Founded in 1933 by
Leonard Slye (who became
Roy Rogers when he left the group in 1937 to become a movie star),
the Sons of the Pioneers had a smooth as silk vocal style and, thanks in no small part to the songwriting skills of group members
Bob Nolan and
Tim Spencer, created a California cowboy landscape that corresponded to the public's perception of a lost Golden Age, much like what another California group,
the Beach Boys, did 30 years later with their surfing and car songs. Songs like "Tumbling Tumbleweed" and "Cool Water" (both written by
Nolan) have become so familiar that they've entered the mythos of the American West itself, and whether any working cowboy ever really sang songs like this or not is largely academic, just as it hardly mattered that
Beach Boy Brian Wilson didn't surf. This four-disc collection from Proper begins with
the Pioneers' first official recordings for Decca in 1934 and carries through to their work for Coral Records in 1954, 100 tracks in all. Included are the big hits "Tumbling Tumbleweed" and "Cool Water" (both songs are presented here in two versions), classic faux-cowboy laments like "Will There Be Sage Brush in Heaven," the marvelous, loopy waltz "Cigareetes, Whusky and Wild (Wild) Women," a sleek version of
Stan Jones' "Riders in the Sky," and a song, "Old Man Atom," that would have been a hit in the early '50s if Senator McCarthy and company hadn't labeled it part of the Communist conspiracy, which effectively ended the song's radio airplay. Fans of the group will be delighted at this set, while casual listeners may find it about 75 tracks too long. The track listing on the sleeve for the final disc of the set is off, which doesn't affect the music at all, but may cause some confusion.