Songs of the Smokey Mountains

AMG Review of Songs of the Smokey Mountains

Greg Adams
All Music Guide

Songs of the Smokey Mountains was the sole LP released by Capitol during Acuff's stay with the label in the mid-'50s. It contains remakes of his classics from the late '30s and early '40s, recorded in three sessions in 1954-1955. The original versions are definitive, of course, but it is interesting to hear Acuff reprise these songs under more modern recording conditions. His performances are generally slower but strong, and faithful to the originals. The practice of artists remaking their hits after changing labels so that their new label can offer a sometimes-deceptive "greatest hits" package seldom yields anything of great interest. Acuff's most dedicated fans will enjoy comparing these versions to the originals, and very casual listeners may be content with high fidelity re-recordings, but buyers should know what they're getting. The CD reissue on Dualtone is faithful to the original LP (except for the addition of new notes), but all of the tracks are duplicated on Bear Family's superior two-CD set, The King of Country Music.