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The Stanley Brothers - Baby Girl / Say You'll Take Me Back

(Mercury 70886) Jun 1956

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This single couples two tracks which the Stanley Brothers recorded at their fifth session for Mercury in Nov 1954. Baby Girl was written by Carter about one of his daughters, and Say You'll Take Me Back is credited to Ralph.

The single was reviewed in 'Billboard' magazine 16th Jun 1956, with both sides scoring 72 points. Baby Girl was described as "Sincere warbling on a sentimental tune with a happy country styled beat", while Say You'll Take Me Back simply garnered an abrupt: "Same comment".^[1]

Ralph later re-cut Baby Girl on his The Bluegrass Sound Of... LP, his Live In Japan set and on the Ralph Stanley and James King Stanley Brothers Classics album. The CMB's and Ralph also helped out on Jeanie Stanley's version of the song on her Baby Girl: A Tribute To My Father Carter Stanley CD.

Say You'll Take Me Back was also re-recorded by Ralph with James King and George Shuffler on the Reunion album.

Both sides of the single can now be found on The Complete Mercury Recordings 2xCD set.

PS: If anybody can provide better images of this one, or scans of any of the green label variations (45/78) please get in touch via the contact page - thanks!

For a detailed breakdown and background to the Stanley's sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 49 and 72.

^{[1] https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gQoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA45&dq=billboard+stanley+baby+girl+mercury+70886&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi8yMHrhLHWAhXIIcAKHX3cDjsQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=billboard%20stanley%20baby%20girl%20mercury%2070886&f=false}