It's about time!
A B Brocklehurst | 09/18/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This release offers more tracks than the RCA Legends CD, many of which are not available elsewhere. This is from the time when many of us were introduced to John, plucking that banjo in the audience on the Glen Cambell show. No, it's not bluegrass. It's Jimmy Stewart meets Bob Dylan! I don't know what it is, but it's great listening. The Country Legends disc is probably stronger, song for song, but the quality here is good, and a lot of fans would probably want both CD's. My favorite album "Gentle on my Mind and other Originals" is well-represented here. Go for it."
The best of Early John Hartford
A B Brocklehurst | Napier, New Zealand New Zealand | 02/17/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I've loved and listened to John for years but never heard his early stuff which was recorded on vinyl and long out of print. If that's you, then this is the album you should buy. If you have never heard John singing such numbers as'Corn Cob Blues" or 'Shiny Rails of Steel' or the version of 'Gentle on my Mind' which are on this disc, then here's a treat in store for you. Highly recommended."
In my opinion, the most impressive of John's many years of r
John Crawford | Charlotte, NC | 07/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gotta say that this is, in my opinion, John's most important years as a songwriter. Many will argue that his most prolific material came during the Mark Twang and Steam Powered years. Not so!!! Given the era, the location, and the state of popular country music in the late sixties/early seventies, I would venture to say that these first few albums are nothing short of groundbreaking. He was accomplishing things with country and folk music that I don't think had ever been attempted up to that point in the Nashville recording scene. Long, string heavy orchestrations driven by banjo and fiddle tunes. Beat poetry to the backdrop old time mountain music. Three finger banjo fused with phsychedelia. It's all there and it's all phenominal. A must have for anyone that is a fan of John's music!!!"
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1