A Slice of History
I've had the Columbia LP for years and it has to be one of the best live bluegrass recordings available, even though it includes only a fraction of the concert. It's an absolute "must have" for any student of Scruggs. This CD contains the complete 1962 concert and it's absolutely tremendous. It includes all of Lester Flatt's intros and his low-key humor. If you're a fan of Flatt & Scruggs, you gotta have this CD.

Leading their own group since '48, they hit the top in '62...
I used to have a double cassette of Flatt and Scruggs early '50's work on the Mercury label, and while it was good, it did not have the mass appeal the group achieved in the early '60's, when doing the theme song for the hit TV comedy "Beverly Hillbillies" introduced Bluegrass to many millions. Something about this particular assemblage of pickers, and the material they recorded for Columbia, just plain clicked. Personally, as only a casual fan of Bluegrass, I would say this concert is a four-star event, musically, here in the new century. However, it was an historical moment when their Appalachian sounds were offered from the stage which had hosted every famous classical performer of the 20th century. So add a star because the mountains battled Manhattan on that December night in '62, and the mountains won.

At Their Best
There is not such a thing as a bad Flatt & Scruggs record, but with so many great musical artists to fill our collections scrutiny is required for budget purposes. This is a gem, complete with comical moments and the Martha White theme song. I bought it for "Down the Road", which I sorely missed when my complete Mercury recordings cassette got ate up. These two collections, along with "Tis Sweet to be Remembered" give the listener the spectrum of their long career. "Durham's Reel", "Big Ball in Brooklyn", "Hot Corn, Cold Corn" & "Footprints in the Snow" start out the first twelve with fine examples of Earl Scruggs spanking of the banjo and Lester Flatt's soulful singing. Then there are 20 more classics. Plenty of entertainment for the price, buy it, and have some "corn" with it.

The best live album ever recorded.
This is not only the best live bluegrass or country album ever, it is the best live album ever recorded of ANY genre. "Flint Hill Special" is an absolute classic gem. Other highlights include "Salty Dog Blues" and "McKinley's Gone".

An absolute MUST HAVE.

Classic Bluegrass
If you like bluegrass music (guitar, banjo & fiddle), you won't want to be without this great album. It's Flatt & Scruggs at their very best -- recorded live at Carnegie Hall in 1962. Truly a masterpiece, and a "must-have" for your music collection!