Tragic Songs of Life is the debut album by American country music duo The Louvin Brothers, released in 1956. "Knoxville Girl" was released as a single three years later and reached number 19 on the Billboard Country Singles chart.[1]
| Tragic Songs of Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1956 | |||
| Recorded | May 2–4, 1956 | |||
| Studio | Bradley's Recording Studios (later Columbia Studios Nashville) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:55 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Ken Nelson | |||
| The Louvin Brothers chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
 Cover of the CD reissue. | ||||
| Singles from Tragic Songs of Life | ||||
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History
editHaving previously recorded one single for Apollo Records and a series of sides for Decca, the Louvins signed with Capitol Records in 1952. They recorded over ten singles for Capitol, with the earliest all Gospel songs, before "When I Stop Dreaming" became their first secular release in 1955. Tragic Songs of Life was their Capitol debut,[3] and served as somewhat of a concept album, drawing heavily on artists they admired such as Bill Monroe, The Monroe Brothers, The Blue Sky Boys, and The Callahan Brothers.[2][4] The majority of the songs are tragic heartbreak and misfortune songs and classic murder ballads.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
| No Depression | (A)[2] |
Mark Deming stated in his Allmusic review "...this is a landmark of traditional country music that remains powerful more than fifty years after it was recorded."[1] Don Yates of No Depression magazine singled out the Louvins' version of “In The Pines” writing "It’s perhaps their most powerful rendering of traditional folk music’s bleak vision of a dark and forlorn land, where love is absent and death is the only certainty. It’s the centerpiece of what is arguably the Louvins' finest album."[2] The album is also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[3]
Reissues
edit- In 1992, all of the tracks from Tragic Songs of Life were included in the Close Harmony 8-CD box set issued by Bear Family Records.
- Tragic Songs of Life was reissued on CD by Capitol in 1996.
- Tragic Songs of Life was reissued on CD by Raven records in 2007 along with Satan Is Real. Four bonus tracks were included.[5]
Track listing
edit- "Kentucky" (Karl Davis) – 2:40
- "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (A. P. Carter) – 3:14
- "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" (Traditional) – 2:55
- "What Is Home Without Love" (Traditional) – 3:00
- "A Tiny Broken Heart" (Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin, Eddie Hill) – 2:34
- "In the Pines" (Traditional, Alan Riggs) – 3:15
- "Alabama" (C. Louvin, I. Louvin, Hill) – 2:43
- "Katie Dear" (William Bolick) – 2:34
- "My Brother's Will" (Ken Nelson) – 3:16
- "Knoxville Girl" (Traditional) – 3:49
- "Take the News to Mother" (Walter "Joe" Callahan, Homer "Bill" Callahan, W. R. Caloway) – 2:48
- "Mary of the Wild Moor" (Traditional, Dennis Turner) – 3:11
Personnel
edit- Charlie Louvin – vocals, guitar
- Ira Louvin – vocals, mandolin
- Paul Yandell – guitar
Production notes:
- Ken Nelson – producer
- John Johnson – reissue producer
References
edit- ^ a b c d Deming, Mark. "Tragic Songs of Life > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Yates, Don (September–October 1996). "Review: Louvin Brothers: Tragic Songs of Life/A Tribute to the Delmore Brothers/Satan is Real". No Depression (5). Archived from the original on 2009-07-28.
- ^ a b Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ^ "Louvin Brothers - Singles Discography". Retrieved January 23, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ Deming, Mark. "Reissue of Tragic Songs of Life/Satan Is Real > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 18, 2009.