Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
In an age when the old-timey soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? sells 5 million copies, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary Will the Circle Be Unbroken seemed upon its release 30 years ago. The triple album (now rereleased as a two-CD set) paired many of Nashville's venerable country and bluegrass performers (Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements) with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, or as Acuff called them, 'a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys.' The idea seemed nearly as foreign as Martians setting down in Tennessee, but the Dirt Band were Colorado hippies steeped in the genre, so there was no disputing the authenticity of the music, or its earthy appeal. Aside from the sheer joy of the performances (listen to Jimmy Martin's 'whoop' on 'Sunny Side of the Mountain'), there's great fun in hearing Roy Acuff give the boys a lesson in doing a song right the first time (and using the word hell before launching into a religious number). And Mother Maybelle wafts through like a benevolent ghost, or at least a patron saint. One caveat: The boast of four previously unreleased tracks is balderdash, since three are really between-track conversations and rehearsals, and only 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' qualifies as a real song. But that's nitpicking. Buy it. Love it. Wallow in it. O brother, that's country music! --Alanna Nash









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Disc 1:

1. Grand Ole Opry Song - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Brown, Hylo
2. Keep on the Sunny Side - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carter, A.P.
3. Nashville Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Scruggs, Earl
4. You Are My Flower - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carter, A.P.
5. The Precious Jewel - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Acuff, Roy
6. Dark as a Dungeon - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Travis, Merle
7. Tennessee Stud - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Driftwood, Jimmie
8. Black Mountain Rag - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Traditional
9. Wreck on the Highway - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dixon, Dorothy
10. The End of the World - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Rose, Fred
11. I Saw the Light - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Williams, Hank [1]
12. Sunny Side of the Mountain - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, McAuliffe, Harry
13. Nine Pound Hammer - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Travis, Merle
14. Losin' You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet) - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Humphrey, Edria A.
15. Honky Tonkin' - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Williams, Hank [1]
16. You Don't Know My Mind - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Skinner, Jimmy
17. My Walkin' Shoes - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Martin, Jimmy

Disc 2:

1. Lonesome Fiddle Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Clements, Vassar
2. Cannonball Rag - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Travis, Merle
3. Avalanchie - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Clements, Millie
4. Flint Hill Special - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Scruggs, Earl
5. Togary Mountain
6. Earl's Breakdown
7. Orange Blossom Special
8. Wabash Cannonball
9. Lost Highway - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Payne, Leon
10. Doc Watson and Merle Travis: First Meeting - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,
11. Way Downtown - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Traditional
12. Down Yonder - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Watson, Doc
13. Pins and Needles (In My Heart) - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jenkins, Floyd
14. Honky Tonk Blues - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Williams, Hank [1]
15. Sailin' on to Hawaii - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kirby, Beecher
16. I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carter, A.P.
17. I Am a Pilgrim - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Traditional
18. Wildwood Flower - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carter, A.P.
19. Soldier's Joy - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, McEuen, John
20. Will the Circle Be Unbroken - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Carter, A.P.
21. Both Sides Now - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mitchell, Joni
22. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
23. Warming Up for 'The Opry' (talk)
24. Sunny Side (talk)
25. Remember Me

Rating: - * Great price for this product! ... This is a classic recording, and for the price I don`t think you will any better deal anywhere else. It was also delivered within several days and was in excellent condition. Rating: - * Great Recording ... This is a great recording, a definite must-have for the library of any fan of bluegrass music. The fidelity is very good. Rating: - * home again in my heart ... I really enjoy how The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is able to mix Classic Country with Bluegrass and constantly come up with hit after hit after hit. If you're a fan of them then I don't have to tell. If you're not, and enjoy this type of music you will appreciate this double CD. Some of my favorite songs include: Tennessee Stud & Pins And Needles (In My Heart). This is what music sounds like! Rating: - * glad to have it on disc ... had this album set and glad it was offered on cd's,now i can whistle the tunes again!! Rating: - * Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, great in these recordings. ... I bought these c.d.'s when they were released, but my daughter is always borrowing it from me, so I finally bought this one, new, to put away for her birthday. I love the casual talk between the artists between songs, and every song is great.I would have loved to have sat in on these recordings.Really Great c.d for "pure" old country.Jimmy Martin,Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs,Pete "Oswald" Kirby and his beautiful dobro,Doc Watson, Vassar Clements, Mother Maybelle, just to name a few who recorded these c.d's.D.Partridge