Review by OJ Sikes, p 37 Vol 18 Issue 4 Fall 2008 of The Western Way:
Out of curiosity, I decided to take a chance and invest $14.99 in the new Sons of the Pioneers 3 CD boxed set on the Dynamic label. It's the one with a photo of Roy Rogers & the Pioneers in the center of a white cover, titled Cool Water - The Sons of the Pioneers: The Essential Collection. It was not a wise investment. The collection has no liner notes or recording dates or source information, but my ear tells me the following: There are several songs Roy recorded with the Pioneers for RCA Victor, but it goes downhill from there, i.e. there are also some Roy recorded without the Pioneers. And there's even one song labeled The Rovin' Cowboy that is a non-western song, recorded by a completely different group! In the collection of 75 songs, recorded between 1935 & 1954, approximately 6 are from Columbia, 3 from Coral, 16 from Decca, Along the Santa Fe Trail is a Ken Carson solo from a transcription, Chant of the Wanderer is of undetermined origin (not RCA), and the rest are from RCA Victor. Restoration of the oldest material is better than on some labels, but not as good as most. I haven't heard the Proper boxed set, so can't compare this to that one. My advice: wait until Bear Family releases more material. Bear Family always does a superb job of restoration, discography & liner notes. Let's hope Bear is willing to tackle another Sons of the Pioneers project soon!
Essential Collection: Cool Water [BOX SET]
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Audio CD (August 5, 2008)
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Number of Discs: 3 disc boxed set
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Label: Dynamic Ent.
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ASIN: B001B0H7FE
| 1. Cool Water |
| 2. Along the Navajo Trail |
| 3. I'm an Old Cowhand |
| 4. My Best to You |
| 5. Let's Go West Again |
| 6. Room Full of Roses |
| 7. Ride Ranger Ride |
| 8. Song of the Pioneers |
| 9. Riders in the Sky |
| 10. Along the Santa Fe Trail |
| 11. Little Grey Home in the West |
| 12. Last Round-Up |
| 13. River of No Return |
| 14. When the Moon Comes Over Sun Valley |
| 15. Bar-None Rance |
| 16. Melody from the Sky |
| 17. Blue Bonnet Girl |
| 18. Cigarettes, Whusky & Wild, Wild Women |
| 19. Cowboy Country |
| 20. Down Where the Rio Flows |
| 21. Hills of Old Wyoming |
| 22. I Wonder If She Waits for Me Tonight? |
| 23. Montana |
| 24. No One to Cry To |
| 25. One More Ride |
| 1. Tumbling Tumbleweeds |
| 2. At the Rainbows End |
| 3. Baby Doll |
| 4. Blue Shadows on the Trail |
| 5. Cowboy Camp Meeting |
| 6. Don't Fence Me In |
| 7. I Wear Your Memory on My Heart |
| 8. My Saddle Pals and I |
| 9. Out in Pioneer Town |
| 10. Song of the Wagon Master |
| 11. Sentimental, Worried and Blue |
| 12. Song of the Bandit |
| 13. Teardrops in My Heart |
| 14. Devil's Great Grandson |
| 15. Lillie's Grow High |
| 16. There's a Round-Up in the Sky |
| 17. Wagons West |
| 18. I Follow the Stream |
| 19. You'll Be Sorry When I'm Gone |
| 20. Rock Me to Sleep in My Saddle |
| 21. Rounded Up in Glory |
| 22. Calico Apron and a Gingham Gown |
| 23. Blue Prairie |
| 24. Chant of the Wanderer |
| 25. Echoes from the Hills |
| 1. Red River Valley |
| 2. Home on the Range |
| 3. Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima |
| 4. Everlasting Hills of Oklahoma |
| 5. Rovin' Cowboy |
| 6. I Hang My Head and Cry |
| 7. Forgive and Forget |
| 8. Way out There |
| 9. Wind |
| 10. You'll Never Miss the Water, Till the Well Runs Dry |
| 11. Santa Fe, New Mexico |
| 12. Grieving My Heart out for You |
| 13. Missouri Is a Devil of a Woman |
| 14. Timber Trail |
| 15. Cajun Stomp |
| 16. Empty Saddles |
| 17. No Rodeo Dough |
| 18. Out California |
| 19. Over the Santa Fe Trail |
| 20. (There'll Never Be Another) Pecos Bill |
| 21. Will There Be Sagebrush in Heaven |
| 22. Kaw-Liga |
| 23. Lie Low Little Doggies (Cowboy's Lament) |
| 24. Stampede |
| 25. One More River to Cross |