The man could – and still can – sing and pick his ass off. Just truly beautiful stuff, year after year after year…yadda. I’m not sure why, but bluegrass records seem hard to come across. Guess it’s because many sellers just see it as hillbilly music. And well, it is. But if you spend any time listening to that genre of music, especially on vinyl, you will definitely find it to be some of the consistently best recorded music out there. Especially anything on Rounder. Whether is was the principal techniques used for recording, the mastering or the audiophile-ish quality Quiex vinyl that much of the Rounder catalog was pressed on, those records generally sound outstanding.
This somewhat odd release comes via Rebel Records, which issued a whole bunch of killer bluegrass records in the 70’s and 80’s. And also pressed a lot of stuff on Quiex vinyl, including this one. While this might be a “best of”, it’s a best of two previously released Rebel Records – 1975’s “Our Kind Of Grass” and the following year’s self-titled “Del McCoury”. Musicians on both sessions were Bill Runkle on banjo and chorus vocals, Don Eldreth on mandolin, second fiddle and baritone vocals, Bill Poffinberger on fiddle and Dewey Renfro on bass. All killer musicians.
If you’re a fan of the genre, this is definitely worth picking up. Again, not to belabor, but the recording of everything here – vocals and instrumentation – is simply amazing, a true joy to be able to clearly hear all those strings just poppin’ out of the speakers. Awesome stuff.
Asking price for this beauty is a mere $20. Jacket has a crease that is primarily evident when looking at the back jacket. Vinyl is VG++, damn close to near mint. I try to keep the vinyl grades as conservative as possible. This has been played, but with great care and love as there are barely any marks on the record and I played both sides this morning with no issues whatsoever. High. Clear. Lonesome.
Musicstack…http://www.musicstack.com/item/88609396
Gemm…https://www.gemm.com/item/McCoury-c—Del/Best–Of–Del–McCoury–And–The–Dixie–Pals/GML1457891768/
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