1. My Long Journey Home - Bill Monroe, Traditional
2. What Would You Give in Exchange
3. Mule Skinner Blues - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
4. Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord - Bill Monroe, Traditional
5. Back Up and Push - Bill Monroe, Traditional
6. Goodbye Old Pal
7. Heavy Traffic Ahead
8. Wicked Path of Sin
9. It's Mighty Dark to Travel
10. Bluegrass Breakdown
11. Can't You Hear Me Callin'
12. My Little Georgia Rose
13. I'm on My Way to the Old Home
14. I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome - Bill Monroe, Smith, J.B.
15. Uncle Pen
16. Lord Protect My Soul
17. Rawhide
18. Brakeman's Blues - Bill Monroe, Rodgers, Jimmie [1]
19. Sugar Coated Love - Bill Monroe, Butler, Audrey
20. Christmas Time's A-Coming - Bill Monroe, Logan, Tex
21. The First Whippoorwill
22. In the Pines - Bill Monroe, Bryant, Slim
23. Footprints in the Snow - Bill Monroe, Traditional
24. Walking in Jerusalem - Bill Monroe, Traditional
25. Memories of Mother and Dad - Bill Monroe, Price, Albert
26. The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake - Bill Monroe, Price, A.
27. Y'all Come - Bill Monroe, Duff, Arlie
28. Sitting Alone in the Moonlight
29. On and On
30. White House Blues
31. Happy on My Way - Bill Monroe, Pyle, Pete
32. A Voice from on High - Bill Monroe, Mauldin, Bessie Lee
33. Close By
34. Put My Little Shoes Away - Bill Monroe, Traditional
35. Wheel Hoss
36. Cheyenne
37. You'll Find Her Name Written There - Bill Monroe, Hensley, Harold
38. Roanoke - Bill Monroe, Ahr, Joe
39. Blue Moon of Kentucky
40. The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band - Bill Monroe, Carlisle, Cliff
41. Used to Be
42. A Good Woman's Love - Bill Monroe, Coben, Cy
43. Cry, Cry Darling - Bill Monroe, Newman, Jimmy C.
44. I'm Sitting on Top of the World - Bill Monroe, Henderson, Ray
45. I'll Meet You in the Morning - Bill Monroe, Brumley, Albert E.
46. Scotland
47. Molly and Tenbrooks
48. John Henry - Bill Monroe, Traditional
49. Big Mon
50. Dark as the Night, Blue as the Day
51. Sold Down the River
52. Little Joe - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
53. Lonesome Road Blues
54. I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky
55. Toy Heart
56. Nine Pound Hammer - Bill Monroe, Travis, Merle
57. Big Sandy River - Bill Monroe, Baker, Kenny [1]
58. Darling Corey - Bill Monroe, Traditional
59. Salt Creek - Bill Monroe, Keith, Bill
60. Sailor's Hornpipe - Bill Monroe, Keith, Bill
61. Roll on Buddy, Roll On - Bill Monroe, Wilburn, Doyle
62. Bill's Dream
63. Never Again (Will I Knock on Your Door) - Bill Monroe, Williams, Benny
64. Dusty Miller - Bill Monroe, Traditional
65. Midnight on the Stormy Deep - Bill Monroe, Traditional
66. Soldier's Joy - Bill Monroe, Traditional
67. Blue Night - Bill Monroe, McGee, Kirk
68. Sally Goodin - Bill Monroe, Traditional
69. Kentucky Mandolin
70. Walls of Time
71. I Haven't Seen Mary in Years - Bill Monroe, Black, Damon
72. The Dead March
73. With Body and Soul - Bill Monroe, Stauffer, Virginia
74. Walk Softly on My Heart - Bill Monroe, Landers, Jake
75. Going Up Caney
76. Kentucky Waltz
77. Get Up John
78. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
79. Rocky Road Blues
80. Jenny Lynn
81. My Old Kentucky and You
82. You Won't Be Satisfied That Way - Bill Monroe, Davis, Jimmie
83. Jerusalem Ridge
84. Ashland Breakdown
85. Come Hither to Go Yonder
86. My Last Days on Earth
87. My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin'
88. Travelin' This Lonesome Road
89. The Old Brown County Barn
90. Stay Away from Me
91. The Long Bow
92. The Old Crossroads
93. Southern Flavor
94. Take Courage Un' Tomorrow
95. Pike County Breakdown
96. I'm Working on a Building - Bill Monroe, Carter, A.P.
97. You're Drifting Away
98. Boston Boy - Bill Monroe, Traditional
Amazon.com essential recording
It's the rare artist who virtually invents a genre single-handedly, and there's no artist in any genre whose work has remained as dominant a force as Bill Monroe. The songs here not only define bluegrass, they remain the core of any bluegrass band's repertoire. Monroe added a dose of sophistication to traditional hillbilly music--intricate group harmonies, expert musicianship--and he rehearsed his Blue Grass Boys for hours on end. MCA's lavish 4 CD set covers 60 years and 98 songs, adding detailed notes and anecdotes. Beginning with 1936 duets with brother Charlie, the list of Blue Grass Boys reads like a roster of legends: Flatt and Scruggs, Chubby Wise, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements, Sonny Osborne, Bobby Hicks, Kenny Baker, Bill Keith, Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, and Richard Greene; the list goes on and on, as does the legacy of Monroe's music. --Marc Greilsamer
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The Music of Bill Monroe
- Audio CD: 0 pages (1994-07-19)
- Publisher: Mca Nashville
- Label: Mca Nashville
- Format: Box set
- Studio: Mca Nashville
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 13 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #63477
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: music of Bill Monroe 2008-02-16
Comment: Oh my goodness!! This is great for those who love the mandolin and Monroe's talents. Background and words included. Just wish it had the written music standards.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Set 2007-12-22
Comment: The only criticism I could weigh against this collection is that--although it's true that (as advertised) this is the only domestically available anthology of Bill Monroe's music that is cross-licensed across all of the major labels that he recorded for--within that, it's definitely weighted very heavily toward his MCA years. Four early tracks from his RCA/Bluebird period are represented, and his classic Columbia era gets the shortest shrift relative to its importance with only six songs in total. After that, the set moves quickly to his Decca/MCA period starting in 1950 and covers that in much greater depth over the remaining 87 tracks. The early songs, it must be said, are judiciously chosen and do represent the high points of this era, but a real Monroe afficionado will probably want that period to be represented in greater depth.
This is undoubtedly a major drawback, then, if you are expecting this set to exhaustively document Monroe's early years, but if you're looking for a good general overview of his career--or if you're willing to invest separately for an in-depth anthology of his Columbia years--then this boxed set gets very high marks. It contains well over four hours' worth of prime Bill Monroe music and handsomely showcases his restless inventiveness within his notoriously persnickety insistence on purism and devotion to the classic bluegrass sound he helped to birth.
It is because of that famous refusal to alter his sound that two things should be said about this collection--first, that the quality of the music is uniformly high. Unlike most artists with such longevity (the set covers nearly 60 years!), Bill never attempted to modernize his sound or pander to current trends, as even the great Johnny Cash did in the 80s. Bill Monroe was and remained Bill Monroe. This also means that the set can sound a little same-y after a while, especially if you're not a true bluegrass devotee, so consider before buying whether or not you really are committed to 98 tracks' worth of (true-)bluegrass.
If you are, and if you're not deterred by the emphasis on his MCA period, then this set is hard to top. The sound is excellent throughout--even on the 1936 recording that kicks things off--and the accompanying booklet is gorgeous, with a wealth of great pictures and loving documentation & research. It's not perfect for all purposes, but it's a treasure trove of thrilling, exciting music of uncompromising excellence and energy, perfect for lovers of old-timey music. Dig in...
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: One Of The All Time Greats Of American Music 2007-07-01
Comment: I have been listening to contemporary bluegrass for awhile now. So I decided it was time to go back and check out the original source of it all - the legendary Bill Monroe.
This outstanding collection begins with his early days playing with brother Charlie in 1936 and goes all the way to a 1994 performance. In between are gathered 98 Monroe songs, including such classics as "Uncle Pen", "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" and "With Body And Soul".
Of course, there were other old timey string bands featuring mandolin and fiddle before Bill Monroe came along. But it was his high pitched tenor vocals and fast playing style that created the unique "high lonesome sound" that came to be known as bluegrass. I can't imagine a better introduction to Monroe's music than this, so many great songs and also a a well designed booklet which provides photos and detailed liner notes outlining the different stages in Monroe's career. For any fan of bluegrass, new or old, this is a great musical purchase.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Nice package 2007-02-19
Comment: The packaging of this box set is very nice. The booklet that comes with the set is a pretty good abbreviated history of this fascinating icon of American music. Particularly interesting is reading about all of the Bluegrass Boys who later became bluegrass greats themselves- Flatt and Scruggs, Del McCoury, Sonny Osborne, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin and the list goes on.
The only knock I have against this set is that some of the recordings are re-records of earlier Columbia classics, apparently at the behest of MCA records. It seems every box set either contains alternates or re-records which is puzzling to me. In the interest of history, I am only interested in the originally released recordings...
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Simple; a must have. 2006-12-11
Comment: ...the foundation to all forms of American music. Having this much Monroe all in one place helps the listener understand the truly profound impact he had on the American musical soul. This collection is as timeless and current now as 50 years ago. Listen to all four discs chronologically the first time. The accompanying book with wonderful old photos is worth the price of the whole set.
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The Music of Bill Monroe
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