Dr. RALPH STANLEY 

Saturday Night (1992) & Sunday Morning (1992) – R.I.P. 2016

Saturday Night (1992) 
Sunday Morning (1992) 
Stunning Set Of Companion Albums From A Musical God… And His Disciples In other news  . . . . . sorry credit where credit is due this news in from Williard's Wormholes
The great Ralph Stanley passed away last Thursday. You should get these… Ralph Stanley’s fragile, “high lonesome” vocals have historically been nothing short of heartbreaking, while his catalog of compositions – both solo and with his late brother Carter – defines mountain music in all its virtue and glory. There’s certainly no shortage of great albums from Ralph or the legendary Stanley Brothers, but this companion set of 1992 releases –  Saturday Night and Sunday Morning– is just plain essential. The concept should be obvious: a mix of hell-raising secular music side-by-side with the morning after, God-fearing spirituality found in all the best bluegrass & country music. Turns out, the divide isn’t so great after all, as elements of both salvation and damnation find their way into all the songs across both discs. But, that hardly matters, as both albums flow like a single, glorious masterwork. The marketing draw here is supposed to be the gathering of greats (Monroe, Jones, Skaggs, Krauss, Yoakam, Emmylou, Gill & others) – all disciples – performing alongside this Americana deity in the grand Stanley Brothers tradition. And, while the various ensemble performances are spectacular, it’s Stanley himself that anchors these LPs, with nuance so sincere, so steeped in tradition, that even country’s non-believers will recognize its essence and substance. Those who know Ralph via O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Stanley’s a cappella “O Death” and “Angel Band” are heard in the film) will understand. This comes from the two-fer CD reissue available at Amazon, HERE. [available on import only not so much in the UK HERE UK