Post Description

The Browns - The Three Bells


Eight CDs and over 240 songs is overkill, except that there's a lot worth hearing here. Disc One opens in 1954 with Jim Ed and Maxine Brown's debut recordings for the Fabor label, including "Looking Back to See," which was successful enough to get them a touring slot with a young Elvis Presley. The sound, while primitive in comparison to their subsequent RCA recordings is very pleasing, with bright harmonies and simple, straightforward accompaniment. As soon as they got to RCA , their sound bloomed -- the textures of the instruments became more vivid, with the "voices" of the guitars nearly as crisp as those of the singers themselves. By this time, they were one of country music's great mixed harmony groups, and were applying those vocal talents to bluesy numbers, as well as softer country and bluegrass material. "The Three Bells" was the massive hit that turned the trio toward pop material in 1959. Their repertory on Disc Three was broadening to include more overt folk material and pop standards. By the time of Disc Four, Hank Garland and John D. Loudermilk were playing most of the guitar, though Atkins was still producing, and the results remained impressive. Disc Five is dominated by a brace of inspirational tunes cut for their Little Brown Church Hymnal album, and also includes their cover of "They Call the Wind Maria," one of Jim Ed Brown's best performances. Disc Six is probably the only 1964-vintage archive to feature songs by Hank Snow and Bob Dylan coming from the same outfit. Discs Seven and Eight leave the group at the end of their time as a trio, prior to Bonnie's retirement late in 1967 -- highlights include a ton of beautifully sung country, pop, and folk numbers.


  Tracklisting
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CD 1

   1. (00:02:36) The Browns - Rio de Janeiro
   2. (00:02:18) The Browns - Looking Back to See
   3. (00:02:32) The Browns - Itsy Witsy Bitsy Me
   4. (00:02:19) The Browns - Why Am I Falling
   5. (00:01:55) The Browns - Draggin' Main Street
   6. (00:02:22) The Browns - Your Love Is as Wild as the West Wind
   7. (00:02:19) The Browns - Cool Green
   8. (00:02:29) The Browns - Do Memories Haunt Me
   9. (00:02:09) The Browns - It's Love I Guess
  10. (00:02:12) The Browns - I'm Your Man, I'm Your Gal
  11. (00:02:36) The Browns - Set the Dawgs on 'Em
  12. (00:02:46) The Browns - Jungle Magic
  13. (00:02:32) The Browns - You Thought, I Thought
  14. (00:03:00) The Browns - Here Today and Gone Tomorrow
  15. (00:02:39) The Browns - The Grass Is Green w Abbott Singers
  16. (00:02:20) The Browns - Lookin' On w Abbott Singers
  17. (00:02:45) The Browns - I Take the Chance
  18. (00:02:37) The Browns - I Can't See for Looking
  19. (00:02:17) The Browns - I'm in Heaven
  20. (00:02:37) The Browns - Goo Goo Dada
  21. (00:02:37) The Browns - Just as Long as You Love Me
  22. (00:02:19) The Browns - Getting Used to Being Lonely
  23. (00:01:56) The Browns - A Man With a Plan
  24. (00:02:04) The Browns - (Just a Lot Of) Sweet Talk
  25. (00:02:16) The Browns - Don't Tell Me Your Troubles
  26. (00:02:31) The Browns - The Last Thing That I Want
  27. (00:02:00) The Browns - Preview of the Blues
  28. (00:02:47) The Browns - My Isle of Golden Dreams
  29.(00:02:11) The Browns - I'm in Heaven
  30. (00:02:46) The Browns - I Guess I'm Crazy
  31. (00:02:06) The Browns - Sky Princess
  32. (00:02:35) The Browns - I'll Hold You in My Heart

CD 2 

1. (00:02:41) The Browns - How Can It Be Imagination
   2. (00:02:38) The Browns - I Heard the Bluebirds Sing
   3. (00:02:36) The Browns - It Takes a Long, Long Train With a Red Caboose (To Carry My Blues Away)
   4. (00:02:07) The Browns - Don't Use the Word Lightly
   5. (00:03:09) The Browns - Waltz of the Angels
   6. (00:02:19) The Browns - The Table Next to Me
   7. (00:02:49) The Browns - Money
   8. (00:02:41) The Browns - You'll Always Be in My Heart
   9. (00:02:18) The Browns - Behave Yourself, Jose
  10. (00:02:32) The Browns - Just in Time
  11. (00:01:56) The Browns - The Man in the Moon
  12. (00:01:58) The Browns - Ain't No Way in This World
  13. (00:02:18) The Browns - Crazy Dreams
  14. (00:02:17) The Browns - True Love Goes Far Beyond
  15. (00:02:04) The Browns - Only One Way to Love You
  16. (00:02:08) The Browns - Be My Love
  17. (00:02:04) The Browns - Land of Golden Dreams
  18. (00:02:26) The Browns - Love Is in Season
  19. (00:02:34) The Browns - Would You Care?
  20. (00:02:10) The Browns - The Trot
  21. (00:02:37) The Browns - Beyond the Shadow
  22. (00:02:12) The Browns - This Time I Would Know
  23. (00:02:53) The Browns - The Three Bells
  24. (00:02:21) The Browns - Wake Up Jonah
  25. (00:02:12) The Browns - Be My Love
  26. (00:02:06) The Browns - Heaven Fell Last Night
  27. (00:02:13) The Browns - Your Pretty Blue Eyes
  28. (00:02:32) The Browns - Unchained Melody
  29. (00:02:11) The Browns - Indian Love Call
  30. (00:02:39) The Browns - Blues Stay Away from Me
  31. (00:01:50) The Browns - Dream On (She'll Break Your Heart)
  32. (00:02:07) The Browns - Where Did the Sunshine Go?
  33. (00:02:08) The Browns - We Should Be Together

CD 3

1. (00:00:22) The Browns - Bye Bye Love [False Start]
   2. (00:02:04) The Browns - Bye Bye Love
   3. (00:02:34) The Browns - I Still Do
   4. (00:02:11) The Browns - Only the Lonely
   5. (00:01:46) The Browns - Hi de Ank Tum
   6. (00:02:28) The Browns - Love Me Tender
   7. (00:01:58) The Browns - Put on an Old Pair of Shoes
   8. (00:02:25) The Browns - Blue Bells Ring
   9. (00:02:39) The Browns - Scarlett Ribbons (For Her Hair)
  10. (00:02:29) The Browns - Red Sails in the Sunset
  11. (00:02:31) The Browns - That's My Desire
  12. (00:02:19) The Browns - That Little Boy of Mine
  13. (00:02:02) The Browns - Halfway to Heaven
  14. (00:01:53)The Browns - Teen-Ex
  15. (00:02:41) The Browns - Oh! My Papa
  16. (00:02:45) The Browns - Margo (The Ninth of May)
  17. (00:02:52) The Browns - Cool Water
  18. (00:02:11) The Browns - True Love
  19. (00:02:28) The Browns - The Enchanted Sea
  20. (00:02:24) The Browns - The Old Lamplighter
  21. (00:02:35) The Browns - Billy McCoy
  22. (00:01:55) The Browns - Am I That Easy to Forget?
  23. (00:02:21) The Browns - The Whiffenpoof Song
  24. (00:02:26) The Browns - Streamlined Cannonball
  25. (00:02:24) The Browns - My Adobe Hacienda
  26. (00:02:18) The Browns - Pledge of Love
  27. (00:02:22) The Browns - Wabash Blues
  28. (00:03:13) The Browns - Who's Gonna Buy You Ribbons (When I'm Gone)
  29. (00:02:51) The Browns - Margo (The Ninth of May)
  30. (00:02:32) The Browns - Chandelier of Stars
  31. (00:01:38) The Browns - Eternally
32. (00:01:58) The Browns - Brighten the Corner Where You Are
  33. (00:02:11) The Browns - The Blue Skirt Waltz
  34. (00:03:29) The Browns - Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)


CD 4

1. (00:03:14) The Browns - Lonely Little Robin
   2. (00:02:22) The Browns - The Wayward Wind
   3. (00:02:01) The Browns - The Old Village Choir
   4. (00:03:27) The Browns - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)
   5. (00:02:46) The Browns - Lavender Blue
   6. (00:02:09) The Browns - Blues in My Heart
   7. (00:02:16) The Browns - Chandelier of Stars
   8. (00:02:26) The Browns - The Whiffenpoof Song
   9. (00:02:13) The Browns - Blue Christmas
  10. (00:02:03) The Browns - This Land Is Your Land
  11. (00:02:20) The Browns - In the Pines
  12. (00:02:03) The Browns - Brighten the Corner Where You Are
  13. (00:02:03) The Browns - Greenwillow Christmas
  14. (00:02:32) The Browns - Remember Me
  15. (00:02:18) The Browns - The Twelfth of Never
  16. (00:02:53) The Browns - Nevada
  17. (00:02:16) The Browns - Where Was I (When We Became Strangers)
  18. (00:02:04) The Browns - You're So Much a Part of Me
  19. (00:02:29) The Browns - Revenge
  20. (00:02:44) The Browns - The Bandit
  21. (00:02:17) The Browns - Send Me the Pillow You Dream On
  22. (00:02:29) The Browns - Down in the Valley
  23. (00:02:43) The Browns - Shenandoah
  24. (00:01:59) The Browns - Columbus Stockade Blues
  25. (00:01:59) The Browns - Clementine
  26. (00:02:18) The Browns - Poor Wayfaring Stranger
  27. (00:02:16) The Browns - Ground Hog
  28. (00:02:20) The Browns - Poor Wildwood Flower
  29. (00:02:41) The Browns - Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?
  30. (00:02:27) The Browns - John B. Sails
  31. (00:03:05) The Browns - My Pretty Quadroon
  32. (00:02:43) The Browns - Down on the Old Plantation

CD 5

 1. (00:02:36) The Browns - My Baby's Gone
   2. (00:02:37) The Browns - Alpha and Omega
   3. (00:02:14) The Browns - Foolish Pride
   4. (00:02:48) The Browns - Angel's Dolly
   5. (00:02:29) The Browns - Alpha and Omega
   6. (00:01:59) The Browns - My Baby's Gone
   7. (00:02:17) The Browns