The original Will the Circle Be Unbroken is undoubtedly a landmark country-music recording. A peace offering between rock-reared longhairs and rock-ribbed Nashville patriarchs (and one matriarch, Mother Maybelle Carter), it exposed generations of upstart pickers and singers to old-time country music and its impact is felt to this day. The organizers of the 1971 sessions that led to the initial three-LP set, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, have produced two sequels, the first in 1989 and the most recent in 2002. This six-disc collection (including an all-star concert DVD) pulls together all three Circle sessions and, naturally, captures dozens of essential performances, plus a fair number of inessentials. Anyone with an interest in country music will want the original. Its mission is clear, the performances are inspired, and its significance is undeniable. The second Circle strays far afield from the original concept, bringing in the rather lightweight likes of John Denver and Michael Martin Murphy to mix with volume one holdovers Jimmy Martin and Earl Scruggs. The final volume is also more diffuse than one would like, though eminent guest stars such as Del McCoury, June Carter Cash, and Johnny Cash help it capture the spirit of the original more frequently than does its immediate predecessor. Completists will relish having all three collections in one box, while those who think three times around the circle is two too many are advised to stick with the 30th anniversary reissue of the initial album. - amazon.com
In 1972, long before O Brother, Where Art Thou? allowed hipsters and intermittent record buyers through the great oak doors of traditional country music, California's Nitty Gritty Dirt Band gathered legends and soon to become legends of country music into a Nashville studio and made the sprawling Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The success of this experiment led to a second volume in 1989 and a third in 2002. Trilogy compiles all three worthwhile volumes into a box set that includes the extra tracks found on the recently reissued versions. With a roster that includes Doc Watson, Maybelle Carter, Johnny Cash, and Taj Mahal, this 40-year time capsule of American music is worth spending the extra cash on. - allmusic.com
DISC 1:
01. Grand Ole Opry Song
02. Keep On The Sunny Side
03. Nashville Blues
04. You Are My Flower
05. The Precious Jewel
06. Dark As A Dungeon
07. Tennessee Stud
08. Black Mountain Rag
09. Wreck On The Highway
10. The End Of The World
11. I Saw The Light
12. Sunny Side Of The Mountain
13. Nine Pound Hammer
14. Losin' You (Might Be The Best Thing Yet)
15. Honky Tonkin'
16. You Don't Know My Mind
17. My Walkin' Shoes
DISC 2:
01. Lonesome Fiddle Blues
02. Cannonball Rag
03. Avalanche
04. Flint Hill Special
05. Togary Mountain
06. Earl's Breakdown
07. Orange Blossom Special
08. Wabash Cannonball
09. Lost Highway
10. First Meeting (Dialogue)
11. Way Downtown
12. Down Yonder
13. Pins and Needles (In My Heart)
14. Honky Tonk Blues
15. Sailin' on to Hawaii
16. I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
17. I Am a Pilgrim
18. Wildwood Flower
19. Soldier's Joy
20. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
21. Both Sides Now
22. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
23. Warming Up for 'The Opry' (Talk)
24. Sunny Side (Talk)
25. Remember Me
DISC 3:
01. Life's Railway To Heaven
02. Grandpa Was A Carpenter
03. When I Get My Rewards
04. Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan
05. Little Mountain Church House
06. And So It Goes
07. When It's Gone
08. Mary Danced With The Soldiers
09. Riding Alone
10. I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World
11. Lovin' On The Side
12. Lost River
13. Bayou Jubilee
14. Blues Berry Hill
15. Turn Of The Century
16. One Step Over The Line
17. You Ain't Going Nowhere
18. The Valley Road
19. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
20. Amazing Grace
DISC 4:
01. Take Me In Your Lifeboat
02. Milk Cow Blues
03. I Find Jesus
04. Hold Whatcha Got
05. Mama's Opry
06. Diamonds In The Rough
07. Lonesome River
08. Some Dark Holler
09. The Lowlands
10. Love, Please Come Home
11. Goodnight Irene
12. I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome
13. I'll Be Faithful To You
14. Tears In The Holston River
DISC 5:
01. Fishin' Blues
02. Save It, Save It
03. Wheels
04. Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
05. Oh Cumberland
06. I Am A Pilgrim
07. Sallie Ann
08. Catfish John
09. Roll The Stone Away
10. All Prayed Up
11. Return To Dismal Swamp II
12. There Is A Time
13. Will the Circle Be Unbroken (Glory, Glory)
14. Farther Along
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