Pops Goes Country/The Pops Goes West

Audio Remasterer: Vic Anesini.
Liner Note Authors: Peter Dellheim; John D. Loudermilk; Ed Osborne.
Arranger: Richard Hayman.
Beginning in the 1950s, the immensely popular American conductor Arthur Fiedler and his Boston Pops Orchestra made a series of records covering not only the world's most-loved classical pieces, but also crossing over into popular music with great success. Whether it was the Beatles, Broadway, or Hollywood, eventually everyone who was anyone went "Pops." In 1966, Fiedler teamed up with the master of the Nashville sound, famed guitarist and producer Chet Atkins. The match was a good one, and the combo went on to produce many records together. Making its debut in the digital realm, courtesy of Real Gone Records, is a reissue of two of their excellent collaborations, The Pops Goes Country and The Pops Goes West. The former covers a wide range of Nashville favorites, including one of Atkins' signature songs, "Country Gentleman," while the latter focuses on music from the popular film and TV Westerns of that era. Atkins' clean and nimble guitar style blended well with Fiedler's larger-than-life arrangements, resulting a big, expansive all-American sound that has now been remastered for even wider vistas. ~ Timothy Monger