review by Art Menius

None of the brother duets, so prominent in country music from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, have benefited from as many compact disc reissues as Charlie and Ira, the Louvin Brothers. Perhaps this is because the Louvins, other than the crossover Everly Brothers, were the last of that great tradition. Possibly their use of modern instrumentation, such electric guitar played by the likes of Chet Atkins and Paul Yandell, underneath their authentic harmonies and acoustic mandolin and guitar, helps their music sound fresher than early pairs. No doubt that they racked up legitimate chart hits (eight Top 20s between 1955 and 1958) during the heyday of Elvis, with whom they toured and jammed, helps, as does the tendency of country and bluegrass artists to cover their material. The greatest factor, however, has to be the timeless blend of Ira’s commanding mountain tenor with Charlie’s powerful lead voice. You can enjoy their fantastic work on compact discs reissues of three of their Capitol concept albums.

Tragic Songs of Life proves the first concept LP in country music, coming in 1956 when just the idea of country albums was still brand new. The Louvins had just completed their major breakthrough, joining the Grand Ole Opry and scoring their lone number one hit with "I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby" in 1955. With their first album recorded as such, during May 1956, the Louvin Brothers turned from both contemporary and gospel music, to the old folk songs of their youth – songs like "Katie Dear," "Knoxville Girl" (rejected for a single as too morbid only months before the Kingston Trio released "Tom Dooley"), and "In The Pines." Although the album lacked any hit singles, it has endured as perhaps their strongest performances ever, a flawless blend of modern instrumentation, traditional material, and a vocal style that bridged the decades. Little wonder that John Morthland selected Tragic Songs of Life in 1984 among the 100 best country albums ever.

The Louvins began their recording career as almost exclusively gospel artists. Hits like "My Baby’s Gone" had established their ability as secular performers, but they never abandoned their roots. After deciding that they new sacred material would appear only in long playing format, they followed Tragic Songs of Life with the relatively uninspired Nearer My God To Thee, which did contain a killer rendition of "Are You Washed in the Blood." In 1959 they came back with an extraordinary gospel set, Satan Is Real. Unlike the standards on the previous gospel outing, Satan Is Real presented almost entirely new material from the Louvins and other composers. An astonishing five of these, "Satan’s Jeweled Crown," "The Christian Life," "Are You Afraid to Die," "There’s A Higher Power,: and "The River of Jordan," have themselves become standards covered by artists as diverse as the Byrds, Nicolette Larson, and Joe Val. Their harmonies, of course, work splendidly on sacred material. Satan Is Real is marred only by the maudlin, semi-recitation title song and the inclusion of perhaps one-too-many repentant drunkard titles. Charlie and Ira took especial interest in their album covers and constructed the photo set for Satan Is Real themselves. They did a fine job building a fiery Hell from rocks and burning tires, but then ruined it all with a 12 foot tall red plywood Satan with pitchfork and a gap-toothed grin, looking anything but real.

Fellow Alabamans the Delmore Brothers, who pioneered brother duets, gospel quartets, and hillbilly boogie, exerted a tremendous influence on the Louvins. Assisted by an enthusiastic Alton Delmore, Charlie and Ira released an LP of the Delmores’ best known titles in 1960. The Louvins adapted both their early songs like "Southern Moon" and "Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar" and their later, more rocking material such as "Freight Train Boogie" to their own timeless style. Significantly, A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers appeared before the Delmores’ 78s had begun to reappear on LP. Thus the Louvins not only reaffirmed their position as classic interpreters of older country music, but raised the profile of the older pair. The album still sounds fresh today.

While these albums lack most of their chart hits, one can easily obtain these on the recent Razor & Tie compilation, When I Stop Dreaming. For those you want more, Bear Family has released their entire studio canon in a magisterial boxed set. Releases on Rounder and Copper Creek capture samples from the Louvin Brothers’ radio shows and concerts.

All three Capitol projects sound great in their new digital format. Charles Wolfe, author of the forthcoming Louvin Brothers biography In Close Harmony, provides informative liner notes. Plus, the packages reprint the original covers and liner notes. What more can you want?