The Sons of the Pioneers: Country Music Hall of Fame

The most perfect collection of the Sons of the Pioneers' early work — which is their best work — available, 16 songs, half of which were recorded during the early and mid-'30s by the original group of Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, Roy Rogers (then known as Leonard Slye), Lloyd Perryman, and Hugh and Karl Farr. No collection of theirs could open with anything stronger than the first two songs the Pioneers ever cut, "Way Out There" and the original, never-to-be-duplicated version of "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." They and the original version of "Cool Water" all rely on the Pioneers' three-part harmonies and their own instruments (acoustic guitars, fiddle, upright bass), sounding like musical gold pouring out of a portal from another age. Some of the songs are topical and, in their way, rather poignant reminders of the Great Depression, such as "When Our Old Age Pension Check Comes to Our Door." Other highlights include "There's a Round-Up in the Sky," "Ride Ranger Ride," "Private Buckaroo" (a topical song about World War II), "When the Moon Comes Over Sun Valley," and one previously unreleased gospel gem from their 1954 stay at Coral Records, "Somebody Bigger Than You and I."