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The Stanley Brothers - Hard Times

(Mercury MG-20884) Nov 1963

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This was the second compilation from The Stanley's spell at Mercury, yet still manages to duplicate four tracks from the earlier Country Pickin And Singin' album (Big Tilda, Clinch Mountain Blues, Fling Ding and Orange Blossom Special).

It's noteworthy that this seems to be the first appearance, under it's correct title, of Bill Napier's Daybreak In Dxie. Recorded during the Mercury-Starday short-lived tie-up, it had previously appeared on Starday's Various Artists - Banjo In The Hills LP in Aug 1959 (as Banjo In The Hills) and on Mountain Song Favorites in Nov 1959 (as Ralph's Banjo Special).

Likewise, Little Maggie is included, which I think was from the Starday session in May/June 1960 and appeared on Mountain Song Favorites. It get's included here by virtue of it being licensed to the Various Artists - 'Country Oldies But Goodies' (Smash LP 27016) LP, on the Mercury 'Smash' subsidiary.

The album also features a slightly different version of Our Last Goodbye. On the original single (Mercury 70270) Carter starts the song singing "The nights are lonely here without you" but on this version he sings "Oh the nights are...".^[1] Later reissues of the song on the Japanese 1974 2xLP The Stanley Brothers And The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Complete Mercury Recordings and the 3xCD Definitive Collection all use the 'Hard Times' version.

The album was reissued (Mercury MGW-12327/SRW-16327) July 1966 but omitting Clinch Mountain Blues and So Blue and in Japan (Mercury SM-7153) 19??. There was also a US Armed Forces issue. Nowadays, the best way to hear the album is to pick up a copy of The Complete Mercury Recordings 2xCD set.

For detailed information on these songs / sessions, check Gary B. Reid's The Music Of The Stanley Brothers book, pages 41-51, 56-57, 64, 66-68, 108-109, 71-74, 81-82 and 149.

^{[1] Letter by Walt Saunders in the 1967 'Carter Stanley Memorial Issue' of the 'Stanley Standard' fan club newsletter. (p. 71)}