Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Excellent for what it is. Just not music I care for.
This is more bluegrass than CW to me. Nothing more fun than a good old bluegrass festival. I enjoyed the nostalgia of this. It actually makes me smile thinking of times when I heard this music live. Tapping my foot sitting on a wooden picnic table next to a creek in the mountains. And the harmony is much appreciated. Don't hear that much these days. Simon and Garfunkel, CSNY . . .
Ihan hyvin säilynyt levy, mukavan melankolista rämpyttelyä. 3/5
FIAT actually really interesting
Like Loretta Lynn, I just picture folks on a Friday or Saturday night at the local dance hall. I didn't mind it until it got too religious. Seems pretty obvious Satan would be a big fat liar, based on his reputation.
A sort of storytellery country/bluegrass thing.
Old folk songs. Not bad but I get bored on a full album of these. Stand-out: Let Her Go, God Bless Her Stand-out from previous album (The Modern Lovers) that I forgot: Roadrunner
I didn’t expect the Louvin Brothers to show up on this list. I had not heard of them until the Cocaine & Rhinestones podcast did an episode about them. If anyone is confused as to why this album is on here I’d recommend checking out that podcast. It does a great job of explaining the Louvin’s historical significance and their contributions to country music. However, even after listening to that podcast I still don’t love the Louvin Brothers. I appreciate them more but the music is still very dated. Much respect for all that they did but I’m still not going out of my way to listen to it.
Decent story-bluegrass. Darker themes are prevalent, but for those of us that don’t necessarily focus on music for the lyrics, but more so for the melodies and emotions that they generate. To that effect this music is interesting and delightful. Great harmonies, and decent fidelity.
uhhhhhh
Good bluegrass/country and mandolin with great harmony and vocals.
Being a country album already indicates that I'll listen to the same song for 30 to 50 min, but this is just the usual when country albums are picked for me on the list. Despite that feeling, I think we have good work on this album, given the time it was released. The instrumental work is well done, and the voices are not annoying, even when singing annoying songs. The gospel section of the album was a surprise for me, but it was also good enough for a gospel country. I'll probably forget this album in some weeks, but I'm happy for not having another bad experience with country music.
More of a slowed-down bluegrass than country, in my opinion. While repetitive and overtly dated, I never got tired of it. Just pleasant harmonies and simple tunes.
Charming. Very O Brother Where Art Thou. Couldn't discern the words to know if they truly were tragic. Oh then they killed a girl who was meant to be their wife
Will probably never listen again, but it's fine for what it is.
While it could be considered a somewhat conceptual album it was just too much of the same on a long line of songs. Ok to listen to, nothing special.
13 fois la même chanson mais tranquille
l’album est tres mal noté je m’attendais à pire
Great bluegrass some classics.
Nice version of In The Pines.
I liked the country harmonies. Easy listening.
Nice easy listening old country. I wonder what the oldest album on this list is. Rating: 3.4
This was a very, VERY specific flavor of country that I'm not gonna always want. But when I do... this is a pretty great execution of it.
Not for me, but solid
ok whatever
Yeah I feel like most music that sounds like this is solid and easy to listen to
I've been listening to some Country fuckin music Tryin hard to get my fuckin mind less stressed I've been fiddlin with the dial on the fuckin iron Tryin to get the creases out of my fuckin vest I've been wanderin around the local shit-farm Thinkin hard about, cleanin up my fuckin mind I've been tethering Alsatians to lamp-posts Hoping to get my fuckin chakras realigned (chorus) I'm not hu-un-ky I'm not bright as a spark I'm Andy Daw-wson I'm pissin on shadows, (shadows, shadows) In the fuckin dark I've been stickin my fuckin fingers into duck shit I've been throwin sticks and stones at my fuckin cat I keep hopin all day for a fuckin miracle Like waking up and finding out that my bellies flat (chorus) Cus I'm not hu-un-ky I'm not bright as a spark I'm Andy Daw-wson I'm pissin on shadows, (shadows, shadows) In the fuckin dark
Tof om 1 keer te luisteren. Maar verder niet zo speciaal
More upbeat than the album title makes it sound. Hillbilly twang. It’s alright, but repetitive and predictable.
Ok, this is why we do this, to find gems that you wouldn’t ordinarily come across. I do have a bit of a soft spot for this era of “rock” AKA early country. Not something I would put on regularly, but at a nice dingy bar on a Sunday afternoon as you swill some PBR in a can, definitely.
Not exactly musically adventurous but enjoyed the super dark lyrics juxtaposed with the cheery delivery. Era adjusted 3/5
2.5 echo the Shawn's comments except for the Franz Ferdinand jab
They weren't kidding about the album title, were they. These guys seemed to have a pretty bleak outlook on life and had some surprisingly heavy themes. I suppose that was the concept and also a product of its time. It's good, but I was ready to move on to the next one.
I love it, but 47 minutes of this is a bit much. The mandolin in country is such an interesting sound. Mixing that classic Irish Gaelic sound with American country for reason sounds perfectly Appalachian.
I wouldn’t say I louv-ed it, but get a little shine in me and sure, I’ll jig to these ditties.
The original album was simple and effective. A basic country album that works even now, almost 70 years later. The CD (and Spotify) also has their Gospel Bluegrass album on it "Satan Is Real". Each track has on its listing "religious overtone", as if you could not tell from "Satan Is Real" that there was a religious overtone to the song. As for the other songs... they were fine, your basic country songs, and they worked fine. It's nice to hear, a bit of a change of pace, but not something I'm going to hear over and over again. You would think the songs would sound same-y, but they didn't. Maybe it was because of their brevity, or how they told the story in the songs, but they did feel different. The "In The Pines" was interesting to her, to see how they took the song and made it their own. All in all, it was decent. But definitely not my go to.
Fun! Lotta murder! Maybe a bit too long!
Good for what it is, but their life story is more interesting.
Enjoyable and shortwhile
Music for when you're waiting for your table at Cracker Barrel.
Surprisingly enjoyable!
Nothing like a happy sad cowboy's tales of woe to pick you right up.
satan is real, bros, and he's the real atomic power
Ngl this is among the most beautiful sounding duo I have ever heard since Lennon and McCarthney from early Beatles. Not that I listen to a lot of duos, but amazing harmonies they had. Unfortunately, this album is incredibly monotonous. Listen to one track and you heard it all. Very country, which is not bad per se, but again, monotonous. Nobody likes half an hour of the same tune.
I have to admit, I enjoy the Louvin Brothers album cover art more than their music. This one and Satan Is Real have a goofy, bizarre horror film poster quality to them, which clearly gets points from me for originality. The music is country, sort of a parallel-universe Everly Brothers with tight harmonies, good instrumentation and a fiery relationship. It's almost too country to me and their baptist faith surely influences their music. It was an okay listen, though I can't say I enjoy that much mandolin and I was looking forward to it to end, which isn't a good thing.
Hank Williams Lite. Ok if you're just thirsty, but not enough if you're looking for something more.
3.7 - Think Soggy Bottom Boys from the film “O Brother Where Art Thou?” As in bluegrass fingerpicking, vocal harmonies…But look beyond the sedate oompa-pa rhythms. Pay attention to the lyrics! In particular, pay close attention to “Knoxville Girl” - such a crazy dark murder ballad!
Pleasant harmonies
Probably historically important, but I’m not getting into that
Tragic indeed, this is insanely listenable and depressing, being a non-stop litany of destitution, violent death, exile and sundered love. But they sing it all so beautifully these Soggy Bottom Twins. Not my genre, but shows exactly what was lost when bluegrass and country became Big Nashville. 3.5 really.
This is stereotypical country music - it's exactly what you would expect of country music, if you weren't aware of modern styles in the genre. It's almost comical in its pathos. Twangy voices backed by twangy guitars.
I like the story about the deeply religious Ira Louvin, who had a drinking problem and wild temper, four wives, the third shot him four times after he abused her, who died while awaiting his DUI trial, when his car was struck by a drunk driver. It’s a great back story for an album of songs about heartbreak, Satan, accidently shooting your brother while hunting and beating your girlfriend to death with a stick. The latter of which charted on Billboard! All in 1956!
Pure stripped-down old-time country. Enjoyed this
This one worked really well for me until it went full on gospel there at the end. But I like this mix of not-quite country and not-quite bluegrass. It's all held together by the voices and harmonies, but there's some nice guitar work in here, too. Mostly though, pretty much every song about a state or city stood out to me. If I ever wanted somebody to write a song about my hometown, I know who to ask.
I don't listen to very much country music so it's always a nice change when this project introduces me to another group or album I've not yet heard. I actually like this album. So different from most everything I usually listen to, and although it's easy to see how present-day people might mock this music, I like the simplicity of the style and story-telling of the lyrics.
Some really wild lyrics.
Interesting thinking of O Brother Where Art Thou
Twangy bluegrass. Crazy murder ballad lyrics mixed with gospel religious lyrics. Weird, but enjoyable.
For myself it's a bit plain, but my grandad would have loved this so I wanted to give it 3 stars. But then I noticed that they stole a song from Nirvana, which cost them 0.5 star. 2.5 stars gets rounded up to 3 stars.
Im not a big country fan but since i played Fallout NV i've developed a kind of nostalgic feeling for 40-50s country. It was pleasant to have in the background when working.
Really lovely, traditional country with a crisp and resonant sound. Subject matter is surprisingly stark and unsettling at times. Ultimately a little one note for me to want to hear often, but an essential listen to anyone with an interest in roots music. Fave Songs: Take the News to Mother, In the Pines, Katie Dear, I'll Be All Smiles Tonight, Alabama, Knoxville Girl
Not sure why it makes the list. Early Americana that’s ok
A great example of country music in the 1950s. The harmonies were beautiful and the instrumentation sounded great but I’d be lying if I said I did not get bored while listening to stone do this. I was fascinating to hear such a different interpretation of “In The Pines” so close to the now iconic Nirvana version. I liked Kurt’s better.
I enjoyed this, however, only a few tracks stood out and others were quite repetitive. 3/5
It’s alright country gospel music.They say the morbid things in the most cheerful ways.It’s all pretty much the same though,but I don’t mind it.
Yeah, well, ok, country is not for me. At all.
It's not bad, but every song has the same pace, rhythm, and style. The best parts are the brief instrumental solos.
I understand it was a different time and that making an album full of songs that sounded identical wasn’t that bad, but as an album, today, it’s too repetitive. The songwriting is great, but no thanks to these two brothers. Instrumentation is great as well as the vocal harmonies being incredible. Other than that, it’s pretty lackluster. 3/5
was this inspiration for Nick Cave's murder ballads?
Country
I really like country, but that's a bit too much all the same
Not my regular listening and as much as I started not minding some country, this wasn’t my favourite. Some really weird lyrics and loads of “religious overtones” as stated next to some of the song titles Saved tracks: Let Her Go God Bless Her, In The Pines, Thankful
Another song from my grandma's kitchen radio
Fine.
Jesus fucking Christ. I do get the importance in musical history. I really do get the American playbook. But life (unlike America) has moved on. But how many of you will listen to this twice? Really?! Liars.
I dig it… y’all need to stop comparing country music from the 50s to your favorite stuff coming out these days.
Very dark
Harmonies goin in
Really nice little country album. Quaint. Felt like two people on a porch somewhere in rural Kentucky.
Weird
Old, very old, country, more my dad's taste than mine. Good example of this genre though, and I did enjoy it. Really surprised to find In The Pines, covered by Nirvana as Where did you sleep last night, turn up
7th December 2022 Listened on the journey back to the car from the office. Mum’s birthday in the evening. Classic country but with dark undertones in the lyrics. Think the white stripes covered in the pines, but home without love hit a particular cord given recent news with us…
Before there were Don and Phil, there were Charlie and Ira. The Louvin Brothers, also accomplished in close harmony singing, present murder ballads and odes to country living with both pathos and a bit of a wink.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: In the pines
Perfectly fine old country music. Songs are all pretty similar, but the storytelling is top notch.
O Brother, Where Art Thou introduced me to bluegrass, but I haven't branched out much from there. Their harmonies are beautiful and they tell interesting stories. I don't see this going into my favorites, but I enjoyed this listen. I don't remember who it was, but I'd heard Knoxville Girl before but I forgot how dark it was!
Meh
Louvley. 3 stars.
I do like a deep dive into the classic country every know and then. This did not disappoint and was a fun listen. Some great songs like Knoxville girl and well not the best version of In the Pines, still enjoyable.
I really do enjoy this country music - piss funny.
I’m Louvin it
This made me want to watch King of the Hill. This is the music Hank would listen to and consider great. I really enjoyed it. It was a great story telling album
This was pleasant enough, but had some unexpected murder ballads (now I know what that is).
More familiar with later albums but this debut fits in well with sad but still upbeat sometimes bluegrass and country. Still prefer “Satan is Real” tho
It was good. Great musicianship but the songs were a bit monotonous
This is undoubtly one of the album of all-times.
Another album that remind me of my grand-mother who loved country. For that reason I need to give it a 3 stars
Honestly, I have no opinion on this album.
Not usually my go to style of music, but I can appreciate the art behind this album. Easy listening, nothing too crazy. Overall, a pleasant listen.
Bluegrass/folk and religious - liked it
Country. Ni fu ni fa.
Solid country sound
Inbred country pumpkins. Probably.
Going off first impressions and in this instance trying not to look at the history, I thought these recordings were a lot older than they are. I enjoyed this album but overall it was nothing I haven't heard before done better. Not writing it off, just intrigued as to how essential this is
Country, 1957. Obviously this record feels quite old nowadays but the songs are well written and played. Maybe not a great album or one of the best of that period or that genre, but definitely a decent one.
Pretty much as expected, pleasant country tunes very much of their time and distinctive close harmonies but didn't really hold my attention until the songs about marrying their dead brother's cheating wife and the next one about murdering their fiancee for no apparent reason. Probably worth a second listen!
Feels almost like a cliché of country music, but at 1956 it's probably groundbreaking for the genre for all I know. It's definitely inoffensive good-ole-boy country, so ehhh.
Classic country. Wouldn't say I'm exactly into it but I can see why some people would be into it. 5/10.
Саундтрек к любому ч/б юс фильму
Everly Brothers but country. Don't need to hear it again but it's a nice listen. It makes me a little sad that the culture that produced this music has long since been destroyed. The world in which you were raised no longer exists.
It has a vibe, lol, but I don't need to listen to it again
Better than later country music, closer to old folk Mexican and Italian music. Nice sound
Great sibling harmonies. Top lyrics and traditional songs. Bit samey over the album as instrumentation is limited but still decent.
Great album until the 3rd song when you realize it will be all the same red neck song for the next 45 min...
not bad
Country. Aburrido.
didn't expect it to be country music, quite a relaxing album, reminds me of driving in GTA SA; nothin special to pinpoint about the album though
Some really sweet harmonies, even if tonally it wasn't always pleasant. Guitar work and mandolin work were quite lovely. I'm a sucker for murder ballads. Recording quality was hit or miss. 3.5, but closer to 3 than a 4. Not sure if I'd revisit, but if it comes on shuffle I'll listen.
Just made me wanna go listen to Hank, who has more pathos and more spice than this technically-proficient yet bland music.
Nah
I know Louvin Brothers from the Satan is Real album and In the Country of Country book. This kind of 50s country is a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Great music to listen to on a calm Saturday morning.
Post shuffle better than the album
Nothing like an Appalachian murder ballad
all songs seems to be the same, but it's very relaxing
Country triste años 50's.
Nice traditional C&W. Good mix of blue grass. Nice to listen to. Might even learn a song or two.
Interesting peek into early country/blue grass. Impressive musicianship and timeless lyrics. Vocal style can wear on you but the banjo holds strong.
Old, very old, country, more my dad's taste than mine. God example of this genre though, and I did enjoy it. Really surprised to find In The Pines, covered by Nirvana as Where did you sleep last night, turn up
Its classic, but I'm not getting much from it. Its well built and has a solid tone, I just don't find it interesting.
Proper old country
Pleasant and tradish country music. It sounds like it could have been recorded at any time between 1950 and yesterday. I suppose that makes it timeless. For what it is, I can't criticise it. 3.5/5.
72. Desculpa a demora, a vida tem-se metido nos entremeios. Vamos a esse café? Está tudo no sítio. MotA: I'll Be All Smiles Tonight "Kentucky, you are the dearest land outside of Heaven to me"
Not my bag but great harmonies.
TIL what a murder ballad is. 3.5.
Murder ballads and close harmony.
"Knoxville Girl"/"I Wish It Had Been a Dream
Quite fun and super coooountry
Wild. It was pretty great.
Beautiful harmonies. Not really my jam but I get why it's on here, and nice to hear some country to mix things up. That said, WTF at the murder-y and disturbing Knoxville Girl?!
Wanted to hate it but didn't. Satan Lied To Me is my highlight, I'm a sucker for those spoken word bridges. Still fkn hate the banjo though.
Funny album to have in the list. Christian rockabilly is an interesting genre.
Great harmonies, they must've influenced Simon and Garfunkel
That ain't it chief
Them good ol boys with the golden chords
I'm always up for another oldie, though I have very little idea as to what this album could be. Off the top of my head I'm thinking of Modest Mouse's "Sleepwalking". The song borrows the melody to "Sleep Walk", which is a 1959 instrumental rock and roll track by Santo & Johnny, who are also a musical duo comprised of two brothers. Fuck it, we're rolling with rock and roll for my genre prediction. Here goes. Country. I should have known. This was an alright listen. The Louvin Brothers harmonise with one another very well and the songwriting is competent in how quintessentially country it is. There also a bit of a spread in the genres covered by this album. I picked up bluegrass, folky, Gaelic music and your more standard, down-on-your-luck, drawling country affair. The result is a decent, varied album, though what can I say? It just isn't in my sphere of interest. It doesn't detract from my rating of this album, though the version on YouTube Music was quite scuffed. The music regularly stutters and drops out, with "Take the News to Mother" being hit hardest by the garbled sound. I'm pretty sure the person who put this album on streaming ripped it from a CD and didn't bother to check if it was copied correctly. Again, it doesn't factor into my rating of this album, though I do find it necessary to disclose. Overall, this album was respectable offering and I commend the concise runtime, though it just doesn't resonate with me. Book time. Hey, this is album #3 when going by how the book orders these albums. A true oldie indeed. Anyways, the book says that "This, their first full album, remains one of country's essential bedrock releases." and further states that it's "...gospel-fired bluegrass shot straight from the heart." Ira Louvin was a self-destructive, aggressive, womanising drunk, which strengthens the tragic themes of this album. This behaviour would result in the dissolution of the group in 1963 when Charlie Louvin went solo. Ira had apparently been shot by his third wife, though it was a car crash in 1965 which ultimately took his life. Wikipedia says "Knoxville Girl" performed respectably on the country charts and the album was liked by the two critics who have reviewed it, though that's about it. If this truly is a landmark country release, then I'm content with letting it through. I cosign this inclusion.
Bit of a struggle to get through. 2.5.
Nothing to hate, but not my preferred style of music. 1,5
Not enjoyable
tragic being the operative word
naff
Too much guitar and plonking on it.
Dla country quoi
Every song sounds the same
Buena musica country, antigua, me parece que será de la epoca de Johnny Cash o antes, pero buena, lo único malo es que todos son un mismo tempo y llega a aburrir
Here's another tally on the column for not going back to the 1950s.
Pov tu joues la country avec ton frère mais vous ne savez jouer qu'une chanson
Tragic indeed
Sounds pretty uniform throughout but it does work. This is what I imagine people listening to in the 50s.
Hard listen
Not my cup of tea.
Kinda dug this at first, despite how basic and old it sounded but it all ran together and went on too long. 4/10
Landmark album it may be, but this ain’t it. Boooooo.
Are we fucking kidding. Another 50s country album. Got through 1.5 songs and decided that’s enough. It’s a generic 50s/60s country album. If you’re 80 and you like country this is the album for you. I’m 26 and am very lucky about country. This album just isn’t for me. JAA. 2/5 for trying.
Meh 2
highlight of the album was 'In the Pines', which was covered by nirvana in their MTV unplugged this album was fine, but not really my cup of tea. closing out with religious overtones was seemingly a good choice for the time and their audience. but again, not really my cup of tea
Not great.
Keeping this one in mind for my next hootenanny.
It is just quite alright. not bad but dont we have enough albums like this one on the list
Nah not for me
Enjoyable enough to listen to but I’m never going to listen to this again in my life. I love the album cover though.
I guess I haven't paid enough attention to the lyrics to be sure, but it's less than tragic and more like sad or unfortunate. Sits together well with my feelings for this album being on this albums generator. It's not tragic, but it's unfortunate, as someone who doesn't already appreciate country music. Props for nailing it, I can't say it's got horrible production, I can't say they're talentless, they know how to hold a note and play it, too. It does sound like stripped down country, which is something I feel like I still hear around, like a genre that's fighting evolution. I can see why it's a must-listen, and now that I did I probably never will again. I listened to those four bonus tracks with religious overtones. Fuck that. I'm not docking points, but if they'd been part of the original release my rating would've decreased, and we're right on the edge of being a one star record. 1.6/5
It was fine for what it was. Boring, and twangy.
Not really my thing. The harmonies aren't bad
Listened Before? N 50s Folk/Country. Hmmm... this feels less like a must-hear and more like something you'd flip past in the $0.50 bin at the record store. It was fine I suppose. The story telling was well done but the subject matter was boring. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Kentucky
trying to be fair but this sucks, i'm so glad we've progressed past this Would I listen again: No Deserves to be on this list: no??? 2.1
Not really thing
Appealed to my inner hillbilly. Enjoyed the vibe rather than individual songs. Props for the Nirvana cover.
Wild turkey chasing music. Hillbilly shit 1.5
Nice Harmonies. Never heard of em. Heard the ine Nirvana covered, but dunno why Id ever seek em out again. Not offensive, but.. shrug
Some okay songs with at least nice harmonies.
Day 22 Tragic Songs of Life by The Louvin Brothers I’m European, and country has never really hit the sweet spot for me outside of a few albums. Going into something this old, I was a bit worried. It’s very heavy on religious themes and topics I just don’t really connect with. I tried to keep an open mind, but it just didn’t vibe with me. That said, they harmonise really well, and there are moments where the songs are actually quite fun. For something this old, I can definitely respect it. But enjoying it is a different story, and I just didn’t really get there. Food pairing? Beans and mashed potatoes sounds about right. Simple, old-school, nothing fancy. Wine pairing? Honestly, this feels more like something stronger. A whiskey or bourbon fits better than wine here. Favourite song? “Kentucky”. Vinyl? Don’t think so. First listen? Yes. Overall 2 out of 5.
I thought Steve Martin said you can’t be sad listening to a banjo? This “Knoxville Girl” thing is bonkers. Why tell a story like that in a song? Because it was part of everyday life at that time in that part of the country? Yikes. At least the main character of the song ends up in jail… Tragic, indeed. Ok, I guess technically there is no banjo on this record, so it must all be fine. “Mary of the Wild Moor” paints a beautiful picture of a dead mother on a doorstep with her little baby holding its dead mommy’s hand. Great. Wait, did the baby just die, too? These boys are brutal. Mandolin is almost as a happy as a banjo. Whoops - “Satan Lied to Me”? WTF? This is surprising how? This all sounds like something Uncle Baby Billy would be singing on “Righteous Gemstones”. I like bluegrass, but this flavor is not for me.
It's country, innit?
Too much wailing for me
Przepraszam, ale nie jestem w stanie dać więcej niż 4/10. Z harcerstwa i trzymania się w kółeczku za rączki wyrosłam kilkanaście lat temu. Może kiedyś to były hity, ale teraz? Nie byłam w stanie tego zmęczyć jednym ciągiem.
i recognise its good, good vocals and instruments just not my cup of tea
The rhythm and music itself feels very repetitive, which I suppose is expected for old-time country. You can certainly hear the gospel influence throughout. The lyrics are what carry the album, but even so, meh. It’s just fine, not my cup of tea.
Got that warble going on. Not a fan
All the songs have a very similar opening style i thought it was stuck on repeat.
It was fine for what it is. Just not something I'd seek out to listen to.
As a time document, it’s a pretty interesting listen. As an actual album however, it’s a lot of the same and it gets repetitive real quick.
not a fan
I was so ready to love this album and it just did not hit the way I thought it was going to. I’ll revisit in the future.
2,3 Highlights: Let Her Go, God Bless Her, A Tiny Broken Heart
Sad cowboy is sad
Going track by track, this is not a bad album. I like the bleak lyrics and the infectious harmonies. But as an album, it is too much. After 20-25 minutes those harmonies that were charmaine on Kentucky start to grate and everything starts to sound annoying. Really annoying. Props for doing the first ever Nirvana cover, though!
Sure if ur sitting around a campfire in 1935
In a nutshell: country Murder Ballads. Tragic? Most of these songs are DARK! And these brothers started singing gospel before swapping to secular music. It's kinda country, kinda folk, kinda bluegrass music. We have mandolin, a guitar and two brothers who swap vocal roles typical in country albums (one low range, one high). I'm struggling to stay open minded about early albums, as they sound like a string of singles. Country is not my thing. But I give this a free pass. This style was replicated over the years (see Everly Brothers). It's a staple of most of the country music I've heard on the list. Overall: 4/10
It's a peculiar feature of my music taste that I quite like bluegrass but I can't stand country and this album seems to straddle the two. But whatever its bluegrass qualities, I find it hard to get past the way that aside from the lyrics and the narratives, all the songs sound almost exactly the same.
Oh boy. This had some moments, not terrible. I enjoy bluegrass, that helps, and boy howdy were there some hilarious lines of awful tragedy.
Not a terrible album but it did feel repetitive overall. But instrumentation was good I just wasn't feeling the vocals nor the overall vibe. 4/10, Favorite Song: What is Home Without Love
Better than expected, but not great. 2.25?
Not really my cup of tea
Oh boy, the hits keep coming this week. What a painful list of albums to try and get through. Two consecutive days of bumpkin music is more than I can handle. This is a folksy banjo album, nothing special about it and the rest of the world agrees as no one's ever listened to it. "Knoxville Girl", a very average song, does have 1M listens after SEVENTY years, but most are just over 100K. How did they do a Nirvana cover song back in 1956? Mind blown! "In The Pines" was the highlight of a very poor listening experience. Wow. Novel for one or two songs, but then repetitive and irritating. 2 stars. If I was stranded on a desert island and this disc was stuck in my cd player, I'd likely take one long last swim.
First time listen Country-ass country duets. Not really my thing, but not really offensively bad either. My love for this type of country doesn't stretch much further than something like Marty Robbins. Don't really have any favorites or least favorites, this era of country is pretty repetitive and the songs tend to blend together. 2/5
Old country... not my thing.
1001 Albums Vol. 0028: Tragic Songs Of Life ============================================================ Introduction: WELL THIS IS PECULIAR, ISN'T IT? Two of the earliest albums that this entire site has to offer generated back-to-back? How? Seriously, how? AND, on top of that, the two albums are of very similar nature. One mainly uses an acoustic guitar, the other mainly uses an acoustic guitar. One has pretty odd lyrics...the other has pretty odd lyrics....Wait? Am I literally describing the album I am about to listen to? Am I describing an extremely vague album that many haven't even heard of before using this site? Well...yeah, I kinda already knew of this album's existence before I even started my journey on this site specifically. In fact, when I was generating masterpieces back-to-back earlier on and saying something along the lines of "How" or "the trash will rear its head later", this was actually kinda what I was referring to. I knew of this album's existence about...I'd like to say around a month before I started my journey on this site. I even kinda quickly skimmed through every song using Spotify's preview feature before I started using this site. Now, the reason for me even knowing of this album's existence...is actually because of this site. Funny how things work, huh? I was interested in starting the 1001 albums journey for a while, so I started doing some research online. I found a reddit post created by someone who had already listened to every album. They linked to a graph which contained the runtimes, rankings, and their overall thoughts of every album that the books had to offer. If you're using this site, then I'm sure that you probably know the graph I'm talking about. Anyway, I obviously didn't want to look through the entire graph, so I simply looked over the first few albums and saw that Tragic Songs Of Life by the Louvin Brothers had an extremely low score. I briefly check the album out to see how bad it actually is, learn that it's really bad, and move on with my day....And that's my grand tale of how I discovered a would-be forgotten album of the 1950's before generating it on this site. So exciting, I know. Round of applause please....Anyway, let's finally get back on topic. This album, Tragic Songs Of Life, released by The Louvin Brothers in 1956, is...certainly an album. I mean, like I said, I've heard it before. I'm not going to sugarcoat its quality for the intro or pretend to be clueless. Now, like I mentioned in my previous album, I know almost nothing about music in the 50's. I couldn't tell you a single reason why this album is on here before, or even likely after, listening to it. All I already know about this album...and potentially its influence, is...um...the brothers sing in harmony pretty well...oh, and KENTUCKEEEEEEEEEEEY!...Yeah, that's about all I remember about this album. Not looking too good, is it? Maybe I'm wrong though. Maybe there's so much meaning jam packed into those drawn out Kentuckeys that they managed to change music forever....I'm almost certainly not...but...let's just go ahead and see. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Track 1: Kentucky: 7/10 Track 2: I'll Be All Smiles Tonight: 6/10 Track 3: Let Her Go, God Bless Her: 6/10 Track 4: What Is Home Without Love: 6/10 Track 5: A Tiny Broken Heart: 5/10 Track 6: In The Pines: 7/10 Track 7: Alabama: 5/10 Track 8: Katie Dear: 5/10 Track 9: My Brother's Will: 4/10 Track 10: Knoxville Girl: 4/10 Track 11: Take The News To Mother: 4/10 Track 12: Mary Of The Wild Moor: 5/10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conclusion: Well, I'll go ahead and say right away, this album is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Is it a great album? No. It's far from being a great album. I would go so far as to say that the best stuff this album has to offer is only...good. That being said, I've definitely heard a lot worse in my lifetime. Now, what is it that makes me so mixed on this album? Well, it's a few complicated variables that a casual listener likely wouldn't hear upon their first few listens, yet those same factors are painfully obvious to anyone with a keen ear. I'll just describe the album as a whole and see if you can guess what it is before I directly state what it is. Now, musically, this album provides pretty simple, cohesive, happy, and charming melodies all the way across. There's use of an acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and bass...and...uh...that's about it. Yeah, like I said, the various melodies that this album has to provide are very, very simple. They mostly consist of ever-repeating strums of an acoustic guitar with lightly audible electric guitar and bass segments in the background. There are a few guitar "solos" here and there as well...but most of them are less than ten seconds long...so. Now, I don't have a problem with songs that solely use or emphasize the sole use of an acoustic guitar. Part of that simplicity is what makes folk as a genre so great. That being said, the strumming of said acoustic guitar almost never changes across not just the entire span of each song...but THE ENTIRE ALBUM. Yeah, of course, there are tempo changes in each song, yet the melody sounds so damn similar in each and every song that I wouldn't be able to tell you which is which if you were to remove the vocals. This is a huge contributing factor as to why I am mixed about this album as a whole. Like I said, every song on this album all have charm to them through their simplicity and...just their old-timey feel, but I couldn't say the same thing about the album as a whole. Musically, the album does become quite boring by the end. The 50's electric guitar (which will never not sound charming by the way), the acoustic guitar, the 50's electric guitar, the bass, the acoustic guitar, the electric guitar...wait....Yeah...you see what I'm saying? It's incredibly hard to use nothing but the same three instruments for over half an hour and make it interesting all the way through. Individually, every song is fine when regarding their music. The album as a whole...gets quite boring by the end. That being said, the instruments themselves are pretty well-played and sound pretty good, especially for the 1950's. The same thing can be said about the album as a whole. It may be its simplicity, but the entire album is pretty well-produced for being made in the 1950's. It doesn't sound too great compared to modern production, but that's pretty much a given due to how far production has come since that time. Alright, have you guessed what makes me so mixed on this album yet? If you think that it's because of what I just mentioned...you'd be only partially right. I actually haven't mentioned this album's biggest sin yet. Now, let's move onto the lyrics and overall themes that this album touches on. Lyrically, this album, as the name would suggest, covers pretty tragic subjects. It goes into murder, heartbreak, loneliness, depression, and it will occasionally go into the singers' love for certain areas of America as well....I wonder which songs those are....Anyway, yeah, the album generally delves into pretty dark subjects. There are some REALLY dark moments on here as well such as the description of a girl's murder in Knoxville Girl. Now, while some people may generally dislike the darkness that this album has to present, I really don't mind it all too much. In fact, I kinda appreciate this album for even delving into themes as dark as these. Apparently, dark themes like these was something completely unheard of in the country scene at the time. So, this album, while going a bit too far at times, was undoubtedly influential in helping push music forward. Now, I will go ahead and say before I reveal what this album's biggest sin is, the lyrics and the various melodies that the album presents do blend well in certain ways. The simple, almost folk-like melodies of the music allow the listener to pay greater attention to the lyrics and the individual stories that each song throws at the listener. Overall, it does generally feel as if the lyrics were the greatest part of this album....Oh yeah, I'll briefly mention the voices as well before I reveal this album's...dark secret....So, the brothers decided to do something pretty interesting with this album. Throughout most of the album, they'll sing in literally near-perfect unison. Like, we're talking pitch-perfect. Look, I don't care what you say, whether you think the brothers' voices are annoying or sound "too country", you have to admit that their unison was pretty damn impressive. Also, I really don't mind their vocals all that much, but I can completely understand why people may not like them as well. The vocals are pretty loud, I can understand the close harmony being annoying, and the brothers' do have pretty typical country singer voices. I really don't care all that much about their voices, I don't think it sounds bad, but everyone else is completely entitled to their opinion as well. Alright...I'm pretty sure that's everything out of the way before we get to this album's biggest sin. I've actually revealed it in the details above....Did you get it? Well...if not, it's...actually the way that the melody blends with the lyrics? Wait, I thought I said that was good? Well, it is in the aspects I've already mentioned above, but remember, mostly every song on this album has a generally happy and cheerful mood to it...that includes the one about literally murdering a girl with a stick...you see the problem. There are WAY too many songs on here where the melody simply feels out of place for the seriousness of the subject. Knoxville Girl sounds borderline psychopathic with how happy both the brothers and the melody sounds when describing something horrific, Mary Of The Wild Moor's melody feels off with how dark of a song it is, and so on. It's...objectively bad...and...it's pretty much like this across the entire album. There are a few slower paced ballads which feel more appropriate, but they still generally feel too happy and cheerful for the dark tone. Kentucky and Alabama are the only two songs where the melodies fit due to them simply being appreciatory songs to the states. Nothing else really fits. And yes, I know that this was arguably the first country album to delve into subjects such as these, and I understand that the brothers wanted to be commercially successful, but some of this stuff just straight up sounds psychopathic. It just feels so odd to be describing tragedy with such happiness....Anyway, that was this album's dark secret. Enthralling, I know. Now, overall, do I think this album is as bad as people say it is? No. It's not terrible. It's certainly not the 2/10 (I think) that the graph I mentioned in the intro presented it as, but it has a lot of flaws regardless. Like, A LOT of flaws. That being said, this album did a lot right as well. I feel like people would generally like the album more if they put a greater amount of focus on the lyrics and not the repetitive melodies. Who knows? Maybe it's just me. Like I said, I know a lot of people find the brothers' vocals annoying while I don't, so I'm probably not the best one to speak on how people should listen to this album differently. Regardless, this album is alright. It undoubtedly helped push Country forward, it managed to be charming in its simplicity, and I wasn't completely bored out of my mind while listening to it....That being said...I cannot in good faith give it anything above a 2/5...I...just can't compare it to albums like Microshift, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Melody A.M., Blunderbuss, The Clash, and a few others that I'm probably forgetting. I just can't. So...despite being at the middle of the road and having a chance to get a 3/5........ ============================================================ Tragic Songs Of Life: 5/10 Song Average: 5.3/10
Kinda awful christian country. It sounds good but message sucks
I'm definitely not opposed to some bluegrass, but this was very same-y from song to song and got boring after a while. It was interesting hearing their take on In The Pines, but I think I'd much prefer the Leadbelly or Nirvana versions over this one.
I found this almost unbearable. Went and listened to Jane Antonio Cornish for some relief for my earholes.
2/5 - Not for me
Every song sounded the same and it quickly got old
Nice pickin. In the pines! Ultimately too old-timey for me though
All I can see in my overactive imagination is a Mexican cartel cutting up bodies and burying them in the desert when I listen to this. I blame Breaking Bad.
I don't like it if you know exactly how an entire album is going to sound after the first two bars. I suppose this good if you like this country thing; I don't unfortunately. Musically and lyrically, it's not much. And I've heard better (and definitely more varied) close harmony, and does one of the brothers sing off-pitch sometimes? Very samey. Possibly "interesting" for historical reasons, or for hardcore country fans. Possibly fine after a heartbreak and half a bottle of whisk(e)y. Not a one because I keep those for albums that make me a bit sick; this doesn't. I just couldn't care less about this album.
simple 50s Country
Not my thing. 4.5/10
Idk man.
Sonically this is good, but it’s just not something I’m gonna ever return to.
In Walk the Line, an early scene has Cash and the Tennessee Two perform pickers like these for a producer who stops them and says if you were dying is this the songs you’d sing to God to try spur something real out. I’m that producer - give me some more energy guys!
Not bad. Not my thing. Maybe I just had to be there, drinking moonshine in the south.
Solo me gusta In the pines. PD: Buena portada de su álbum Satan is real.
Love that a couple titles end with "religious overtones" lmaooo but I don't like oldies all that much and their voices lowkey weren't good together. They're like Johnny Cash if he weren't as good and he was a virgin. I do appreciate the old country, Appalachian feel but yeah I was ready for it to be done. Not quite a 1 because it's cute and hokey and I didn't feel like my ears were bleeding. 2/5.
In the pines made me listen up as an avid fan of the Nirvana Unplugged. Check out where did you sleep last night? there. Interesting that this music also has some Greek sounding folklore vibes. However, nothing that i would listen to on a regular basis. Cute harmonies, but a bit repetitive overall.
Eh... A couple good tracks, not my favorite of the style
Country waltzes and warbling about their love of Kentucky doesn’t really do it for me
For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they would like. 2.5
It's an interesting country harmony duo. Good lyrics and the music is very old school country. They are very good at harmonizing. It's just not a genre of music that I would listen to. Nice to hear it this one time though.
Did they intend for "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" to sound so queer? I doubt it, given the time period, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Seriously, how could this song possibly be interpreted as straight? Someone help me out here! Even stranger, that song is then followed by "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" which has such outdated (to the say least) lyrics that I felt like I was listening to a song from the 40s, not the 50s. What the absolute hell is going on in "Katie Dear"?! Same question with "My Brother's Will"! Does Sally have absolutely no choice in this matter? Jesus fucking Christ! Don't even get me started on "Knoxville Girl". How did this keep getting worse and worse? The first two songs were so nice, what happened?
A bit too consistent in style and format, but enjoyable. Felt longer than it was though.
The lyrics to Knoxville Girl are unhinged. Living in the south sounds like trauma to me. This album is simply charming for the most part. And yet 45 minutes felt like a life time
For one of the earliest albums on the list this wasn’t bad, but I just can’t imagine myself ever going back to it. Best song was In The Pines.
Decent storytelling but redundant music-wise. Could've skipped those last four tracks entirely.
It wasn't terrible but not much of my usual listen. I was able to listen to the whole thing once and it was just a pleasant tune. 3.4/10
I thought I would enjoy this as someone who is country curious, but this is so repetitive. The chord progressions all sound the same, the harmonies all sound the same, the pacing is all the same. I was keen for it to be done very quickly.
just don't really care Will I listen to again: 0%
Quite hard to judge an album that's 70 years old, but I didn't enjoy it that much. Fair enough to have enough staying power to be this old and included on something like this
A bitta folk, decent, the In The Pines version is interesting. High 2s.
It wasn’t bad. The harmonies got to be grating after a while.
This was a lot better that I expected, but still pretty repetitive after a few song. The highlights for me is the great mandolin playing, and the match diction.
Cute, very "Oh, Brother". 2/5 and will probably never listen to this again.
country meh
Another chore
Just so... samey. The album is well performed but it sounds like I'm listening to the same song the whole time - excepting the murder track
Truly, all I can conjure is "eh."
Banjo
Boring
A bit too yee-haw for my taste.
Not my thing.
Decent 2
Merry Christmas everyone! Kind of a underwhelming pick for today but whatever. A nice enough way to end my holiday. Favorite track: Alabama 2.5/5
Pleasant enough, but very dated. No real standout tracks for me. I wouldn't mind if this came on some time, even if I would never ever put it on again myself. Rounding down from 2.5.
This music has its place. And that place is the 1950s.
Rating: 4/10 It's pretty fine, I would rather hear this kind of music in some sort of soundtrack for an appropriate movie or show or Fallout game but not just listening to an album. Sorry to the brothers but I will not be coming back
My country wife loved this. I did not.
Ahh I can't quite hate this one... in fact a lot of it is quite fun, earnest and endearing. That said, it does feel like a very long 35 minutes when played in full -- I reckon because the album is a rapid fire of twelve songs that sound basically the same. Standouts: Kentucky • I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
I really wanted to like this because I love hard bitten country with a dash of tragedy, but all of these songs really sound the same and it was hard to finish.
Honky tonk twang. Not my style. I can appreciate the influence they have had on some that I do like, but mostly this wasn't for me
I’m not a huge fan of country music, especially when it’s a full album of same-sounding songs like this. I did enjoy reading about the Louvin Brothers though. Interesting stuff about the music and their use of “close harmony” singing style. But the best snippet about these committed Christians (who had an album called “Satan Is Real”) was this: “Their songs were heavily influenced by their Baptist faith and warned against sin. Nevertheless, Ira Louvin was notorious for his drinking, womanizing, and volcanic temper. He was married four times; his third wife Faye shot him four times in the chest and twice in the hand after he allegedly tried to strangle her with a telephone cord. Although seriously injured, he survived. When performing and drinking, Ira would sometimes become angry enough on stage to smash his mandolin when he was unable to tune it, and – when sober – glue it back together.” The album cover for “Satan Is Real” is a classic too - it’s surreal, and apparently much-parodied by other artists in later years.
I'm not a great fan of country music and whilst it was interesting to hear a little bit of this I found it far too repetitive. The lyrics changed - a little (there seemed to be a dark recurring theme of killing girls) but the music and vocals seemed pretty fixed. Not one for my playlist.
4 - BAD
The 15 minute altar call at the end of the album, was a bit jarring after having sung a sing about bashing a woman's head in, chucking her in a river, and then being upset that he wound up in Jail. The rest of the album was ok so 3 stars because I am in a sharing mood.
*1956. Old school country. *This is the type of country I actually like - very Southern and twangy, but a little goes a long way. *Wouldn't revisit. Just too much country for me. RATING - 5.5/10
im sure it's important. 2-
I actually like some old timey music like this... but this kind of sucks. Too many songs. I was so sick of it by the end of it. It's all too samesy and musically not that great with the exception of two songs: Let Her Go God Bless Her, and In the Pines. Knoxville Girl is dark & disturbing. I don't want to ever again hear about how violent Rap music is.
Here’s another album and genre that I feel absolutely nothing towards. All of the songs sound the same and music has progressed so far since then. I wouldn’t put this on for personal enjoyment, ever.
It was not bad for a country album until it started to get super preachy
There's a limit to songs about loneliness, pine trees and broken hearts...
Amazing how an album can have the same song 12 times with just the place name changed
Not for me.
Didn’t expect the darkness
I primarily know the Louvin Brothers for the Satan is real album cover but never listened to them before. I tend to like harmonies so didn't mind listening but wasn't enough for a full-on album
Honestly kinda mid. Probably influential but I don't know enough about these dudes to outright call it bad. After listening to the whole thing, I was never impressed, but I never outright hated it. The religious overtones section was definitely not my speed. Could expect hearing this in a random diner on a road trip, which is kinda neat. Either a 2 or 2.5 out of 5.
Not bad, but not my style
Cunt🌲 is normally a guilty pleasure of mine but this was pretty shite
Old Tyne country. Not bad music.
Good musicians
4/10
4/10
Traditional country music is just fine with me. I can handle it for the length of the album and a little longer… but not long enough to listen all the way through twice back-to-back; that’s just too much yodel & twang for me. Despite their squeaky clean appearance, this album leans into some sad and dark subject matter that helped hold my interest longer than I expected. This is a good place to start if you’re looking for some background in traditional country and western music, so it's worth a listen from that perspective.
Fine I guess. Lot of place names.
I like this type of music, and I assume this is a blueprint of sorts, but it didn’t have any standout songs.
This album title sounds like a total bummer. ... While this album was not a total bummer it was also not very enjoyable. Even at 35 minutes it dragged out and I was glad for it to be over. Fine enough singing throughout and some of the songs were enjoyable, but the majority fell into a boring middle area. It's a 2 from me.
Got the jist of this album after 3 songs and really didn't want to listen to the rest. Skipped ahead a few songs and they were pretty much all the same. Don't think it deserves a 1 because of how old it is, but it just was not good
Not for me
This turned into background music quickly, the only track that caught my attention was their rendition of In The Pines. That was neat.
Sounds as described. Not my thing.
The sound of the dust bowl. There's some weird songs on here about death, murder and religion. All done in very neat two-part harmony! Very grating by the end.
#754. I know there's some good old country music out there, but I'm not entirely sure this one has a place on that list. 2/5: meh
This album is 70 years old (writing in 2026). That's pretty cool. Didn't really enjoy it though! It wasn't bad, just not really my bag
Some of this felt like the Soggy Bottom Boys were about to bust into town and shake things up. A key entry into the category of country albums where the first 90% is about sinning and then the last 10% is about jesus. I will never get it.
Well these were definitely tragic. I assume if I went looking, these would be the sorts of country songs that have Scottish folk song equivalents. Lot of killin and draggin and beatin people. A bit repetitive as an album. 2.5
A ver, no suena mal del todo la verdad, esta gracioso, pero es como un chiste que repites una y otra vez y cada vez tiene menos gracias, porque suena todo el album como una variante de la misma cancion, puede tener un inicio diferente y alguna se puede diferenciar un poco pero a rasgos generales suena todo igual.
How does one even approach this record? It's a time capsule of a time, that shows that nothing really changes and the heart longs for what the heart always longs for. At the same time, it has been rendered parody over the past decades by the likes of O' Father, Where Art Thou and A Mighty Wind. It's very early, pre-rock country. And it's fine. But I don't know why it's in the top of this list. Fine does not equal greatness.
Not my type of music - stlll interesting to hear the genre
Musically it was kinda boring. Some of the lyrics and stories were pretty interesting though.
Definitely not for me. Some catchy guitar throughout, but farm emo on top. Big nope from me. I'll say 1.5 / 5 - round up.
RELIGIOUS OVERTONES
boring