0504. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Will The Circle Be Unbroken

This is somewhat of a favour to the American cultural heritage. The long-haired youngsters of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band not only managed to get a bunch of the old-timers in bluegrass and country and western into the studio to record what for some of the guests might have been their last chance to appear on a popular album. [fact check: the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band themselves aren't even on some of the tracks - how's that for dedication to keeping it real and letting the guests have the limelight?]

But as old as they might be, the only time it's only Maybelle Carter's voice that shows any sign of age. Her vocals on Keep On The Sunny Side are sadly a bit past prime, but then again: who cares. Earl Scruggs' banjo picking kicks ass and the banter between the players in between the tracks is just lovely.

The music's all the traditionals and their favourites, and there's ample chances of hearing some tunes that inspired later generations. And I'm thinking that the Carter Family's I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes bears more than a slight resemblance to It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (a song that's shown up before), or rather: the latter is an almost exact copy of the former.

This triple-LP release is two hours of bluegrass that keeps it interesting all the time. And they finish off with a bit of a surprise as the last (and insturmental) track, Both Sides Now, is a Joan Baez-melody.