Not a songwriter of note himself, Doc Watson was a folk musician in the broadest sense of the term, and a wonderful interpreter of early Americana equally adept at singing and playing George Gershwin's ''Summertime'' and the traditional blues ''Mama Don't Allow No Music'' as he was at another traditional song often associated with Louis Armstrong, ''St. James Infirmary Blues,'' as well as the ageless ''Wabash Cannonball.'' Though it sounds like hyperbole, there isn't such thing as a bad Doc Watson record, but this boxed set may be the most extraordinary Doc Watson ever captured on tape. Ever.
From the very first notes of the first of the seven different shows presented here, it's clear that Doc, his son, Merle, and bassist T. Michael Coleman are locked in and having fun. They wanna be there, and it shows. The musicianship is sparkling and flawless throughout, and their joie de vivre bubbles through all seven discs. There's a bounce to these performances on no other Doc record, live or from the studio. From the incredibly fast ''Nancy Rowland/Old Joe Clark'' to the impassioned ''South Coast,'' the song sung in John Ford's film, ''Grapes of Wrath'' (both on chapter 4, disc 1), to the unexpected Elvis medley at the end of chapter 2, disc 1, these are Watson performances for the ages. The slide-guitar work of Merle, who died in a tragic tractor accident on the family farm in 1985, is utterly sublime. Two guests, Ken Lauber on piano, and Billy Roberts on harmonica, appear in two different shows each. Owsley ''Bear'' Stanley [the Grateful Dead's legendary soundman & sound system architect] certainly did know how to record in this room. The audience is audible, as are the between-tune exchanges among the three men, and most of Doc's jokes are funny. The tapes were processed using the Plangent system, to correct any wow and flutter and to recover lost frequencies. The result is exceptional sound, intimate yet three-dimensional.
