MARK BRINE
Tall Truth & Therefore Tales (The Scouting Memories)
A Boy Scout’s Work Is Never Done – Johnny
Appleseed Musta’ Been A Boy Scout – The Mis-Adventures of Pete’n Stinky
(The Bear Facts) – The Tragic & Heroic Account of Scoutmaster Jim
Wright – Mis-Adventure The Swindler – Goin’ To A Jamboree – The Great
Boy Scout Expedition of ’62 – The Scout’s Prayer – Mis-Adventure #3 (the
We Hate Girls Club)
I’ve known, and been a friend of Mark Brine ever
since he was singing with Hank Snow on the Grand Ole Opry. After Hank
went away, Mark sort of leaned toward a more folk-like approach to
country music. And, he did it well, over the years he’s had some
incredibly good musical creative experiences. This particular project
goes all the way back to 1983, then it got set aside, a lot of time
passed by and then when Bear Records (in Europe) issued it on their 40th
Anniversary Box Set, Mark picked the pieces up and started over. This
particular project sounds like a BOY SCOUT is doing the composin’ the
singin’ the talkin’ the writin’ and sure enough the pickin’ BECAUSE this
is how a Boy Scout would look at life. This is how a Boy Scout would
utilize extreme thinkin’ to make it all work out. And that’s what
happened, even happened to Johnny Appleseed too. Mark is a super good
composer, singer, and guitarist, and it all comes back loud and clear,
much like Mark Twain would have enjoyed it, and he was probably a Boy
Scout too. I like it too, because it takes me back to when ‘rural’
music could so easily identify with songs and stories. Or as Mark says
it, stories and songs. This whole production is a ‘real-deal’ when it
comes to exactly that. Takes me back to the Little Rascals, or at least
Boy Scouts similar to ‘rascals.’ We have a lot of readers who are up
in their years now, who upon listening to this delightful session, would
obviously sit back in the easy chair, maybe smoke a pipe, sip a cup of
coffee and re-live these wonderful experiences Mark relates so well with
just him and his guitar. No over-dubbing, no outrageous phony studio
‘prep’ and certainly no ‘pop’ sounds to take the listener away from the
real-deal. Nobody sends me any pop-country albums anymore, they know I
won’t review them, but this 1983 concept album is a keeper, one of the
best I’ve ever heard in this particular style. Super five stars on this
one Mark.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, Pres., National Traditional Country Music Assn. www.music-savers.com for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show