Born in the lower reaches of Appalachia in East Alabama, Ira and Charlie Louvin brought gospel-fed mountain harmonies to the table when they made the switch from gospel to secular material in the early to mid-'60s, and their close harmony approach became the model for later successful vocal duos... [+] Expand

Born in the lower reaches of Appalachia in East Alabama, Ira and Charlie Louvin brought gospel-fed mountain harmonies to the table when they made the switch from gospel to secular material in the early to mid-'60s, and their close harmony approach became the model for later successful vocal duos like the Everly Brothers. No vocal duo before or since, however, has ever come close to matching the edgy and intangible intensity of Ira and Charlie's singing, which reached into the heart and soul of everything they touched. This impressive 30-track set collects every major song they recorded for Capitol Records between 1955 and 1964, the period on which their considerable legacy rests. Most of these were singles, but the Louvin Bothers were unique for their time by also assembling albums with great care, making them essentially concept productions (the two most notable being Tragic Songs of Life and Satan Is Real, neither of which was a random set of songs), and some of those album tracks are here, as well. Every cut is a highlight (these guys could have sung a grocery list and made it sound eerie, edgy and beautiful), but obvious standouts include Ira's stunning "When I Stop Dreaming" from 1955, the striking "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby," also from 1955, "Cash on the Barrelhead," and "You're Running Wild," both from 1956, "The Christian Life" (notably covered by Gram Parsons while he was with the Byrds) from 1958, "If I Could Only Win Your Love" (which became Emmylou Harris' first solo hit in a later cover version) from 1959, and the powerful and disturbing "Must You Throw Dirt in My Face" from 1962. It is a measure of Ira and Charlie's considerable talent that they were even able to put the traditional "Knoxville Girl" on the charts as late as 1959, and it is hard to imagine any other recording act of the day pulling that off in the face of rock & roll. It's virtually impossible to pick up a bad Louvin Brothers collection, they were so consistent, but this one is more than adequate, capturing one of America's greatest vocal duos at their best. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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