Top bluegrass Mandolin recordings

[Dan Cole]

I'm just curious what are folk's favorite bluegrass recordings/albums with prominent mandolin playing. I'm looking for ones I don't have and hopefully can acquire.
A sampling, and not in any order.
1. Backroad Mandolin - Jack Tottle
2. Tone Poems 1 - Grisman/Rice (bluegrassy)
3. Back Porch Bluegrass - Dillards
4. Ragged but Right - Greenbriar Boys (Love "A Minor Breakdown")
5. 4 CD set - Bill Monroe
6. Manzanita - Tony Rice
I'm sure there are more, I look forward to your responses.
Cheers.

[Bobbie Dier]

Hows about Jimmy( god I have to go upstairs and see how to spell his name) Gaudreau. Mandolin album. It has some good tunes on it. It has a few old tunes with new twists to learn. My fav is Blackberry Rag.
ima

[Zed]

Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza. Absolute must-have.

[mandolooter]

Dan...I'd love to hear that Jack Tottle some day...give me a buzz. Im starting another jam up on Wed at my shop in Garden City. The info should be up on the IBA website soon but drop me a line.
Jeff

[jim simpson]

I never tire of listening to Mike Compton and David Grier, anything by Tim O'Brien w/Hot Rize, Rambler's Blues by The Laurel Canyon Ramblers and anything by Joni Mitchell (just kidding on the last one!)

[mikeh]

Heartbreaktown-Ronnie McCoury
Any Sam Bush solo albums
KitchenTapes-Red Allen/Frank Wakefield
Climbing the Walls-Mike Compton/David Grier

[Don Grieser]

Bill Monroe, Master of Bluegrass: great instrumental recording. Out of print, you might find a cassette, never on CD.

Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe: another great instrumental recording, available on CD.

Red Allen/Frank Wakefield, Bluegrass (reissued as the Red Allen Anthology (?) by Smithsonian Folkways) The kickoff to Little Maggie is worth the price of the whole CD.

[Chris "Bucket" Thomas]

"anything by Tim O'Brien w/Hot Rize"

I have not listened to much Hot Rize-I looked at the local store & there were too many selections. I lack a good Hot Rize education.

If you had to name one Hot Rize CD as a must have (to get started)………


Chris

[zeke]

Forget Hot Rize, they were just the opening band for Red Knucles and the Trailblazers. Now they were the STARS!

[Mteresko]

Appalachian Swing by The Kentucky Colonels remains one of my all time favorites. See the recent string about Roland White.

[jim simpson]

zeke,
That's very funny, of course Red Knuckles trumps their back-up band.
Bucket,
I would start with their last recording "So Long Of A Journey" which is live and covers material from previous studio releases. A live performance by this group and Red Knuckles was an experience. Yes, I am a Knucklehead!

[mingusb1]

As for Hot Rize, "Take it Home" is my fave.

Check out an old Del McCoury recording called "My Dixie Home". Before the days of the family in the band, but just some excellent straight-ahead bluegrass playing. #Great mando stuff I think.

Z

[mandopete]

All right, I'll chuck in my 2 cents......

Anything by John Reischman

[danb]

I'd suggest the two CDs by Skip Gorman "The Old Style Mandolin". I've got many many mandolin recordings, I've been re-playing Skip's stuff more than any of them..

[mandopete]

Hey Dan - I was going to add the Skip Gorman recordings to the list as well!

[Spencer]

I really like Jesse Brock's album Kickin' Grass, play it a lot, and recommend it highly. In addition to his wonderful technique, I like the variety in it. I also highly recommend the 2 Rounder releases featuring one of Jesse's (and my) inspirations: Nate Bray, from Red Cravens and the Bray Brothers. (419 W Main and Prairie Bluegrass). These recordings were originally made about 40 years old, yet still fresh and vibrant.

Spencer

[LarryWilliams]

I can think of two other artists not mentioned here:

Doyle Lawson - Tennessee Dreams (all instrumental mandolin)now on CD

Herschel Sizemore - Bounce Away (not sure if on CD)
# # # # # # # # # # # # # ## #- Back in Business (on CD)

[John Rosett]

"andy's ramble" by andy statman.
a really overlooked album by one of the greatest mandolinists of all time. even though he rarely shows it, andy knows more about traditional bluegrass mandolin than most of us ever will.
john

[mrbook]

The two Folkways recordings with live Bill Monroe - one with the Bluegrass Boys live, the other is Bill Monroe and Doc Watson Live are excellent.

An old County album - Norman Blake and Red Rector - is also fine. I'm not sure if it has been reissued on CD

[Joel Glassman]

John Reischmann 'Up in the Woods' (Corvus 006).
This is a great recording of instrumentals.

[Joe Parker]

all of the Longview recordings and the Dreadful Snakes

JPP

[Rick Schmidlin]

Anything with Bill Monroe with Earl and Lester or after that with JM.

Then everything else!

Rick

[om21ed]

Skaggs and Rice duet,