Search - LIVE IN GERMANY on DVD

The Osbornes having fun with their music in Germany in July,

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 04/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A very good value, this is actually a 2-CD plus DVD set (3 discs total). Kentuckian Bobby Osborne began his music career in 1949 with The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers. Sonny Osborne joined the group a year later at age thirteen. When The Osborne Brothers played Streekermoor, Germany on July 30, 1989, they had already been members of the Grand Ole Opry for 25 years and "Rocky Top" had been the designated state song of Tennessee for five years. Thus, these legendary bluegrass musicians were ambassadors for the genre, and they were greeted in the small venue on a rainy Sunday night by an extremely friendly and appreciative crowd. Along with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, the band had been touring throughout Europe. The Saturday night before this show they had played Switzerland, and then a 600-mile drive was required to reach this engagement in Germany. The CD jacket includes some interesting anecdotes and recollections such as Sonny's and Bobby's memories of traveling with Monroe.

At the time, the Osbornes' band also included Terry Eldredge (guitar, vocals), Terry Smith (bass), and Steve Thomas (fiddle). Thomas, Eldredge and Smith would've joined up with them about 1988, a year before this tour. From Indiana, Terry Eldredge had previously played with Lonzo & Oscar, and he was appearing on the Grand Ole Opry before he was even old enough to vote. Terry's tenure with The Osborne Brothers spanned the period from 1988-2000. He'd began with them as their bass player but switched to guitar when Terry Smith joined up. The 1981 Virginia State Fiddle Champ Steve Thomas had previously played with Del McCoury's Dixie Pals, Jim & Jesse, Lost & Found, and The Whites. He was with The Osborne Brothers from 1988-91. Besides hearing all their classic favorites like Kentucky, Listening to the Rain, Georgia Mules and Country Boys, Midnight Flyer, Tennessee Hound Dog, and Rocky Top, the show offers a number of special treats for fans. I especially enjoyed twin fiddles (Sonny and Steve) on "Your Love is Like a Flower," an 8-minute jamgrass version of "Nine Pound Hammer," Terry Smith's lead vocals on "Blue Ridge Cabin Home," and Terry Eldredge's lead vocals on three numbers (Muddy Bottom, If I Should Wander Back, Listening to the Rain).

In 2004, the audio and video for the 1989 show were brought to the attention of Sonny Osborne and the owner of the Pinecastle label, Tom Riggs. Rather than allow the show to be sold to the Bear Family label and put out without editing and mastering, Sonny and Tom decided to work with the raw products that had been recorded on a one-track tape machine and grainy video camera. Considerable work was needed to make this 2-CD and DVD set ready for marketing. While it still leaves a little to be desired, kudos to all those involved (like John Eberle who did the mastering) to make this a viable product. Charlie Cushman and Terry Smith overdubbed rhythm guitar and bass. Fiddler Glen Duncan was called in to fix a spot in "Nearer My God To Thee." You get the idea. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like much could be done with the video, but it still captures the energy and excitement of a live Osborne Brothers show. Although the liner notes only indicate that there are ten cuts on the DVD, it actually has 30 tracks with almost all of the songs included. I'm not sure why there is this discrepancy between the CD jacket and actual video. The DVD even includes some songs that aren't listed on the CDs such as Nine Pound Hammer, Say Ol' Man, My Favorite Memory, and Rock of Ages.

Sonny's liner notes state "that this live show is so typical...we always tried to have fun with our music...enjoy ourselves and one another." I understand that this is just the first of several unreleased Osborne Brothers recordings that Pinecastle will put out in the future. I certainly look forward to seeing and hearing what else they find in the archives. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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