"Memories That Bless and Burn," released in 1999 on Rounder Records (0469), is a Dry Branch Fire Squad album featuring a stripped-down trio of Ron Thomason (mandolin, vocals), John Baker, and John Carpenter — a leaner configuration than the ensemble sound of the band's better-known live recordings. The format places Thomason's voice and mandolin at the center without the fuller harmonic cushion of a larger lineup. Thomason founded Dry Branch Fire Squad in 1976 after playing with Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys; the band had been a Rounder staple for more than two decades by this album's release. The characteristically literary title reflects Thomason's sensibility as a writer and bandleader, and the album exemplifies his commitment to the most traditional strands of Appalachian music.
Tracklist
- 1 Memories That Bless And Burn 4:57
- 2 Hide You In The Blood 2:41
- 3 Looking For The Stone - A Capella 2:02
- 4 Looking For The Stone 2:47
- 5 Were You There alt version 2:18
- 6 Travel, Travel On 2:09
- 7 I’ll Be No Stranger There alt version 2:13
- 8 When Heaven Comes Down 2:54
- 9 I Have Found A Way 2:03
- 10 Where We'll Never Die 2:41
- 11 Dip Your Fingers In Some Water 1:29
- 12 The Gospel Way 1:45
- 13 The God That Never Fails 1:05
- 14 That Home Far Away alt version 2:08
- 15 When I Went Down In The Valley To Pray 1:24
- 16 Touch The Hem Of His Garment 3:06
