What Is Home Without Love - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
What Would You Give in Exchange - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Little Red Shoes - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
Nine Pound Hammer - Bill Monroe, Travis, Merle
On Some Foggy Mountain Top - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
Drifting Too Far from the Shore - Bill Monroe, Traditional
In My Dear Old Southern Home - Bill Monroe, Cozzens, Ellsworth
New River Train - Bill Monroe, Traditional
This Is Not My Home - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Watermelon Hanging on the Vine - Bill Monroe, Traditional
On the Banks of the Ohio - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Do You Call That Religion? - Bill Monroe, Traditional
God Holds the Future in His Hands - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
You've Got to Walk That Lonesome Valley - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Six Months Ain't Long - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Just a Song of Old Kentucky - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Don't Forget Me - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I'm Going - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Darling Corey - Bill Monroe, Traditional
My Savior's Train - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I Am Thinking Tonight of the Old Folks - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
Dreamed I Searched Heaven for You - Bill Monroe, Traditional
The Old Cross Road - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Forgotten Soldier Boy - Bill Monroe, Traditional
We Read of a Place That's Called Heaven - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Will the Circle Be Unbroken - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
The Saints Go Marching In - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
Track Listings (30) - Disc #2
Where Is My Sailor Boy? - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I Am Ready to Go - Bill Monroe, Traditional
What Would the Profit Be - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Some Glad Day - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I Have Found the Way - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I Am Going That Way - Bill Monroe,
Kate Cline - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Roll on Buddy, Roll On - Bill Monroe, Wilburn, Doyle
Weeping Willow Tree - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I'll Live On - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Oh, Hide You in the Blood - Bill Monroe, Traditional
What Would You Give in Exchange, Pt. 2 - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Oh That Gospel Ship - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
What Would You Give in Exchange, Pt. 3 - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Let Us Be Lovers Again - Bill Monroe, Traditional
All the Good Times Are Passed and Gone - Bill Monroe, Traditional
What Would You Give in Exchange, Pt. 4 - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
On My Way to Glory - Bill Monroe, Traditional
My Last Moving Day - Bill Monroe, Traditional
He Will Set Your Fields on Fire - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Sinner You Better Get Ready - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Have a Feast Here Tonight - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
Goodbye Maggie - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Charlie
Rollin' On - Bill Monroe, Holmes, Salty
The Old Man's Story - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I've Still Got Ninety-Nine - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Little Joe - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
A Beautiful Life - Bill Monroe, Golden, William
Pearly Gates - Bill Monroe, Traditional
On My Way Back Home - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Track Listings (29) - Disc #3
When Our Lord Shall Come Again - Bill Monroe, Shank, Lew
Mule Skinner Blues - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
No Letter in the Mail - Bill Monroe, Carlisle, Bill
Cryin' Holy Unto the Lord - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Six White Horses - Bill Monroe, Moody, Clyde
Dog House Blues - Bill Monroe, Frank, J.L.
I Wonder If You Feel the Way I Do - Bill Monroe, Wills, Bob
Katy Hill [Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Tennessee Blues - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Shake My Mother's Hand for Me - Bill Monroe, Wright, Johnnie
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Anniversary Blue Yodel [Blue Yodel No. 7] - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
The Coupon Song - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Orange Blossom Special - Bill Monroe, Rouse, Ervin T.
Honky Tonk Swing [Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
In the Pines - Bill Monroe, Bryant, Slim
Back Up and Push [Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Rocky Road Blues - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Kentucky Waltz - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
True Life Blues - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Nobody Loves Me - Bill Monroe, Clements, Zeke
Goodbye Old Pal - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Footprints in the Snow - Bill Monroe, Traditional
I'll Have a New Life - Bill Monroe,
Blue Grass Special [Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Come Back to Me in My Dreams - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Heavy Traffic Ahead - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Why Did You Wander - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Blue Moon of Kentucky - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Track Listings (27) - Disc #4
Blue Moon of Kentucky - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Toy Heart - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Summertime Is Past and Gone - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Mansions for Me - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Mother's Only Sleeping - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
California Blues [Blue Yodel No. 4] - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
Will You Be Loving Another Man? - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
How Will I Explain About You? - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Shining Path - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Wicked Path of Sin - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
It's Mighty Dark to Travel - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Little Cabin on the Hill - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
My Rose of Old Kentucky - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Bluegrass Breakdown [Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
The Old Cross Road - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
That Home Above - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Remember the Cross - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Little Community Church - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Along About Daybreak - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
When You Are Lonely - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Molly and Tenbrooks - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Shine Hallelujah, Shine - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I'm Travelin' on and On - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Track Listings (30) - Disc #5
Travelin' This Lonesome Road - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Blue Grass Stomp - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band - Bill Monroe, Carlisle, Cliff
Kentucky Waltz [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
True Life Blues [Take 4] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
True Life Blues [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
True Life Blues [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Nobody Loves Me - Bill Monroe, Clements, Zeke
Nobody Loves Me [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Clements, Zeke
Nobody Loves Me [Take 1] - Bill Monroe, Clements, Zeke
Goodbye Old Pal [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Footprints in the Snow [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Blue Grass Special [Take 2][Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Blue Grass Special [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Heavy Traffic Ahead [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Why Did You Wander [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Summertime Is Past and Gone [Take BD1] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Summertime Is Past and Gone [Take BD2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Summertime Is Past and Gone [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Summertime Is Past and Gone [Take BD3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
California Blues [Blue Yodel No. 4][Take] - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
Will You Be Loving Another Man? [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
How Will I Explain About You? [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
How Will I Explain About You? [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Wicked Path of Sin [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
It's Mighty Dark to Travel [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky [Take BD] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
It's Mighty Dark to Travel [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Little Cabin Home on the Hill [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Track Listings (31) - Disc #6
My Rose of Old Kentucky [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Bluegrass Breakdown [Take 2][Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Bluegrass Breakdown [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong [Take BD1] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong [Take BD2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
The Old Cross Road [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Old Cross Road [Take BD2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Old Cross Road [Take BD3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Old Cross Road [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Old Cross Road [Take BD1] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
That Home Above [Take BD] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Remember the Cross [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Along About Daybreak [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Little Community Church [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Little Community Church [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Flatt, Lester
Along About Daybreak [Take BD] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Molly and Tenbrooks [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Shine Hallelujah, Shine [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
I'm Travelin' on and On [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Can't You Hear Me Callin' [Take 4] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Can't You Hear Me Callin' [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Can't You Hear Me Callin' [Take BD] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Can't You Hear Me Callin' [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Travelin' This Lonesome Road [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Blue Grass Stomp [Take 3][Instrumental] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Blue Grass Stomp [Take BD] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
Blue Grass Stomp [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Monroe, Bill [1]
The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band [Take 3] - Bill Monroe, Carlisle, Cliff
The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band [Take 2] - Bill Monroe, Carlisle, Cliff
6-CD LP-sixed box set with illustrated 88-page book. From 1936-1949, Bill Monroe made a series of recordings that laid the foundation for what is today called bluegrass. This collection brings together, for the first time,... more » the complete works from that seminal era. It includes all 60 of the Monroe Bros. duets from 1936-38, all 16 of the 1940-41 performances that marked the very first appearance of Monroe's recordings under his own name, and all of the Columbia sessions from 1945-49, including the revolutionary sides with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and Chubby Wise. An added bonus is the inclusion of every alternate take from the Columbia sessions, a total of 50 previously unheard and unreleased out-takes, including an un-numbered master of a gospel song that was not even known to exist.« less
6-CD LP-sixed box set with illustrated 88-page book. From 1936-1949, Bill Monroe made a series of recordings that laid the foundation for what is today called bluegrass. This collection brings together, for the first time, the complete works from that seminal era. It includes all 60 of the Monroe Bros. duets from 1936-38, all 16 of the 1940-41 performances that marked the very first appearance of Monroe's recordings under his own name, and all of the Columbia sessions from 1945-49, including the revolutionary sides with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and Chubby Wise. An added bonus is the inclusion of every alternate take from the Columbia sessions, a total of 50 previously unheard and unreleased out-takes, including an un-numbered master of a gospel song that was not even known to exist.
Essential Collection For Serious Bill Monroe Collectors
Todd A. Gracyk | Petaluma, CA USA | 01/15/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This massive, 6 CD box set contains all of Bill Monroe's studio recordings through 1949. It contains 60 sides recorded by the Monroe Brothers for Bluebird between 1936 and 1938 and 57 sides recorded by Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys for Victor and Columbia between 1940 and 1949 (8 sides recorded for Victor in 1940, 8 sides recorded for Victor in 1941, 9 sides recorded for Columbia in 1945, 12 sides recorded for Columbia in 1946, 16 sides recorded for Columbia in 1947, and 4 sides recorded for Columbia in 1949). This box set also contains 59 alternate takes of Columbia sides.Recordings made in September of 1946 with Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Howard Watts (Cedric Rainwater) are generally considered to be the first bluegrass recordings. If one agrees with this start date they'll find here 80 bluegrass versions of 32 different songs and instrumentals (the instrumentals being "Blue Grass Breakdown" and "Blue Grass Stomp").This box set contains a 38 page, hard-bound booklet with about 50 photographs and several reproductions of record labels, album covers, and other artifacts. Text is by Charles K. Wolfe and there is a detailed discography by Neil V. Rosenberg. The booklet is really lovely but I am disappointed that black and white photographs are printed in brown hues (some browner than others). I find the text somewhat difficult to read in places due to fancy background design and inconsistent font sizes (font sizes are changed so that text can fit onto pages, which I find unacceptable). The text itself is extremely interesting and useful; many of the song histories are not available elsewhere.In two instances song labeling is inconsistent. Alternate takes are usually labeled as such, but not always (the first appearance of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" is an alternate take but isn't labeled as one). Instrumental tracks are usually labeled as such, but not always (the originally released version of "Blue Grass Stomp" is not labeled as an instrumental).This box set contains an "un-numbered master of a gospel song that was not even known to exist," which is "I'll Have A New Life." This cut is less than 2 minutes long and appears on the 3rd CD, following "Footprints in the Snow" and prior to "Blue Grass Special" (it was recorded in February of 1945). There is a description in the booklet about why this recording was not previously known to exist. "I'll Have A New Life" was written by Luther G. Presley and was first published in 1940; many bluegrass fans are familiar with the song thanks to a version that Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver recorded in the early 1980s.As far as I can tell, this box set contains the first CD reissue of the originally released version of "Little Cabin Home On The Hill" (the version that appears in a 2 CD Columbia/Legacy box set is an alternate take but is not listed as such in that box set).Arguably the most important aspect of this box set is the sound quality and I'm thrilled to report that it is excellent, considering the available sources!While this box set may be overkill for some listeners, many bluegrass fans will consider it essential. Personally, my Monroe collection wouldn't be complete without the 3 Bear Family box sets covering 1936 to 1949, 1950 to 1958, and 1959 to 1969; the 4 CD MCA set "The Music Of Bill Monroe From 1936 To 1994," the 2 live albums on Smithsonian Folkways, and the Kenny Baker album "Plays Bill Monroe" (which features Monroe on mandolin)."
There's a more reasonable package of the same material!
Matthew B. Goode | Des Moines, Iowa, USA | 03/07/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I like Bear Family a lot, but unless you really really want to have 2 CDs full of outtakes you're much better off getting the JSP release, "All The Classic Releases 1937-1949". Rejected alternate takes aside, this Bear Family set includes only 4 tracks that are not included in the JSP set: 'I'll Have A New Life', 'Come Back To Me In My Dreams', 'Why Did You Wander', and 'Shining Path'. Other than that, the tracklisting is exactly the same and in the same order. The big difference between the 2 sets is the price tag (as of the time of this writing); $200 for the Bear Family set and $30 for the JSP set."