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The Stanley Brothers - Mountain Music Sound Of The Stanley Brothers

(Starday SLP-201) Dec 1962

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This was a real hodge-podge of an album, gathering together six recordings that Starday had released on singles, and filling the remainder of the album with tracks by other artists, but with cover artwork that indicated it was a Stanley Brothers album...

Of the Stanley Brothers tracks, Rank Stranger had previously appeared on the Sacred Songs From The Hills LP and (Starday 506) single; Little Maggie and God Gave You To Me had been released on a single (Starday 522) Oct 1960; If I Lose and Don't Go Out Tonight had been released on a single (Starday 546) Apr 1961; and Come All Ye Tenderhearted had been released on a single with Choo Choo Comin' (Starday 587) Apr 1962.

Come All Ye Tenderhearted wasn't even intended for release.... and is pretty dire. The band had cut it after the sessions for In Person, when visiting WCKY DJ Wayne Raney.

In the 'Masters Of The Five-String Banjo' book Ralph said:- "I recorded one album with a flathead banjo. There's a difference in tone. The archtop has a more brighter, crisp, sharper sound than a flathead. I prefer the archtop, myself." Asked what album featured the flathead, he replied:- "It was a Stanley Brothers record for Starday. It had 'Little Maggie' on it."

The cover looks like it was taken at the same May 1962 photo session as that used for the Good Old Camp Meeting Songs and Jacob's Vision albums.

Nowadays The Stanley material is probably best found on The Early Starday/King Years, 1958-1961 4xCD box set, which also includes an unreleased lacklustre version of Rank Stranger from Wayne Raney's 11 Jul 1960 session. The accompanying booklet (at least the long-box version) includes a photo from the same session, with Carter goofing - sticking his tongue at the photographer!

For detailed information on these songs / sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 108-110 115-116, 149 and 150.