Jim & Jesse – The Old Dominion Masters

Way back in 1972, when such things were almost unheard of, Jim & Jesse McReynolds started their own independent record label, Old Dominion. The duo had spent the 1960s recording for Epic; over the course of the decade, producers had adjusted their sound to suit the demands of country radio, de-emphasizing the banjo and fiddle in favor of steel guitar, piano and drums. Though many of these recordings were outstanding, the brothers were increasingly unhappy with that direction, and when a switch to Capitol didn’t improve matters, the decision was made to go it alone, producing albums for sale at their still numerous personal appearances.

This budget-priced four-CD set collects material from those albums — entire releases in some cases, just a single track in others. Taken together, they make for an immensely satisfying collection, a solid representation of the many strengths of these veteran entertainers.

Though the Old Dominion albums turned away from the most uptown aspects of their later Epic records, they were scarcely hardcore bluegrass; rather, they reflect Jim & Jesse’s own specific interests in country styles rather than the interests of radio-oriented producers. Their material still drew heavily from the country repertoire — everything from the Louvins to Roy Acuff to Merle Haggard — especially on the early releases comprising the first disc. The electric bass remained in place, and drums and piano continued to be used, but now as the brothers saw fit. Disc two concentrates on gospel songs (check out their version of Willie Nelson’s “Family Bible”), with the great Joe Meadows adding some beautiful fiddle.

The third disc is more heterogeneous than the first two, featuring material from Songs About Our Country, their bicentennial album; Palace Of Songs, a collection of remakes of Jim & Jesse favorites (some of which are superior to the original versions); and their 1983 album Homeland Harmony. The real treat here is the reappearance of the brilliant banjoist Allen Shelton, who had been a Virginia Boy in the early 1960s; his medley of patriotic tunes on Songs About Our Country is especially delicious.

The final CD in the set combines most of a double album recorded at a red-hot 1975 Tokyo concert — again, many previously recorded favorites appear here in stripped-down road band form — with a miscellany of other cuts, including two tantalizing tracks from a double album of radio shows recorded in 1962 that the brothers released on LP in 1979.

Throughout, the special traits of Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys — Jesse’s distinctive mandolin, the brothers’ lovely harmonies, the melodic banjo style, and the delicate (rather than driving) rhythm — are given full expression. The Old Dominion Masters is, in many ways, the best Jim & Jesse collection available, modestly priced, yet much richer than last year’s Essential compilation of Epic tracks. This is Pinecastle’s first foray into the reissue field, and they’ve done an outstanding job.