Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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
Eh, not my favorite
Típica música yankee del año del pedo, country de blancos cantando con banjos, un embole bárbaro, que encima dura más de dos horas.
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.
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.
Some good tracks on here but a lot more filler than anything.
not my thing, got bored, turned off
This type of music is kinda meh to me but I didn't dislike this album.
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.
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.
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.
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
Incredibly long. Songs are good but 2 hours of country is too much
2 hours of old country, no thank you
Music for the toothless inbred
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.
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.
Awful, I stopped after the second disk. More of the same. Not unlistenable, but not for me.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
..
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.
C & BG, no B. Well done but nothing I need to listen to again.
Lógicamente no incluye Mr. Bojangles ni An American Dream. Se trata de una ejemplar fusión de country, bluegrass, pop y rock & roll que como su título indica trata de cerrar la brecha entre la vieja guardia country de Nasville y las nuevas bandas de folk-country (The Byrds habían sentado cátedra con Sweetheart ot the rodeo y Gran Parsons -con los Flying Burrito Brothers o en solitario- era un faro que iluminaría el camino a seguir). Keep on the Sunny Side" es una delicia. Otros discos de 1972 Debuts de Steely Dan, Roxy Music, Paul Simon, Big Star, Neu¡, ¿Fela Kuti? y Lou Reed (además de su espléndido Transformer ) Discos expecionales como los de David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Todd Rundgren-Something/Anything?, Stevie Wonder – Talking Book y Music of my mind, Elton John-Honky Château, Nick Drake – Pink Moon, Yes – Close to the Edge, Miles Davis – On the Corner, Neil Young – Harvest, The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St, Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly, Raspberries- Fresh, Genesis – Foxtrot, Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview, Deep Purple- Machine Head y Made in Japan, Joni MIttchell- For the roses, Tangerine Dream - Zeit, T Rex- The slider, Kevin Ayers- Whatevershebringswesing, la banda sonora The harder they come... una cosecha excelente.
No.
What in the county bears hell is this?? 2.4.
Not for me.
Jesus this was far too long. I didn't mind the music itself, but I've got to mark this down on album length. Favourite song was Lonesome Fiddle Blues.
90 minutes overlong!
i did not like it :c
Not listening. I'm sure it has it's crowd
Brit here so there is nothing nostalgic about this. It’s just country music, and too much of it.
I tried, but a country double album was more than I could take...only made it about halfway through the first album. Just not my thing.
OK, but too long. Could've skipped the talking parts...
I'm all for some more bluegrass but damn this was long.
It is what it is.
To be fair, it's probably a great album. I just don't like the music.
Good at what it is, and enjoyed some of it but just too far into the country genre for my taste
Too long and a little too twangy for me.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an album that showcases the band’s exceptional skill and deep respect for traditional American music. The choice of songs is spot on, blending classic country, folk, and bluegrass tunes with impressive musicianship. The collaborations with legendary artists add authenticity and depth to the project. However, the album's biggest flaw is its length. At over two hours, it stretches on far too long, leaving you feeling fatigued long before the final track. While the quality of the music is undeniable, the sheer volume of content makes it feel more like a marathon than an enjoyable listening experience. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 0 STAND OUT TRACK - None
In order to maintain the integrity of this project, I have listened to over 2 hours (42 songs!) of bluegrass, interspersed with lots of studio chatter. I love ‘oh brother where art thou’ but this was a slog, and I’m left thinking of all the MAGA voting, tobacco chewing, tourist raping musicians that created this. A tiring 2.5/5
Normally 3/5 but DNF so it lost a star
I enjoyed this twice as much as I normally like Country Music so will give it twice the number of stars I usually give Country Music. Liked the instrumental songs most! Even the story telling between tracks was bearable.
I swear all country/folk music from this time period sounds the same
Once again, not for me. Music is fine, but I find the vocals and lyrics sooooo fake. Trying to sound like a cliche and succeeded.
Maybe it’s a bit cruel to give this 2 stars but it went on for wayyy too long
This smells and sounds and looks like racism, 'Murica I guess.
I understand keeping a record of Americana but it is so long and the interstitials are so distracting. Also I had a roommate in college that would practice playing a banjo whenever he was drunk, so I have bad memories of this type of music. My kid danced to it in the car though, so I guess it's not a total waste...
What a slog!
Too much hillbilly for me.
Not bad but way too long
I do like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but this is a two hour compilation of other people's music with guest artists. How is this even considered a must listen?
I think that the title of the opening track, "Grand Ole Opry Song", says it all - this is an American country/country-folk/bluegrass album from 1972 with lots of banjos and fiddles, but it's not what we'd now think of as a C&W album, which is its saving grace.
Enjoyed some of Disc 2, which was more uptempo, instrumental pickin'. I enjoy that type of bluegrass, which is similar to jazz (in a way). The energy and the musicianship really holds my interest. The slower, more country stuff with vocals, like on most of the first disc, is what I do not enjoy. That really bores me. I recognize that Country & Western music was one of the building blocks of rock n roll (along with Rhythm & Blues and Gospel) and that this is a significant step in the genealogy of modern music. But it’s so. Goddamn. Boring. 2.5/5
Not my thing and waaaay too long, but y’know not bad. Also neat to hear the Devil Went Down to Georgie pre Charlie Daniels (2.5/5)
Lord help me, I do NOT have the fortitude to listen to a two-hour bluegrass and country album interspersed with snippets from the recording sessions. Although I can appreciate the synthesis of styles and artists that Will the Circle Be Unbroken represents, it's just not my jam.
I made it through disc 1🤷♂️
There’s actually some good stuff here and the NGDB obviously have talent as musicians. However it’s got a good song to mediocre song (or worse) ratio like Use Your Illusion and has as much senseless chatter between songs as a 90s hip hop album. And it’s over two hours long.
Not bad but way too long, couldn't even finish disc 1
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is not for me. I will have to form a new circle with some other music.
Buckle up, buckaroos. This is 2+ hours of country. If you're into that sort of thing, it is likely quite good. If you're not, it's 2 + hours of country :|
just not quite a 3 star albs.
too much twang for me.
One of them boys shure can play the git-fiddle! (And for a long time, too.) Or was that the dobro? Disc 2 much better than disc one. Even the Beverly Hillbillies thought the album would be better as just one disc. It seems like one of the criteria to got on the 1001 list is to make an album that is just essay too long. (1.6*s)
This album is tolerable, it has some good harmonica, up-step banjo, and their voices are perfect for the genre. A more fitting album name would have been "This Circle is Never Broken" because it's like a run-on, never ending loop of knee-slaps. It's way too long and very repetitive. It's fine if you're a pilgrim, have a rag designated for cannonballs, and know anyone with "belle" at the end of their name. I didn't hate it but I wouldn't play it again.
Head on out to the barn yard and don't forget your spitoon for this one. I like the instrumentals but they do run on and sound the same in most songs. I found some of the namter between musicians amusing. Another unnecessarily loooong album. I beginning to think the creator of this list is choosing them to try and get as much of the artists materiel in one album.
A group of friends gathered in a recording studio with bluegrassy instruments, lots of liquor, and a bunch -maybe too many- stories to tell. Yes, they play really well; yes, they made a famous album for their genre; yes, the album has a laid-back, charming, and relaxed atmosphere, but man, it is more than two hours! I cannot stand that! too demanding for me, I am sorry.
Not really for me
Okay, so I listened to the wrong album first, The Circle Will Be Unbroken Volume II, and then tried listening to this. I really like blue grass, but this I did not enjoy. Too much, too long, repetitious.
An album that you don't expect to be standable for those not really into the genre, but is overall an easy, albeit tedious, listen with moments of quality sprinkled into something that is just too long for its own good. The best parts were when they were all talking because it was far more interesting than the equivalent of your grandma going through the hymn book on her piano while you sit there, uninterested, but too afraid to leave. At first I liked the instrumental tracks the most, but putting as many in a row as they did left it feeling tired and repetitive. Again, easy listen, but not worth the time spent.
Yee’haw Country for 2 hours. Thats it, that’s the album.
Digging the banjo and slide guitar. But it’s just SO country….
Folk endurance album. Dark as a dungeon 👍
Oh boy I am one song in and will not like 2 hours of this. The 3rd song is cool cuz it has no vocals straight finger pickin banjo. Nothing constitutes making this album 2 hours long. I feel like I should be out in the fields with a piece of strawgrass in my mouth to really appreciate it. While I am not and it's taken me 3 days to listen to this I'm between a 1 and 2. Going 2 because I can at least appreciate some of the elements of the bluegrass/folk and the raw construction of it.
Kinda goofy
I am breaking the circle.
tam country
2 hours of country wow. A little odd at times.
Boaah Country?? Banjos?? Ahaha ich finds irgendwie maximal lustig. Finds krass das Lüüt so musik zu ihrem Lifestyle mached... Yeehaw undso 🤠 Jaaa aso so usnahmswiis chli country lauft scho xD Aber da Album isch ja über 2 Stund lang???? So zwei drei songs chani mir ja scho geh und macht au spass aber alles nachher chumi uf suizid gedanke 2.3/5
Old school bluegrass and it shows. I don’t mind a little bit of bluegrass here and there. I enjoy older country as it feels like there’s more heart and the stories are better, but a two hour album with half of it being instrumentals is a bit of a reach for my appeal. This may have been 3 stars if it was just the first album but it being a double album dropped it down for me. 4.4/10
Not for me, but one bonus star for the Both Sides Now cover
Country!! Vaya. Problem is that after the 3 song it all feels the same. Will the circle be unbroken es buena cancion. Apareció en la pelicula broken circle breakdown.
Uitgezet, kon het niet meer aan.
The instrumentals on disc 2 help redeem this. The End of the World (off disc 1) stands out, as well as Orange Blossom Special which flies along at breakneck pace. Overall it's way too country but there's some folksy stuff I like.
The whole history of country and western music in real time.
Amazing musicianship, especially given each song was recorded in only 1 or 2 takes. I really love the concept behind the album, bringing the older and new musical generations together. I also enjoyed the insight provided by the dialog between tracks. However, I didn’t personally get much enjoyment out of the album. Country/bluegrass just isn’t really my jam, especially at 2 hours long.
When you feel the album is too long hearing these guys tune their instruments and talk every couple songs drives in a little deeper on the frustration scale. There are some real good songs on this album, but they are scattered among about 30-35 terrible songs and whole tracks of them talking and tuning. This could have been condensed into a single album.
This was fine at first, but it got old pretty quickly. Way too much twangin’ for me.
I could not get through it. That is not to say it is bad, but after the first 12 songs, I feel I have heard enough. I do have to say that it is great for what it is, but I am just not a fan of country.
So there's stuff on here that I kind of like and would get 4 stars. 2 problems, it's still a genre in general I'm not big on and while I enjoy some of this, I enjoy it in small doses... over 2 hours and 40+ songs is the opposite of a small dose. I had to do something listening to this that I have yet to do on this 1001 album journey and something I didn't want to do; I took an intermission and listened to something I enjoy. I needed a break. 2 stars
Too long.
noin tunti albumin runtimesta on puheskelua ja huvittavaa kommmentti.. pälätystä plöjäytystä. en ole fani. kuitenkin hyviä pätkiä on monts, ja parasta ollakin kun noin paljon biiisiä. liikaa peruskantrin spämmäämistä kuitenkaan että voi nauttia liikaa nashville blues
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: it was good in parts but far too long for me Favourite song: didn’t have one
Nei
Too much Honky not enough Tonk. Maybe trim it down a bit lads? The songs don’t do much and all sound pretty similar, not sure you’ve got 2 hours of material here.
42 songs later... This thing is long (130 minutes to be exact). Like really long. I couldn't listen to it all in one day. The deal here is a 70s country rock band wanted to make a record with some of the most famous country artists from the prior few decades. All the old guys thought the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was a bunch of long-haired hippies, but they eventually convinced a few of them to do it anyway. So what you ended up with is a bit of a mixed sound across a few decades of country, with kind of an all-star lineup from that era. They're all clearly talented artists, but I rate these on the quality of the album overall, and this one was just overwhelming. I think it would be perfect as like an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame that just loops repeatedly with some video and you can sit and watch it for however long you like until you get bored and then move on. There's clearly a lot of historical value, but it's not a cohesive album (I don't know that any triple album can be). There's also a lot of talking and whatnot between songs, which again is cool for historical significance but hurts album flow a lot. Anyway, the actual music was fine, but not much really stood out to me either. I do think if I'm picking out any of the old guys, I like Merle Travis the best. Dark As A Dungeon was my favorite song overall and his voice and songwriting are both great. There's also a cover from The Byrds country album on here which was good. Favorite song: Dark As A Dungeon Other: Grand Ole Opry Song, Nine Pound Hammer, Way Downtown, I Am A Pilgrim 11/4/23
Nonces
2h10m of country is about 2 hours too much. not all bad, but I wouldn't listen to anything myself without somethjng pushing me
Waaay too long
Country /20
I'm usually not a fan of country music, like... at all, but I enjoyed each song starting with band discussions. Way too long though.
First thought: man I really know this band's name from growing up. I don't really remember much about them. Second thought: yeah this is okay. I mean, I get why people would like it. Third thought: 42 F*C#ING TRACKS?!?! I'm out.
Parts of this album were pretty good and no doubt there is no lack of skill behind it. I just find the genre unappealing and the length of this album to be a crime against my free time. Didn't hate it. Not gonna listen again tho
If not for its length this would be fun. There are a handful of cool tracks and other versions of songs I know. 2
2 What in the “South will rise again” is this album cover? Kudos to them for at least making it a Union soldier, though I still can’t help but feel the whole thing is a little questionable - especially for a group from Long Beach, California. Like, your state didn’t even fight in the Civil War, what are you on about? I digress, really didn’t think this would be the kind of thing I’d like, but I was actually enjoying myself quite a bit as I started listening. I know these guys aren’t the original writers of the majority of these songs, but I was surprised by how much I knew from renditions by other artists - Keep on the Sunny Side obviously, but also Dark as a Dungeon from Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison album, Lonesome Fiddle Blues which would later go on to became The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band, and Cannonball Rage from… well I recognize it from somewhere, that’s for sure. The biggest déjà vu moment for me though was the title track, Will the Circle Be Unbroken. I had myself convinced it was just because it sounds similar to Amazing Grace, but then it hit me - this is the song that greets Booker when he first arrives in Columbia in BioShock Infinite. I realize that probably means nothing to most people reading this, but all I can say is it’s an awesome moment from an incredible game - go play BioShock Infinite. Outside of those songs, most of this album kind of runs together, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing - at first. I was getting Toy Story/Red Dead Redemption/Frontier Town at Cedar Point vibes all over that I was appreciating, but let me tell you, at two hours and ten minutes long, once that charm wears off, it’s gone, and it doesn’t come back. It kind of reminded me of running a marathon - it’s refreshing and fun at first, but then halfway through it hits you you have to run 13 more miles and you start asking yourself what you signed up for (Disclaimer: I’ve never actually run a marathon). It even feels like the album is taunting you with its length sometimes by putting a long stretch of instrumentals in the middle and then some dialogue tracks towards the end. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? More like “Will the Album F*cking End”. So yeah, this really wasn’t bad, it just needs to know its limitations, because as is, I find it highly unlikely that I listen to the full thing ever again - which is kind of a shame because there’s actually some enjoyable moments here. At least it made me think of Bioshock. Can’t wait for these guys to show up on my Spotify Wrapped this year!
This is getting ridiculous. It's like saying that the dictionary is a book you have to read before you die - surely some important documentation, but not quite fitting the format. The title track and the following 'Both Sides Now' were delightful. Only to be immediately followed by more goshdarn fiddle and banjo.
This is an anthology before it’s an album. There are great passages and I appreciate the fact, that every song was recorded in the 1st or 2nd take - it gives it a feeling of authenticity and urgency. But for an album that so prominently features the confederate battle flag on its cover, I’m surprised to say that the most problematic thing about it is the sheer length.
Nashville Blues // You Are My Flower // Dark As A Dungeon // Wreck On The Highway // Will The Circle Be Unbroken // Both Sides Now // 2.5/5
Too much banjo
Ara
Over two hours! If you like bluegrass I imagine this is a real treat. If after two tracks you're thinking of that meme where it says "it's the same picture" and after 40 you're questioning your life choices, bluegrass definitely isn't for you. It does for the banjo (and any other jangly instruments) what the 80s did for the saxophone - ie ensures you can happily not hear one for a good 30 years until Carly Rae Jepsen makes them cool again. Skip it. It's a museum piece.
Not my genre but I do like Fishing in the Dark (more recent).
This doesn’t need to be 2h long.
2 hours of country no thank you.
Unleash the Banjos!!!
I wanted to finish it but I couldn’t. It’s really long but the songs sound fine. Maybe when I have more time I’ll finish.
This album and 69 Love Songs almost broke me. Back to back near 3 hour albums seem intended to make people give up and cry. This is the whitest album in history. Whiter than Weird Al. This is torturous, regardless of the talent level on display.
Competent musicians but oh boy I hate it
Deux heures de débiles qui parlent en accordant leurs guitares.
2.-- Hillbillies,... todo suena IGUAL!
Countrystä ei ole vieläkään oppinut tykkämään. Alussa oli yksi ihan lupaava biisi ja hetkellisesti toiveet paremmasta levystä nousi, mutta eipä tämäkään levy onnistunut toimittamaan.
2 hours of country/folk
Country meh
nolan favorite album i heard. very mid and long
It might have been tolerable if it was shorter, but 2 hours of mediocre old folk music is way, way too much. I didn't finish.
Not my thing.
banjo is nice and gives it a good country vibe, but I feel like it's 2 hours of the same song played on repeat.
Some great stuff but mostly not my vibe.
Hillbillymusik.
Ouch
Listening to this for 2 hours = descending into insanity
That is a lot of bluegrass. Reminded me of when I used to play railway tycoon and it had bluegrass as the soundtrack. I used to turn the music off. Obviously, 2 hours to too long, but it was more sufferable than I imagined.
You can imagine the immediate reticence to listen to this given the rebel flag on the cover... but at the same time I live 10 minutes from a civil war era monument (stone mountain) with confederate generals carved into it. I grew up hearing this kind of music from various family members but I still can not stand most twangy county/bluegrass/folk like this. I listened to 3-4 songs on this record trying to find something that didn't make me cringe, it wasn't easy but I managed to find some great harmonies and musicianship going on. I will never listen to this again though lol I'm giving this 2 stars because I think the musicians are skilled and the harmonies were pretty solid
More bluegrassy than country but not horrible nonetheless
Not bad but Way way to long of an album.
I liked the classic country sound. It was a bit long, and did start to feel repetitive, so I knocked it down to 2 stars.
Country não é muito meu estilo
Bluegrass - while the musicianship is unquestionable - the lack of professionalism in the studio can jar after a while. It is fine to mess around when you are just having a jam session at home, but to extend that behaviour into the studio is not so great. Being a double album with a playing time in excess of two hours it is also a bit too much of the same for too long.
I enjoy Nitty Gritty Dirt Band but 42 songs in a row was too much
I nearly bailed out of this halfway through but am glad I didn't as the instrumental tunes at the start of side two were the highlights of the whole album. The title track near the end was also great On the whole though, it's over two hours of very repetitive country/bluegrass and felt even longer
Over 2 hours long. Not really my cup of tea after the first 20 minutes.
Album is way too long to listen to again. Orange Blossom Special is the best song on it, and I do enjoy the bluegrass.
Far too long.
Yea, I couldn't get through a 2 hour hoe down
Country …
I don't know whether the circle ever did break but I asked myself on many occasions whether this album will ever end. Some familiar voices such as Johnny Cash and Emmy Lou Harris offer highlights in this otherwise consistently continuous album, offering album track after album track of bluesy country gospelly covers but missing the guts that really brings the best out of those forms. Generally quite humdrum and a bit of a s l o g
Never heard of this group before and on the first song, the singer sounded a lot like Johnny Cash, but it was not him. Country is one of my least favorite genres, and while this is a whole lot better than modern country singers singing about tractors and beer and blue jeans from their mansions in the city/suburbs, I'm not a fan overall.
det är svårt idag. hade det varit 45 minuter så hade jag gett det en trea för musiken i sig är inte urkass men nu är det så hiskeligt långt så det drar minst ned det till en tvåa. men ja, det får bli en tvåa
Two hours of Bluegrass was a bit too much.
I love a bit of country, but you can have too much of a good thing. This doesn’t need to be a double album and is probably too long even for one album. I bailed after the first disc. There are some okay versions of some classic songs here - some of which I only know from versions by Johnny Cash - but I must admit I gravitated towards the songs I already knew, as I find the sound of this a bit samey after a while. Worth it for Tennessee Stud and Dark As A Dungeon, but my attention did wander after a while.
A *double* album of bluegrass? Well, that's a test. I know it's meant to have that live feel, but the discussion of how they want everyone to play the song gets tedious quickly.
I will stick to the soundtrack of Oh Brother Where Art Thou, or even Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers... A few tracks are fun, Nashville Blues, etc but the album is waaaaaay too long and more for a hardcore fan of this genre (go figure) but if you cut the chatter before the songs you'd snip 20 minutes out of this sucker...I get it, you want that homey vibe but come on, it wears thin. Good and memorable always wins out over long and gradually tedious.
Hillbilly music.
Only so much bluegrass I can take
Not really a necessary listen before you die album
Album is obviously way too long. However, if there is a version of country I can handle, it is bluegrass. The songs without lyrics were the best ones. Favorite tracks: Nashville Blues, Orange Blossom Special
Gammel country, blues, lidt folk-ish, lidt hyggeligt, men alt for langt
they really be playing the same song for 2 hours lol. jk I enjoyed feeling like i was in a coen brothers' film, although just like 'O Brother Where Art Thou?', I got bored. Gotta appreciate the artistry and togetherness and friendship the music brings
Too long
TOO LONG
I don't think I've ever heard of this band 2+ hours of bluegrass and I'm struggling in under 2 minutes. I managed the first half and feel I deserve some kind of medal to be honest.
I couldn’t get through this but respect the musicianship.
So long, but I guess it serves as a good sampling of older country and bluegrass.
I somehow finished this. Cannot recommend at all but respect the artists
Not a big fan.
Good in its way, definitely not my lane
Disc 2 was actually pretty enjoyable in places, but two whole hours of this was a bit of a slog.
Nah.
Con: It's 2 hours. It's impossible to pick out the good ones and trash. Pro: Lots of replayability. Probably the most accessible way of listening to original bluegrass. Besides, many of them, including the third quarter, are entirely instrumental and can be fun and speedy (but unoriginal). Con: It's country. Pro: It's the type of quality country before it all went to shit. Con: The majority of the songs suck. They're simple, monotonous, and too reliant on the singer (who performs poorly by today's standards). It's as basic as a nobody fiddling with an acoustic instrument singing about their home life as raw as possible, which it is minus the nobody part. If you have a good ear or century-old nostalgia, you might gain something. Pro: There are some oddly recognizable tunes like "Cannonball Rag" you may have heard in random soundtracks throughout your life. Also, there are some wild bluegrass songs that pull of cool instrumental tricks. Otherwise, it's meant for casual listening. Standouts (aka the ones least skippable): Nashville Blues, You Are My Flower (sounds like Grateful Dead), Tennessee Stud, The End of the World, I Saw the Light, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Orange Blossom Special, Wabash Cannonball, Down Yonder, I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes, Both Sides Now, Foggy Mountain Breakdown (Only 2 of those songs are actually crossovers with the bluegrass legends. Guess I didn't care much at all for them)
Honestly better than I expected, while I did skim listen to a few of the songs I wasn't interested in, I did catch myself enjoying some all the way through. The duration of this album is just ridiculous but respectable, I'm sure if I was in love with this kind of music the sheer volume available would probably be a plus, but for someone skeptical it's just overwhelming.
Yeehaaw
It is very country. And very bluegrass and definitely not my normal listen. If you like these genres there’s plenty here to like as there’s 2 hours of music to listen to.
Jesus Christ, is this being procedurally generated as I'm listening? It just never ends. Every time I'm like "That was a pretty good song, wonder how much there's left" and I'm not even halfway there. This is just way too long for what it is - a generic hillbilly country album. Nothing wrong with the songs, some are good, some are pretty boring but as an album experience, this is a 2/5. Also what's up with the confederate flags on the cover.
couldn't finish
The first few tracks are fine, but it just goes on and on and on. There are excessively long intros to almost every song, as though they couldn't be bothered to cut it like a normal album.
WHY IS THIS ALBUM OVER TWO HOURS LONG??
Not the best. Not my kind of thing
I wouldn’t mind listening to a couple of these songs in one sitting, but the fact that the album is like 2 hours of music that all sounds about the same to me made my experience pretty negative. It’s frustrating too because there was some damn fine banjo and fiddle work on here. 3/10
I thought this was a joke but its real. I love Fishin in the Dark but that song isn't even on this incredibly long and bloated album. I barely got through the first half because these songs felt so unlike this band. At least my perception of them. Not a huge fan of blue grass slow songs when it comes to country.
Amazingly recorded album. It puts the listener right amongst the session. Country and bluegrass aren't genres I would go out of my way to listen to. I'm not familiar with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band or the list of collaborators on this album. Maybelle Carter was Johnny Cash's mother in law and pioneer of the "Carter Scratch" guitar fingerpick and strum technique. It would be an enjoyable listen if you have a spare 2 hours and the urge to listen to some country and bluegrass. I couldn't listen to the whole album from start to finish. ✰✰
Wow this is a long album. I feel completely inadequate in giving any review to this album - I'm just not a fan of this kind of country music at all, even though I could appreciate the musicianship. It's really the singing (e.g. "The Precious Jewel" - sorry Roy Acuff, we'll just have to part ways here....) that I cannot enjoy. On a positive note, I actually really like the conversations between songs though; I like hearing how creative processes come together. 2 stars - I know it's probably good but I just can't. Also the confederate flags on the cover ... yeah nope.
Look, I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would (considering my feelings about the genre), but I'm not about to listen to 2 hours of country music. It's honestly astonishing how much of this I did listen to, so props to the artists I guess for keeping me somewhat entertained. I actually enjoyed some of the instrumental songs (Nashville Blues and some others) and their rendition of Tennessee Stud. I did not enjoy the rest.
Don’t listen to country
Very country, despite being from Long Beach. Sunny side of life was by them? Had no idea.
Ok this is a complete unknown. I want to say some kind of civil war songs or something? Ok yeah it's country, complete with banjo. That's cool. Jesus Christ, does this really go for almost 2 hours? Fuuuuuck, what a punish. The songs themselves deserve a 3 but the sheer fucking length of it makes it a 2/5.
Haha.
Goddamn this album is LOOOOONNNNNGGGGGGG. I don't mind bluegrass/country but a double album that's over two hours long is overkill. If you listen to this album regularly, I've a sneaking suspicion you find members of your family attractive. Best Tracks: Tennessee Stud; I Saw The Light; Will The Circle Be Unbroken
2.5. Not terrible but not my thing.
Well... this is first album I couldn't get through and I feel terrible. Unfortunately, this is just not my type of music and it's also a double album to boot. I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia reading about the history of the album and it still wasn't enough to reel me in. I guess you could say... The circle has been unbroken.
I love worship/country/folk/delta blues so I hope I'll love this too. Didn't :( There are incredibly talented people on this but I think viewing the other artists' songs is a better idea. Good starting point but the other earlier recordings of these songs are just too good
Yeee-haaarrrr!! Not really my cotton pick in’ style o’ music y’hear?
Seemed to go on forever. I like the music, but not so much all at once. I got tired of it.
Bluegrass/country collab
Just no my Type
I didn't love the vocals, but the instrumentals were good background music. And that's way too many songs. How many double albums are on this 1001 list? I've also decided I wish the ratings scale was 10 point.
Good storytelling, but too long and I lost interest several times.
Not really my thing
Not for me
Not my cup of tea - this is kind of knee-slapping, fiddling and such
Didn't listen to all of it but every track was almost the same so I think I got the vibe. 4.5/10
I liked the music, but my God was it too long! 42 songs, 105 minutes. If this album was half in length it could've got double the score.
People actually listen to this? was mildly entertaining once
Note my kind of thing
Not even remotely interested in country-folk & bluegrass... skipped after 1/4 of the first song.
Esta cotorro en su onda...
not for me, but i can see why people would like it.
Double albums now get an automatic -1 star. I don't like that these songs and instruments are fun, good, quality, high-energy, and the untrained and rough voices take away from it so much.
Tocan bien chido la neta
Si si, pero no.
I quite like all of these songs, they're fun and make me smile. However, an entire album of this is practically torture. These songs aren't meant to be listened to an hour at a time, but would be much better to be dipped into occasionally for a single track here and there. My brain hurts a bit after doing the entire thing at once.
I just can't listen to that much bluegrass. A good album, with a good story but just couldn't keep me the entire run through
good country album. by the end I was exhausted of the hearing the banjo.
Good musicians, kind of too hillbilly/country for me
Country album, some big names on there but not for me
Absolute slog of an album…. Felt like I was in Smokey and the bandit there for a cotton picket minute. Too much banjo for my taste!!
I enjoy some older country and this one had some cool fiddle/banjo/geetar playing. A two hour length is unforgivable. I thought it would never end
Hvad det mangler i kvalitet gør der op for i længde. 1/3 igennem albummet har jeg lyst til at opsøge den nærmeste musikbutik og voldeligt destruere enhver banjo og violin jeg kan finde.
From the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a pretty shitty double album
A little too hick for me. Old timey country from up in the Appalachians.
Sounds like they have some talent. The tunes had energy and sounded interesting, but they all generally merged into a glob of God fearing, yee-hawing. And really didn't need disc 2. Lose a star for lack of brevity and another one for singing about Jesus too much.
Kemba said supermax and I said super fuck no.
I really thought I was going to be much more frugal with my one star ratings. Admittedly this is my first one and we’re over 120 albums in; but in my mind there was really only one album that I know for sure to be on this list that I think deserved a one star. But no this is horrendous. Undeniably generic, entirely too long and most importantly just not pleasant to listen to. There is not a single song on here that warranted an initial listen, much less a relisten. The one star album that I have in my mind is an offense to humanity, whereas this one is truly an all-star shitshow.
Zu einseitig..
This is way to long and way to country for me. Not my favorite genre, especially on a 2 hour plus listen.
3/10
It doesn't take a rocket scientist for a lot of people to know I am not exactly a fan of much Country or even Bluegrass music, so when I saw the 1001 albums to hear before you die list had a nearly 2 hour long Bluegrass album I thought I'd get it out of the way so I wouldn't have to worry about it later. It started off pretty charming and fun but by the time I got to the second disk (17 tracks in) I was already pretty burnt through with this album. It is cool to have this much Bluegrass music all together in one place, but if you aren't a diehard fan of this genre I am sure it will be pretty hard to sit through without having at least some difficulty. I am sure Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has a lot of other great things to offer, but Will the Circle be Unbroken is definitely not one of them in my eyes. I don't think my opinion of Bluegrass will ever change that much and unfortunately this album in its' entirety had to be a casualty of my distaste for this genre. Whomp whomp...
Will the Circle Be Unbroken by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is one of the toughest listens I've had during this challenge. I know this album is regarded as an important collaboration and a landmark in country and bluegrass music, bringing together generations of musicians, but it simply wasn't for me. At 42 tracks, it's far too long. There are only so many banjos, fiddles and traditional instrumentals I can take before everything starts to blur into one. By the halfway point I felt like I'd already heard the same song dozens of times, and there just wasn't enough variety to keep me engaged. The biggest issue is the sheer length. There are far too many instrumentals, many of which felt interchangeable, and I found myself losing interest long before the album finally came to an end. Instead of feeling like a celebration of country music, it became an endurance test. I'm sure fans of traditional bluegrass and old-time country will absolutely love this record, but it's about as far away from my musical tastes as you can get. Favourite tracks: I honestly couldn't pick one that really stood out. Least favourite tracks: There wasn't a single track I felt compelled to revisit. The instrumentals in particular all merged into one very long listen. Album artwork: A slightly creepy album cover, more memorable than most of the music inside.
кантри - нет
Feels like I'm about to get buttfucked in Appalachia
2h+ av detta är alldeles alldeles för mycket.
no me gustó.
Lo siento, pero no. ¿Más de dos horas de country? No, gracias.
The idea of collaborating with a wide range of country and bluegrass musicians across generations is a cool idea, but this is nearly 2 hours of people mournfully singing about whisky, Jesus, and Tennessee (of which like 10 minutes is in-studio banter and that probably isn't an exaggeration). These are clearly talented musicians and the music sounds nice, but I could feel myself get tangibly older as I listened. My back hurts and I need a drink. I would probably have given a higher score if this album was 1/3rd of the length, but this was the closest that I have gotten to bailing early so far and I have had to listen to pre-disco Bee Gees.
para hacer un gran álbum hay que saber EDITAR
A covers album should not be included on this list. The wiki entry talks about bridging a gap between generations, but let's not forget as this was released the Beatles had already moved to the US and Elvis had become the biggest star in the world, retired and then come back. The world had already taken its steps into the modern way of making and experiencing music
Hello. How long will you survive the hoedown? Can you make it to the end, or will you die along the way? I made it, but it was highly touch and go. There is simply no earthly reason for anyone to listen to this nonsense for this long.
Ugh
ok. entendo que eh um album importante pq chama mto véio da música country pra tocar umas música tradicional e tal mas eu não CONSIGO ME IMPORTAR com country, sério mesmo. só serviu pra me deixar puto hoje mesmo.
No fav song
i don't have the strength in me to listen through a double cd country album
This album made me squeal like a pig.
To be honest, I couldn’t finish this. So many sounds of danger in just the first track. I gave it a go, but at 2 hours running time there is only so much bull shit tolerance I have. And today was a workday so my tolerance was low to begin with.
DNF
Jeg ser hvordan dette kan stå som en slags Gral for spesielt interesserte, full av lore og mytos og en lengde til å understøtte det. For meg blir lengden bare en belastning. Det er faktisk flere spor her jeg likte. Under D-siden -- hvor vokal:banjo-forholdet er på sitt beste -- så kunne jeg sett meg selv gi det 4/5. Problemet er at hvis jeg skal bedømme skiva som en helhet, så er forholdet mellom ting jeg liker, ting jeg tolererer, og ting jeg misliker ikke like positivt. Ikke på langt nær. Hvis du plukker vekk det verste og lager en 40 minutters LP ut av dette, så finnes det en virkelighet hvor dette kunne fått en 3er -- spesielt hvis man sirkler ut sporene med banjo og eksluderer alle sporene med kvinnelig vokal (jeg er tydeligvis en chauvinist når det kommer til bluegrass). Som et White Album-type album hvor alt skal med derimot? Nei takk.
Two hours of bad covers and studio improvisation? It almost doesn't matter that this is country which I'm not a big fan of, it's just not a great album, it's debatable if you should even call it an album.
2/10 - it’s not for me. Usually I keep scores 2/5 or up if it’s not egregious (looking at you Aerosmith) but 2 hours for a runtime is excessive.
I don't like this; it's not my style of music and is far too long. 2/10
After the five hour mark, I stopped listening. In all seriousness, this album should have been one disc with no candid chats and it would have been much improved.
There is only so much honky tonk one can take.
I'm sorry, I really did try and like this, but this album made me go slightly mad. I can appreciate the musicianship at certain times, but this gave me a headache.
Not really my thing. Throwback music, like way back. Pickin' ain't in my wheelhouse. But I am aware of this being a popular album with influences. Period classic songs like "Keep On The Sunny Side", "I Saw The Light", "Nine Pound Hammer" can't save this one. This is what people listened to when they didn't have cars, or stereos, or TV's. No thanks I'd go postal if I had to sit through this concert live.
Crap
This was like going to the dentist whilst your grandparents talk you through a poweroint presentation on every type of grass there is in the Southern USA and exactly how each type of grass grows. Every now and then they stop to fiddle with the wifi.
я занадто нон-амерікан, щоб вподобати таку музику. прослуховування цього альбому було дуже неприємним, мені не сподобалась ні музика ні вокал, ні тексти пісень
Eh, not my jam.
Man. I hate country.
I’ll be honest. I didn’t listen to this … at all. 2 hours and 10 minutes long, and it took me 20 seconds to know I was giving it 1 star and moving on. This really is NOT for me ! I can’t even be objectively constructive about it, I can not put myself through it. Nope !
"Over 2 hours of hurdy-durdy tweedle twangy country??? NO. After the first hour I got the point, thanks." c
It kinda jams but also fuck this Will I listen to again: 0%
No. There's something I should understand, but I don't.
There is only so much bluegrass a person can listen to in a day, and this album pretty much triples that amount. Not for me.
Not for me. 1/5
Not my bag, I liked the purely instrumental tracks but I can’t handle two hours of this.
2 hours?!? 2 HOURS?! No.
alchilito no lo voa escuchar y me da ansia tenerlo no rateado así q le pondré 1, perdón u-u
I do not like this type of folk music. It reminds me of too much of the movie sinners
i can’t do this vibe
this is the shit they use to train generative AI
Culturally interesting, just not at all my thing.
1/5
From the first notes of this I knew I was going to struggle to finish. I really did not need two hours and nine minutes of music that I hate with all my being. This was an album that made me question my vow to listen to each of these records all the way through. I will say that some of the instrumental parts were not bad but I still can’t get on with the down home, traditional Americana country. I can see that some people would really love this album, I am no one of them. 1.5/5
För tråkigt, pallar inte att lyssna klart. En dubbel dessutom, blä! Etta!
Dull, dull, dull. How did this get anywhere near this list. I thought it would never end
Not my thing
I scanned a couple of tracks, but this would just be wholly unenjoyable to sit through two discs of this.
Aside from the fact Country Music is the only genre of music I loathe, the album is longer than the average feature film, contains some of the most ear-bleeding vocals I've ever heard, and is littered with senseless collaborations. This is the worst album in this generator I've heard so far. Favorite Track: "I Saw The Light".
WAY TOO HICK! WAY TOO LONG! couldn’t even get halfway through ZERO!!!!! STARS!!!!!
Not for me
NO COUNTRY
I'm afraid I only made it through half of this country rock (with a big epmphasis on the country) album. What possessed these guys to produce a triple album of this stuff is beyond me.
This is the type of shit people mean when they say they listen to everything but country music.
TWO HOURS….TEN MINUTES….I will never get that time back. I hate the cover with the traitor flag! The music was awful and grating from the very beginning, and TWO HOURS AND TEN MINUTES later it was still grating. I think I deserve a cookie at the very least cause I actually listened to this album and didn’t give up. You can’t say I don’t take this list seriously cause I just kept telling myself it was gunna get better or that I was eventually gunna find something I like. I was wrong and I should be ashamed of myself for lying to myself like that. Ok, joking aside, this is by far one of the worst albums I have listened to because of this list. This album was so bad I had to see if this band ever did anything I would appreciate in any capacity and sadly they only got worse over time. This album is totally garbage but they pop country songs they released in the 80s should be a crime. Seriously, avoid this religious garbage at all costs.
one song is enough for me, but i get the love
Definitely not my thing.
Third fucking country album in a row. There are so many country albums in this list I'm starting to think whoever compiled it huffed gasoline and paint thinner in a Louisiana outhouse.
Fucking hate this. Makes me wanna kick a horse
Not my kind of music. Sorry. ★
nashville blues