Search - Doc Watson :: Songs From Home

A superb overview of Doc's genius and talent

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 12/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On March 3, 2003, Artheal Lane Watson turns eighty years old. As only a boy of thirteen, he was given his first guitar, and he has never looked back since he began busking at taxi stands, playing in country or rockabilly bands, or finding his niche as a song-carrier. For over sixty years, he's been simply known as "Doc" when a bandleader noted that his real name was too hard to say. Drawing upon his rich traditional musical heritage, Doc Watson developed a unique and influential style that was accepted by fans of old-time country, bluegrass and folk music. With his forceful flatpicking and passionate singing, Watson plays the music he loves without ever straying too far from his musical roots. Doc once said, "If a song has something to say, I'm liable to sing it if I like it." On "Songs From Home," there are seventeen tracks of his traditional favorites, many cuts which have already been released. Only two songs (T For Texas, and Matchbox Blues) are previously unreleased. The latter was from a live performance, as are Big Sandy/Leather Britches, Southbound Passenger Train, Wild Bill Jones and Daybreak Blues. Along with his son, Merle, some of these songs also feature the band, Frosty Morn, which the Watsons assembled in the late-70s. I wish this album's liner notes would have recognized the musicians who are accompanying. Although Merle died in 1985, seven of the song selections on this album feature just the father-son duo. These include My Creole Belle, Big Sandy/Leather Britches, Matchbox Blues, Little Beggar Man/Old Joe Clark, Wild Bill Jones, Daybreak Blues, St. James Hospital/Frosty Morn. This album presents a superb overview of Doc Watson's musical genius and talent. A real treat is to hear Doc pick his fretless banjo on Rambling Hobo and Wild Bill Jones, as well as his acapella rendition of Wake Up, Little Maggie, and his inspired harmonica playing on Freight Train Boogie. With his compelling baritone and distinctive playing, Doc Watson the song-carrier has endured the ups and downs of a long, significant musical career. The album "Songs From Home" offers a good overview of some of his best work, true to his roots. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now magazine)"

Super fine collection of '70s tracks from guitar legend

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/31/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Watson's legacy as a vocalist and guitar innovator (as well as a fine harmonica player!) are well documented in both print (including Colin Escott's newly penned liner notes for this set) and music. This disc selects tracks from a series of albums that Watson recorded for Poppy (later consumed by United Artists) from 1972 to 1979.By the early '70s Watson's late-blooming stardom (he was 40 when he made his legendary appearance at the Newport Folk Festival) was in full flower. His earlier work, first on Folkways, and then on Vanguard, had quickly cemented his legacy, and his 1972 star-turn on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" propelled him forward, even as the first-flush of folk-revival interest tapered off. It was at this time that he began playing regularly with his son, Merle, who is heard prominently throughout this collection.His 1970's run on Poppy/United Artists displays the full breadth of his music. There's a generous helping of bluegrass influence (most notably in the unique guitar picking style, derived from transposing fiddle tunes to his six-string, as well as the banjo playing on tunes like "Rambling Hobo"), but also some terrific blues (the sublime dual acoustic playing on a live take of "Matchbox Blues"), gospel (the seemingly impossible live harmony singing of "Southbound Passenger Train"), hill tunes (the mournful acapella performance of "Wake Up Little Maggie"), and incredibly woven tapestries of strings such as the guitar, banjo and fiddle lineup of "Bonaparte's Retreat."Among these seventeen tracks are previously unreleased takes of "T For Texas" and the aforementioned "Matchbox Blues." The other fifteen (reaching back as far as 1972's "Freight Train Boogie," and providing a generous helping from 1975's "Memories" LP -- often reported to be Watson's favorite of his own albums) provide a fine survey of Watson's 1970's recordings. This disc is both a finely curated collection in its own right, and an excellent map to the treasure chest of original albums that have been reissued on CD."

+ 1/2 stars...Bluegrass Music and Much, Much More

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well into his eighties, it's unlikely that there will be any new recordings from one of America's finest practitioners of traditional music. What this 17-track collection does is gather tracks from his albums released on the United Artists label1972-1979), along with two previously unreleased tracks (Jimmie Rodgers' classic "T for Texas" and Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Matchbox Blues").



While the liner notes don't include any information as to who plays on the album, it should be noted that Merle Watson performed on nearly all of Doc's recordings from the 1970's on until his untimely death in 1985. Merle's slide guitar work is especially prominent on "Daybreak Blues."



Doc is equally adept at guitar and banjo as well has harmonica. This is especially apparent on the five instrumentals, like the solo banjo number "Rambling Hobo" and Doc and Merle's gentle reading of the old fiddle tune "Bonaparte's Retreat." Doc also possesses a warm baritone voice which is used to wonderful effect on the a capella numbers "Wake Up, Little Maggie" and "St. James Hospital."



In an excerpt from a 1978 interview contained in the liner notes, Doc is quick to point out that his music is not strictly bluegrass. "No, it ain't bluegrass. We play our own interpretation--traditional blues, old time banjo tunes, Jimmie Rodgers songs, you name it. Our music runs the gamut, and I guess that's what's kept us alive through the years." So, yes, you do get bluegrass tunes like Bill Monroe's "My Rose of Old Kentucky," but you also get gospel songs like "Southbound Passenger Train," folk blues like Mississippi John Hurt's "My Creole Belle," as well as originals like "Freight Train Boogie." Taken altogether, this is a rewarding listening experience. [Running Time - 49:08] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"