The “Pops” Goes Country by Chet Atkins with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra (Vinyl record album review)

Album name: The “Pops” Goes Country

Artist name: Chet Atkins

Conductor name: Arthur Fiedler

Orchestra name: Boston Pops Orchestra

Year: 1966

Number of discs: one

Label: RCA Victor Red Seal

Collection: Friedman

Distinguishing characteristics: NOT FOR SALE / PROMOTION USE ONLY stamped on back of album

Buy it on Amazon: $193.00

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m familiar with Chet Atkins and a bunch of the songs on this record.

I had heard of the Boston Pops Orchestra before today, but never knew what it was until looking it up.

I have no familiarity with Arthur Fiedler except insofar as I read about him while reading about the Boston Pops Orchestra (and also, I initially misread his name and thought that he might have been a relative of Nathan Fielder, but no such luck).

What I expected

I guess this is some classic country, folk and blues songs, performed with country style guitar and by an orchestra that specializes in modern and popular music.

What it was actually like

Traditional country songs with an orchestra sounded like an interesting idea, and I thought I was going to enjoy this a lot, but I didn’t care for it at all. Most of the songs sounded way too much like musical theater to be good.

I did enjoy the steel guitar on Alabama Jubilee.

The best songs were the Wildwood Flower part of the first side’s medley and, on the second side, I’ll Fly Away was also all right. Those two songs are so popular that there are zillions of versions of each, but here is my favorite version of the former, and here is one of the latter that I love.

Grade

2/5: weak, but I was able to listen to the whole thing