Douglas Dillard - The Banjo Album (1970) [Hi-Res]

The Banjo Album is first and foremost an album of traditional bluegrass played by musicians firmly rooted in the work of pioneers like Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, and Bill Monroe. These same musicians, however, are all top-notch, second-generation players influenced by the rock scene. Consequently, Doug Dillard and crew manage to breathe genuine new life into many standards without sacrificing the integrity of the originals. In fact, the musicians not only play ferociously, but often completely reinterpret the old chestnuts, occasionally making them sound even better. In many cases, Dillard employs droning harmonic tonalities characteristic of Indian music and Indian-influenced psychedelic rock guitar. The record also features atypical bluegrass instruments such as harpsichord, harmonica, drums, dembek, and tablas. Rather than coming off as gimmicky, though, the use of exotic instrumentation serves to add exciting new textures and moods to music which, during this pre-"newgrass" period, rarely deviated from very strict stylistic guidelines. Plus, nearly every performance here is simply an all-out jam, with Dillard playing particularly explosively. Special mention should be made of his fantastic version of "Clinch Mountain Backstep," which shows a confidence, boldness, and energy that rivals even the definitive version by Clarence White's Kentucky Colonels.

Musicians:
Doug Dillard: banjo

Guest artists:
Bernie Leadon: guitar
Don Beck: dobro
Gene Clark: harmonica
John Hartford: fiddle
Red Mitchell: bass
Milt Holland: percussion
Andy Belling: harpsichord

1.01 - Douglas Dillard - Train 4500 (4:07)
1.02 - Douglas Dillard - Turkey Knob (1:43)
1.03 - Douglas Dillard - Hard Times (2:01)
1.04 - Douglas Dillard - Home Sweet Home (1:54)
1.05 - Douglas Dillard - Foggy Mountain Breakdown (3:04)
1.06 - Douglas Dillard - Jamboree (1:43)
1.07 - Douglas Dillard - Clinch Mountain Backstep (2:14)
1.08 - Douglas Dillard - Bully of the Town (1:41)
1.09 - Douglas Dillard - Bells of St. Mary (2:12)
1.10 - Douglas Dillard - Banjolina (1:47)
1.11 - Douglas Dillard - With Care from Someone (6:22)
1.12 - Douglas Dillard - Runaway Country (4:07)