Blood & Wealth

The famous FTSOTS end of year list will be with you shortly, but let's get the old stuff out of the way first. Here are the reissues and compilations of the year, in all their raging glory. Out of a ton of goodies, and with exclusive fine art by Tinca, I picked the following.

1. John Coltrane - Both Directions At Once: The Lost Album
2. Bob Dylan - More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14
3. Neil Young - Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live
4. Thelonious Monk - Mønk (Live In Copenhagen '63)
5. Van Morrison - Live In Boston '72
6. Grateful Dead - Pacific Northwest '73-'74: Believe It If You Need It
7. v/a - Basement Beehive: The Girl Group Underground
8. The Louvin Brothers - Love And Wealth: The Lost Recordings
9. Songs: Ohia - Love & Work: The Lioness Sessions
10. v/a - Black Man's Pride 2: Righteous Are The Sons And Daughters Of Jah

John Coltrane - Untitled Original 11386 (Take 1)

Only One Way

Love and wealth? You got it. Never would have thought there was anything left in the vaults by my fave country brother team, so a hearty hallelujah sure is in order here. Ira and Charlie ride again with a double disc set of songwriting demos recorded in the early to mid-fifties and all is well with the world.

The Louvin Brothers - You'll Meet Him In The Clouds

Drink Pet Milk

Two fine tracks by the always amazing Louvins, from a Pet Milk-sponsored Grand Ole Opry broadcast back in '59. "Blue you found me, blue you left me, and blue I will be from now on..." My point exactly.

Louvin Brothers - Curly Headed Baby

Louvin Brothers - Blue From Now On

Dark-Night Songs

"She warbled and keened at an extreme pitch of emotion unattainable by the young, and the verses of the songs went on and on toward a receding conclusion. They were dark-night songs. Knocked-up girls got stabbed or shot or hit in the head, and then buried in the cold ground or thrown into the black deep river. Pretty Polly. Little Omie Wise. Go down, go down, you Knoxville Girl. Sometimes reproduction did not even factor into the narrative. The man snuffed the girl out because he could not own her, a killing offense if the girl's opinions ran counter to his urges. In the ballads, love and murder and possession fit tight against one another as an outgrown wedding band on a swollen finger..."

That's from Nightwoods, Charles Frazier's new novel, which I happen to be reading at the moment. Good to see that someone knows his classics well. Guy's a mean writer, too, so do snap it up. In the meantime, here's a little soundtrack.

Bill Cornett - Pretty Polly

G.B. Grayson - Ommie Wise

Louvin Brothers - Knoxville Girl

Smiling And Singing With Tears In His Eyes

This sad news just in: Charlie Louvin died today, at the respectable age of 83. With Ira, who passed away back in ´65, he formed the finest brother team in the history of country music. Miss him.

The Louvin Brothers - The Angels Rejoiced Last Night MP3

The Louvin Brothers - Are You Afraid To Die MP3

Long Live Longnecks

I have to admit this tenpack formula is a rather lazy affair, but heck, it´s summer, right? Let´s milk it some more then. Today we´re going completely country, with a varied and soulful selection of originators, outlaws and outsiders of the genre. So take that rocking chair outside, pour yourself a tall cool one (may I suggest the Lone Star brand?) and "sing a little bit of these workin´ man blues..."

Merle Haggard - Workin´ Man Blues MP3

Louvin Brothers - Let Her Go, God Bless Her MP3

Steve Young - One Car Funeral Procession MP3

Tom T. Hall - I Hope It Rains At My Funeral MP3

Delmore Brothers - I´m Lonesome Without You MP3

Tony Joe White - High Sheriff Of Calhoun Parish MP3

Red Sovine - Phantom 309 MP3

Larry Jon Wilson - Let Me Sing My Song For You MP3

Jim Ford - Harlan Country MP3

Johnny Dowd - Ballad Of Frank And Jesse James MP3

He´s real...

Since I got loads of positive reactions to a recent post on the Louvin Brothers, here´s another installment about my favorite country brother team. And as it´s Easter Monday, what else can I do but put the spotlight on their amazing gospel album Satan Is Real? Released in ´59, it´s their concept album avant la lettre about the everlasting rivalry between God and the Devil, or - as the liner notes put it so enthusiastically - a personal crusade against the Prince of Darkness. The album sleeve is an amazing classic: Ira and Charlie are pictured in their white Sunday suits on a pile of blazing rocks, the red silhouette of Satan towering in the background. The plywood Lucifer was built by Ira himself by the way. The photoshoot took place in a rock quarry, and the duo barely escaped serious injury when the kerosine-soaked rocks got so hot they blew up and red hot fragments started flying around.

The music is just as great as the cover shot and sounds as fresh as if it was recorded yesterday. Thanks to a full band, the sound is a bit more robust than on your average Louvins session, with the subtle gospel organ being an especially nice touch. Ira´s mandolin isn´t in the foreground as much as usual, but when you do hear him it´s a treat.

The material is a mix of original compositions and covers, and it´s all killer. No mean feat in a time when most artists were still single minded and regarded their albums merely as a showcase for a couple of their hits, extended with substandard filler. The Louvins´ trademark harmonies are incredible throughout, with Are You Afraid To Die being a perfect example of the voices of the two brothers blending together perfectly. The same goes for The Drunkard´s Doom, a heartbreaking tale that becomes a bit poignant when you consider Ira himself had a drinking problem as big as Jack Daniel´s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The idea behind the title song came from firsthand experience. Ira and Charlie once attended a country church somewhere in Alabama, when an oldtimer stood up in the middle of the service and started preaching just like Ira does here. "It´s sweet to know that God is real... but Satan is real too!"

The Louvin Brothers - Satan Is Real MP3

The Louvin Brothers - Are You Afraid To Die MP3

The Louvin Brothers - The Drunkard´s Doom MP3

Otherwordly harmonies

For the most gorgeous, almost otherwordly harmonies in country music, look no further than the Louvin Brothers. Taking their clue from earlier country brother teams such as the Delmore Brothers and the Monroe Brothers, Ira and Charlie Louvin more or less perfected the genre during the fifties.

Their sound (soaring melodies and that trademark mandolin) was a big influence on the Everly Brothers in the early days of rock ´n´roll. Johnny Cash was a big fan too, and they toured extensively with Elvis, who namechecked them as his favourite country duo. A great anecdote about these heady days: when Elvis was playing some gospel on a backstage piano once, saying "This is really my favorite kind of music," Ira shouted at him "If that´s your favorite music, why don´t you do that out yonder, instead of that trash".

Later Gram Parsons carried the flame for a new generation, recording Louvin material with the Byrds and during his solo career. And these days many so-called alt.country groups are not entirely unfamiliar with the Louvins either. Only last year the eighty year old Charlie Louvin (his hothead brother Ira tragically died in a car crash back in ´65) duetted on record with Jeff Tweedy, Lambchops Kurt Wagner and Will ´Bonnie Prince Billy´Oldham amongst others.

For those interested in the Louvins, there are two excellent compilations in print without too much overlap: My Baby´s Gone 1955-1964 on Raven and When I Stop Dreaming on Razor & Tie. The freaks among you should hunt down the Bear Family boxset Close Harmony (with a staggering 219 songs on 8 cd´s!). There´s also an interesting biography of Jim and Ira by Charles Wolfe: In Close Harmony - The Story Of The Louvin Brothers (University Press Of Mississippi). Still in print as far as I know and much recommended. Now without further ado: here are some Louvin Brother gems to get you in the mood.

The Louvin Brothers - I Don´t Believe You´ve Met My Baby MP3
The Louvin Brothers - Kentucky MP3
The Louvin Brothers - Katie Dear MP3
The Louvin Brothers - The Angels Rejoiced Last Night MP3