Search - Jim & Jesse :: First Sounds: The Capitol Years

Great stuff, but you can get this and more

Richard M Estel | Fresno, CA USA | 11/06/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jim & Jesse probably produced the best harmony sounds in Bluegrass, and they were in their prime on these recordings. If you can find it, spend an extra ...$ and get Jim & Jesse 1952-1955 on Bear Family. It has all these cuts plus four more, and the usual extensive Bear Family booklet - 14 pages of information, photos and the complete Capitol discography.You can't go wrong with any J&J CD as far as I'm concerned.This CD gets 4 stars only because they could have easily included the other 4 cuts."

Stellar collection of seminal bluegrass sounds

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/31/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Virginia-born brothers, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, are among the best, most successful and endearing bluegrass musicians in history. Capitol's reissue of their first duo recordings -- waxed in a pair of sessions from 1952 and 1953 -- provides a generous helping of their earliest and most heartfelt bluegrass work. Younger brother Jesse's cross-picked mandolin playing, even at this early stage, is a marvel, and the pair's close-harmony singing, led by elder brother Jim's ethereal high-tenor stands out, even in the long, storied history of brother acts.The McReynolds spent the last part of the '40s and start of the '50s gigging at radio stations throughout the South and Midwest, and waxed some early gospel tracks (with Larry Roll, as the Virginian Trio) in '51. But it was a chance audition for Ken Nelson of Capitol that initiated their climb to fame. Having signed to the label, Jim & Jesse recorded eight tracks (#1-8 on this set) in June of 1952. Jesse was drafted for the Korean War shortly thereafter, and the act wasn't able to hit the road until his release from the service in 1954. In the interim, Capitol recorded the brothers in 1953 (while Jesse was on leave), and kept the embers of their career burning with a string of single releases. It was to be their work for Capitol until a brief re-signing in the '70s.These early sides present Jim & Jesse at a time when bluegrass was all they sang. Their later work, especially at Epic in the '60s, would delve into straight country and electric instruments, but at this point, the line-up included only Jim's guitar, Jesse's mandolin and acoustic support from Curley Seckler (guitar), Hoke Jenkins (banjo), Sonny James (fiddle), and Bob L. Moore (bass) on the '52 session, and Lloyd Bell (guitar), Owen Jenkins (banjo), and Thomas Lee "Tommy" Jackson Jr. (fiddle) on the '53 session. Their song list includes some of the McReynolds earliest (and most beloved) originals, including "Just Wondering Why," "Virginia Waltz" and "I'll Always Be Waiting For You." Also included, and issued as their first single, is the Louvin Brothers' "Are You Missing Me."All sixteen tracks were recorded at the Tulane Hotel in Nashville, and produced by Ken Nelson. Their fidelity -- especially in the high-strings of the mandolin and the intertwining of the harmony singing -- is a real treat. The performances themselves are not flawless -- the banjo rushes the beat here and there, and the vocals wander once in a while -- but those artifacts of live recording, of everyone playing together on the same take, are exactly what provides the music's incredible vitality.This Capitol issue provides a welcome return of this stellar material to domestic circulation, and includes newly penned liner notes by both Jim and Jesse. Completists may want to consider Bear Family's import disc, "Jim & Jesse: 1952-1955," as it contains four additional tracks ("I'll Wear the Banner" "My Garden of Love" "Tears of Regret" and " I'll See You Tonight (In My Dreams)") not included here.4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings."