Joe Val recommendations?

[Rob Fowler]

Hi all,
I've heard a lot about Joe Val but haven't really heard any of his stuff and am wondering what some of you familiar with his music would recommend. I've started off just downloading "Sparkling Brown Eyes" from this site. Anybody else have any recommendations on these or maybe others that aren't found at that site or maybe still in print? Thanks in advance!

[Andy B]

Some years ago Rounder issued a CD anthology of 25 of the songs Joe had recorded for that label, called "Diamond Joe" Rounder CD 11537 (1995). It's a nice overview of his career with the label, which spanned nearly 15 years. He could really sing, and he had a nice bluesy style on the mandolin. Lots of good band members in the New England Bluegrass Boys too.

[Rob Fowler]

Thanks for the recommendation, Andy B!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Don't forget the famous recording that Joe Val & his band made of songs by the Beatles - "Beatle Country" by The Charles River Valley Boys. It's worth it just to hear the feudin' & gun shots in "Yeller Submarine",
Ivan

[Rob Fowler]

Thanks, Ivan! Is that album still in print?

[AlanN]

Joe is an acquired taste, imo. Sort of like Monroe.

Beatle Country (long o.o.p.) surely deserves a listen, as it was a very seminal record back then, sounds a bit dated now.

His One Morning In May on Rounder has stellar band work, very clear mandolinisms and a great version of I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby.

[grassrootphilosopher]

...Rounder issued a CD anthology ...called "Diamond Joe" Rounder CD 11537 (1995). ...

Check it out on amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Joe-Val/dp/B0000003MO

Don't forget the famous recording that Joe Val & his band made of songs by the Beatles - "Beatle Country" by The Charles River Valley Boys. It's worth it just to hear the feudin' & gun shots in "Yeller Submarine",

Ivan

While it is a great album it´s not in print as far as I know. I also wouldn´t say it´s typical for Joe Val.

Joe is an acquired taste, imo. Sort of like Monroe.

Beatle Country (long o.o.p.) surely deserves a listen, as it was a very seminal record back then, sounds a bit dated now.

His One Morning In May on Rounder has stellar band work, very clear mandolinisms and a great version of I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby.

One Morning In May is quite good. The "Live In Holland" album is also very nice: http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-in-holland-r305716

I wouldn´t generalize that Joe Val is "acquired taste" other than everything is "acquired". The singing is not what most people might be used to. His mandolin playing is traditional bluegrass mandolin. Monroe as "acquired taste"... makes me think... Could you elaborate more please.

[AlanN]

What I meant was that Joe had a very distinctive singing style. Joe, Bill, Goins, early Red Allen, other first gen (or close) artists are from the era of 'that' sound: sort of primal, strident, high, lonesome (at least vocally) that many find tough to swallow, at first: the keening, at-the-upper-range vocal sound. Not too smooth, or easy on the ears, to many. Bands like J&J, the Osbornes, (even F&S, to a point), JD Crowe and others strove to 'smooth it out' (hence the 'New South' sobriquet).

Mandolinistically, Joe was the man. I liken his playing to Monroe, Dorsey Harvey and Frank: hard-core, virtuousic and tough. He was a great cross-picker, too.

I personally dig the primal thing (in small doses, like everything else).

[Ivan Kelsall]

From AlanN - "Joe had a very distinctive singing style...". He could remove the wax from your ears at 100 yards,
Ivan

[Rob Fowler]

Thanks all for the recommendations. So far I've downloaded "Bound To Ride," "Cold Wind," and "Sparkling Brown Eyes" from the site that I noted in my first post and have been enjoying them immensely. I've listened to a lot of Bill so it didn't take much to "aquire a taste" for his singing style. He really has an amazing tenor: very clear and strident and you can tell that he would "remove the wax from your ears at 100 yards" like Ivan so descriptively described. He's obviously got that classic bluegrass mandolin tone and style, also. Glad I finally took the time to listen to him. Thanks all!!!

[allenhopkins]

My Val recordings (vinyl) are both of his "early" years with the Charles River Valley Boys: Bluegrass Get-Together on Prestige and Beatle Country on Elektra. He was also a band member on Bill Keith & Jim Rooney's Livin' On the Mountain, also Prestige. The CRVB did some really nice stuff for a "city-billy" band, and Val also did quite a bit of gigging with Rooney and Herb Applin as a quasi-bluegrass Louvin-style trio. Don't know if they ever recorded.

Most of these recordings are find-able, especially Beatle Country, which was on a major label and reissued as a CD. There are a couple of "Boston bluegrass" Prestige/Folklore reissues that have CRVB cuts on them.

[Rob Fowler]

My Val recordings (vinyl) are both of his "early" years with the Charles River Valley Boys: Bluegrass Get-Together on Prestige and Beatle Country on Elektra. He was also a band member on Bill Keith & Jim Rooney's Livin' On the Mountain, also Prestige. The CRVB did some really nice stuff for a "city-billy" band, and Val also did quite a bit of gigging with Rooney and Herb Applin as a quasi-bluegrass Louvin-style trio. Don't know if they ever recorded.

Most of these recordings are find-able, especially Beatle Country, which was on a major label and reissued as a CD. There are a couple of "Boston bluegrass" Prestige/Folklore reissues that have CRVB cuts on them.

Allen, thanks for the further info. I'll have to look or the Charles River Valley Boys and Livin' On the Mountain. Ivan is being very kind and sending me a copy of Beatle Country which is just so nice. Thank you again, Ivan!