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Various Artists - Live Again!

WCYB Bristol Farm & Fun Time

(Rebel REB-854) 1988

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This 'Various Artists' album is a companion to The Stanley Brothers On WCYB Bristol LP, and features five cuts by the Stanleys from 1949.

Both albums were also later reissued in 1997 on a 2xCD set, with the same title/artwork V/A - Live Again! WCYB Bristol Farm & Fun Time.

The recordings are taken from transcription disc acetates, made originally for airplay, for times when the artists were out on the road and couldn't make their regular live radio slots. Given the age of the acetates, and the fact they'd been stored in a garage for decades, the sound quality isn't too bad, and performance wise, they offer a tempting glimpse into the formative period in bluegrass history.

The Stanley's material is excellent, with Ralph playing in his newly learnt '3 finger' style to great effect. The CMB line-up at the time also included their first fiddler Bobby Sumner, who had rejoined the band after Leslie Keith had left, and Pee Wee Lambert on mandolin. Both are showcased respectively on Blackberry Blossom and Monroe's My Rose Of Old Kentucky. Also featured is a version of Carter's Let Me Be Your Friend which the band cut in March 1949, and G.B. Grayson's Short Life Of Trouble, with a vocal by Ralph. (He of course re-recorded the song 47 years later on his Short Life Of Trouble - Songs Of Grayson And Whitter CD.)

The album also includes Mac Wiseman's earliest solo recordings (with future CMB, Ralph Mayo on fiddle); three Flatt & Scruggs songs, including one (Rainbow Of My Dreams) which they didn't otherwise record.^[1] Plus some fine sets by The Sauceman Brothers and Curly King.

Liner notes are by Jack Tottle.

• Carter Stanley: guitar, vocals
• Ralph Stanley: banjo, vocals
• Pee Wee Lambert: mandolin
• Bobby Sumner: fiddle

For a detailed breakdown and background to the Stanley's session, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 25-26 and 36-37.

^{[1] Lester Flatt did record Rainbow Of My Dreams on his 1970 'Flatt Out' LP (Columbia CS-1006).}