Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: 1951

Given the track list of Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music 1951, an entry in Bear Family's stellar five-volume series, one can see that for country music fans, this was an amazing year all around. It's hard to imagine in the 21st century, the sounds of Tennessee Ernie Ford's fingerpoppin' "Shotgun Boogie" coming out of a radio speaker -- let alone being announced by a disc jockey -- or coming out of some primitive jukebox in a dancehall, but it was. It's the opening cut on this massive, 29-cut compilation, but as hot as it is, it's among equals here. The obvious ones are Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," and "Hey Good Lookin,'" Lefty Frizzell's "Mom and Dad Waltz," and "Always Late (With Your Kisses)," and Eddy Arnold's "I Wanna Play House with You." But there are other tracks here perhaps not as well-known (except by the country music aficionados) that make this volume so essential: Mac Wiseman's "'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered," Eddie Hill's "Hot Guitar," Big Jeff's reading of Blind Boy Fuller's "Step It Up and Go," and arguably the first rock & roll song ever: Bill Haley's version of Jackie Brenston's "Rocket '88," as well as "Too Old to Cut the Mustard," by the Carlisles, and Jimmy Murphy's wailing "Electricity."As is customary for all releases on Bear Family, the set includes exhaustive liner notes, complete track information, and great photos. The entire set is packaged in a hardback-bound digipack and is worth every penny -- actually, the entire series is. For fans of hardcore honky tonk, Western swing, and hillbilly boogie along with some traditional country & western music, this set is essential listening. ~ Thom Jurek