on the other hand...
Given the condescending official review, it's hard to imagine wanting to listen to this disc. It's like a chat board troll. An unhinged, out-of-control response is entirely justified, but I'll stay in the pocket.
Chet Atkins did not win thirteen grammies as a performer, invent the Nashville sound and change the world, on the strength of uninspired solo work.
Every guitarist who followed, without exception, is influenced by him, and I'm quoting a rock and roll hall-of-famer. George Harrison collected every Chet Atkins album, and it wasn't because Chet was a soulless technical speed monkey. He inspired, and continues to inspire, many people to devote their lives to music. McCartney traveled to Nashville to record with Atkins. Earl Klugh decided to play guitar after hearing Chet Atkins. Forget trying to make a list.
The selections on this disc are great. It's a great collection. And, superb as it is, the life within it is far greater, an unfathomable source. Nashville sound became what it is by trying to copy him. Too bad, it is easier to simulate Chet Atkin's incredible technique than to grasp his emotional intensity, his restraint, his intimacy, his mystery. The original here, is alive and wild.
This collection is, like any collection, lacking cohesion. Raw country, breakdown blugrass, Stax-style memphis groove, Broadway, etc. It's all over the place, but you can't wrap up anything final or even