Me And Jerry/Me And Chet...Plus

Performer: Chet Atkins
Producer: Chet Atkins; Jerry Reed; Bob Ferguson
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD: ME & CHET (1972)/ME & JERRY (1972). Personnel: Chet Atkins (guitar); Jerry Reed, Paul Yandell (guitar); Floyd Cramer (piano); Ralph Gallant, Jim Isbell (drums). Liner Note Author: Terry Reilly. On this disc, which contains two full LPs from the early 1970s, the legendary country guitarist Chet Atkins teamed up with younger six-stringer Jerry Reed. On each track, Reed holds his own against the master. In fact, Reed and Atkins complement each other's playing in a relaxed, comfortable manner. Reed plays mostly rhythm on these 21 tracks, but once in a while "The Kid," as he is referred to in the liner notes, steps up to the plate and performs a terrific solo. On ME & CHET, standout tracks include "Serenade to Summertime," a tune supported by a lush string orchestra, and the Hank Williams gospel classic, "I Saw the Light." ME & JERRY presents many excellent renditions of pop songs, particularly Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Hammerstein & Kern's "Old Man River," and George Harrison's "Something." It's easy to tell that these two guitarists were having a great time when they recorded these albums--their liner notes are tongue-in-cheek, the photos are amusing, and the chatter between certain tracks indicates that this was clearly a labor of love. This discount-priced two-fer combines the two celebrated duet albums made by Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed in the early '70s. Oddly, they are sequenced in reverse chronological order. Me & Jerry, which won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance, comes second (tracks 12-21), while 1972's Me & Chet, which was merely nominated for the same award, comes first (tracks 1-11). Me & Jerry is the more casual effort, as Atkins (in your right speaker) and Reed (in your left) pick their way through a number of pop standards, including "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "MacArthur Park." Atkins is the more sedate of the two, as Reed can be heard humming and singing snatches of the lyrics here and there, but it's the interaction between them that makes the recordings valuable. The tracks from Me & Chet are perhaps a bit more considered, and thus not as impressive, though there is a reading of "Mystery Train" that has considerable fire. [This version features a number of bonus tracks by Atkins and Reed.] ~ William Ruhlmann There may never have been a more complementary pair of guitarists than Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed. Atkins was a clean and elegant picker, Reed raucous and gregarious, but the two played without tension; they fit perfectly, with Jerry loosening up Chet while Atkins offered a tight counterpoint. This 2009 Raven two-fer combines their two earliest duets, 1970's Me & Jerry and its 1971 sequel, Me & Chet, adding six selections from Atkins' 1974 Picks on Jerry Reed, where Chet paid solo tribute to his friend, plus two signature songs from Reed, "The Claw" and "Alabama Jubilee." Me & Jerry may be the first of Chet & Jerry's recorded duets, but it's so relaxed in its interplay that it's clear that the two guitarists had been picking together for a long time. It's that smooth, easy feel that's the chief appeal of Me & Jerry, but it's also deceptive, hiding just how clever the duo's rearrangements of "MacArthur Park" and "Something" are. Then again, virtuosity is always more appealing when it doesn't call attention to itself, a trap Atkins and Reed always avoid here. The two simply lay back and play, trading lines and licks with an easy grace, having so much fun that it's impossible to not share in their joy. Released a year after Me & Jerry, Me & Chet is decidedly more produced than its predecessor -- there are traces of strings and wah-wah guitars, modern rhythms bubbling underneath the surface -- but the pleasures remain the same. It's still a gas to hear Reed and Atkins trade off licks, to intertwine their lines so smoothly it'd be hard to tell where one began and one ended, if they weren't separated into their own speakers (Jerry on the left, Chet on the right). Me & Chet doesn't rely on pop hits the way Me & Jerry does -- "Mystery Train" and "I Saw the Light" are the two big hits here, sitting next to Liszt's "Liebestraum," Cindy Walker's "Flying South," and a fair number of copyrights by Jerry, along with Chet's "Nashtown Ville" -- so the focus is almost entirely on the picking, which remains a pure pleasure to hear. The six bonus tracks here come from Atkins' Picks on Jerry Reed, where Chet runs through some of Reed's original songs, relying on an electric guitar instead of the acoustic that dominated the two duet albums. Atkins gives these enjoyably clean readings, but it can sometimes drift toward sleepiness; he could have used a little bit of Reed's exuberance, which is plainly evident on the set's last two bonus tracks from Reed -- his signature "The Claw" and "Alabama Jubilee," the only song with a lead vocal here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Among fingerstyle country guitar players, perhaps only Merle Travis can rival Chet Atkins, whose distinctive sound defined an entire generation of Nashville country. Atkins has played an equally important role as a record producer. As RCA's chief Nashville producer in the '50s and '60s, Atkins oversaw sessions for Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Jim Reeves, Don Gibson, and countless others. He was one of the chief architects of the polished country style that came to be known as the "Nashville sound," but his own productions were more tasteful and appealing than those for which the genre is frequently lambasted. Atkins remained active into the '90s, but succumbed to cancer in 2001.

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