Will the Circle Be Unbroken

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

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

Absolutely phenomenal

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

Least favourite songs: Warming Up For "The Opry", Sunny Side Talk

5/5

Listen to this on road trip to Nashville

Me: I am so sick of 70s rock music.
1001 Albums: let’s switch it up - here’s some 70s country music.

Fuck this.

A Smithsonian folkways style anthology of American folk music that's an effort to consolidate a cannon and reproduce the tradition over generations. So you get what today feels like fairly conservative curation and arrangements but performances for the ages. But that said, it did mark a break with the schmaltzy overblown Nashville country production of the 60s and a return to the stripped back & acoustic roostier roots of country (bluegrass & mountain music especially) that 70s artists like the Dead, CSNY, Gram Parsons were popularizing via their interest in the Lomax recordings project and folk songs, sounds, and instruments. Way too long, but it's more of an archival document than an album really.

This was so much like being in a pub with a band that I actually felt drunk towards the end. This is just about on the OK side of folk without becoming too corny, but I don't think I ever need to hear a banjo again.

Good album, but man that’s a lot longer than expected. Really liked how it was a big summary of classic country and American folk. Sometimes their interpretations felt a bit corny however.

Howdy there fella! Come on and sit down by the fire, we just opened up a new bottle of moonshine and fiddle on my fiddle. Sing along and ride off into the sunset in the morning.

Catchy country

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...

Well, I guess the run of good albums had to end at some point. Will The Circle Be Unbroken was an absolutely miserable experience from start to finish. It feels like the band only had a few ideas and just decided to stretch them out into 42 songs for some reason that i will never find out. And some of the songs are just talking for long stretches of time (like come on, we don't want to hear that). There were some more tolerable songs in the album but even they can't save it from being absolutely horrible. I can only just pray the next album will be bettter.
Best Song: Nashville Blues
Worst Song: I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes

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.

If I ever want to listen to some good folk country stuff I’ll come back to this one

Am I likely to listen to the whole thing in one sitting? Not very often, that’s for sure. But I’ll be damned if I don’t love this music, and if I don’t appreciate it acting as quite an important historical document.

3.5/5

Interesting document, but I don't need the talking in between songs. Enjoyable bluegrass. I especially like the instrumental tunes (please learn how to finish those without resorting to "Shave and a Haircut, though!). The old-school Country/Hillbilly artists are not at their best so it works more as a tribute than an original work of art. Could be condensed to a single LP without losing anything. Maybe do that for casual listeners then make the extended version for the hardcore fans/historically motivated.

I was surprised I liked this one as much as I did. That's not to say I loved it or anything, I just found that the bluegrass and banjo thing worked well and some of the studio interludes were interesting.

But can we admit it's too damn long? Seriously, this didn't need to be two hours. Like most double (triple?) albums, this would've been a lot better if cut down to 45 mins.

3.5 record, round down because of the length.

Ara

I like that they included the banter in between recordings -makes it feel cozy and intimate- but it's way too long without having some kind of coherent thread (beyond jamming with your heroes). They have all these classic country and bluegrass numbers, and then all of a sudden they just throw a solo acoustic cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" in there? Could a left some shit on the cutting room floor. I will say my favorite tracks by far were those with Maybelle Carter.

2 hours of country no thank you.

Catchy enough "classic" country music without being stellar.