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From the Vault...
11/08/2020
#1750 |
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info
Chet Atkins
"The RCA Years"
© RCA Records
Year of Release: 1992
Rating:
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track listing
Disc One:
Avalon
A Taste Of Honey
Snowbird
El Condor Pasa
Main Street Breakdown
Yakety Axe
Slinkey
Windy And Warm
Chinatown My Chinatown
Country Gentleman
Blue Angel
Black Mountain Rag
Good Stuff
Cascade
Jerry's Breakdown
Vincent
Disc Two:
Sweet Georgia Brown
Terry On The Turnpike
Do I Ever
Cross Your Mind
Boo Boo Stick Beat
Floatin' Down To
Cotton Town
Swedish Rhapsody
Little Music Box/Lagrima
Junk
The Boxer
Wimoweh
Nine Pound Hammer
Jitterbug Waltz
Take Five
Don't Monkey
'Round My Widder
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Chet Atkins
"The RCA Years"
Chet Atkins makes his debut this week, as he was one of the greatest guitarist in modern music. He started before Rock n Roll; (so did Les Paul, as he, and
Chet recorded together.) Chet Atkins' The RCA Years (a 2-disc set) takes a look at his recordings for RCA Records, from 1947 to 1981. And like Les Paul,
Atkins was an instrumentalist, and a great one, he was. My only complaint: The songs were not in chronological order. This doesn't make it a bad album,
obviously, yet it looks at an astonishing and great career of a guitar legend. To classify his music, it would be more in the Country category, for most songs.
Disc one start with guitar duet with Les Paul, and it's interesting that Les says, "You see that red light on? That means we're on the air." In fact, they
stop halfway through the song, for a brief chat, then continue playing. They even chat over the music, in parts. They break out in laughter at the end, and it
seems that these "dirty old men" (as it was shouted out), are just having a gret time. A great start, for this compilation.
One of my favorite instrumentals by Chet, is his version of "A Taste Of Honey." It's smooth, it's clean, it's Chet, a great guitarist. Another great
and impressive cover tune, is "Snowbird," made famous (vocally) by Anne Murray. Again, the guitar pickin' is just awesome. Then there's the spanish-influenced
"El Condor Pasa." Spanish guitar, at its finest. "Main Street Breakdown" is yet another, great guitar pickin' tune. "Yakety Axe" is Chet's
version of the Benny Hill Theme Song! Boots Randolph co-wrote and recorded this song originially, as "Yakety Sax," being a saxophone player. "Axe" is known
as another word for the guitar. "Slinkey" is one of those SMOOOTH Rock tune instrumentals. Just smooth.
Good guitar pickin' gets the next track, "Windy And Warm." More of the (fast) guitar pickin' -- "Chinatown, My Chinatown" A full orchestra joins
Chet on "Country Gentleman" And that orchestra was conducted by the famous Arthur Fiedler, and the Boston Pops. More great guitar pickin' on "Blue Angel,"
and if you can pick at the guitar as Chet did, you would just be another great guitarist. "Black Mountain Rag" is another good Country pickin' tune.
"Good Stuff" is just what it's title says. Another reason, is Jerry Reed helps out. It's a "Swamp Country" sounding tune. Jerry, of course, was famous in
the Burt Reynolds movies, such as "Smokey And The Bandit," "W.W. & The Dixie Dancekings," and the Cannonball Run movies. He also had a successful
career as a singer and songwriter. His country hits were "When You're Hot You're Hot," "She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft," "Amos Moses," "East Bound And
Down."
Can we ever get enough of Chet's great pickin'? Obviously, NOT! "Cascade" is another one. And add another one, to "Jerry's Breakdown," as Jerry
Reed helps out again. "Vincent" is the Don McLean remake, and it is just plain beautiful, ending Disc 1.
"Sweet Georgia Brown" starts off the second disc, as I remember this tune being the Harlem Globetrotters Theme. Chet puts his own style to this one, making
it his own. "Turn On The Turnpike" (with Boots Randolph) is a Country picker, as it could be a theme song for a TV show. Country has "Do I Ever Cross
Your Mind." It has to be Country, as Dolly Parton takes the lead vocal. "Boo Boo Stick Beat" has a more Rock feel, maybe even Jazz. And the drumming
of the bongos on this tune is also a standout. "Floatin' Down To Cotton Town" is another great Country picker.
"Swedish Rhapsody" is one of those tunes, that when you hear it, "Oh yeah, this one I remember, but don't remember who it's by, originally." Another
great pickin' tune, by the great Chet Atkins. "Little Music Box/Lagrima" is more laid back, and it does sound like a song you would hear, from a music box.
Beautiful... "Junk" is another nice and easy sounding tune. And when I saw the title of this song, I asked, "Is this the Paul McCartney song?" The answer,
"Yes." Another beautiful instrumental. ("Junk" originally appeared on Paul's first solo album, McCartney, 1970.) And another familiar songtitle,
"The Boxer" -- Simon & Garfunkel. Once again, Mr. Atkins puts his own touch on the S&G classic. "Wimoweh" is another title of another classic oldie,
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight," originally by The Tokens. Good ol' pickin again, at its finest.
Merle Travis was one of the early Country singers, and, like Chet Atkins, he was a fellow guitar player, similar to the pickin' style. He had 2 number one
songs on the Country chart, in 1946: "Divorce Me C.O.D." and "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed". He helps out with Chet, on "Nine Pound
Hammer." A true, early Country-sounding, with a honky-tonk guitar backdrop. It's cool, as Merle talks his way throughout the song. Chet and Merle recorded
together, in 1974, as Merle's success was decades earlier. Chet gets the orchestra treatment on "Jitterbug Waltz," conducted by Dennis Farnon. "Take
Five" is the classic Dave Brubeck song, where instead of the horns, it's the guitar. Chet Atkins' guitar. Ending this compilation is "Don't Monkey 'Round My
Widder, with Doc Watson. What's a wiider, you ask? A widow. "Don't monkey 'round my widder, WHEN I'M GONE." Doc's vocalizing resembles Willie Nelson. Yes,
it's a true Country tune...
Below is the "Chronological Listing" of the tracks (by Date) from Chet Atkins' The RCA Years, 1947-1981:
| Date | Song Title | Source, Year of Release | Disc 1 or 2 |
| 10/13/49 | Main Street Breakdown | Now And Then
Compilation, 1972 | 1, Track 5 |
| 07/30/52 | Chinatown, My Chinatown | Now And Then
Compilation, 1972 | 1, Track 9 |
| 05/03/58 | Slinkey | Now And Then
Compilation, 1972 | 1, Track 7 |
10/23/58,
overdubbed c. 1959 | Jitterbug Waltz | Chet Atkins In Hollywood
1959 | 2, Track 12 |
| 07/25/59 | Boo Boo Stick Beat | Now And Then
Compilation, 1972 | 2, Track 4 |
| 10/22/56 | Swedish Rhapsody | The Best Of Chet Atkins
Compilation, 1964 | 2, Track 6 |
| 10/05/61 | Windy And Warm | Down Home, 1962 | 1, Track 8 |
| 06/01/64 | Wimoweh | My Favorite Guitars, 1964 | 2, Track 10 |
| 04/23/65 | Yakety Axe | More Of That Guitar Country, 1965 | 1, Track 6 |
| 06/10/65 | Country Gentleman
w/Arthur Fiedler &
The Boston Pops Orchestra | The "Pops" Goes Country, 1966 | 1, Track 10 |
| 03/23/66 | A Taste Of Honey | It's A Guitar World, 1967 | 1, Track 2 |
07/14/67,,
07/18/67 | Little Music Box/Lagrima | Class Guitar, 1967 | 2, Track 7 |
| 05/24/68 | Blue Angel | Hometown Guitar, 1968 | 1, Track 11 |
| 11/23/70 | El Condor Pasa | For The Good Times And Other Country Moods, 1971 | 1, Track 4 |
| 12/11/70 | Snowbird | For The Good Times And Other Country Moods, 1971 | 1, Track 3 |
| 06/01/71 | Floatin' Down To Cotton Town | Pickin' My Way, 1970 | 2, Track 5 |
| 07/14/71 | Black Mountain Rag | Pickin' My Way, 1970 | 1, Track 12 |
| 07/15/71 | Junk | Pickin' My Way, 1970 | 2, Track 8 |
| 07/15/71 | The Boxer | Pickin' My Way, 1970 | 2, Track 9 |
| 11/05/71 | Jerry's Breakdown
w/Jerry Reed | Me And Chet
Collaboration w/Jerry Reed, 1971 | 1, Track 15 |
| 02/28/72 | Good Stuff
w/Jerry Reed | Me And Chet
Collaboration w/Jerry Reed, 1971 | 1, Track 13 |
| 02/27/73 | Take Five | Alone,1973 | 2, Track 13 |
| 01/23/74 | Nine Pound Hammer
w/Merle Travis | The Atkins Travis Traveling Show
Collaboration, 1974 | 2, Track 11 |
| 05/07/75 | Avalon
w/Les Paul | The Best Of Chet Atkins And Friends
Compilation, 1976 | 1, Track 1 |
| 07/23/76 | Cascade | Me And My Guitar, 1977 | 1, Track 14 |
| 07/23/76 | Terry On The Turnpike
w/Boots Randolph | The Best Of Chet Atkins And Friends
Compilation, 1976 | 2, Track 2 |
| 09/03/76 | Sweet Georgia Brown
w/Lenny Breau | The Best Of Chet Atkins And Friends
Compilation, 1976 | 2, Track 1 |
| 09/03/76 | Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
w/Dolly Parton | The Best Of Chet Atkins And Friends
Compilation, 1976 | 2, Track 3 |
| 05/24/77 | Vincent | Me And My Guitar, 1977 | 1, Track 16 |
| 09/26/79 | Don't Monkey 'Round My Widder
w/Doc Watson | Reflections
Collaboration w/Doc Watson, 1980 | 2, Track 14 |
A great collection, of one of the finest and greatest early guitar players. His picking style was his trademark. He has been influenced by many. A great
guitarist, and he was also a record producer. He won Grammys, and other awards, mostly in the Country genre. The RCA Years (1947-1981) is a great compilation
of Atkins' guitar works, and collaborations with other artists. He would become known as "Mister Guitar." And that name definitely fitted him, being an excellent
(pickin') guitar player. His main website is that name - misterguitar.com. He continued performing in the
1990s, until 1996, when he was diagnosed (again) with colon cancer. Chet Atkins passed away in 2001, at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 77.
Hear how he would become "Mister Guitar," from The RCA Years. Whether you are a guitar player, or just want to be one, Chet Atkins would be a great
influence. A truly remarkable and gifted musician. Chet Atkins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and the
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, as he should. His legacy will inspire many future guitar players to come.
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