Anthology

Disc 1
1	New Mule Skinner Blues 2:30
2	My Little Georgia Rose 3:06
3	Uncle Pen 2:45
4	Rawhide 2:36
5	Kentucky Waltz 3:16
6	When the Cactus Is in Bloom 2:04
7	Get Down on Your Knees and Pray 3:01
8	In the Pines 3:11
9	Footprints in the Snow 2:40
10	Walking in Jerusalem 2:00
11	Get Up John 2:11
12	On and On 2:47
13	I'm Working on a Building 2:43
14	Blue Moon of Kentucky 2:08
15	Roanoke 2:39
16	Goodbye Old Pal 2:04
17	Molly and Tenbrooks 2:22
18	I'm Sitting on Top of the World 2:18
19	I Saw the Light 2:30
20	Scotland 1:55
21	Panhandle Country 2:05
22	Gotta Travel On 2:34
23	Big Mon 2:17
24	Linda Lou 2:10
25	Lonesome Road Blues 2:28
Disc 2
1	Time Changes Everything 2:15
2	I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky 2:23
3	Toy Heart 2:15
4	Live and Let Live 2:40
5	Old Joe Clark 2:24
6	Columbus Stockade Blues 3:05
7	Drifting Too Far from the Shore 2:29
8	Somebody Touched Me 2:32
9	Jimmy Brown the Newsboy 2:26
10	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 2:13
11	Devil's Dream 2:24
12	Highway of Sorrow 2:22
13	Roll on Buddy, Roll On 2:11
14	(We're Goin') Just Over in the Gloryland 2:23
15	Fire on the Mountain 2:05
16	Long Black Veil 2:40
17	I Wonder Where You Are Tonight 2:34
18	Dusty Miller 2:19
19	Midnight on the Stormy Deep 3:42
20	Sally Goodin 3:15
21	Walls of Time 3:19
22	I Haven't Seen Mary in Years 3:04
23	With Body and Soul 3:06
24	Walk Softly on My Heart 2:35
25	My Last Days on Earth 4:42

Barnes & Noble

A powerful two-CD overview of Bill Monroe's 30-plus years recording for Decca/MCA, Anthology picks up in 1950 with a spirited reworking of "New Mule Skinner Blues" and sets down in 1981, with one of the bluegrass pioneer's final recordings, the poignant instrumental "My Last Days on Earth," which features a lovely string arrangement by none other than Bill McElhiney, best known for the dazzling work he did for Patsy Cline. The set features several re-recordings of early classics (including the post-Elvis 1954 version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" that incorporates the Hillbilly Cat's up-tempo flair), but in keeping with Monroe's style, these discs showcase the master's interest in a wide range of material, both in his originals and in covers drawn from black gospel and blues, folk songs, and traditional and contemporary country fare, such as A. P. Carter's "Jimmy Brown the Newsboy" and "The Long Black Veil." Vocally, Monroe was at his peak during these years, his voice a mature, expressive, and bold instrument on its own, almost as much of a story as his mandolin work. And though Flatt & Scruggs had left the fold by this time, Monroe never hurt for gifted musicians in the Bluegrass Boys. The names that pop out on this set include guitarist Jimmy Martin; fiddlers Kenny Baker, Vassar Clements, Gordon Terry, and Charlie Cline; bassists Ernie Newton and Besse Lee Mauldin; and guitarist Del McCoury, who shares a lively lead vocal with Monroe on "Roll On, Buddy, Roll On." And not the least of Anthology's virtues is its spotlighting of Monroe as a mandolin virtuoso. He did it all. Hitting every high note of a 30-year run is too much to ask of two CDs, but only curmudgeons could grouse about Anthology's omissions. What's here is choice. David McGee

All Music Guide

So much has been said about the founding father of bluegrass music that it would be nice if there was an all-encompassing collection of Bill Monroe's music to accompany the legend. Although the almost-correctly titled Anthology comes close, there is still a wealth of Columbia and RCA-Victor recordings missing from this Decca-centric collection, which runs chronologically from 1950 to 1969 (with one final track from 1981). Unfortunately, this means that the classic lineup of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, with fiddler Chubby Wise and bassist Howard Watts, is not represented. Still, bluegrass luminaries Vassar Clements, Jimmy Martin, Kenny Baker, Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, and many others, all drifted in and out of the Blue Grass Boys during their twenty-some years, and make appearances on classic tracks like "Sally Goodin," "Uncle Pen," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," and "New Mule Skinner Blues." All told, this may be the perfect collection of Monroe's work for Decca, but it falls only slightly short of being the Bill Monroe Anthology. Zac Johnson