Will the Circle Be Unbroken

What a box of treasures.

Perhaps not an album to play from start to finish. Better to dip into it and see what comes up.

But as a library of Americana greatness its irreplaceable.

Mislim da sam imala jednu vrlo dugu disocijativnu epizodu da ovo preživim.

I could do without the Confederate flags. Given the huge cast of musicians and songwriters they drew from, and the repertoire they're playing, it's actually shocking there's not a single black musician represented. It may be top tier bluegrass and string band music, but it also kinda seems like a low-key white identity album.

It's fine. I much prefer the new wave of bluegrass. This take on Bluegrass is to by-the-book, goofy, and safe.

Listen to Billy Strings, Kitchen Dwellers, and Greensky Bluegrass if you want a modern, good take on American Bluegrass music.

𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 is a remarkable document of country and bluegrass history, bringing together some of the genre’s most respected players in a warm, unforced studio setting. The performances feel genuine and deeply rooted, with the guests adding authenticity and character to every track. The only drawback is the sheer length — the album can feel a bit sprawling, even if almost everything on it has musical or historical value. Still, as a snapshot of a tradition passed between generations, it’s hard not to appreciate.

Worthy idea to introduce the old time country and bluegrass stars to the country rock audience. With the passage of time (this is my parents generation paying tribute to my grandparents and I’m old enough to have children on this list) its clear the Carter Family, Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs are better known than the Nitty Grittys. In fact the Nitty Grittys wouldn’t have made 1001 albums if this album didn’t give the compilers the opportunity to recocognise some pre album greats.

It’s an enjoyable record. I think nowadays the producers would scatter a few contemporary songs into the mix because ultimately the original recordings of the songs they chose are better than these versions.

When the snow starts a'falling
There's a man you should be calling
That's Kil-547-96, let it ring
Mr Plow is a loser and I think he is a boozer
So you better make that call to the Plow King

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

It's good, but feels far to long. It could have used a fair amount of cutting down to just the best, rather than the hour+ slog it is.

Oooh I really enjoyed this!

Very, very long though. Loses a star for that. Could have condensed this, especially the instrumentals

Yeehaw

4 ⭐️

I'm not averse to a bit of old-timey country and I already knew a fair number of these songs (mainly through Johnny Cash), but this might be too much of a good thing. Cutting out all the studio chatter would have been a start in keeping this to a more manageable length.

At first I didn’t appreciate it but several tracks in I got it.

Not bad, a whole lot of bluegrass and gospel standards. I also realized that the grand ole Opry is the Apollo theater for white people.

Reverent collaboration between contemporary musicians and Nashville legends.

My third country album in a row (yes, I'm God's strongest soldier). Sorry, but there's no way I'll listen to all 42 songs on this; 17 were more than enough. Musically, it doesn't sound that bad (the best tracks were the instrumental ones), but as a whole, it's just not for me

Insane to have a 40-track triple (quadruple?) album with like eight instrumental fiddle tracks in the middle. But even though this is really bloated it honestly feels like a staggering achievement, it's a piece of genuine history.

Yeah there are some good tracks on this but 2 hours of banjo twangs? I could live without

Doodly doodly doo

Americana/bluegrass. Definitely has a place on this list as it is a lengthy demonstration of this style of music, with a large group of musicians. Isn’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but very representative of the genre.

Would I listen to this again? Probably not, but this feels like a good record of Americana that is worth having been exposed to at least once, I appreciate its inclusion. Some really cool bluegrass in this. 4*
Fun fact: I only know will the circle be unbroken from the excellent adaptation in bioshock infinite
Highlights: black mountain rag, flint hill special, orange blossom special, both sides now (basically all instrumentals)