Bear Family does it again – coming up with a sublime selection of vocal tunes from 50s and 60s westerns – mostly films, but with a few TV tunes thrown in for good measure! We're surprised at how much we like this stuff – and it segues nicely not only with our love of soundtracks, but also our appreciation of classic American singers – because when you see who's on the set, you'll be surprised at the voices they get! Titles include "The Hanging Tree" by Marty Robbins, "I'm A Runaway" by Tab Hunter, "Ballad Of Paladin" by Johnny Western, "The Searchers" by Sons Of The Pioneers, "The Legend Of Shenandoah" by Jimmy Stewart, "My Rifle My Pony & Me" by Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson, "North To Alaska" by Johnny Horton, "Bonanza" by Lorne Greene, "Cowboy" by Dickson Hall, "Roll On Texas Moon" by Roy Rogers, "The Rebel Johnny Yuma" by Johnny Cash, and "Nevada Smith" by Merle Kilgore. (Soundtracks, Folk/Country) CD

A fantastic run of records – music that firmly established John Prine as one of the most inventive singer/songwriters of the 70s! Prine rose up out of the Chicago folk scene of the 60s – but he soon became something different than just a folk or country singer – even though he was admired strongly by both worlds of music. Instead, John's songs took on this new sense of wit and bite learned from folk, but delivered in a style that was maybe less preachy – but also not as rural as the vibe of country tunesmiths who were changing things up at the time. There's definitely echoes of the work of Kris Kristofferson or Shel Silverstein in Prine's words – but the execution is completely his own, and transforms wonderfully over the course of these records – at a level that shows just how much the singer was able to keep ahead of the pack, and keep his contributions relevant over the years. The box features the full albums John Prine, Diamonds In The Rough, Sweet Revenge, Common Sense, Bruised Orange, Pink Cadillac, and Storm Windows – in LP replica sleeves, with new notes, and poster inserts too. CD