Bluegrass: The Greatest Show on Earth captures the Seldom Scene in live performance in 1982, documenting the band that had done more than any other act to shape progressive bluegrass's relationship with urban and college audiences since forming in the Washington, D.C. suburbs in 1971. Founded by mandolinist and producer John Duffey, the Seldom Scene built a devoted following through residencies at local clubs and a series of polished Rebel Records albums that combined traditional bluegrass instrumentation with a broader repertoire. "Hickory Wind," the Gram Parsons song, is characteristic of their eclectic approach and their willingness to draw on sources outside the bluegrass canon. The live setting suits the band particularly well — their rapport with audiences was a central part of their identity, and the informal energy of concert performance brings out qualities that their studio recordings sometimes tempered.
Tracklist
- 1 Doin’ My Time alt version 4:07
- 2 California Cotton Fields alt version 2:47
- 3 Band Intros - Live 1:16
- 4 Hickory Wind Source Recording 4:25
- 5 Panhandle Country - Live 2:10
- 6 Muddy Water alt version 3:02
- 7 Rawhide alt version 2:31
- 8 Baby Blue alt version 3:27
- 9 City of New Orleans alt version 2:59
- 10 Grandfather’s Clock alt version 3:23
- 11 The Fields Have Turned Brown alt version 2:48
- 12 Hit Parade of Love alt version 2:33
- 13 Will the Circle be Unbroken alt version 5:38
- 14 Pickaway - Live 2:50
- 15 Dark Hollow alt version 2:53
- 16 Small Exception of Me - Live 3:01
- 17 If I Were a Carpenter - Live 3:00
- 18 Old Gray Bonnet - Live 2:26
- 19 C & O Canal - Live 3:12
- 20 Georgia Rose - Live 2:55
- 21 Colorado Turnaround - Live 2:39
- 22 He Rode All the Way to Texas - Live 2:40
- 23 White Line - Live 3:20
- 24 Rider - Live 7:32
- 25 House of the Rising Sun (Instrumental) alt version
- 26 Out Among the Stars alt version 5:19
