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 Opinions please. What is the best western swing CD?
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| Author | Topic: Opinions please. What is the best western swing CD? |
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Mike Perlowin Member From: Los Angeles CA |
posted 20 August 2002 07:52 PM
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I recently met a real good blues lap steel player who has NEVER been exposed to any western swing. What in your opinion, is the single hottest western swing steel guitar CD available? I'm going to buy a copy for this guy. He needs to hear what he's been missing. |
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Jim Cohen Member From: Philadelphia, PA |
posted 20 August 2002 08:02 PM
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I would say anything by Tommy Morrell and the Timewarp Tophands. My personal favorite: "Smoke a Little of This". ------------------ |
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Janice Brooks Moderator From: Pleasant Gap Pa |
posted 20 August 2002 08:21 PM
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Jim I agree 100 percent even on your favorete in that series ------------------ |
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Andy Greatrix Member From: Edmonton Alberta |
posted 20 August 2002 09:52 PM
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You can't go wrong with "Buddy Emmons sings Bob Wills". |
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Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland |
posted 20 August 2002 10:29 PM
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The four cd Bob Wills box on Proper is a pocket size western swing bible, cheap too. But for more steel, try the Billy Jack Wills cd on Joaquin-label ( Vance Terry on steel ) |
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Dave Birkett Member From: Oxnard, CA, USA |
posted 21 August 2002 12:57 AM
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Western Swing and Bob Wills are synonymous. You gotta start with him. One of the Tiffany Transcriptions has a lot of his "standards": Roly Poly, Time Changes Everything, San Antonio Rose, etc. |
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Michael Johnstone Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA |
posted 21 August 2002 02:36 AM
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"Spadella" by Spade Cooley w/Murphey will be sure to perk up his ears.Actually there's also lots of CDs of late 40s/early 50s live radio transcriptions of Cooley floating around and Joaquin is never less than brilliant on any of 'em. |
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Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas |
posted 21 August 2002 06:14 AM
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All of the above!  Keep on pickin'! |
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Fred Murphy Member From: Indianapolis, In. USA |
posted 21 August 2002 07:45 AM
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Buddy Emmons and Ray Pennington. |
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Perry Hansen Member From: Bismarck, N.D. |
posted 21 August 2002 02:30 PM
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Hank Thomson had some good stuff. |
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Gene Jones Member From: Oklahoma City, OK USA |
posted 21 August 2002 03:31 PM
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See if you can find "WESTERN SWING and PRETTY THINGS" by Jimmy Wakely & Band, this was a radio transcription released as an album (Shasta 526)and is absolutely one of the finest western-swing albums in my collection. This is 1940-50s era western-swing.... an authentic free-style mix of western and jazz. It couldn't be otherwise though, with musicians Noel Boggs on steel, Bobby Bruce on fiddle, Jack Rivers on guitar, Jazz pianist Paul Smith, former Tommy Dorsey bass player Jack Kelleher, Muddy Berry on Drums and accordianist Eddie Carver. There may still be on outlet for old Shasta Albums in the Los Angeles area...some of the west-coast guys may know. |
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R. L. Jones Member From: Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA |
posted 21 August 2002 07:43 PM
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The big problem here would be finding all these great western swing band C D `s, . You can find " Asleep at the wheel " C. D.`s They are quite good , R.L. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland |
posted 21 August 2002 10:46 PM
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Actually it's not hard at all. You can get almost all of the above mentioned cd's from Amazon, except for probably the Jimmy Wakely cd ( Thanks for the tip Gene, btw, haven't heard that yet ). |
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Kenny Dail Member From: Kinston, N.C. 28504 |
posted 22 August 2002 03:46 PM
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Try the Tribute albums (2) by Asleep At The Wheel. All the albums and artists previously mentioned have no doubt the best Western Swing you can buy but, for some unknown reason I have always favored anything done by ASATW. ------------------ |
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CHIP FOSSA Member From: Monson, MA 01057 U.S.A. |
posted 22 August 2002 07:31 PM
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OK....I know it's second-generation, but, I was awokened to Bob Wills, via, Asleep At The Wheel, and the "Commander", and his Lost Planet Airmen. And then, after I woke up, it was 'Hillbilly Jazz', featuring Doug Jernigan and Vasser Clemens, David Bromberg...and I can't pull any more "greats' off the top my 'ED'. Anyway..................chipsahoy |
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David Wright Member From: Modesto .Ca USA. |
posted 23 August 2002 06:53 AM
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Mike, Tom Morrell to me hands down best non pedal playing western Swing player today, and Maurice's Western Swing CD, if it ani't comming from Texas, it's just not the real deal!! ------------------ Sierra S-12 9&7 |
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Bill Cunningham Member From: Cumming, Ga. USA |
posted 23 August 2002 07:29 AM
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Years ago before so many quality reissues were available and there were no Time Warp Tophands, I used to recommend "The Rio Grande Band" album on Rounder. It has Doug Jernigan, Ben Brogdon, and two fiddlers whose names I can't remember. In the early 80's, it was one of the purest examples of WS on a modern recording. It has great arrangements of Cooley, Wills, and Thompson tunes. I think a casual listener may get a better indoctrination if they hear a modern quality recording instead of listening to reissues of radio transcripts and 78's. Anybody else feel this way? Does anyone else have this recording? I would like to get it on CD some time or I'll have to steal my Dad's LP! Bill ------------------ |
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Mark Ardito Member From: Chicago, IL, USA |
posted 23 August 2002 09:20 AM
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My favorite is Bob Wills - For the Last Time. ------------------ |
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Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX |
posted 23 August 2002 09:27 AM
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quote: David, I think it's about time you got your butt back here to stay! ------------------ |
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Steve England Member From: Austin, TX |
posted 23 August 2002 03:09 PM
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Much as I love all the Time Warp Tophands CD's I really think that it is a good idea to direct the guy to the source. i.e The original western swing bands. There are a couple of very comprehensive CD compilations out there. Jive and Smile: Kings of Western Swing on Charly may still be available from Amazon. It is a 1997 release but has two discs featuring the Playboys, Milton Brown, Spade Cooley, Hank Penny, Merl Lindsay and a host of lesser known names. It is a great intro to Western Swing. Doughboys, playboys and cowboys on proper records has 99 tracks from the golden era of western swing. It is probably more easily available than the Charly CD. The only drawback of the Proper compilation is the absence of any sleeve notes, but I guess the steel can speak for itself. |
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David Wright Member From: Modesto .Ca USA. |
posted 23 August 2002 05:26 PM
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Herb, I really do fell some of the very best music is in Texas, I would love to come back, I told Maurice I would come back to M.S..A., for a small wage, 300,000.00 a year and a plane, I haven't heard back , but it's only been 6 monts  I'm sure there getting ready for me!!!  ------------------ Sierra S-12 9&7 [This message was edited by David Wright on 23 August 2002 at 05:27 PM.] |
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Bob Anderson Member From: pemberton mn 56078 |
posted 23 August 2002 06:53 PM
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Mike if you took all that knowiledge in your head and put it to western swing ...it would be you. love ya friend |
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Andrew Brown Member From: Houston, Texas, USA |
posted 23 August 2002 09:37 PM
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"Western Swing Steel Guitar" started with Bob Dunn (is he ever even mentioned on this forum?), so you should begin with any of the Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies CDs currently available from OJL (I think amazon has them; if not www.rootsandrhythm.com does); proceed from there to Leon McAuliffe w/Wills, pre-war...the next major figure in WS steel would have been Joaquin Murphey. Unfortunately most of the Spade Cooley material is not to my taste...I generally just edit out Murphey's solos and put them on a separate CD! |
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Mike Perlowin Member From: Los Angeles CA |
posted 25 August 2002 03:25 AM
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Thanks everybody for all the suggestions. (And thanks for the flattering remarks Bob A, but even if I did play Western Swing myself I could never compete with players like Reece and Tom Morrell and Herb and all the other truly greats.) The guy in question would not care about authenticity, nor would he be interested in vocals, horns, fiddles etc. So I've decided on Tom Morrell's Pteradactyl Ptales and Smoke a Little Of This and Reece's non-pedal swing CD. If he likes what he hears (and he may not) and wants to hear more, I'll direct him to some of the other recordings mentioned here. |
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Bobby Lee Sysop From: Cloverdale, North California, USA |
posted 25 August 2002 11:43 AM
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Johnny Gimble's "Texas Dance Party". It has Reece all over it, but it's a band effort and it's "live". ------------------ |
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Jim Cohen Member From: Philadelphia, PA |
posted 25 August 2002 01:36 PM
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quote:Hmmm... western swing without vocals, horns or (especially) fiddles... I'm still tryin' to get my head around that concept! Another super album from the Tophands, with NO vocals, is "Wolf Tracks", which assembles all the Morrell instrumentals from the first dozen or so CDs. A good choice for the vocally-opposed. |
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Joel Glassman Member From: Waltham MA USA |
posted 27 August 2002 12:09 PM
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Jimmy Rivers' "Brisbane Bop" W/Vance Terry steel on the Joaquin label. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland |
posted 27 August 2002 10:46 PM
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If you want to hear how the younger generation swings it right, get Dave Stuckey's cd "Get A Load Of This" on Hightone-label! Jeremy Wakefield on steel, Dave Biller and Whit Smith on twin lead guitars. |
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John Bechtel Member From: Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.A. |
posted 27 August 2002 10:50 PM
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I would highly recommend you take a listen to the new W/S band out of Nashville calling themselves "The Time Jumpers". They do W/S classics as well as a lot of original material. Three or four members play on the O'pry, an they feature Johnny Cox on his T-10 ZumSteel.They've been working one club here in Nashville every Monday (off night) night for about three years. They also have a girl singer and sometimes two. They have also just released their second CD. To obtain a copy, I suppose you would contact Johnny or Joan Cox. They would know, or check it out at I.S.G.A. booths. John |
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John Bechtel Member From: Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.A. |
posted 27 August 2002 11:00 PM
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My statements about The Time Jumpers is not meant as an advertisement. Just stating facts! Although I do think they are great! "Big John" [Franklin D-10 (9 + 8), Alesis QuadraVerb, Peavey Nashville 1000 (X2)] |
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