The Louvin Bros. represent some of the finest old-time country music made. Not only were they great singers but songwriters and musicians too--during an era (the 50s) when country music could came straight from the churches and straight from the hills, without passing through a corporate music mill as we hear from Nashville today. Fans of old-time country, folk, bluegrass, gospel or the Everly Bros. should not miss these guys.

As a write this, the songs listed on the Amazon site are mistaken�apparently from another record. Rest assured, �When I Stop Dreaming�The Best of the Louvin Bros� contains all of their best known numbers, including "The Family Who Prays," "When I Stop Dreaming," "Don't Laugh," "I Don't Believe You've Met my Baby," "Hoping that You're Hoping,", "Knoxville Girl," "You're Running Wild," and "My Baby's Gone." It also contains most of the songs Parsons/Harris covered including, "Cash on the Barrelhead," "If I Could Only Win Your Love" and "You're Learning." This collection doesn't, however, include "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night." There are 24 songs in all--recorded from 1952-1962.

Ira and Charlie Louvin created some incredible vocal harmonies--as good as it gets. Ira's high tenor marks him as one of the most distinctive and greatest of country singers.

Another outstanding feature of their music is the quality of their band--usually consisting of Ira's mandolin, an electric guitar (Chet Atkins or Paul Yandell), acoustic rhythm guitar and acoustic bass with an occasional piano and drums. No steel�except on �Cash on the Barrelhead.� Their backing is sparse and flavorful. One song I particularly enjoy is the story-like "I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby." It begins:

"Last night, my dear, the rain was falling,
I went to bed so sad and blue--
then I had a dream of you.

I dreamed I was strolling in the evening,
underneath the harvest moon.
I was thinking a-bout you."

Paul Yandell's reverberated but unobtrusive guitar fills evoke an image of night, the strumming guitar or mandolin sounds like the patter of rain and the band creates a sound which perfectly compliments the lyrics. It�s easy to understand why this song hit #1 in 1956.

Another favorite is "Hoping that You're Hoping." It swings. It's fun. ("Everytime I think about the way you spuddle up and cuddle up and fill me with your charms.") It also has a great guitar interlude (Again, by Paul Yandell. Between him and Atkins there are many such parts; this recording is a masterpiece of 50's style country electric guitar).

This greatest hits collection also contains some fine but lesser-known songs including a wonderful acoustic number "Gonna Lay Down My Guitar" in which Ira Louvin plays Rabon Delmore�s (of the Delmore Bros.) guitar.

This recording ends with a humorous but appropriate Roy Acuff song: "Stuck Up Blues"
"Show me a hundred stuck up folks and I'll show you a hundred fools"

But, no foolin'. Buy this record. It�ll stick with you.

36 of 36 found the following review helpful:


Truly excellent and Absolutely Essential Music  Aug 10, 2001 By Robert Moore
Like so many others, I learned of the Louvin Brothers from listening to Gram Parsons ("The Christian Life" and "Cash on the Barrelhead") and Emmylou Harris ("If I Could Only Win Your Love"). Reading about the enthusiasm of so many others for their music made me decide to give them a chance. I am delighted to be able to report that this is a stunning record.

Three things stand out on this album. First and foremost, this is am album about great, great singing. Unlike a large number of country and blue grass singers from the fifties and sixties, neither Ira nor Charles Louvin, despite singing in a high, high tenor and tenor respectively, had a whiny voice. Ira, in particular, had a magnificently throaty quality, even at the very highest ranges. And they are jutifiably famous for their gorgeous, tight harmonies.

Second, the songs are just incredible. I won't say every song is perfect. "Knoxville Girl," a particularly graphic narrative of a man killing his girlfriend didn't really appeal to me. But nearly everyother song on the record really hit me in a big way. And it is clear that Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris didn't just take average songs and make them great; the well-known songs are as good or better as performed by the Louvins. In particular, Ira Louvin's incredible rendition of "Cash on the Barrelhead" stands out.

Last, every song features absolutely first rate musicians. The backup musicians are superb, and Ira was not merely one of the best high tenors in country, but a highly accomplished mandolin player.

I was interested to see that the liner notes were written by Marshall Crenshaw.

This album will appeal to all fans of bluegrass, traditional country, Gram Parsons, or Emmylou Harris.

14 of 15 found the following review helpful:


Brilliant fifties country duo  Oct 09, 2004 By Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan"
The Louvin brothers had a more modest chart history than their legendary status might suggest, especially as many much more successful singers of their era have been largely forgotten.. Indeed, they and their songs would almost certainly have faded into obscurity if Gram Parsons hadn't been a fan. He introduced Emmylou to their music and it is through her covers of their songs that their legacy is assured. Others have in turn been inspired by Emmylou's example.

Regarding their own career, they were a harmony duo who sometimes covered other people's songs but also wrote their own material. They were a major influence on the Everly brothers. The Louvin brothers topped the country charts with I don't believe you've met my baby and had other top ten country hits with When I stop dreaming, Hoping that you're hoping, You're running wild, Cash on the barrel head and My baby's gone. They had three other big hits (Don't laugh, Plenty of everything but you, I love you best of all) and a few lesser hits. The family who prays (one of those lesser hits) has become a gospel classic.

Among the notable covers of Louvin songs are I don't believe you've met my baby (Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton have both covered this song), You're running wild (Rhonda Vincent), When I stop dreaming, If I could only win your love, You're learning (all by Emmylou), Cash on the barrelhead (Gram Parsons and Dolly Parton have both covered this song).

This is the strongest available compilation of their music, containing all their own hits together with their original version of songs that Emmylou revived, plus some other great songs of theirs.

Tracks

1 Broadminded
2 The family who prays
3 When I stop dreaming
4 Pitfall
5 Don't laugh
6 I don't believe you've met my baby
7 Hoping that you're hoping
8 The first one to love you
9 In the pines
10 Knoxville girl
11 Cash on the barrelhead
12 You're running wild
13 My baby's gone
14 I wish it had been a dream
15 While you're cheating on me
16 If I could only win your love
17 You're learning
18 The river of Jordan
19 The kneeling drunkard's plea
20 Southern moon
21 Gonna lay down my old guitar
22 The great atomic power
23 Wreck on the highway
24 Stuck up blues

16 of 18 found the following review helpful:


GREAT HARMONY AND GREAT TUNES  Dec 07, 2003 By helen tall "MARY HELEN"
I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE LOUVIN BROTHERS EVEN AS A CHILD.NOW AS A RETIREE, I FIND I ENJOY THEM EVEN MORE. THE CD "WHEN I STOP DREAMING" IS FABULOUS. AS A MATTER OF FACT IT IS NOW PLAYING AND I USUALLY LET THE LOUVIN BROTHERS LULL ME TO SLEEP. I SET THE CD PLAYER SO IF I SHOULD AWAKEN DURING THE NIGHT, THEY WILL BE SINGING FOR ME.YOU MIGHT SAY I'M A LITTLE OBSESSED WITH THIS PARTICULAR CD BUT HONESTLY ALL THE SONGS ARE GREAT AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOY THEIR GOSPEL MUSIC.IF I AM A LITTLE DEPRESSED, I PLAY THEIR GOSPEL CD AND IT MAKES ME FEEL MUCH BETTER.

13 of 15 found the following review helpful:


The essential Louvin Brothers collection  Jul 09, 1999
I came to know about the Louvin Brothers songs from recordings by modern artists like Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, but I had never heard any of the originals. I was not prepared for the stunning songwriting and singing that this collection displays. There is something to like in every one of the 24 songs.

This music sounds timeless, and it's hard to believe that this music was created in the mid fifties. I reserve 5-star ratings for the absolute best only, so do not interpret my 4-star rating to mean that I have reservations. I recommend this as highly as any country music recording that I know.

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