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The Stanley Brothers - Together For The Last Time

(Joy 10329) 1971. Reissued (Rebel SLP-1512) 1972.

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This live collection was initially released by Ralph on his 'Joy' label, which included a picture of a baby^[1] on the labels and front sleeve. The Joy version has eight tracks from the Brown County 1966 show on side one, which at about 24:24 mins, is mastered at low volume to squeeze all the music onto the disc. The Rebel reissue, shifts the last two cuts (Take Me Home and Stone Walls And Steel Bars) onto the end of Side Two, and consequently is much better sound quality.

The Rebel 1972 reissue appears to have come about because Ralph couldn't keep up with demand for the LP.^[2] The following year it was also issued in Japan (Seven Seas SR-832) 1973. The Japanese release includes a 12" double-sided lyric insert.

The set from the Brown County, Bean Blossom was later reissued in a more complete form by Ralph on CD as Brown County Jamboree in 2004. This is again much better quality, but omits Boat Of Love which was performed by The Stanleys with Birch Monroe (Bill's Brother). On both LP versions, there is a quiet but annoying delayed 'echo' of a few seconds, which is most noticeable in the in between song banter.

The Bean Blossom performance on 16th October 1966 was one of Carter's last appearances on stage, and is from afternoon sets which differ to the evening performance found on Stanley Series Vol. 1 No. 4.

The other two sources of material, have also been reissued in much more extended form. The 1956 Shenandoah Valley Bowl, Edinburg, Va set is featured on Stanley Series Vol. 2 No. 1 and Shipp's Park, Morrisville, Va on Stanley Series Vol. 2 No. 3.

The version of Meet Me By The Moonlight (aka Meet Me Tonight) was also featured on Rachael Liebling's excellent High Lonesome - The Story Of Bluegrass film and soundtrack CD.

For more information on these live recordings, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 59-60, 76-78, 197-200 and 222-223.

^{[1] presumably Ralph and Jimmie's firstborn daughter Lisa, who also had Ralph's instrumental Lisa's Joy named after her (on his Play Requests LP).
[2] See the Dec 1972 Ralph Stanley Fan Club newsletter (p5). A pdf copy can be found linked from the Song & Memory book page.}