Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Heavy Traffic Ahead - Bill Monroe, Earl Scruggs
2. It's Mighty Dark to Travel - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys, Earl Scruggs
3. Molly and Tenbrooks (The Race Horse Song)
4. Down the Road
5. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
6. Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
7. Old Salty Dog Blues
8. Pike Country Breakdown
9. Come Back Darling
10. Don't Get Above Your Raising
11. Jimmie Brown, The Newsboy
12. Earl's Breakdown
13. Get in Line Brother
14. Dear Old Dixie
15. Flint Hill Special
16. Foggy Mountain Chimes
17. Till the End of the World Rolls Round
18. Foggy Mountain Special
19. Randy Lynn Rag
20. Shuckin' the Corn

Disc 2:

1. John Henry [Live] - Hylo Brown, Earl Scruggs, Timberliners
2. Cumberland Gap [Live] - Hylo Brown, Earl Scruggs, Timberliners
3. Cripple Creek
4. Reuben
5. Sally Goodwin
6. Foggy Mountain Top
7. Georgia Buck
8. John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man
9. Ballad of Jed Clampett
10. Nashville Skyline Rag
11. Nashville Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Earl Scruggs
12. I Saw the Light - Earl Scruggs
13. Some of Shelley's Blues - Earl Scruggs
14. Peking Fling - Earl Scruggs
15. I Shall Be Released - Earl Scruggs
16. Stash It - Earl Scruggs
17. Song of the South - Tom T. Hall, Earl Scruggs
18. I Still Miss Someone - Earl Scruggs
19. We'll Meet Again Sweetheart - Earl Scruggs
20. American-Made World-Played - Earl Scruggs

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11411 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-03-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .25 pounds

Customer Reviews

One Of American Music's All-Time Greats
Earl Scruggs' technical proficiency on the five-string banjo has been the instrument's gold standard for more than half a century, adding unmistakable flair to many of the bluegrass genre's most lasting songs. Although significant pieces of his career could fill a much larger collection, the two discs of The Essential Earl Scruggs capture 40 favorites from the mid-1940s to the early 1980s, touching on each period just long enough to illustrate the incredible range of his talents.

Organized chronologically, the set begins with material from Scruggs' time with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, finding Scruggs in full bloom as a skilled picker who set the tone for well-crafted romps such as the sprightly "Heavy Traffic Ahead." The remainder of the first disc (and a fair piece of the second) surveys his long run with Monroe guitarist Lester Flatt fronting the Foggy Mountain Boys. Among the highlights of this celebrated pairing are the eternally fresh "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (1949) and the backwoods electricity their harmony infuses into the fun "Shuckin' the Corn" (1957). Sides they cut in between are pleasantly varied, ranging from the fiddle-thickened "Salty Dog Blues" to the sweetly airy "Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy," the latter one of a pair on the set that feature Scruggs on guitar.

The second disc illustrates Scruggs' versatility by sampling his work in a number of environments, including his hearty lead on the rousing "Cumberland Gap" with Hylo Brown and the Timberliners at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. There is lasting charm in the ubiquitous Flatt collaboration "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," while the "Nashville Skyline Rag" from the duo's 1969 reunion sports a mesmerizing blend of banjo, guitar and fiddle prominently featured in its arrangement. "Nashville Blues" remains one of the most vibrant tracks from the seminal Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and the remaining lineup of tunes gathered from alliances with Tom T. Hall, Johnny Cash and his own Earl Scruggs Revue is littered with gems. It doesn't matter that the set's earliest recordings are a tad less clean and full than its more recent selections, because nothing can obscure the skill with which Scruggs powers melodies.

Bluegrass 101
With his innovative three-finger style banjo playing, Earl Scruggs is as much responsible for the sound of bluegrass music as Bill Monroe. As such, the 40 tracks on this collection which represent 40 years of recording from his early work with Bill Monroe through his mid-80s performances with his sons is essential listening.

Along with the first three tracks which represent his tenure with Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (including the classic "Molly and Tenbrooks"), the bulk of this collection consists of his 20-year partnership with Lester Flatt and the Foggy Mountain Boys (Disc One, 4-20 and Disc Two, 3-10). Many of these original compositions have become bluegrass classics: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," "Don't Get Above Your Raising," "Flint Hill Special" among them. Scruggs is also an accomplished guitar player on tracks like "Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy" and the instrumental "Georgia Buck." The final ten tracks have Scruggs working with other artists, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tom T. Hall, Johnny Cash and ,of course, his sons in the Earl Scruggs Review.

While Scruggs has recorded infrequently since the most recent track on this collection (1984's American-Made"), it would have been nice to have a track or two from 2001's EARL SCRUGGS AND FRIENDS and 2003's THREE PICKERS with Doc Watson and Ricky Skaggs.

My only real complaint is the brevity of these two discs (51:47 and 53:42, respectively). If this only whets your appetite, Flatt and Scruggs' COMPLETE MERCURY RECORDINGS (28 tracks) is back in print and 'TIS SWEET TO BE REMEMBERED (34 tracks) offers a broader look at the duo's tenure at Columbia.

All things considred, this is collection makes a terrific crash course in bluegrass music and illustrates why Earl Scruggs is one of the giants of the genre. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Full-length portrait of bluegrass legend
Given the mountain of recordings waxed by legendary banjo player Earl Scruggs, even a two-CD set can only sketch the outlines of his invention. From his earliest work with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, through his popular peak as half of Flatt & Scruggs, and finishing with various pairings and guest stints, as well as his own Earl Scruggs review, his invention never stops. His revolutionary picking technique powers the selected Monroe cuts, drawing the template for bluegrass banjo players who followed. Similarly, his work with guitarist Lester Flatt fueled bluegrass' second popular peak as part of the late-50s/early-60s folk revival. Finally, his less traditional directions (and, reportedly, the cause of his split with Flatt) in the 70s and 80s show Scruggs untrapped by his own inventions.

If one were going to pick nits at this collection, it would be for the familiarity of much of the material, and the over-sized space given to Flatt & Scruggs. On the other hand, this isn't pitched at already knowing fans, it's meant as a full-length portrait of Scruggs career. Those wishing to zoom in on the details can easily flesh out individual eras with additional discs; still, this makes a good map to the terrain, as well as 105 minutes of awesomely fine music.