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Ralph Stanley - Old Songs & Ballads Vol. 1

(Rebel REB-CD-9501) 2012

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This 27:09 minute CD is a compilation featuring just ten tracks mostly drawn from the Rebel back-catalogue of the 1970s, with couple of more recent tracks.

It is, like it's companion Vol. 2 a rather poor offering, albeit at a budget price. For me the track sequencing just doesn't sound good, with the juxtaposition of the older and more recent tracks sounding jarring.

The previous Classic Bluegrass or Bound To Ride CD compilations are much better value for anyone wanting to get a sample of Ralph's work at his best.

The cover photo of Ralph was recycled from the Clinch Mountain Country booklet and was also the source for the artwork on the 2008 Old-Time Pickin' - A Clawhammer Banjo Collection. The photo on the CD tray is from the first Country Gentlemen's festival at Indian Ranch, Webster, MA, June 25-27th 1971. If you look closely, you can see Ricky Skaggs A-5 Florentine Gibson mandolin. Ricky:-"It wasn't great, but it was all I could afford. Keith called it the Red Bomb".^[1]

Worth pointing out that Ricky doesn't appear on any of the ten tracks on this compilation either (and Keith plays guitar on just one cut).

^{[1] Quote from Ricky Skaggs/Eddie Dean's book "Kentucky Traveler" (p.112).
The photo can be dated to this 1971 festival, as it was the first time the festival was held and although there are numerous pictures of the 1972 festival with Keith, Ricky is absent on those & the band have different stage attire. The Indian Ranch lettering can also just be seen behind the band.}