Will The Circle Be Unbroken

I do enjoy bluegrass. But seriously, this album is over two hours? This music is cheerful and jaunty, I like that, but I get the feeling that it wants to convert me. Old men crooning about their dead 16 year old brides is creepy. In the end, the album went by faster than I had anticipated, but the inclusion of an instrumental version of Both Sides Now was a little jarring and out of place. Overall, I liked the album well enough. My favorite tracks were the ones without vocals.

Det er live takes med autentiske performances. Det er lidt en revival af country bluegrass for at holde genren i live. Lavet af nogle legender

Not heard this one but held no surprises. Good album though.

Yeah I absolutely hate this Not helped by having 4 country albums in 5 days. Is this the worst of them? Don't even know. But it is the longest by far. It doesnt respect my time and I don't respect it Utter drivel

Not quite my style of folk - I think american/bluegrass isn't my thing- but pleasant enough for a bit. Very very long though - 40 tracks was a bit many so I didn't finish/skipped tracks, but more out of fatigue than not liking any of them.

Good but too long

Niet mijn ding en echt veel te lang

Good

A little too country for my taste. Really long album too.

I enjoy country and bluegrass a lot and didnt know this band. Awesome music!!

Folk

Old-timey country vibe

Not my vibe

Non mi è piaciuto questo album e due ore sono davvero troppe. DNF

Слишком много во всех смыслах, но не без бэнгеров. Лучшая песня - Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

This is long. Start by cutting the random conversations. This is good bluegrass, to be fair. Loving the banjo and fiddle.

Not for me, sorry champs

4/5 This album is like someone set up microphones in heaven’s front porch during a Sunday jam session. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” is the musical equivalent of a weathered quilt: handmade, deeply American, passed down generations. A time capsule of country, bluegrass, and old-time gospel, stitched together by legends who knew how to make a banjo cry. It’s humble, wise, and sounds like dirt roads and cold sweet tea. Keep on the Sunny Side Because sometimes the corniest truths are the ones that keep you alive.

First disc is great!... then it turns mostly instrumental for an hour

Good lord, this was a long album - but I enjoy bluegrass / Americana and liked this one

Double album was too much to digest in one go. Couldn't identify a link between the two so probably didn't miss anything. The songs were surprisingly varied and entertaining. Probably be able to extract chunks to get a digestible playlist.

This just really isn’t my kind of music.

Fun album. Nicely done

Respect the skill of the instrumentation. Vocal performances and songwriting are very throwback country and bluegrass jams. Unfortunately just doesn’t really resonate with me.

I can't make myself listen to country even if my life depends on it and this album did not change it

Not my style

It's ok as a sort of alternative country album but a bit overlong if you're not into the bluegrass style

Enjoyed this all the fiddle and mayhem.

Bluegrass or country? Don't really care tbh. One of the instrumental tracks was ok but the rest was just too much - too long, too repetitive and too country/too bluegrass for me.

There are some lovely moments on this album, and the musicianship is excellent... but damn, ain't nobody got time for a straight 2 hours of bluegrass!

Holy crap, that was exhausting. I can't say I ever wanted to listen to country music for nearly 2 hours straight. Am I glad I did it? No, but I'm not upset either. Quite frankly, this isn't even the worst experience I've ever had with country music, mostly because this music is actually good. Need I mention again my disdain for modern radio country? Still, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (hilarious band name btw) had some good ideas with this album. It's just that making it nearly 2 hours in length isn't one of them. This album is certainly interesting. The album's a collaboration with a pretty substantial number of famous country and bluegrass artists of the time, which is pretty cool! It adds some variety, though the keyword here is "some." This album is kind of repetitive. That might just be the length talking, though. The writing is alright. It definitely gives off country vibes in a way that I don't hate. One thing that I actually like about this album in regards to its cohesion is how some of these songs have audio from the studio at the beginning, which comes as a result of many of these songs being unprocessed takes. That's neat. It makes the album feel more authentic, and authenticity is something that I think a lot of "country" lacks. The instrumentation is quite good as well. Again, it is a tad repetitive. But there's a fiddler throughout the album, okay? I like the sound of the album. Overall, Will the Circle Be Unbroken is a fascinating album that I understand the importance and appeal of, but I don't think I ever want to listen to it again. Still, I enjoyed my time and I would call this a good album. Light 3/5.

Je vais le dire tout de suite: je l'ai pas finis, mais je pense pas que je manque grand chose. Après 1h15 du même «shanguelaaaaang da de loodoooo» de cowboy mélancolique, j'affirme que j'ai vécu pleinement l'expérience, merci bonsoir. 🚨Clément, j’ai répondu à ton message sur ma critique d’Hunky Dory!🚨

Didn't like the multiple songs of them like setting up

not my bag

The playing is masterful, the tone reverent, and it’s amazing this much 19th-century tradition was captured while the legends were still alive.

nice historical document

Twangy. Long.

In Parks and Recreation, Leslie and Ann burn an "anti-seduction" CD to try to stop Leslie from getting with Ben on a road trip. One of the songs is "something called Bango Boogie Bonanza." At times, this album reminded me of that. Except I'm Chris Traeger joyfully playing the air banjo in the backseat. This album isn't something I would have listened to without this project, but I really enjoyed it. I definitely wouldn't listen to all 2 hours of it back to back again, but I had a great time and I will come back to some of the songs. I love how collaborative the album is and I think that manages to keep it varied despite how long it is. Fav song: Dark as a Dungeon Least fav: Soldier's Joy

Solid southern bluegrass. A genre I don't love but... this album could be my way into it

Demasiado para mí. Creo que intentaron marcar territorio o algo así. 42 canciones revisando todo más conocido del bluegrass y country-and-western. Aunque me gusta más o menos este tipo de música me parece demasiado para el público en general. Así que 3 estrellas aunque deberían ser 2,5.

Would actually love this album if it wasn’t so loooong. Did make me want to go to the countryside and just ranch. Specific rating -3.4 Fav song- Tennessee stud Least fav- sailin on to Hawaii

Not music I would normally listen to and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. But it was a bit too long for me and the string of instrumentals in the middle drove me a little bit crazy. Favourite: Dark as a Dungeon Least: Sailin' On To Hawaii

This super-important album brings together generations of country & bluegrass artists. It’s the foundation of modern bluegrass, americana, and what remains of good country music in the modern day. For this, i give it credit. This is a double album and it’s long. The music is great, but in a way, it feels more like an encyclopedia than a great work of fiction — a resource, rather than a single work of art. Some of the songs are fantastic though. As a “sit down and listen to this double album all the way through” experience, this is a 3. As a resource and historically influential giant, it’s a five. On the whole (and because it really is a compilation of different independent artists, not a cohesive band), it’s a 4.

Yeah look I got maybe 30 minutes in and I couldn’t do anymore. The instrumental aspects were nice but the vocals didn’t do it for me. I couldn’t do another hour and a half of this.

Impressionante como um disco dessa época tem uma captação tão cristalina. Os timbres de violão são lindíssimos e os diálogos entre as músicas mostram um clima de descontração enorme entre os músicos. Todo mundo parece estar se divertindo bastante enquanto toca, o que torna uma audição bem agradável. Em termos de composição a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band desvia bem pouco da norma aqui, com melodias e progressões de acorde manjadas, mas mesmo assim Will the Circle Be Unbroken é um bom disco, que poderia ser ótimo não fosse a duração estendida e a repetitividade entre as faixas.

Além de o disco ser quase longo, com quase 2h de duração, esse falatório durante as faixas me incomodou um pouco. Não dá pra negar que é bem executado, que tem umas músicas bonitas, nessa seara raiz norte-americana, mas não é um gênero de música que me agrada tanto. Acaba sendo cansativo pela quantidade de músicas. As instrumentais são legais também, divertidas, mas também cansam.

Some fantastic covers and some less than fantastic ones

на любителя) хорошо подойдет как дачный саундтрек.

LIke it!

Pretty shitty crap band.

I grew up listening to bluegrass as a kid it was a great album

Woo-wheee! That’s some might fine pickin’ and-a grinnin’! I was skeptical, but once I got into it, I really looked forward to Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Was not disappointed.

Country/bluegrass isn't really my thing, especially old school stuff like this, but I can at least appreciate it if it's good. And I'm not gonna hold it against it, but 2 hours is maybe a tad much. Nashville Blues goes hard though. Kinda feels like that song is a very early precursor to genres like gothic country, dark folk, or murderfolk. Good stuff. Devil Went Down to Georgia jumpscare with Lonesome Fiddle Blues as well. Gonna be honest, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band did it better. 2nd disc really leaning heavy on stuff that's either old country/bluegrass standards or music artists in the future have definitely "borrowed" as I'm hearing a ton of licks and stuff I've heard before.

3.2 crazy fiddle tho

i'm sure this is good if you like bluegrass.

i don’t know if i like the band but the guests and the material rate five fuckin’ stars

How do I describe auditory torture? Listening to this two hours of "a pickin' and a strummin' "

Liked it more than expected. Super long Favorites: You Are My Flower, Wreck On The Highway, Nine Pound Hammer

Very good example of bluegrass and rockabilly.

Not into it

It cost me three attempts at this album, mostly because you have to go through 42 songs. I think it was worth it - this might be one of the best country/blues/americana record on. This album is just too fun andpositive, hard to stay in one place while listening to it. Next time I'm camping in USA I'm listening solely to Nitty Gritty.

I love how vocals sound so raw in country music. It really makes you believe the words being said. Overall this was a great album. The only thing I'd change is the length. I liked that the 2nd part was mostly instrumentals but again, it could've been shorter. It's impressive that the songs were all recorded in 1 or 2 takes

Blind album and artist. Yee stars / haw stars. I swear if there is another 2 hr bluegrass album though, I may use my pretend 6 six shooter and put my horse outta misery with myself before the dysentery gets me.

not for me donkey, also too long

Rubbish

I enjoyed the first hour of this. I even liked the second hour. But come on, by the end this just got ridiculous.

Didn't like it unfortunately

A revelation. Docked a point for being a bit rambly, but that is also part of its charm.

I was apprehensive about this album based on the name and artwork but was pleasantly surprised. It’s very reminiscent of the ‘O Brother Where art tho soundtrack - with some of the songs featuring on both. Appalachian blue grass in style, the harmonies and musicality are fantastic. It reminds me of the Avett Brothers in places (a favourite of mine) and a genuinely lovely album to listen to. I have to say the 2+ hour album length is a bit much but this is one of those albums you could either get lost in listening to or have on in the background whilst doing something else.

Better than expected but why does it need to be 2hrs long ??

This is so country it’s almost comical. Seems like a different language. They sure love their strings. A lot sounds the same. Don’t hate this album, it’s just not my fave. And way too long.

Unashamedly loved most of this. It's VERY long though

I quite liked this, there is some good musicianship on show. Upbeat country and the fiddles, banjos and guitars are fun. There is some great musicianship here and I can see how it made country more accessible to someone like me who doesn't normally listen to it. It is too long though even if you don't count the bonus tracks with all the talking etc. I was enjoying it for a bit but it's too much so I'm capping at 3

Classic bluegrass

I've never really been much of a bluegrass or country or gospel fan. This album is heavy on all those things and I'm still not a fan

ok for ten minutes, but for two hours? woof

Very cute, fun, old country music.

Loved the instrumental both sides now.

Pure unadulterated boring sh*te! Was going to say great-great grandpapy music, but thought some would take that as approval, and not a comment about when it went out of date!

The whole thing, of the unwashed hippies playing with the legends of the Opry is a great story. Makes you hope, kind of. And I don't want to hear anything bad about Doc Watson, ever.

This is #day262 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… excuse me, but there's no way I'm listening to a 42-song country album that's more than 2 hours long. Besides, country is already among my worst genres on this journey. I tried one song, but this is where it ends. I just don't relate to this music. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day263.

Great Colorado band. Great sound. Great music. Some nice hit music.

A trip down an old country road.

Classic bluegrass example, with so many big names. Music for a lazy day. Not every song is a hit though, and it's awfully long.

Grew up playing the banjo in Appalachia, so appreciated hearing the classics. But, I greatly prefer all of their 80's stuff more.

Too long but I liked every song that I did listen too!

6/10 - there were some songs I really enjoyed. Mostly the ones where there was no singing like Nashville blues. The rest were kind of annoying

More than 2 hours of this is probably too much, but like I was saying to Alex, this sounds a lot like a lot of the stuff we’ve been learning about in roots of rock and roll. I think understanding the significance of a lot of the artists on here and the music that this album is imitating and covering definitely helps me like it more

That is as far from me as any West Coast or Gangsta would be. I can understand the musical powerhouse of this and enjoy it to a certain degree, but overall two hours is just too long a yeehaw feeling. Although I prefer the rootsiness of this over ANY Nashville style.

2 hour long country album... instrumentals were good at least

# Album Name: Will The Circle Be Unbroken # Artist: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band # Rating: 1/5 # Comments: Hell no. Not two + hours of fucking country music like this. God damn. I couldnt get through it. I cant lie. The quality of some of the music is good. But its just too long. wtf makes you wanna do something like this?! Someone said at least it wasnt as bad as morrisey? Got to be kidding me. # Top Tunes: Who knows? i dont # Would I listen to it again? hell naw

2h of country. I stopped after 20 minutes, got the point. Stand-out: You Are My Flower

saw the confederate flags and panicked but this album is actually great - a nice education for me 4/5 #musicsky #albumsky

****A very good bluegrass album

Кантри бодрое ас ис

2 hours of fucking poop!!!!!!

Rootin tootin

This was a great listen— very long and I won’t be listening to it through again (I did it in parts the first time anyway) but I really enjoyed the musicianship and folk while driving on a sunny day

Honestly I liked it more than I thought, but my god was it long. Doesn’t help that a lot of the songs sounded very similar

This was a lot to ingest. A lot of music. A lot of filler. Just a lot. There is something to be said about self editing.

I do not doubt that this is an Important Album, and I do not regret having listened to it, but it is also not my speed. But I am feeling generous.

Saatanan kovaa paahtamista! 4/5

Listalla ei ilmeisesti ollut riittävästi bluegrassia kun pamautettiin tällainen kahden tunnin eepos. Lajissaan miellyttävää, joskin on myönnettävä että jossain kohtaa muuttui tasaiseksi massaksi. 3/5

Faaaaaark, that's a lot. I don't think I can do it. Made it about 30-40% of the way in. I think I get the gist. Lots of banjos and irrelevant musical history from some foreign country Maybe a two because it's not as bad as Morrissey.

a begrudging three

"Classic" country music is bad enough, but two hours of it is serious torture. By halfway through disc 1, I was already checking my phone every minute or so to see how long was left in each song. Nobody should be subjected to such a monstrosity of a collection, particularly when the topic is woeful masculinity and the sound is bland three-chord jangly nonsense. It's a shame humanity didn't advance far past this, considering it sounds like it could've been recorded in the roaring 1890s. 1/5 Key tracks: Grand Ole Opry Song, Tennessee Stud, I Saw The Light

No en ihan ymmärrä. Miksi kaksi tuntia (covereita)? Sinänsä taitavasti soitettu ja laulettu enkä varsinaisesti ole ärsyyntynyt.

Vajaan kahden tunnin mittainen, maratonimainen pläjäys hauskaa, kaunista musiikkia, josta osa iskee toden teolla ja osa valuu ohitse. LP soveltuu historialliseen tutkimukseen, mutta myös bileiden taustamusiiksi. Ja kyllä, ihan vain vanhaan kunnon kuunteluun. 3,5

A great collection of powerful names in classic Blue Grass. A little long and disjointed, but great for the collection that it is.

Toen ik dit de eerste keer draaide, was ik ervan overtuigd dat dit een vrij recent album was. Qua opzet kennen we dit soort albums toch, dacht ik. Met wat ouwe knarren wat Amerikaanse folkklassiekers eruit knallen in een boerenschuursfeertje, dat hebben we toch vaker gehoord. Zie bijvoorbeeld een topplaat als 'We shall overcome: the Seegers seessions' (2006) van Bruce Springsteen en zijn vrienden. Maar het blijkt dus dat dit zo'n beetje het eerste album in z'n genre was, zes plaatkanten lang. Wat dat betreft is het soms eerder een historisch document dan een muziekalbum. Dat haalt wel een beetje het tempo eruit, want waar bij Bruce het dak eraf ging, blijft dit toch een beetje een onderonsje tussen de hooibalen.

Het album laat er direct geen twijfel over bestaan. Dit wordt 2 schijven lang luisteren naar snaarwerk met Amerikaans geknauw. Daar bestaat ook nog wel variatie in en dat merken we. Het album begint vooral vrolijk. Ik zou het nooit uit mezelf opzetten, maar het hoeft ook zeker niet uit. Maar na een paar nummers beginnen de energietrekkende lange tonen / lettergrepen. En daarvoor is twee schijven vol gewoon veel te lang. 1,5 ster.

Uptempo bluegrass is vaak wel lollig hoor, met een steelguitar en een banjo, een blik violen enzovoort. Vervolgens komt er een smartlap. En zo wisselt het een beetje af. Het is een soort verzamelalbum, met al die nummers van en door verschillende artiesten. Neem daarbij dat het een veel te lange dubbelaar is, halverwege "disc one" heb ik het wel weer een beetje gehad met al dat geknauw en die semizoete harmonische samenzang. Ik heb het gevoel dat ik gewoon naar de Amerikaanse sterren.nl aan het luisteren ben. Het is net een pastry stout: een paar slokken is het best lekker, maar een halve liter is gewoon veel en veel te veel. Het gaat ontzettend tegenstaan en op het einde spoel je een half blik door de gootsteen. Was dit een half uurtje vrolijke kampvuurmuziek geweest, dan had ik het misschien nog een 3 of een 4 kunnen geven, nu ben ik blij dat het koffiepauze is en even kan ontsnappen aan stars.murica. Ik word er gewoon helemaal krankjorum van, een album is al te veel, laat staan een dikke dubbelaar. Dit of Frans Bauer? Ik zie weinig verschil ben ik bang.

When I think of nitty gritty dirt band I think of Cadillac ranch, fishin’ in the dark, and line dancing in elementary school. I am a little bit ashamed that I didn’t know this album, chock full of genuine country music legends, existed. This is banjo pickin’, guitar strumming, fiddle playin’, harmonica blowin’ excellence on just about every level. Really exceptional stuff. I enjoyed every second of this two hours and ten minutes, and I’m really glad I got exposed to it from this list. I could drone on and on about each and every artist included on this record that I absolutely adore, but I think for the sake of time I’ll just say this: this record is an absolute treasure, and I’ll definitely be listening to it again. 5*

Among self-described fans of country music, there is often intense debate about what does or does not fall under its definition. By most measures, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band make music that is not quite country music. To me it is more americana, akin to Gram Parsons’ cosmic american sound and the California 60s-70s country-folk-rock all/none-of-the-above zeitgeist. But in bringing together so many titans of country music, specifically of old-time/bluegrass, to lead them on this album, NGDB makes it clear that regardless of what their record sales may be, they have a deep knowledge and love for true country music and do not want it to be lost to the sands of time. They know how to play it—very well—and they understand it as tradition and as culture. Favorite tracks include “Nashville Blues”, “Black Mountain Rag”, “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”, “Avalanche”, “Togary Mountain”, “Orange Blossom Special”, and of course, “Soldier’s Joy”. The best single part of this album for me is the fiddling from Vassar Clements on “Orange Blossom Special” — it gives me chills. Just peerless. My other favorite part of this album is the inclusion of several interludes of the musicians talking while tuning their instruments, etc. It truly gives you the feeling of being in the picking circle with them and it was such a smart decision on the part of the… producers? audio engineers? whoever it was, they did their job really well. This is not only an excellent record but is an important document of musical history. Any self-proclaimed country music fan should give this a listen and if they don’t like it… well, im not gonna say they can’t call themselves a country music fan, but… An excellent, obvious inclusion on a list of essential listening albums. I wish there were more albums like this similarly representing other genres or folk traditions from other countries. 10/10

Meget overraskende at jeg nød den her så meget

Svær at rate. Læste lidt op om den her plade og det er jo et mirakel at det overhovedet findes! Virkelig cool og lyder rigtig godt, men også ret overvældende og egentlig overhovedet ikke min stil.

I just finished this album and my head is just so tired of banjos and fiddles... If this was a quarter of it's length, it would've been good. The talking before, between and after songs gets old really quickly. TIL Dark As A Dungeon was made by this band..

This was a 3 for a while, but with the help of a grassroots folk faze that I'm going through as well as my jean overalls, straw hat, jug of moonshine, and lip full of chewing tabacci this was elevated to a 4.

This was the most country (in both time and quality) I've ever heard in my life.

This was a hootin' rootin' jolly good time. Not sure I needed 2+ hours of the hoe down, but the time breezed by pretty quickly.

That was fun - it really just felt like being part of a good old fashioned jam session where the band is just trying stuff and having drinks. The downside to that is that they don't always hit the spot

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (and later Dirt Band) had only one or two hit songs, and none were on this album. Instead, they tracked down legends of country and bluegrass music from the 1920s-1950s who were still living and put together this long compilation. Certain singers (e.g., Roy Acuff) were obviously old and not as good as in their younger days, but still ok. Based on the historical significance of this album it gets the highest rating.

42 songs?! 2+ hours?! 70s?! country!? In this economy?! OK, I'm gonna try to give it a fair shake. I like the idea of a compilation of a bunch of different artists, including at least, but I think also at most, one lady (Maybelle Carter). There are a lot of funny lyrics here; too many for me to list. I also burst out laughing at 'The Precious Jewel', which starts with some bants about how the first take is the best take, and then the singing is the most unlistenable warbly bay of all time. Took me right out. 'Dark as a Dungeon' is solid. 'Black Mountain Rag' is jaunty. Every Acuff song is an ironic delight. I mean, the vowels! I'm creishing out. I think the second disc is all instrumental. Wait, no, there's some more warbly singing. Whew, this is a long album. It just keeps going. Towards the end is 'Will the Circle Be Unbroken', which is pretty good. A lot of these songs are religious in nature, but Circle feels more like a straight gospel track then whatever else is going on on this album (the aural inspo for Disney's Fox and the Hound, maybe?). Then comes a total blindside in the form of 'Both Sides Now', one of my top songs of all time and also #1 on my "please play this at my funeral" playlist (which is a normal playlist that I'm sure everyone has!!). I was terrified to hear the Nitty Gritty version, but it was actually just instrumental, thank god. Extremely acceptable, even nice. Following it up with 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' is an upsetting tonal shift though. Overall, this album was better than I expected, but that was partially because my expectations were rock bottom. Still, the rush of finishing it counts for a 3.

If that does not make you want to open mouth kiss your cousin, I do not know what does

WoooooeeEE! BOyyy that was some mighty fine a-pickin’ anna singin’

not a country fan

Meine Fresse ist es lang

Way too long

Good

Pretty good but good kinda long

egy picit hosszú így egyben, meg a második fele nem olyam erős, mint az eleje, de ettől még valami csodálatos 😍

Ok, for ensemble bluegrass, it's pretty good. It's not something I might intentionally put on, but it's not bad. It DOES go on for a little longer than I expected.

I had no idea what to expect from this. I ended up enjoying it a decent amount. It's not amazing, but it's been better than a lot of the country music I've heard so far.

Not for me - deluxe version too...too much

Rating: 6/10 Quite intriguing, I really enjoyed the bluegrass songs but not so much the country ones. Way too long but was surprisingly enjoyable throughout.

Not a country fan, but can appreciate it. 2 hours a bit much country for one day though. Yeehaw.

I didn't hate it but it was way too long. It became a job to get through the last 3rd.

Yeah I had a lot of fun! Loved the instruments, loved the singers, loved the grove! But 2 hours?????? Agahaah

Correcto

By and By Lord, By and By...

I get the importance of this album. But not my cup of tea. The use of a fiddle or violin almost saved this for me. I love those instruments. This album invokes too many memories of southern twang, songs that were frequently performed at 4H music contests that I was forced to endure because my sister, Vicki, was active in the 4H scene. Not to mention I find the lyrics almost too straight forward and religious based for my taste. It borders on being sappy for me.

I had a whole thing written here but it didn’t get saved and I can’t be bothered to re-write it completely. The TLDR was this - I appreciate its conscious objection to the “pop country” sound of the time. For that, it’s respectable to lean so hard into the essence of the genre of music they’re making, instead of watering it down for mass appeal. But this album is too long for me. If I had just the best 10-14 songs, it’d probably get another star.

Really fun Bluegrass album.

Absolutely need for an album to be 2 hours long

Ticking off the Southern Country / Folk box for this list with an extremely extensive double album. I don't care for this kind of thing much. It's not bad, just doesn't do anything for me, really. However, I did like the run of instrumental tracks which began Disc 2, which makes me think maybe it's the vocals which I don't like. Also as pointed out by another review, there is way too much "candid", behind-the-scenes recordings. As well as the intros and outros of each track, there are 3 tracks of nothing but studio dialogue. I can only imagine how annoying that would be if you wanted to listen to the music from this album for pleasure on its own. Not quite worth 3 stars, which is my bar for a re-listen, but not far off.

Super long listen, over 2 hours of country and bluegrass. great playing throughout. If Not for the length I'd definitely revisit this one with more regularity.

I remember listening to this record growing up. It's a lot of bluegrass to listen to all at once, so it's not something I'm every going to want to listen to in its entirety often, if ever, but it's also one of my favorite examples of bluegrass and there's some really good songs and crazy good playing on here. 3.4/5

There's aspects of this I liked, but I didn't like that it was 2h+ of music. I think I appreciated the littler interstitial pieces of discussion between the songs more than the songs. 2.49/5

Couldn’t do it. 4 seconds in and I was done with the old timey country

I'm a newbie when it comes to bluegrass but this seems like a great starting place. I thought it was really fun.

This was actually cute and enjoyable country music but OH MY LORD IT WAS ENDLESS. The last 3 songs felt a bit random because they just kept speaking and at that point u kinda wanted the album to be over. Long albums work for smashing pumpkins because each song has a different feel to it. It wasn’t like that here. It was still really good. So 3 for structure, 4 for sound .

This is probably the most I’ve enjoyed listening to country in this project. Even so, it feels a little self indulgent. The talking could probably be eliminated without losing anything, and the instrumentals start to drag on through the second disc. Could probably have made for a pretty fun single album.

What a slog! Beautiful recording but far too long. The songs blurred into each other after a certain point.

Two full hours of hurdy-gurdy-schnurdy are a little bit too long for my liking, but these folks sure can play their instruments! Yeeehhhaaaa!!

Cool what they were doing with bringing in the old gaurd to play with the new gaurd. Not a fan of old country/bluegrass. Also, it was 2+ hours... 2 stars for the concept.

This album is longer than the American constitution including the amendments. Honestly though, if I was born in the US, I might have liked this a lot. Just listening to this without any nostalgia attached to it makes me think: It's fine. Nothing more.

Very enjoyable bluegrass with many tones of country, nice surprise because I wasn't expecting anything about the record, a song here and there is good, but it's a very long album

The circle broke!!! Lord this capital B bluegrass album was on my very last nerve. This is a genre I haven’t heard very much at all in the past 800 albums, but I didn’t need two straight hours of it to make up for its lack. I got the gist after the first three songs. I nearly gave this a 1 but the instrumental rendition of “Both Sides Now” was so lovely.

While I understand the importance of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and the bluegrass/Appalachian style they brought to country music (which set standards for other artists and even persisted in their own music well into the following decades), I really found 2 hours of this to be too much. I might could have enjoyed this more if it just hadn't been soooo looong. 2.5, not rounding up.

Fav song: Both Sides Now It's ok, they're very very good players and that's always a joy to listen to. But man, this album is WAY too long.

a double album's a loooooong time to simmer in this kinda shucks howdy shit. Imagining that I'm in a mining town only gets me halfway through disc one

If I spent all of this time explaining what my review was going to be like before actually writing my review, you'll hsve an idea what this album is like.

Eh, not my favorite

Absolutely iconic, makes me wanna fall in love with country music again!

Típica música yankee del año del pedo, country de blancos cantando con banjos, un embole bárbaro, que encima dura más de dos horas.

Я доволі гарно відношусь як до сучасного альтернативного #country ,так і люблю, «сповнені душі», класичні композиції 50-х та 60-х від Джонні Кеша. І що мене приваблює у цьому жанрі найбільше - так це його неймовірна «чутливість» та щирість. Адже важко знайти іншу музику, яка б могла настільки ж точно передавати емоції виконавця, та налагоджувати такий самий тісний контакт зі слухачем. Але для повноцінного ефекту - дуже важливо розуміти тексти пісень, а іноді і контекст в якому вони була написані. І саме через вищезазначені причині - цей жанр є зовсім непопулярним в Україні. Проте, якщо ж, вам вдасться підійти до його прослуховування максимально серйозно та вдумливо, ви точно отримаєте дуже «автентичний» та атмосферний досвід. І цей альбом Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, між іншим, створювався з цією ж метою - довести, що кантрі все ще має вагу. Навіть сам гурт - це, фактично, збір тогочасних зірок локальної кантрі сцени Нешвіллу. Що цікаво, то тут ми чуємо кантрі у «первинному» його вигляді, яке часто називають «bluegrass». Bluegrass - це музика, що зʼявилась у результаті поєднання американської фолк музики із #blues та #gospel, та для якого характерне використання цікавих акустичних інструментів, на кшталт банджо чи фідлу. Цікавість полягає в тому, що альбом відчувається як дуже автентична американська музика минулого. Вона, неначе, переносить тебе на «дикій захід», і дарує враження які можно порівняти із переглядом гарного вестерну. Майже всі пісні тут це доволі ліричні та розслабляючі. Вони повільно та без всілякого поспіху, неначе незнайомець якого ти випадково зустрів за барною стійкою старого салуну, розповідають тобі свою, до болі щиру, історію. Із мінусів - альбом ну дуууже великий, і через свою монотонність, може з часом наскучити, тому я рекомендую слухати його, хоча б, у два заходи. Ну а після прослуховування, мені дуже захотілося пограти у Red Dead Redemption.

Making a two-hour album consistently engaging is pretty tough work, let alone for a country album, a genre not exactly shy of formulaic and interchangeable sounds and song structures. That just goes to show how good this music is, making you want to go "Yee Haw!!!" at its lively banjoes, fiddles and harmonicas for pretty much its entire runtime.

It's nice to have some of these old-timers on record, but this shit drags and is a c-hair from being an exercise in cringe pandering.

This is old school with some of the originals of country music. Doc Watson, Maybelle Carter-Cash’s mother in law), Autry. Yea it should have been 2 albums.

The music was good but it was tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long

They sound good and they're great players but this is not really my vibe. This is old people country. Also, it's over 2 hours long. Thats obscene. Stop it. Not cool.

not usually a bluegrass fan but this was a nice listen. great variety of tempos, instrumental pieces, & different vocalists. BUT it is really, really long so lost 1/2 a star for excessive length

This album is over 2 hours and has 42 songs. I only needed to listen to 10 secs of a song to know I'm rating it a 1!

Let’s be real—this album is a full on front porch bluegrass jam session, the kind that feels right at home with hillbillies dancing around, moonshine in hand, and a few missing teeth.

Da jeg først hørte gjennom albumet en sen kveld skulle jeg opprinnelig bare høre en sang eller to før jeg la meg. Men jeg bare koste meg mer og mer for hver sang jeg hørte. Etter hvert så kom jeg bare i et så godt humør. Det sier mye om både sjarmen og evnene til de mange flinke musikerne som spiller gjennom albumet. Dette er en fenomenal feiring av dype bluegrass og køntri tradisjoner. Studiopraten som kommer innimellom utstråler sånn personlighet, og gjør mye for å plassere deg inn i det livlige studioet de koser seg i. Der er flere meget sympatiske øyeblikk, som for eksempel da Doc Watson gir et genuint kompliment til bassisten, eller da Roy Acuff forteller om at man alltid må gi alt fra første take siden litt av magien forsvinner for hvert nye forsøk. Varm og klar produksjon. Nydelig banjoklimpring og slidegitar og alt mulig annet. Albumet hadde så klart ikke trengt å være hele 130 minutter langt. Spesielt den andre halvdelen er kanskje litt for overdådig, men hele verkets råe ambisjon og gode vibber gjør absolutt opp for det. Alt i alt et mektig og koselig album.

A master class in old school country music - amazing musicianship that will bring a smile to your face

Some good tracks on here but a lot more filler than anything.

Yee haw.

C'est cool mais c'est très long. De la country chimiquement pure, une somme, mais à quel prix. Trop long, donnant un résultat assez répétitif et lassant dont il est difficile de discerner des titres. Gardons "I saw the Light", ou les titres connus autrement par leurs reprises ("Dark as a Dungeon", "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"). Très sympathique à picorer.

not my thing, got bored, turned off

Music is going, album is too long, still getting through it

This was so much fun to listen to! I think people who "hate" country music are small-minded. I'm a fan now.

This type of music is kinda meh to me but I didn't dislike this album.

17/1089 - Skits/intro "shop-talk" were unnecessary. Background improvisations/comping sounded great. Seems like a good reference for writing country and bluegrass music. It's on the longer side but I'm primarily a Classical music guy so that isn't a problem for me.

Nope

Enjoyable enough

Quite enjoyed a lot of this, and can see myself returning to it if I ever want to listen to some bluegrass. I found it especially interesting how some of these sound like Irish trad music. But it took two sittings to get through...lawd that is a lot of bluegrass! 7/10

I am so glad this is over.

Yeah sure but 2 hours??? Come on now

This is just so incredibly long. I like the folksy bluegrass instrumental tracks, I'm less interested in the twangy country vocals. I actually really enjoyed the talking in the studio bits between tracks, it added a human element to the album that I found charming.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was this was worse. Really sounded like a joke album. The singer reminded me of the old man in the bar scene of Back to the Future Part 3/Disney Sheriff of Nottingham guy. It is mind-boggling to me that this band has 2 million more monthly listeners than Belle and Sebastian. When I turned some on Baked Tours Departing Daily the music got a little better, especially when he was walking around Main Street and Frontierland. It even had me bopping to "Black Mountain Rag." Didn't work as well in Galaxy's Edge. Had some strangely sharp turns to being super Jesus-y.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Album - Will The Circle Be Unbroken Don't get me wrong, I can see this being an enjoyable album for some people, since this album does offer some good country songs to listen, unfortunately however in my case, i just didn't find the enjoyment of going through a 38 Song album from start to finish. Again, this album would've been WAY better if it was shorter. There's like 12 songs here that are actually worth to listen, matter of fact, only the second disc was more consistent and fun than the first disc. If it was shorter, I would've given it a better score than a 1 star. 1.- Grand Ole Opry Song = 5/10 2.- Keep On The Sunny Side = 6/10 3.- Nashville Blues = 7/10 4.- You Are My Flower = 6/10 5.- The Precious Jewel = 6/10 6.- Dark As A Dungeon = 7/10 7.- Tennessee Stud = 5/10 8.- Black Mountain Rag = 5/10 9.- Wreck On The Highway = 4/10 10.- The End Of The World = 6/10 11.- I Saw The Light = 3/10 12.- Sunny Side Of The Mountain = 5/10 13.- Nine Pound Hammer = 4/10 14.- Losin' You (Might Be The Best Thing Yet) = 6/10 15.- Honky Tonkin' = 3/10 16.- You Don't Know My Mind = 4/10 17.- My Walkin' Shoes = 5/10 18.- Lonesome Fiddle Blues = 6/10 19.- Cannonball Rag = 5/10 20.- Avalanche = 5/10 21.- Flint Hill Special = 5/10 22.- Togary Mountain = 6/10 23.- Earl's Breakdown = 4/10 24.- Orange Blossom Special = 7/10 25.- Wabash Cannonball = 4/10 26.- Lost Highway = 6/10 27.- Doc Watson And Merle Travis: First Meeting (Dialogue) = 5/10 28.- Way Downtown = 6/10 29.- Down Yonder = 5/10 30.- Pins And Needles (In My Heart) = 7/10 31.- Honky Tonk Blues = 6/10 32.- Sailin' On To Hawaii = 7/10 33.- I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes = 7/10 34.- I'm A Pilgrim = 5/10 35.- Wildwood Flower = 5/10 36.- Soldier's Joy = 5/10 37.- Will The Circle Be Unbroken = 8/10 38.- Both Sides Now = 7/10 FINAL SCORE: 5.3/10

Look at that cover, this has more featured artists than any modern rap album. It also has the crappy skits. I don't know enough about this type of music to know if this is extraordinary or groundbreaking in any way. Therefore I can only judge it on my enjoyment. This really isn't for me. I got through disc 1, but part way through disc 2 I gave up. I kept picturing Homer and Grandpa Simpson being chased by hillbillies until they turned the music off.

Simply epic. But too long and repetitive.

I thought this sounded more authentic than a lot of the country we've had on this list, quite liked the collaboration between the different generations of artists and I think this was a good advert for the tradition and culture of country music. There was no need for this to be 2 hours long, all my goodwill was chipped away about 40 mins in. I'm now about 4 albums behind and I've learnt nothing I didn't know 2 days ago. Despite the improvements in authenticity it was very repetitive. Might be alright live, any three tracks would be nice enough every now and then, but all of it was too much. One of the best country albums we've had and it was mediocre at best.

Excellent album. Listened to the 2h version twice, really fun, really varied, and some excellent musicianship. Wonderful mix of vocallists, and instrumental tracks/reworkings. Nashville Blues, Tennessee Stud, Both Sides Now, and The Precious Jewel were my favourite tracks, but I didn't hate any of it. By far my favourite bluegrass album on the list. I really enjoyed Red Dead Redemption 2, and the album strongly evoked memories of the game, and also wanting to go to Appalachian Country. Actually, this is my favourite album for a long time.

I thought this was considerably better than most country we've had. It's got more of the blues sound. Guess it's bluegrass? Anyway, I did quite enjoy it for a while..... But over 2 hours is a long time! Far too long. I think the talking was quite endearing at times but annoying in others. Sounded authentic though. 2.5, better than I was expecting

Long but some good moments.

On the whole this was pretty good. It seemed to last forever, 42 tracks is a bit excessive. I love bluegrass style banjo, I've been playing on and off for a few years but I am fucking hopeless. Earl Scruggs is a legend, and the tracks where he was to the fore were exceptional. Some of the other tracks weren't so good but it's still a strong 4 stars for me.

Nice

bluegrass standards

Steeped in old-timey material!

Enjoyable but gets a little repetitive. I like the instrumental tunes better than the songs. I know I enjoy playing this music more than listening to it! :)

Pretty interesting concept for an album, meeting of old and young players on old songs. Good album. Awesome musicianship. Terrible cover art 1001 album worthy: Yes - 32/57

Incredibly long. Songs are good but 2 hours of country is too much

Loved it, it's not my style of music but it was a ton of fun to listen to.

Not a big bluegrass fan but this one is a true classic.

Listened to most of it but this album is looooong. Was fine i guess. Country

Nothing not to like here. Couldn’t make time to listen to the entire album, but really liked the first disc that I was able to get to.

Funsies, but not my vibe, and the album is very long

2 hours of old country, no thank you

Music for the toothless inbred

Oh man...this one caught me off guard. I absolutely LOVED it. As a huge sucker for Banjo, this one really sunk its hooks into me. Will have to explore the others in this series. 5/5

"Will The Circle Be Unbroken" feels like one of those music circles where people spend hours around a lively campfire. Although it brings warm feelings, I ended up getting bored. Not that the song is bad, but it gets to a point where it gets tiresome. Maybe next time.

This album was over 2 hours long 😩 I didn’t listen to the whole thing, I just couldn’t. Not even close actually. It’s definitely catchy music and oh so wholesome sounding, and they’re super talented instrumentally, but 2+ hours is just too much of any one band in my opinion. I mean, unless you’re REALLY into bluegrass. I had no idea this band had such a long history. The only song I was familiar with was Fishin’ in the Dark. Their earlier sound was so different from that one. I know some people complained about the talking. I didn’t mind it. I think stuff like that can be so endearing and bring more personality to an album. But why is it so long? 😭😭😭

Hell no.

Yiiiieee haaaaaa! Lekker vrolijke banjo!! ****

So good I own it on vinyl! Best pluckin' around.

At first, the prospect of this album was daunting to even consider. Almost two hours of bluegrass?! However, the more I listened to it, the more I was engrossed by the songs, the performances, and the overall feel of it all. It really does transport you into the deep redneck south of the United States, but does it in an endearing way, a depiction of that culture that is not ususal seen in American media. Key tracks: I Saw the Light Lonesome Fiddle Blues I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Yesterday I got the Louvin Brothers. My review was, I generally don't like country music, but somehow I enjoyed it. This record here is more in line with my general opinion on country music. I can imagine people liking this record, but I hate it. And seems like it's 100 hours long.

Surprisingly decent.

I could have watched Tombstone in the time it took me to listen to this

A surprising 5/5 as normally I'm a country music hater. But the instrumentation alone on this project is top notch. Songs like Black Mountain Rag and Lonesome Fiddle Blues are very impressive. There's some good story telling on this project too. Really the total length and the in-studio talking between tracks are the only aspects I didn't like.

In general, I am growing to enjoy bluegrass music more as I grow older. But the running time of this album pushes my tolerance for southern drawls to its limit. Plus there are only so many “chase-scene from Cannonball Run” types of tracks any man can take without going a bit mad.

Normally I would say this was too long, clocking in at just under 2 hours, but the songs are so well done I was going to listen for that long on repeat, anyway. It’s finger-plucking good.

Solid bluegrass collection. 4.5 that I can't quite round up.

I liked some of this. Had it been an hour shorter and different lead singers for some of the songs, I could probably even have gone as high as 4*. But it wasn't. It'd be 5* to accompany a serious drinking session, though. 3.5*

Ok. So this is obviously way way way too long to get a 5. I think with some editing though it could've been. I feel similarly about this the way I felt about Ella Fitzgerald's massive record, I thoroughly enjoyed feeling like a cowboy for a morning but equally I will never play this again

Absolutely phenomenal Favourite songs: Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Wreck on the Highway, Dark as a Dungeon, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Way Downtown, My Walkin' Shoes, Nashville Blues, Tennessee Stud, I Saw the Light, Keep On the Sunny Side, Grand Ol Opry Song, You Don't Know My Mind, Black Mountain Rag, Sunny Side of the Mountain, Nine Pound Hammer, Losin' You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet), I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes, The Precious Jewel, Orange Blossom Special, Togary Mountain, Flint Hill Special, Earl's Breakdown, Lost Highway Least favourite songs: Warming Up For "The Opry", Sunny Side Talk 5/5

Nourishing. Went on long enough!

My mum would have lived this. Loved this. Danced and had hours of joy listening to this. Not me. Irritating and frustrating. 2 stars being generous.

We've already established that country and bluegrass and all that is not for me. There's a honesty to this record. Which is a bit weird in a genre which is all about grit and honesty. But this is just a collection of people coming together to do what they love doing. Nothing more. I don't need 32 tracks of it. But I respect it.

Yeehaw

Awful, I stopped after the second disk. More of the same. Not unlistenable, but not for me.

Over 2 hours and sound was repetitive after a while. But I really enjoyed it overall, especially the songs with Mama Maybell Carter and Roy Acuff.

Best Song: Will The Circle Be Unbroken. I don't know if I actually liked the song or if it comes from a sort of Stockholm Syndrome after I waded through 2 hours of bluegrass to hit the supposedly famed title track. Worst Song: The End of the World. How fitting a title, because this song makes me want to die. Overall: I can stomach this kind of appalachian bluegrass in small doses, and sadly this is a lethal overdose. Unnecessarily lengthened by the inclusion of the folksy chit-chat so you can also feel like you were in the room, impatiently waiting for them to get along with it. The occasional finger-picking bit of gold interspersed here are not worth the two hours spent panning through the silt and mud.

OK I gotta admit I only listened to an hour of this. It's really accomplished and sounds great but it's just not a genre I listen too and I became a bit weary by the end of the first disc.

Usually you do a double album because you’re on fire and are just pumping out the jams. This is a double album because they thought every word and jingle jangle they came up with was worth recording. Feels more like an unedited home movie than an actual studio production. They obviously have technical chops but lack any nuance or variety in their expression. Writing 25 songs in the exact same style and cadence has diminishing returns. It wasn’t worth it for me to try for a favorite song because it’s honestly just all the same. They could’ve snuck the same song in there 8 times with a different title and there would be no way to know. Fine background music but I like some thought and consideration out into a tracklist.

Not being the biggest country, but this old style of country folk album is legit. I like the influence of the different artists featured and it’s a really cool concept to bring the old and new artists together. I also liked the behind the scenes tracks of them just talking and practicing. A really cool view into the recording process.

I love me some bluegrass, but I don’t know it well enough to understand why this is any better or worse than other bluegrass. Enjoyable throughout, but too long.

Didn’t get to the second disk but I think I get the gist. Always love me some banjo, fiddle, mandolin, etc. Could obvs do without the confederate flag. I enjoyed it but I like my bluegrass a little tighter, as in sharper harmonies and stuff like that. Clearly some of these old timers that are featured just don’t have the voice anymore. The instrumentation was out of sight though. Incredible string picking. It was cool to see mother maybelle (mother of June Carter ((wife of Johnny cash))) on here cuz she’s such an important part of music history but sadly I didn’t really care for that song.

I liked it more than I thought I would. Actually catchy and somewhat pleasant to listen to. Consistent throughout, which is a good and a bad thing as this seemed to almost be like a stream of consciousness. I am glad I heard it, but too long and not varied enough to get a 3.

As I get older I realize that I’m not so far from my southern roots as I thought I was, I genuinely do enjoy bluegrass music. It’s not something I actively seek out, but if it’s being played live there’s not much better. I’ve also found out that I much prefer a banjo and fiddle going to town rather than hearing the lyrics. This album’s biggest downfall is its length, but getting to listen to the great Doc Watson on a few tracks makes it go by fairly quickly. If it were only the second disk I’d be rating this a four, but the double album length brings it down a star.

I need a fire burnin, a homemade smoker cookin, and a jug with three X's on it to properly enjoy this album.

Fantastic old school bluegrass album. While not my every day listening choice, this album would be the perfect example of old bluegrass.

I actually enjoy this shit quite a bit. I’m not throwing it on for friends or anything, but maybe I should haha

Completely unfamiliar with this band, but I didn't hate it. I hear so much bluegrass living in CO that I kinda tune out to this genre sometimes.

obsessed

I went into this unenthusiastically but ended up enjoying it. Feels like a great album to have on while doing chores around the house or sipping coffee in the morning. It brought back memories of riding our bikes into Red Hook in Brooklyn and heading to the back room of Sonny's bar. Musicians would sit in a circle playing improve bluegrass. Anyone could participate, but you only would if you had actual talent. I imagine they covered some of the tunes on this album.

A significant sample of America’s songbook

Kut country Is mij niet helemaal duidelijk waarom dit een 1001 is, is vrij standaard

I like Opry style from time to time, but this just went on forever! Not great but just good.

Mixed bag here as some songs have more twang than I prefer, but the sound quality was shockingly good for something from 1972. I'd only ever heard "Fishin' in the Dark" from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, so I was surprised to learn that 1) they've been making music since the 60's and 2) they're at least as much bluegrass as country. This album would fit right in with The Comatose Brothers or Old Crow Medicine Show albums from 30-40 years later, so I thank these folks (and all the guest performances) for their service. Gotta say the second half of this double album falls off, though. Early on I had this pegged as a 4, but it was hard to get through the back half. 3.4

For the most part we weren't connecting, but I did enjoy some of the classic Country & Western rebellion in the music.

i will not be listening to the entirety of this one before i die

Disco duplo de country é muito exagero. Se depois de Tennessee Stud tivesse mais duas ou três faixas instrumentais seria magnífico. Bluegrass de altíssima qualidade.

I almost enjoyed it when I noted that 2 hours of honks, ponks, tonks, and yeaaahas counts like hypnosis.

This album contains actually important music. It’s a repository of music that mattered, and that should be retained. It’s also a standing rebuke to “country” music made by bros who couldn’t even get into the least impressive SEC schools. But it’s less than the sum of its parts because it is overly indulgent and massively bloated. Nothing is 2 hours good.

At first glance, a two hour long country album? This is going to be a slog. But when that first banjo twang started, I was hooked. The album is still way too long, cutting out a bunch of the instrumental tracks and the talking would have streamlined this into an easy 5. But it did drag at times, dropping it to a good 4. Best song: Grand Ole Opry Song

Not my cup of tea, but clearly should be on this list. The musicianship is great, the vocals good or annoying depending on singer (mostly the latter imo). Definitely didn't need to be 2 hours, but given it's the only bluegrass album I'm probably gonna give the time of day I'll let is pass. 2* for me, 4* for it being an album you should probably hear. Nice average.

Dnf

Album 603 of 1001 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band -Will The Circle Be Unbroken (1972) Rating : 3.75 / 5 Country isn't my favorite genre but a little bluegrass may get my attention. While this isn't something I'd normally put on, it is pretty much a masterpiece that not only showcases the talents of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band but also honors the legacy of traditional American music.

Totally outside of my usual usual playlist and it's hard to see beyond my own prejudice but this shines through as an amazing album. The level of musicality is set to Maximum and many of the tracks are outstanding. This is very very good.

This is just good country/folk music. Super pleasant to listen to.

what can i say i fucking love country music, sue me

Nice. Old style

A classic look at traditional bluegrass and old school country. While not my cup of tea, the dedication and desire to document these songs, and the performers who sang them is commendable.

It’s a shame bluegrass music has travelled beyond the region where people chose to listen to it.

Favorite Track: Will The Circle Be Unbroken

A triple album with a historical, archival intent, many of the songs are from the 19th century. The best parts (most accessible?) are side 1 of disc 1 and side 2 of disc 3. Disc 2 is crazily frenetic, it’s really exhausting to listen to, but I suspect this is the ‘real stuff’ and the main purpose of the album is to get us to like it, or at least occasionally listen to it. A difficult album to rate, because I’m not sure it’s meant to be listened to beginning to end, but I’m going with 4/5. I’d like to own a vinyl copy.

Ok, it’s bluegrass. Like, literally the definition of bluegrass. If you like bluegrass, you’ll love this. If you don’t, then you won’t. I do not.

This is a 2 hours long horse riding lesson.

Music to line dance with alligators.

Saw these guys in concert once. This album is pretty famous with lots a of guests. Gotta be in the right mood for the hoedown music.

Grand Ole Opry Song 2.8 Keep on the Sunny Side 2.4 Nashville Blues 2.6 You Are My Flower 2.4 The Precious Jewel 2.3 Dark as a Dungeon 2.3 Tennessee Stud 2.3 Black Mountain Rag 2.4 Wreck on the Highway 2.2 The End of the World 2 I Saw the Light 2 Sunny Side of the Mountain 1.9 Nine-Pound Hammer 2 Losin' You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet) 2 Honky Tonkin 1.7 You Don't Know My Mind 2 My Walkin' Shoes 2 Lonesome Fiddle Blues 2 Cannonball Rag 2.1 Avalanche 2 Flint Hill Special 2.1 Togary Mountain 1.9 Earl's Breakdown 1.9 Orange Blossom Special 1.8 Wabash Cannonball 2 Lost Highway 2.1 Doc Watson & Merle Travis First Meeting (Dialogue) n/a Way Downtown 2 Down Yonder 2 Pins and Needles (In My Heart) 1.8 Honky to Blues 1.9 Sailin' on to Hawaii 2 I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes 1.7 I am a Pilgrim 2 Wildwood Flower 1.8 Soldier's Joy 2 Will the Circle Be Unbroken 1.9 Both Sides Now 2 Score: 2.062162162

catchy americana/old school country. not my cup of tea, but was still nice.

It’s def old school and a throwback but nothing really stands out for me , it’s a fun enough listen to keep it from being a 1 but lacks the depth I neee to put it into “good” 3 category

Not my typical style, but pretty good. Very long.

Whenever someone says honky tonky I stop taking country seriously Why is this 2 hours long? The instrumental tracks are the better part, vocals usually glide into parody country 3/10

some real folky songs. I'm a bit weary of the cover art but nontheless as art it's pretty catchy. Dark as a dungeon has a great message about grief and lust for money. This is like the previous album but a different more patriotic font. The more I listen the more boring it gets.

Not for me. I wad bored by the third track. Not a single song stood out to me as a particularly good song. Did not finish the album.

Loved it

Bloody hell that's long. Amazing playing. Not a genre that I'm very familiar with but you have to tip your (Stetson) hat. Wonderful harmonies

..

November 8, 2024 Things that don’t get a five-star this week: Irish folk, R.E.M., P-Funk Things that do: 2 hrs of effing bluegrass, apparently. I don't know myself I understand the guest list for Will The Circle Be Unbroken is full of influential country talent, but I can say that the names, apart from the Carter family & Earl Scruggs, don't really ring a bell. The reverence for them from the Nitty Gritty is clear, but the music itself is often casual sounding*, like they've all been buds the whole time. If I had to justify my rating further, it's not an album I can really debate the quality of each track and how they fit with each other (my country/bluegrass experience is lacking). I rarely feel immersed in the circumstances of the recording like this one. For all I get ticked off about non-musical interludes, the light conversation, the creaking & shuffling between songs really adds to the magic. Both ancient & accessible. I feel less bad about dropping 12 Canadian dollars on this CD now *Casual sounding, until they start shredding 🎸 🪕

This was like hearing a 2 hour tracklist of unreleased songs for The Country Bear Jamboree. So obviously 5 stars

I like country and bluegrass so I enjoyed this. It was a cool concept which resulted in a wonderful recording documenting important artists in the genre. It was a lot to take in for one sitting so I had to break this one up a bit.

A great album to celebrate the end of justice and possibly democracy as we know it in America!

Surprisingly enjoyable and honest

This is how it feels to chase a wild turkey for two hours

I'm not a big fan of bluegrass, but anyone would go crazy after 2 hours of it.

I NEVER EVER want to listen to 2 hours straight of the same bluegrass song again. It was like being trapped in a blackhole void filled with banjos and violin.

Well I loved this, but then I was always going to. Bit of Dolly Parton, bit of Oh Brother Where Art Thou, fabulous.

I never thought of myself as a country fan, but it turns out I don't like MOST country, whereas this old timey, bluegrass stuff is right up my alley! This was a lovely collection of old school country and fiddle-and-banjo instrumentation, and the only reason it's not getting five stars is that I still find US country far too preachy about God to be fully enjoyable. Faves: Dark as a Dungeon, Black Mountain Rag, Earl's Breakdown

Love some old-school bluegrass

These fellers sure can pluck strings

Folk and Country Classics compiled into one spot. Excellent musicians, not my style but relevant for the era.

I liked each individual song and believe I will be happily surprised by any of them coming on my Spotify random, but this album was two straight hours of bluegrass, which puts my lifetime total of bluegrass listening somewhere around two hours, and didn’t inspire me to seek out more bluegrass.

Pretty cool but I can't sit through 2 hours of it

C & BG, no B. Well done but nothing I need to listen to again.