Will The Circle Be Unbroken

This may be the greatest "greatest hits" collection of all time. What makes it so is that NGDB invite a who's-who list of guests to play the old-time country/bluegrass canon. NGDB basically act as a back-up band to legends. This is such a fantastic entry-point into the genius and heart of old-time/bluegrass music. That it is the only such record I've yet encountered on this list is illustrative of my point above but also shows a real blind spot in the 1001 author's perspective and taste. There should be records from Doc Watson, Acuff, Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs etc ALL OVER THIS LIST.

Normally I'd complain about the length, but I happened to be on a two hour drive home from a wedding gig in the Shenandoah Valley (which happened to feature a fiddle player) and this album was honestly the perfect "come down" vibe on the drive home in that specific instance. Loved the combination of instrumental and vocal performances, and the old school bluegrass feel reminds me why, despite all of the utter bullshit and insanity in today's society, I can still feel proud to be an American. Favorite tracks: "Nashville Blues", "Dark As A Dungeon", "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" (TIL, the source of the riff behind "The Devil Went Down to GA")

Mä ihan diggailin tästä. 3,5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Long

Such a classic. Brought old school country to a whole generation of hippies.

Mag daran liegen, dass ich während des Hörens am Lagerfeuer in Schweden gecampt habe und das Album dafür genau der richtige Soundtrack ist, aber das hat richtig bei mir gezündet.

In meinen Ohren auf der guten Seite von Country und Bluegrass. Ich tue mich aber mit der Länge schwer und damit, dass das so viel Cover und Fremdmaterial ist.

There is nothing wrong with this except that there is simply too much of it.

When I saw this was two hours long, I strongly considered shooting myself instead. Partway through the first song, I went "oh this is going to be hell". Got to the fourth before I decided I was done. Skipped around a bit to see what was here, but no, I just couldn't stand this at all. This is just a super long album in a genre I do not enjoy at all. I'm sure it's good. I hated it.

This is going to be a tough one. We buried my grandmother to the title track of this album. This is music that makes me feel like home and remember those I loved who are now gone. Hearing this, I am transported to my childhood. Listening to my grandfather and his brother and friends picking and singing music like this, or attending bluegrass festivals with that same crowd, being a shirtless kid in the hot Tennessee sun, completely lost in the music and dancing without embarrassment. Beautiful memories and unbelievably good music. Right now, my soul is more "home" than it has been in quite some time. I think another thing I love about this album in particular is the intimate setting of the studio and the conversations of the musicians. Just regular people chatting, and then launching into some of the best guitar, banjo picking, and storytelling there is. Easy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don't know why!

This would have been a five star if not for the multiple needless “outtake” songs that take up most of the second album.

The songs are great, and I don’t mind the vocal introductions/ interludes, but the album is just too long at two hours. Still a bloody fun listen!

Not today Satan

man wtf yall got me listening to. bro over an hourrrr fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

3.5. Bluegrass overload. On one hand, I can recognize and appreciate that this is essentially the peak of the genre! So many great songs here! On the other hand, this listen has made me realize that I prefer bluegrass in shorter bursts. Two hours of this was harder to get through than I would have liked.

2 horas de hilly billy? No lo creo…aunque seguro que en su género está bueno

Reminds me of Tuesday nights at Abilene Bar in Brooklyn, circa 2006-2010.

Didn't mind some of the instrumentals, and must admit everyone could play their instruments well. The album though is very country and way too long to suggest someone needs to listen to it. I was dying from too much twang in my ear waiting for it to be over. (Rating it hire than I want, just because I imagine it's a solid album if you're into it, but I'd never want to hear it). Also too much random studio conversations

This is some salt-of-the-Earth, Grand Ole Opry kind of early recording time capsule. I enjoyed the relaxed and personable vibe; almost like hanging out on the porch with a jug and a smoke with the crew...

I'm not convinced I needed to listen to this one before I die. Some of the instrumental songs were pretty good, but almost every song with vocals made me want to gouge my eardrums; because it was clear that's what the singer was trying to do. Also way way way too long. Its basically what happens when you get a bunch of deliverance folk together with recording equipment. Big nope from me.

Yeh, it's kind of light hearted and fun

This music would be good for a bluegrass brunch. It's a little lengthy but it's generally enjoyable.

This is an impressive and likely influential album crafted with love and care with talented musicians. It just happens to be musicians who I don’t enjoy in a genre that I loath. And it goes on for an eternity.

This feels like a strange pick for an album I must hear before I die. It's almost like the list's compilers are just trying to check the "traditional bluegrass/country" box with one big hodgepodge of songs by great performers from the 30s through the 50s, tied together by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Nothing really objectionable here, but trimming back the heavy presence of 90s Britpop and featuring some actual albums by The Carters, Earl Scruggs, and Roy Acuff seems like it would have been a truer way to approach this genre than the kind of greatest hits vibe this album gives off.

I can't explain it. If I hear a banjo, I'll sit and listen for hours (which, in this case, was literally necessary - 2-hour long album). Maybe it's because I listened to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack on repeat when I was a kid, but whatever the reason, I can't think of much else I'd rather listen to than this album. If I'm trying to be objective and rate the album as a singular unit of art, then I can't say it's perfect because it is too long. But also I don't care, this is a personal opinion list and isn't objective in the slightest, so 5/5.

I love this. It's like a Primer for old timey music with a loveable curveball in the instrumental Joni cover. Yes, it's long but relax with it. Listen toba third or half. Hit the Did Not Listen Button as required to take it all in.

I didn't hate this at first, but god damn, it went on for_E_V_E_RRRRRRR.... I did the math and it was over 2 and half hours of music. Just too fucking long. I felt like I was being water-boarded by the end of it. Even though the super thick bluegrass with a gospel angle isn't really my genre, I thought that the music was great, and it was interesting to listen to the babble between tracks. But yeah, just way too long, and I got sick of it pretty quick, like too much barbecue sauce on bland chicken. Two stars.

There's a lot of great folk/country/bluegrass guest star musicians here. I enjoyed the music, but there is so much of it...it goes on and on. 3-star rating for the music as is, 4-star for what the album represents (an important connection between (1970s) modern country and the foundational artists that came before.

I couldn't listen to all of this but I respect blue grass music. A little banjo goes a long way, and the fiddling is great. The twangy vocals were a distraction. I do think this album belongs on the list even if isn't to my taste. Black Mountain Rag reminded me of the theme song to Benny Hill. So there's that.

This is probably a great album for a bluegrass and country afficionado, with a real collection of artists in that field, and so it probably definitely belongs on this list. Unfortunately, I'm not that person.

Gave it a shot, but no way I was going to make it through two hours of this...just not a big country fan. 2

I have learned throughout this project that I do rather like old C&W, and Bluegrass. But fuck me sideways, there is such a thing as too much of it.

There’s a version of long valley road on this that fucking kills.

What a good album, but damn it is too long. How they thought they needed 2 hours I’ll never know.

A bit too long, but also enjoyed most of it

Enjoyable but keeps going on and on and on

Was this nice? Yes. Was there A LOT of it? YES.

Nothing against this record which off itself is a solid and tasteful compilation of bluegrass. While it presents the work of many contemporary legends in bluegrass and country music, I cannot help but to wonder if some more succinct representation of the genre would make for a more meaningful "must". 7/10 [SWAP]

Was fairly on board for the first 30 minutes or so, and then my god did it drag to get to the finish line.

i thought i was going to hate this, but i actually really enjoyed this!!! it was so fun, i love the banjo. didn’t listen to the whole album though because A: it’s long… B: i expect it’s much of the same and C: I have a life

Ok

that was honestly way too much blue grass

The music is not bad, but over 2 hours of it is way too much. Especially for a non-country fan. Plus I didn’t need the recording asides either, those could easily be edited out. 2/5

2 stars for the 2 hours of my life I spent whelmed.

The only reason this didn't get five stars is because it's way way way too long. It should have been 3-4 albums.

Quite a long album. Usually not my sort of thing, but you know what, 4/5 stars. Most of these songs were done in one take which contributed to how creative and RAW it was.

Imagine spending two hours at Disney World's Country Bear Jamboree. That's essentially what listening to this album felt like. And I actually mean that as a compliment... mostly! 😂 I already liked the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and I'm familiar with bluegrass and legends like Earl Scruggs and Roy Acuff. The musicianship throughout this album is outstanding, and I loved hearing these different generations of country musicians come together. There were plenty of familiar songs, including "Keep on the Sunny Side," "I Saw the Light," "Orange Blossom Special," "Wabash Cannonball," and "Honky Tonk Blues." I especially enjoyed realizing that I knew the latter from Huey Lewis and the News! The title track was my favorite performance. Having Mother Maybelle Carter start "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" before other singers took turns leading was a beautiful representation of what this album was all about: passing music from one generation to the next. The instrumentals also had some great moments. "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" immediately reminded me of Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," while "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" was my favorite instrumental. The version of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" was gorgeous, although I prefer that song with its equally beautiful lyrics. My biggest issue was the length. I'm all for great banjo and fiddle playing, but after a while, the songs started blending together. The extended stretches of instrumentals became repetitive, and the talking tracks toward the end didn't help. I appreciate the historical significance of this album, and there's no denying the talent involved. But there's a difference between enjoying individual songs and wanting to sit through the entire collection. I'd happily listen to these tracks mixed into a playlist, but the complete album is more than I need. 3/5 stars. Vinyl Verdict: NO BUY.

Found it to be a drag.

Not my favourite genre but this has some irresistible charm to it. Especially on the background of friday office day

#498 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ FFS! How many of these fucking american yokels do we have to endure?! We've got our own, thank you very much. 1/5

Real Appalachia type shit that is not usually my cup of tea but I can really appreciate the gems that they were dropping in between songs. V clear that the people in this band are musically TRAINED and riffing. So in that, the music was masterful and at points, enjoyable! Highlight: Dark As A Dungeon

1 Dream 42 Songs 130 Minutes 15 Musicians 3 Chord progressions 2 Tempos 3 Stars

Banger

Thought this was going to be hard work hut it was so much fun

I didn’t listen to this when it came out in 1972. I just wasn’t interested in early country at the time. Now I see this as a great document of old time country. Good for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for shining a light on these great artists. Kudos to them for doubling as ethnomusicologists. And this album reminded me of what an incredible guitar player Doc Watson was. He made his acoustic guitar sing.

I can appreciate bluegrass without actually liking it.

I did not even know this album existed. What an amazing document. Plus, watching the haters lose their shit is as funny as!

I like some bluegrass, but not 2 full on hours of it. Gets a 3 because it overstayed it's welcome. 3/5

Painful to get through I just couldn't do it.

I could do without confederate flags on my timeline, but it was 1972 so I'll very reluctantly give them a pass on that since the music is just so damn good. one of the greatest bluegrass albums ever. 5/5.

Fuck ass theme park music. Usually if a genre I don't like comes up, I'll give it a three because I'm at least forgiving that this might be the BEST of that genre. This, though, TWO HOURS. TWO FUCKING HOURS.

Two 'I have no idea who or what this is' in a row. It's Country. I suppose we have to view Country music as important - important in building the racist, fascist USA we have today - but it doesn't mean we have to like it or that it's any good. It's 42 songs, which, in all honesty means this should be the only Country album on the entire list. It covers the entire gamut of the genre, from up-tempo hootin and a hollerin about drunk cowboys beating their wives, to sad ballads about being beaten up by drunken cowboys.

Definitely the longest album I've listened to for this project so far. At 38 songs and almost 2 hours this is definitely very bloated and way longer than it needs to be but there was never a moment where I was bored during this or sick of the sound which is quite impressive considering how long this is. Certainly a very flawed album but one that I can say i still thoroughly enjoyed.

This rules I need two more hours of it

Cool, dat is het, zeker ook met het verhaal erachter. Maar ook voor coole albums is meer dan 2 uur teveel. Zeker 2 uur aan nummers die, hoewel cool, best wel op elkaar beginnen te lijken op den duur

Ik had dit ZO VET gevonden als het gewoon een fatsoenlijk 40-minuten durend album was. Maar lord, 42 nummers???? Huur een editor in ofzo. Verder dus echt gezellig, lekker creatieve bluegrass en country. De wereld zou een betere plek zijn met wat minder fascisten en wat meer banjo's.

This is overall good, fun music, but I can't quite decide if I believe it or not. There are times it feels like they're more a country cover band than carrying on a tradition.

Wow, blast from the past. I don't love this, but the craft is high and the title track helped my brother get through our mom's passing, so who am I to give it less than three stars?

I suppose if someone held a gun to my head and told me I had to listen to some country music otherwise they’d blow my brains out then maybe I’d consider choosing bluegrass. At least it sounds more up tempo. However listening to over 2 hours of it really would be testing whether ending it all may actually be the better option.

The Bluegrass style is so much easier to listen to than most country but I struggled to find any songs I liked and the album was laughably too long.

Thank you list, with a banjo on top. I’ve always wanted a bluegrass entry point album, and hey presto. I also love a fun album, but not overly fun. This is the correct amount of fun.

Gear: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 Artwork: 🧐🪖🏳️ Production: 📈👂😖 Music: 🎻🪕🤢 Rating: 🏳️/5

If you don’t like blue grassy string picking, not the album for you. Their “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life” manages to be downbeat. I liked “Nashville Blues.” Definitely musically talented. “You Are My Flower” is quite pretty. I didn’t need a recording lesson prior to “The Precious Jewel.” Fortunately it was brief. “Honky Tonkin” is fun. I liked the “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” and “Orange Blossom Special” also. I seem to gravitate to the all music numbers. “I Am A Pilgrim,” Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” are songs I always like. Their version is a jauntier one. This album kept in chatting, which I could have done without. I’m becoming not a fan of double albums. Those are only for true fans. Still there’s a lot to love about the album.

Yeah, this one isn’t for me stereotypical banjo, picking hillbilly music. I know there’s a place where it’s just not for me. there was one part one song, no idea which song it was, but it sounded exactly like the devil went down to George by Charlie Daniel’s band. Ok I’ll admit. I caught myself tapping my toe a few times. Two hours though. Jesus Christ.

I am going to guess this album has more individual notes played by human hands than any other album on this list. Perhaps by a factor of 2. I listened to the whole thing, what do I get?

It gets a three because a friend from my teenager years used to be obsessed with a song before his death. So it gets a 3.

This is so, so long but it’s actually just so ridiculously good. Very surreal experience listening to this on my headphones while walking through Harlesden town centre, of all places. I think an album deserves 5 stars when it transports you out of your life and immerses you fully in the world that it builds, and this album absolutely does that.

Cutting grass will always be a 5 in my book.

One of the few albums on this list that actively made me miserable by listening to it

I saw a couple reviews about how this record introduced a new generation of people to country and bluegrass, but is that really true? I can’t imagine this was the kind of radio crossover sensation that reached out to “meet people where they are” like that. And who’s spending their 1972 money on a double album they don’t know anything about? Anyways, this is an impenetrable amount of bluegrass. It's basically a full playlist and feels like the second longest record I've had to listen to for this record, just behind that six hour Ella Fitzgerald sings the Gershwin Songbook epic. In the non-vinyl world, this works as background music for a day when you want this kind of background music. If I had this on vinyl, every record flip would feel like an opportunity to choose something better to play.

2.5

Please... NO MORE! Look, it was cool in the beginning but 109 minutes of general run time AND and extra 11 minutes of bonus tracks for a BLUEGRASS album is unfathomable. I do enjoy the style of the record, feels very country and southern especially in the beginning and I like how it is arranged as a jam session type vibe with dialogue and little organic moments but as it progresses everything starts to sound samey. ESPECIALLY during the majority of Disc 2. The firs few songs are pure instrumentals but they all have the same guitar progressions and style so there isn't much of an actual difference in the vibe at all. Great album for two hours of background music but definitely not the one I'd shoot for to get fully immersed into.

130 minutes long jesus christ ok (apparently 20 mins of that is bonus stuff). Honestly i didn’t finish this cause of its insane length and i generally don’t love bluegrass, i can appreciate the instrumentation, lyrics and sometimes i can stomach the southern accent, but this time i can’t really. I won’t rate it higher or lower than a 3 cause it feels wrong either way but i can see why it’s loved by the bluegrass fans.

Enjoyable but most of the songs sound the same and it's TOO long. Besides there are toooooo many instrumentals.

Very much rooted in historical, classic, Appalachia Americana. (No “Fishin’ in the Dark”, but we give it a pass.)

Transports you on the other side of the pond with smith and Wesson, horses and saloons ! Flows well and enjoyable Long and repetitive though

Kinda fun but not overly fussed to listen to it again.

This shit all sounds the same to me. I can understand how this would have been a monster record for people who like this stuff when it came out, but it’s just not for me. That fiddle/banjo/steel guitar sound all sounds the same to me. Now those guys can play for sure, but the rest is a mess of simple basslines and drum patterns that a kid could play. And the high pitched yodel/drawl vocals are like nails on a chalkboard for my ears. But if this is your thing, and that’s what appeals to you… you’re getting almost two hours of it here.

Fine album and nice vibe to the music. Feels like I'm in an old western. However it is crazy long and all the songs sound too similar so it that's very repetitive over time

The man who put this book together saw everyone complaining about all the English artists and said, “here, damn”. If this album was 40 minutes I’d be totally chill but two hours was a lot of effort Playlist add: “I Saw the Light”

A double album? Of country and what would now be called Americana standards? Surely too much for a 5 star rating - but I think it is. Not only is the playing excellent, but the history captured here is hard to resist. I loved hearing the standards played by some of the legends themselves. Gems like this are why I started this project, and I’ll definitely be telling people about this record.

Sorry, bluegrass and country, but we just can't see eye to eye. If I had to make a list of my least-favorite genres, it’d likely be topped by Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Appalachian Folk Music, and Gospel. It’s rare, but usually with context, that I can enjoy this type of music. The glaring exception is the O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? soundtrack, probably because it was produced by T-Bone Burnett. Given all that, I really did not enjoy this album and absolutely want to give it one star, but — given the effort and acknowledgement pf all these revered artists in these genres — that would seem unnecessarily cruel.

Will the Circle Be Unbroken is a beautifully played bluegrass and country summit—full of great stories, great pickin’, and that easy old‑time charm. But at nearly two hours, it stretches past the point where you’d want to sit down and take in the whole thing, so the length knocks the stars down even though the craft is undeniable.

Fun, not a fan of the confederate flags in the album cover

V good v enjoyable v twiddly dee. Is there a thing as too much whimsy? Maybe I’m too much of a realist. 3.0/5.0 Best Song: twiddle twiddle twiddle tee twiddle too twiddle twee Black Mountain Rag

If you're not a fan of bluegrass this isn't for you let's be honest. Its a very fun listen but maybe it does not need to be as long as it is

Finally catching up after not listening to any albums for a few days only to then be immediately given an album with 42 tracks feels like punishment. Definitely gonna fall behind again because of this. Sigh. Great music though. Acts as a pretty cool time capsule of country music at the time. I'm so curious to learn more about the album cover. I can find from looking online that the person on the cover was a union admiral, but I can't find anything about why that photo and the civil war theme was chosen. I admit that because it's a country album, I initially assumed it was a confederate soldier so I was kind of surprised to find out it's the opposite. Though there's also confederate flags on the cover, so still not a great look. Seriously, why did they pick this album cover? Why is Google failing me in trying to find more information?! Because I can't find anything, the confederate flags are gonna make it lose a point in my rating.

GOD DAMN. SO great. i feel like I learned SO MUCH

Phew, 2+ hours of country was a lot but very interesting album. Weirdest thing was hearing "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" that sounds exactly like the daddy to "Devil went down to Georgia" but came out 2 years before! I liked "Black Mountain Rag" a lot as well.