The Steel Guitar Forum

Amazing.

The songs are mostly Lefty tunes, along with two Hanks (1 Williams, 1 Thompson), and a few new Hag originals.

Recorded live w/o overdubs in Haggard's living room (according to the linernotes), this is the most straight-forward, no B.S. country cd that's been released in years.

It's called "Roots, Volume 1" and it just came out on the ANTI label.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by P Gleespen on 07 November 2001 at 05:05 AM.]</p></FONT>

Tell us about the steel part of the CD

Yes, please... what Al said.

I'll probably buy it anyway, but it would be good to know what to expect in steel.

I read a little about this. Wasn't this work done with the guitar player who played on a lot of Lefty's stuff? I think it took awhile for Merle to discover that this old gentleman lived just down the road from him.

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HagFan

Circa 1950 Lefty Frizzell had formed a group known as The Tune Toppers, with steel player Charley White, from Fort Smith, Arkansas, another Fort Smith native Norman Stevens played take-off guitar, Jimmy Dennis was hired on drums, and there where others invloved.

Norm Stevens is the guitarist who later moved to Cal, and is the guy who has been touring and recording with Haggard and the Strangers.

Norm played on the Frizzell sessions on July 25; 1950, and January 11; 1951, at the Jim Beck Studio.
the group evolved into Blackie Crawford & The Western Cherokees, they continued to back Frizzell as well as recording their own sides (Norm was on their December '51 sessions with Pee Wee whitewing in the band), then he was drafted.

After serving in the early 1950s he later did a stint with Hank Thompson, after that I'm a little stumped.
By the time Hag ran across him in California he'd been working as a guitar teacher.

There's been a few posts on the new Hag Cd, it's fantastic, I've heard some tracks and I nearly wept as it was so beautiful. I've become obsessed with Thompson and Frizzell and hearing the tracks just got me so worked up!
(Norm Hamlet sounds excellent too!)

Jason

Well, I'm a pretty big fan of Norm's playing, so I might be biased, but he really knocks me out on this cd. The thing I like about Norm (and all the Strangers, really) is the fact that everything always sounds "real". It's not "Nashville-clean" if you know what I mean, not TOO perfect.

The nifty thing about this particular recording is that Norm's playing non-pedal the whole time. His tone is fan-freakin'-tastic, too.

It makes me wish that there were tapes of a young Norm when he used to play with the Desert Stars in the 1950s, a schoolkid band that toured on their holidays, they even backed Skeets McDonald on one tour!

I just picked this "Roots/2001" CD up today. I was shocked! I expected it to be good, but, not nearly as good as it is! It is as authentic as his Bob Wills or Jimmie Rodgers tribute albums. I always felt he owed Lefty one and he finaly came thru! The Hank Williams and Thompson songs are an added bonus. The original songs of Hags sound as though they came from the same era. Merle is in fine voice and the musicianhip is fantastic. Recording warmth and clarity are unbelievable. It probably doesn't stand a snowballs chance in hell at radio airplay, but, that is one of the things I admire about it. "An Artist At Work"!!

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Tommy Minniear

Have not seen it availible in the area yet but I'm searching..Maybe a call to the ET record shop will do it. If they don't have it no one will.

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CJC

You guys are killin' me. The family would disown me if I eliminate such an easy gift idea.

Sounds like it's great!

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HagFan

i just got this. it is perfect

1950's country sound.

Norms entros and liks on this cd are spine chilling! I f you know Norm you cant hardly belive the licks are done by him!! Norm is so humble that he still amazes me. I like the cd for one reason is that the songs are not hopped up in tempo and done so cleary with Merls voice imatation of Leftys voice it is grrreeeeeaaaaaaaaatttttttt.

There is a rummer of Norms life story being vidioed for his family and maby he will schare it with us when it is done. This will not be a story of the strangers but his life .
I also know there was a home vidio done of his and Biffs induction in the Western Swing Hall of Fame. Dont know if we will see it tho> I sure wish i would have been there.

Ron

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Got in two days ago and its in my CD player ever since.
I copied the whole CD to my harddisk and changed the sound. Made it a "mono" recording with added mids and 8-bit media. Now you can't tell that it's not an old 78 playing

Andy

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1962 Sho~Bud D-10 : 1969 Emmons D-10 : Bigsby T-8: 1959 Gibson Super 400CES :1957 Standel 25L15
about me
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I picked up Hag's cd at Wally World last nite
and haven't had a chance to play it but am sure looking forward to it. By the way, I recently picked up two remastered cds by Hank Williams. One is recordings by him as Luke the Drifter and is great. Every time I play "The Funeral" tears come to my eyes. There are some good liner notes with it also. The second cd is "I Saw The Light" and is Hank's gospel tunes. I love this cd also, also complete with great liner notes. Don Helms steel work is great. It wouldn't be Hank Williams without Don Helms!
Erv

<SMALL>Now you can't tell that it's not an old 78 playing</SMALL>

That's a 78-minute CD, right?

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Ok I went over to CD now

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Listen nr 2
Are you sure thats not Don Helms on Take These Chains?

"I've Got A Tender Heart sounds like it's circa 1951 not 21st century.


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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047