Many of our readers will recall two different videocassettes that featured some long lost footage of this great band --one was a short lived VHS tape (remember them?) put out by Carlton Haney, and the other came out on the Pinecastle label. Both have been sought after collector's items for years. Thanks to Ronnie Reno, this wonderful material has been combined onto one DVD, with the addition of some songs & tunes that were not included in either of the prior VHS tapes. Like the recent Flatt & Scruggs DVDS that have come out on Shanachie/CMF, this is a most welcome treasure for those of us lucky enough to have seen this great band in its prime, and a revelation to those who know Reno & Smiley's music but never got to see them, either in person or on their legendary "Top O' The Morning" daily TV shows in Roanoke, Va. in the early 60s. There are 20 songs & tunes here, plus one comedy routine (not one of their best, unfortunately), that feature their long time sidemen Mac Magaha on fiddle and John Palmer on bass, plus guitarist Steve Chapman and a young Ronnie Reno on mandolin. There are the fine renditions of their classics like I KNOW YOU'RE MARRIED, I'M THE TALK OF THE TOWN, LOVE PLEASE COME HOME and I'M USING MY BIBLE FOR A ROADMAP. And --hold on --a guest spot from none other than THE STANLEY BROTHERS!: to see and hear Ralph & Carter singing IN THE PINES with a railroad track setting behind them sent chills up this listener's spine. Ralph then joins Don Reno for a twin banjo workout on HOME SWEET HOME, and and the Stanleys join Reno & Smiley's full band on a great OVER IN THE GLORYLAND (enough said??~!). Other notable tracks include NINE POUND HAMMER (also with the Stanleys), DOWN YONDER, FISHER'S HORNPIPE, WHISPERING HOPE and PANHANDLE COUNTRY. It's hard to cite anything negative about this amazing DVD, but there is one flaw: the individual tracks are not "keyed" or isolated, so if you want to go back or forward to see one piece in particular, there is no way to do that except to start the DVD from the beginning again. (By the way, at least one or two of the cuts are from 1957). This is a precious and amazing document that any "vintage" Bluegrass fan will have to get --it has our highest RECOMMENDATION!
