High Bias refreshed

THE LILLY BROTHERS AND DON STOVER
On the Radio 1952-1953
(Rounder)
BILL MONROE
The Very Best of Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
(MCA/Decca/Chronicles)
THE STANLEY BROTHERS
The Best of the Stanley Brothers: The Millennium Collection
(Mercury/Chronicles)
Thanks to the unprecedented popularity of the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack and the continuing rise of Alison Krauss, bluegrass has never had a higher profile. What better time to dig into the vaults of this classic American music and bring to light the work of lesser-known lights? Not to mention compile another "greatest hits" disk from one of the genre's deities.

On the Radio 1952-1953 is, as billed, a collection of radio broadcasts from the early 50s. The West Virginia-bred, Boston-based Lilly Brothers (Everett on mandolin and Bea on guitar) and their banjo-plucking partner Don Stover helped popularize the close-harmony vocal style so associated with bluegrass and adapted to pop by groups like the Everly Brothers. Besides that, though, there's little to distinguish the trio from the dozens of other 'grass groups of the era. They're certainly competent musicians and capable singers, and their choice in material leans toward lesser-known (and thus not overplayed) tunes like the Monroe Brothers' "What is a Home Without Love?," and "The Old Man's Story," or Flatt & Scruggs' "No Mother or Dad" and "The Old Home Town." The best-known songs are a rousing "When the Saints Go Marching In" and a solid take on Bill Monroe's challenging instrumental "Rawhide." Yet there's little here that gives the feeling of discovering unknown gems, nothing that Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers or the Del McCoury Band haven't done as well or better. Bluegrass completists may feel the need to own this, but more casual fans will be able to sleep at night without having it grace their CD shelves. [buy it]

Some might argue that if you're going to call a collection The Very Best of Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys it better have at least a half dozen disks. Considering that the career of the late Father of Bluegrass stretches back to the 40s, the grousers are probably right. However, for the budget-conscious or the unintiated, this comp will do nicely. The program ranges from the mandolin-wielding Monroe's takes on traditional folk and gospel tunes ("In the Pines," "I'm Working on a Building") and his well-known originals ("Uncle Pen," "Walk Softly On My Heart") to covers of classic country (Jimmie Rodgers' "New Mule Skinner Blues," an energetic rip through Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light"), brief, melodic instrumentals ("Scotland," the haunting "My Last Days on Earth") and lesser-known but still excellent cuts ("Jimmy Brown The Newsboy," "Walls of Time," co-written by Peter Rowan). And, of course, it leads off with "Blue Moon of Kentucky." With recordings that range from the early 50s to the early 80s, the disk covers a good 30 years, and Monroe is in fine (high tenor) voice for all of them. Monroe set the standard for what a bluegrass band should be: tight, self-contained, full of instrumental virtuosity but without noodling (a point the so-called "newgrass" bands of the 70s seemed to miss) and very, very song-oriented. This solid compilation is a great introduction to a American music icon, and will hopefully inspire a new generation of pickers. [buy it]

In contrast to the Bill Monroe comp, The Best of the Stanley Brothers is pretty bare-bones, as with a lot of Universal's entries in the Millennium Collection series. A dozen songs in 30 minutes is barely enough time to really get to know anybody, let alone a pair of artists who were Monroe's contemporaries. Not that the quality of the music is any less—"Who Will Call You Sweetheart," "Just a Little Talk With Jesus" and "Angel Band" remain enduring bluegrass, not to mention gospel, classics. And anyone unfamiliar with the brotherly harmonies of Ralph and Carter Stanley and the instrumental interplay of the siblings and their musicians will appreciate "(Say) Won't You Be Mine," "Baby Girl" and "Will He Wait a Little Longer," not to mention the obligatory instrumental breakdown "Daybreak in Dixie." But this album is almost a teaser, the briefest taste of an American musical legend; it will merely whet the appetite for a larger helping. Hopefully Universal will serve one up soon before the public's interest in bluegrass wanes completely. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of:
The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover: the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, the Osborne Brothers
Bill Monroe: the Del McCoury Band, Ralph Stanley, Flatt & Scruggs
The Stanley Brothers: Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, the Carter Family