Flatt & Scruggs: The Complete Mercury Recordings

"The only thing cooler than getting Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs' entire 28 song catalog for Mercury Records in one package is the fact that they recorded all these bluegrass staples between 1948 and 1950, immediately after leaving Bill Monroe's band the Blue Grass Boys. Sure, it's a reissue of 1992's Complete Mercury Sessions, but unlike that one, this particular compilation is sequenced in chronological order and it also sounds noticeably better (someone actually did the remastering right). You really get a feel for how much the innovative banjo technique of Scruggs' rapid fire playing set the bar high on songs like ""Foggy Mountain Breakdown"" and ""Farewell Blues."" Gospel songs like ""God Loves His Children,"" ""I'll Be Going To Heaven Sometime,"" and ""Back to the Cross"" get out that old-time religion with toe-tapping fun, while seminal mountain-music staples like ""Old Salty Dog Blues"" showcase the uncanny chemistry that thrived among Flatt, Scruggs and their Foggy Mountain boys. Overall, you'd be hard pressed to find a better, more comprehensive collection of Flatt & Scruggs in their prime."