if only because the Country Gentlemen sound like they're having such a great time. ~ Margaret Reges

Product Details

Release Date:	05/22/2007
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074017524
Rank:	77937

Tracks

1. Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains
2. Going to the Races
3. Azzuro Campana
4. Dark as a Dungeon
5. Copper Kettle
6. Billy in the Low Ground
7. I Saw the Light
8. Tom Dooley #2
9. Brown Mountain Light
10. Electricity
11. Daybreak in Dixie
12. Mary Dear
13. Sad and Lonesome Day
14. Cripple Creek
15. Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky
16. Muleskinner Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Country Gentlemen   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

D.A. Sonneborn   Audio Production,Production Supervisor
Daniel Sheeby   Audio Production
Pete Kuykendall   Arranger
Carter Stanley   Composer
Alton Delmore   Composer
John Duffey   Arranger
Merle Travis   Composer
Pete Reiniger   Mastering,Sound Supervision
Scotty Wiseman   Composer
George Vaughn   Composer
Charles Tompkins   Tray Photo,Photography
Carl Fleischhauer   Photography
Jon Hartley Fox   Annotation,Liner Notes
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
Carla Borden   Editorial Assistant
Joe Parisi   Design,Layout Design
Ann Milovsoroff   Cover Photo,Photography
Eddie Adcock   Arranger
Daniel Sheehy   Production Supervisor
Jimmy Murphy   Composer
Bill Napier   Composer