Another great
JSP
boxed set of archival music at a budget price,
All the Classic Releases 1937-1949
collects a great selection of
Bill Monroe
's recordings both with his
Bluegrass Boys
and with his brother
Charlie
as
the Monroe Brothers
. The extensive (though not really informative) liner notes don't really shed any light as to whether these are all of
Monroe
's recorded output from 1937-1949, if these are just complete album releases, singles, and B-sides, or some other permutation, but in listening to the discs it doesn't really matter. The recordings are all truly classic, even if they're not necessarily the versions the listening public is most familiar with (
"Kentucky Waltz"
and
"Blue Moon of Kentucky"
both seem to be slightly different versions than the ones that have been established as the
standards).
Lester Flatt
,
Earl Scruggs
Chubby Wise
Clyde Moody
, and other
alumni all make appearances, and nearly all of
's best-loved songs are represented. While this four-disc set would not be the starting point for
bluegrass
beginners, die-hard fans of the genre will be quite satisfied with their selection. ~ Zac Johnson