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
Monroe standards).
Lester Flatt,
Earl Scruggs,
Chubby Wise,
Clyde Moody, and other
Bluegrass Boys alumni all make appearances, and nearly all of
Monroe'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.