Tony Rice: Must-Have CD's?

[Marty Henrickson]

I'm a big fan of Tony's, and I own many of his CD's. Although I was originally attracted to his great flatpicking, I now enjoy his singing just as much. I am curious as to which of his CD's I should own, but don't (yet). If there is a Tony CD with some tasty mandolin on it, that's even better.

Here's what I already have:

As Tony Rice:
58957: The Bluegrass Guitar Collection
California Autumn
Church Street Blues
Cold On The Shoulder
Guitar
Plays and Sings Bluegrass
Tony Rice

As Tony Rice Unit:
Acoustics
Backwaters
Devlin
Manzanita
Unit Of Measure

With David Grisman / DGQ:
The David Grisman Rounder Compact Disc
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Tone Poems
The David Grisman Quintet
DGQ 25th Year Reunion 02/23/2001 Tacoma, Washington
The Pizza Tapes

With J.D. Crowe & The New South:
Rounder 0044
Holiday In Japan

With Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen:
Out Of The Woodwork
Rice, Rice, Hilllman & Pedersen

With others:
Skaggs & Rice
Blake & Rice
Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2
Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet
Vassar Clements / Tony Rice and the Low Country All-Star Band
Hartford, Rice & Clements (with John Hartford & Vassar Clements)
Lonesome Moonlight (with The Bluegrass Album Band)
Roses In The Snow (with Emmylou Harris)
River Suite For Two Guitars (with John Carlini)
Clawgrass (with Mark Johnson and the Rice Brothers & Friends)
Bluegrass Suspects (with various artists)
The Bluegrass Sessions (with Bela Fleck)

I also have a few single-song downloads.

So, what's the essential Tony Rice I'm missing out on?

[Ronny Stecher]

One of my all time favorites is The Pizza Tapes, fun loosey goosey tunes by the 3 greatly skilled musicians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pizza_Tapes

[Marty Henrickson]

Thanks for reminding me, Ronny, but I've already got that one, it's one of my favorites. I edited my original post.

[Rob Fowler]

Gosh, it looks like you've got most of them already. People should be asking you for what Tony Rice cd's are must have!

[Wolfboy]

About the only ones I can think of that aren't already on your list are "Me and My Guitar" and "Native American," two of my favorites, which I think of as companion volumes. Recorded in 1987 and 1988, emphasis on vocals, lots of singer-songwriter material - seven Gordon Lightfoot songs between the two, plus songs from Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bob Franke, Ian Tyson, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Mary Chapin Carpenter - imagine a darker, mellower "Cold on the Shoulder," or a "Church Street Blues" with a band. Plenty of great instrumental work, of course (they are Tony Rice albums, after all), with mandolin mostly by Jimmy Gaudreau, though Sam Bush shows up here and there too.

[Marty Henrickson]

Gosh, it looks like you've got most of them already. People should be asking you for what Tony Rice cd's are must have!

Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess what I'm looking for is "the best of the rest". I know I need to get all the Bluegrass Album Band stuff, that's a no-brainer, as well as Native American and Me & My Guitar. I'm hoping to find some hidden gem similar to "Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe", in which the title of the album didn't really give away the fact that Monroe himself was playing Monroe, as well.

Robin, thanks for the suggestion and mini-reviews. Those two CD's sit atop my must-buy list, for the time being.

[doc holiday]

Mike Auldridge, "Treasures Untold." Tony sings "Are You Waiting Just for Me," "Walking The Floor Over You," "Driving Nails in My Coffin."
Rickie Simpkins, "Dancing on the fingerboard." Tony sings "He Rode All The Way To Texas," & plays a great "Maiden's Prayer" & "Ashokan Farewell."

[AlanN]

Didn't see:

1968 release, with his uncle's band. Tony was 16 or 17
The first JD Crowe & NS record, has drums on a few cuts
Still Inside and Mar West (although Devlin is both of those)
Hot Dawg
Hot Dawg out takes
Dawg Grass/Dawg Jazz
TRU Live at McCabe's 1982, with JR and Fred Carpenter. Excellent show
Rice, Hartford, Clements, Mark Howard - recent release from Hartford vault, recorded 20 some-odd years ago. Some very good moments

[Christian]

I don't think I saw Larry Rice's first solo album either. "Mr Poverty", great record, I don't know if this has been reissued on CD, if it's not the case, I hope they will. I loved the duet vocals with Larry and Tony, as good as it gets...

[SternART]

Hot Dawg!!! As Alan listed above........this is a fabulous DGQ album, with guests like Stephane Grappelli, Eddie Gomez & Buell Neidlinger. A few years back Acoustic Oasis added all the tunes recorded in the first session with Grappelli, as a new download.

[doc holiday]

The Rice Brothers CDs 1 & 2

[AlanN]

Couple more:

MM Gator Strut
SS - 15th Anniversary Celebration

[taterpicker]

Just one addition - The CD titled "Billy and Bryn Bright" features Tony as well as Vassar and Peter Rowan. It's a great recording with lots of wonderful Tony Rice moments on many Billy Bright original instrumentals. It's a keeper!

[doc holiday]

...."with some tasty mandolin" ....Tony Williamson on mandolin....Vassar C on fiddle (his last recording), & T.R. on guitar...."Vassar Clements/ Tony Rice &The Low Country All-Star Band"....live recording....a little on the rough side but has its moments

[John Duncan]

I really like "Bluegrass Evolution" by JD Crowe and the New South.

How many live shows do you have? I'm not talking about CD's or commercially available. Go to www.sugarmegs.org and search Tony Rice. My favorite stuff is the live JD Crowe 1970's stuff.

[Fretbear]

The Rice Brothers CDs 1 & 2

Absolutely, especially #1, one of my all-time favourite albums. It is a perfect recording, full of fire and heart.

[doc holiday]

For those who appreciate Tony's rhythm chops....Aubrey Haynie "Bluegrass Fiddle" & Donna Hughes "Gaining Wisdom." And for absolutely killer instrumental gospel playing "Crossings"

[mandolirius]

About the only ones I can think of that aren't already on your list are "Me and My Guitar" and "Native American," two of my favorites, which I think of as companion volumes. Recorded in 1987 and 1988, emphasis on vocals, lots of singer-songwriter material - seven Gordon Lightfoot songs between the two, plus songs from Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bob Franke, Ian Tyson, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Mary Chapin Carpenter - imagine a darker, mellower "Cold on the Shoulder," or a "Church Street Blues" with a band. Plenty of great instrumental work, of course (they are Tony Rice albums, after all), with mandolin mostly by Jimmy Gaudreau, though Sam Bush shows up here and there too.

Yeah, couldn't agree more on these two. Really my favourite Tony Rice records, and there are a lot of good ones.

[AlanN]

Another one he guested on is Darol Anger's Fiddlistics, 1979. If nothing else, the opening groove on Key Signator is worth every penny.

[AlanN]

Church Street Blues was mentioned. This is just a watershed event, recorded at the height of his prowress as a singing guitarist, early 80's. Great songs, powerful, stripped-down renditions. He had done the bluegrass, done the Dawg, done the spacegrass. To come up with the concept and execution of this record was simply phenomenal, and only he could have done it.

Had his voice not deteriorated so profoundly, no telling what he would have done along these lines going forward.

[Marty Henrickson]

Church Street Blues was mentioned. This is just a watershed event, recorded at the height of his prowress as a singing guitarist, early 80's. Great songs, powerful, stripped-down renditions. He had done the bluegrass, done the Dawg, done the spacegrass. To come up with the concept and execution of this record was simply phenomenal, and only he could have done it.

Had his voice not deteriorated so profoundly, no telling what he would have done along these lines going forward.

You are absolutely right, Alan. I find Tony to be one of the best "song interpreters" I know of. Hearing the song "Pride Of Man" from this CD on the way to work Friday morning is the event that inspired this thread.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I knew this forum would be a great source of info on this subject. I also received a link to an extremely detailed online discography via PM. At about the same time, I remembered the extensive discography in Still Inside (I can't believe I hadn't thought of that earlier ). But it's great to get the extra info you guys provided. Needless to say, I have plenty of CD's to add to my collection now.

[Gerry Hastie]

Definitely Hot Dawg as mentioned. I recently got it and have barely had it off the CD player/iPod. It's amazing - for everything on it! Nice collection you have already!

[Markus]

Bluegrass Album Band #6/instrumentals came on yesterday, and I thought of this thread.

That's some great playing. Some of those tunes are covered on Tony's 58957 collection, but it reminded me of how awesome those BAB albums are. If you don't have many of those - once you've completed `official' Tony you will be happy to know the Bluegrass Album Band stuff has more treasures yet to find.

I'm thankful for this thread - it's nice having it so neatly put together, commentary too.

[Marty Henrickson]

Bluegrass Album Band #6/instrumentals came on yesterday, and I thought of this thread.

That's some great playing. Some of those tunes are covered on Tony's 58957 collection, but it reminded me of how awesome those BAB albums are. If you don't have many of those - once you've completed `official' Tony you will be happy to know the Bluegrass Album Band stuff has more treasures yet to find.

I'm thankful for this thread - it's nice having it so neatly put together, commentary too.

"Official" Tony - that's a good way to put it! I should've titled the thread, "Which of the remaining "official" and "unofficial" Tony CD's should I buy first?

Since Markus brought up Bluegrass Album Band, are there any recommendations on their CD's? All I have is "Lonesome Moonlight".

[Philippe Bony]

This two CD set (DGQ Live 1979) is a gem...