Satan Is Real

by The Louvin Brothers

Overview

Satan Is Real is the Louvin Brothers' best known album, largely because of its bold title and its eccentric cover artwork, in which Charlie and Ira Louvin, surrounded by flames symbolizing Hades, pose in front of a huge, cross-eyed model of the Devil. While more than a few hipsters have found an ironic laugh in the album's over-the-top imagery, one listen to the music confirms that the Louvin Brothers weren't joking in any way, shape or form. Satan Is Real is an album of fierce, plain spoken sincerity in which the Louvins, who started their career singing gospel material, perform songs that deal with the high stakes of sin and redemption, in which Satan truly does have power to rival the Lord. The opening title track sets the tone for the set, in which a man at a church service tells the congregation how he learned that Satan's treachery is every bit as real as God's love, and while not every song is as grim -- "The River of Jordan" and "There's a Higher Power" are positively jaunty -- the temptations of life in a fallen world and the consequences of sin are touched upon in nearly every track. The Louvin Brothers wrote many of the most memorable songs on Satan Is Real, and they rarely sounded as heartfelt as on "The Christian Life," "Are You Afraid to Die" and "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night"; as usual, their harmonies are luminously beautiful, and while Ira's superb mandolin work is missed, the simple arrangements (often incorporating a subdued gospel organ) are perfectly suited to the material. You don't need to share the Louvin Brothers' spiritual beliefs to be moved by the grace, beauty and lack of pretension of this music; Satan Is Real is music crafted by true believers sharing their faith, and its power goes beyond Christian doctrine into something at once deeply personal and truly universal, and the result is the Louvin Brothers' masterpiece. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	07/21/2023
Label:	Sounds Good
UPC:	8436563184604
Rank:	17723

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Louvin Brothers   Primary Artist
Hank "Sugarfoot" Crawford   Guest Artist
Paul Yandell   Guitar
The Jordanaires   Choir/Chorus
Chet Atkins   Guitar (Electric)
Ira Louvin   Vocals,Mandolin
Cowboy Copas   Guitar
Eddie Hill   Guitar
Howdy Forrester   Fiddle
Jimmy Capps   Guitar
Roy Huskey Jr.   Bass
Ray Edenton   Guitar
Owen Bradley   Vibraphone
Grandpa Jones   Banjo
Hank Garland   Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Floyd T. Lightnin' Chance   Bass
Don Helms   Guitar (Steel)
Floyd Cramer   Piano
Charlie Louvin   Guitar,Vocals
Jimmy Riddle   Harmonica
George W. McCormick   Guitar,Baritone (Vocal)
William Paul Ackerman   Drums
Marvin H. Hughes   Organ,Piano
Harold Ray Bradley   Guitar
Murrey M. "Buddy" Harman Jr.   Drums
Harold B. "Shot" Jackson   Dobro

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Ken Nelson   Producer
Ira Louvin   Arranger,Composer
Joe Allison   Liner Notes
Eddie Hill   Composer
Edgar Eden   Composer
Edgar L. Edens   Composer
Mother Maybelle Carter   Composer
Edgar Edens   Composer
Ray Edenton   Composer
Glenn Meadows   Remastering
Helen Carter   Composer
Charlie Louvin   Arranger,Composer
June Carter Cash   Composer
Revin "Rebe" Gosdin   Composer
Anita Carter   Composer
Hazel Houser   Composer
Buddy Bain   Composer
John Johnson   Reissue Producer
Faye Cunningham   Composer
Ella Barrett   Composer
Charles K. Wolfe   Liner Notes
Donnie Winters   Composer
June Carter   Composer
Lloyd Jenkins   Composer
Maybelle Carter   Composer
Charles Louvin   Composer