ralph stanley / albums

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The Very Best Of Ralph Stanley,Ralph Stanley

- The Very Best Of Ralph Stanley
- - 15,477 plays
  - 36 favs
  - 0 shares
Ralph Stanley
Released 2002

Pretty Polly
03:36
921 plays

Little Birdie
02:17
879 plays

Hard Times
02:16
839 plays

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songs

- 1
- Ridin' That Midnight Train
- 01:56
- 1,348 plays

- 2
- The Fields Have Turned Brown
- 02:50
- 576 plays

- 3
- Little Maggie
- 02:46
- 1,278 plays

- 4
- Will You Miss Me?
- 02:57
- 1,378 plays

- 5
- Hard Times
- 02:16
- 839 plays

- 6
- I've Just Seen The Rock Of Ages
- 03:12
- 828 plays

- 7
- Little Birdie
- 02:17
- 879 plays

- 8
- Man Of Constant Sorrow
- 02:51
- 1,376 plays

- 9
- Dad's Old Rocky Field
- 03:43
- 773 plays

- 10
- Clinch Mountain Backstep
- 02:21
- 1,044 plays

- 11
- Rank Stranger
- 02:41
- 1,034 plays

- 12
- Pretty Polly
- 03:36
- 921 plays

- 13
- Oh, Death
- 02:59
- 1,005 plays

- 14
- Katie Daley
- 02:10
- 670 plays

- 15
- The Lonesome River
- 02:53
- 516 plays

- 16
- Angel Band
- 01:53
- 1,012 plays

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album review

The title of Audium's 2002 release, The Very Best of Ralph Stanley, is a little misleading, and while it is not a genre-spanning, all-encompassing collection of everything the godfather of bluegrass recorded, it does grab 16 very nice recordings from the early to mid-'70s, with one recording jumping out from the year 2000. Stanley's most recognized songs ("Little Maggie," "Rank Stranger," "Man of Constant Sorrow," "O Death") are all represented, as well as some lesser-known gems like "Clinch Mountain Backstep" and the underrated "Katie Daley" (featuring performances by the very youthful Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and Keith Whitley on guitar). Roy Lee Centers, who acted as partner to Ralph Stanley's high-lonesome tenor after Carter Stanley's death ended the Stanley Brothers' career in 1966, features prominently on the album, ably taking lead vocals on nearly half of the songs. The highlight of the album is one of the warmest and most beautiful renditions of the song "Rank Strangers" available in the Stanley catalog, and it alone is worth the price of the disc. ~ Zac Johnson, All Music Guide