Songs of the Famous Carter Family  (Audio CD) 
by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs

In fact, some of the the earlier recordings Earl made of things like Jimmie Brown the Newsboy are superior to versions on this album. In fact, someone should collect them all and put out an Earl Scruggs plays guitar album.

The bad spot is the that it is recorded with too much echo and reverb and other stuff. Apparently, it was not all recorded live like all good string band music should be, and the sound suffers at times.

There is some great dobro playing by the great Josh Graves.
Lester Flatt must have sung fairly well, but, alas, all the fakery in the recording process diminishes his great voice and makes the group backup singing here sound a bit muddy. I would have like to have heard Maybelle sing more.

Earl does all the lead guitar playing except on one tune, "You are My Flower." It may not be noted in the notes, but when they cut this album Earl tried and tried and tried and tried to record the guitar part for that song. It is a beautiful song that Maybelle composed when the Carter family was based in Del Rio, Texas, playing on a 150,000 Watt station in Mexico. She said it tried to do what the beautiful Mexican tunes she heard did.

Earl tried everything. He even tried borrowing Maybelle's lengendary L-5 to cut the guitar track. He didn't have it up to his standards or probably to Maybelle's standards, and Maybelle was known for being a perfectionist when she got into a recording studio!

Finally, he had Maybelle do the guitar part on that track, even though this is not on the liners for this album either on vinyl or CD.

Earl was lucky. Maybelle also played the fiddle, the mandolin, and THE BANJO! She was known as the best musician in her little valley in Virginia from the time she was 12 or 13. Even when she was a teenager dads were telling their sons that they needed to work hard to be a banjo player or fiddler like that Maybelle Addington. She might have added a few of her frailing banjo licks here too.

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:

WOW !! THIS IS THE APEX OF BLUEGRASS MUSICIANSHIP !  Dec 08, 2000
Thank the Good Lord a great recording engineer caught this music and recorded it well. This CD has some of the deepest and richest acoustic sounds you'll ever hear. Far too many of the old Bluegrass greats have less than acceptable sound recordings. Lester Faltt's vocals on this CD are as smooth as sippin' whiskey and gives you the same warm felling inside.

The sound engineering is so good on this CD, that while listening I've turned around thinking the dobro or autoharp, or banjo player was coming up behind me. This CD and Flatt and Scruggs' Live At Vanderbilt University recording are outstanding examples of Bluegrass musicianship - I can, without reservation ,recommend this CD to anyone who likes music.

11 of 11 found the following review helpful:

Great Music  Dec 16, 1999
My Dad had this as an album in the 1960's and as silly youth we made fun of it ! 35 years later I purchased the CD. Like my father then, I am a little older and wiser now. I too love good music regardless of genre [I purchased a Jimi Hendrix CD along with this one ] . Flatt and Scruggs were the best at what they did regardless of of the genre. If you love to hear acoustic instruments played by masters this is the group to listen to. It is a CD that you can listen to straight through 12 tracks. You will be tapping your feet trying to sing along and attempting to clog dance even if you never knew how. Hey Dad- now my kids are making fun of my music er... OUR MUSIC !

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Highly Splendid Mountain Music  Sep 30, 1999
Mother Maybelle Carter, a legend in country music history, joins bluegrass legends Flatt and Skruggs in a delightful collection of tunes originally recorded by the Carter Family. Lester Flatt does all of the vocals on this CD. I would have enjoyed hearing Maybelle's voice also, but there may have been an overriding reason why she chose to remain silent. Maybelle plays the autoharp on this one, rather than her usual guitar. Her playing meshes nicely with the playing of Flatt and Skruggs. On some of these tunes Earl Skruggs lays aside his famous banjo to play a guitar. All in all, this is a splendid listening experience for those who enjoy mountain music, and who are fans of the Carter Family, and Flatt and Skruggs.