Bakersfield genius Buck Owens is best known for his trailblazing, electric honky tonk sound (on top of hamming it up on Hee Haw), but by the late 60s and into the 70s the ever restless Buck tried on a number of different styles – including well known folk rock hits for this set! Rather than adapting tunes by Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Donovan and others as honky tonk numbers, Buck sort of meets the tunes halfway. (That makes sense – why would he take a turn onto a new neighborhood if he wasn't interested in a different path?) He does inject the Buckaroo twang, but he smooths out his usual punchy vocals, and projects a warmth that would have been impossible if Buck wasn't really feeling it. Great stuff – a left turn for both mainstream folk fans and honky tonk purists, but one worth taking! Tracks include "Bridge Over Troubled Waters", "Within My Loving Arms", "The Devil Made Me Do It", "San Francisco Town", "Love Minus Zero-No Limit", "I Am A Rock" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully expansive album from The Incredible String Band – initially performed as a stage project with the Stone Monkey dance troupe, and featuring the ISB at their most evocative and creative! Some tunes have a darker, sinister undercurrent – that link between the band and the acid folk underground – but others are more hippy dippy, with playful touches that still seem to have this undercurrent of evil somehow – an offbeat quality that really marks the special way that British groups like this were taking folk in very odd directions at the time – never losing sight of roots, but still never having the sense of optimism or indulgence of American acts. The double-length set has loads of especially nice instrumental moments – both acoustic and electric – and titles include "Bridge Song", "El Wool Suite", "The Juggler's Song", "Bad Sadie Lee", "Partial Belated Overture", "Walking Along With You", "Invocation", and "Robot Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing music from the greatest chapter of the legendary Louvin Brothers – the kind of work that's made them a legend for generations! Handpicked Songs features Louvin classics chosen by a reverent group of singers and songwriters that really run the gamut – Dolly Parton, Beck, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Hilman, Emmylou Harris, Will Oldham, Zooey Deschanel, The Black Angels, Mark Lanegan, M Ward, and Jim James – but all artists who have been undeniably influenced by Ira and Charlie Louvin, and their way of melding melancholy harmonies into something that goes way beyond everyday country music! The packaging is great – very much up to the Light In The Attic standard – and titles include "Almost Persuaded", "My Baby's Gone", "I See A Bridge", "Knoxville Girl", "Great Atomic Power", and "Alabama". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from the pre-"Behind Closed Doors" years of Charlie Rich at Epic – with titles that include "Big Boss Man", "Hello Darlin", "I Do My Swingin At Home", "I Can't Even Drink It Away", and "Memphis & Arkansas Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

The first Capitol album from rocker Jack Scott, and a set that's full of original tunes that mark a bit of a turn towards country music! (Rock, Folk/Country) LP, Vinyl record album

New Train Same Rider is a set that has Tom T Hall maybe bringing a bit more sentiment to the mix than before – hitting some of those tunes that are still as reflective as his other work, but maybe a bit less pointedly critical – maybe showing a warmer side of Hall as his songwriting career continued to flourish. Yet the album's also got a few key cuts that are really great, too – including his great commentary on all the outlaw singers who were recording outside Nashville – and his great ode to whiskey. Titles include "Burning Bridges", "Dark Hollow", "I'd Rather Die Young", "May The Force Be With You Always", "Come On Back To Nashville", "Mabel You Have Been A Friend To Me", and "I Wish I Loved Somebody Else". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's certainly got it right – as the set's a showcase for the deft string work of these two giants! LP, Vinyl record album