Cool Water

The Living Stereo Collection was a series of finely crafted LPs from the late fifties and early sixties that took popular songs of that era and added slick orchestral accompaniments for some truly remarkable finished products. This album is no exception.

Cool Water reprises many of the Sons of the Pioneers best loved tunes, including Wagon Wheels, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, the title cut and a dynamic interpretation of Ghost Riders in the Sky. The arrangements add the beauty of stirring strings, subdued brass and haunting woodwinds to the traditional western instruments; guitar, accordian and harmonica. The result is a wonderful musical combination that supports and enhances the incomparable harmonies of the singers.

As with many top groups, the lesser known songs are often like discovering buried treasure. For those not well acquainted with the Sons of the Pioneers, take the time to listen carefully to the almost classical harmonies of Wind, Blue Prairie, Blue Shadows...Read more

There isn't quite enough space in the title box to write the entire title I had in mind: If you don't like this music, it's your misfortune . . . etc. How lucky we are this wonderful music has made the trip through the generations and through the technologies from 78s to LPs to 8-tracks, etc. right down to the current CD.

Other reviewers have noted that the recording of Riders in the Sky on this collection is the exemplar by which others might be judged; I agree. In fact, this cut alone makes the purchase worthwhile in my view, but all songs here are good, and the up-tempo songs: Whoopie-Ti-Yi-Yo, and Timber Trail are songs of which I never tire. The yodeling in three-part harmony of Way Out There is the inimitable trademark of the Sons of the Pioneers.

As I recall, Riders in the Sky was written by a Forest Ranger (Stan Jones). With or without the lyrics, this minor-key song is one for the ages. My other favorite rendition of it is by Fiedler and the Boston...Read more

If you like your western music the way I like my whiskey (straight), then look elsewhere. Let's face it, how many times have you seen a full orchestra sitting around the campfire? One normally envisions a guitar or two, and maybe a harmonica. That being said, this CD is remarkable on several fronts.

The original recording dates to 1959, using RCA's (then) new "Living Stereo" technology, the beginning of "hi-fidelity stereo" sound as we know it today. I can remember listening to the original LP in my dad's record collection during the mid '60s. I loved every minute of it then, and now. It was a very clean studio recording featuring tight harmonies, and the orchestral back-up added a "full" sound without overwhelming the vocals or the "mood." The frequency response of the original recording is impressive as well when you consider its 45 year age; nice string bass and crisp tambourine. This import CD can brag about its quality transfer to digital.

All of the Sons of the Pioneers...Read more