"Train 45" ~ Jim VanCleve: No Apologies

[EntropicMisanthropic]

Bluegrass perfection. Smokin' fast, insanely technical. Every man whipped the shit out of his instrument and pushed his skill to the limit, and that sir means badass no matter the genre. If this doesn't make you want to do a dance, you're probably not drunk enough. If it doesn't make you want to stomp your feet, you're probably a Communist.

[MistyMountaineers]

good stuff!!! SMOKIN~~~~

[zjohnson2814]

DAAAAAAAAMN!

[jc104599]

Awsome no dislikes everyone who listens is awsome

[SamwiseOfYell]

@jc104599 Hey, thanks man! :D

[TRichMusic1]

the pic at 1:30 depicts the song the best...sounds like theres no stopping this train....

[SamwiseOfYell]

@TRichMusic1 Ha ha! Yeah! That's the idea! ;) :D Thanks.

[79797937]

man these folks are hot

[TheUntamedOne]

DAMN! .... this smokes like hickory stove!

[SamwiseOfYell]

@TheUntamedOne Hahaha! :D LOL Yeah, it does! :)

[stellingbanjos]

like eddie stubbs would say?? are there any questions>>??

awesome.

brian blaylock

[mudking568]

Hot damn

[bluedreadnaught]

Jim this is very good music, vocals. The photos are also very impressive. Great job.

[SamwiseOfYell]

@bluedreadnaught Thanks for the kind comment! However, Jim did not make this vid, I did. :) I am a fan of Jim's playing and his band and merely wanted to do this tribute video to him and his playing. Thanks again for watching.

[rexman92]

DAAAANNNNNGGGG must have stolen suepr mans speed in to those fingers!!!!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

@rexman92 Hahahaha! Yes! :D

[rexman92]

@rexman92 must have used a cryptonite mechine to do so lol

[tortelligno]

WOW !!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

@tortelligno WOW, indeed! ;)

[SzokkozS]

Top stuff! Amazing performance!

[SamwiseOfYell]

@SzokkozS All glory and honor goes to Jim and his gang on this one!  :D

[nasty5oh]

Ron Stewart is the man

[SamwiseOfYell]

Yes, he IS!  :D

[bmoto0044]

This was an insanely fast cut! Didn't know this was on youtube, but i'm glad it's on here. I remember when Dad went to put tenor vocals on it, and he came back talking about how fast it was lol.

[SamwiseOfYell]

@bmoto0044: How cool! Steve Gulley's son in the flesh!  Thanks for the comment man! Glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing that interesting piece of info on the tune's development.

[ArkRed1]

I play mostly old time mountain open back frailing style banjo, or clawhammer, but every now and then have to play a bluegrass set. This is a great song to hone your chops on. I play about fifteen different instruments. Music has been really good to me for the past 62 years.

[SamwiseOfYell]

@ArkRed1: That's very interesting, ArkRed1. Thanks for sharing! And yes, music IS REALLY good!!! :D

[devlin15251]

someone call 911 because their starting a FIRE!!!!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

Ha ha ha! LOL Yes!  :D

[frmertd]

one of the best bluegrass albums ever made. I really liked this album!!! thanks for posting.

[SamwiseOfYell]

Agreeeeeeeed!!! :D  And you're welcome!!

[MrBanjer1985]

Love this ensemble! This version is nothing but a whole sack of MASH!! Playing with this track help me gain a ton of speed. Love the whole CD, especially "let the big dog eat" that Ronnie Bowman cut vocals on - fanominal singer/songwriter.

[SamwiseOfYell]

@MrBanjer1985:  YESSSSSSS to everything you said! :D Great cut, great CD, great vocals, great songwriters, great musicians, great songs, great playing' = AWESOME BLUEGRASS!! :D

[ArkRed1]

I bought the whole cotton pickin' CD for just this song. Great pickin' by great pickers. I play five. It's a great tune to practice with to keep your chops alive and kickin'. Thanks for posting this Sam.

[SamwiseOfYell]

Thanks! No Apologies IS a great CD! Track 5 "Devil's Courthouse" is another good tune. You must love hard drivin' bluegrass music, Ark! Which instrument do you play? :)

[96GuitarFreak]

Great song. I relly enjoyed it.

[SamwiseOfYell]

Ha ha! It's a good one, that's for sure!

[jdfidv2001]

Thanks so much for posting this, Samwise!! Nice Job on the pics as well! :)

God bless,

Jim VanCleve

[SamwiseOfYell]

Thanks so much, Jim! :D Glad you enjoyed hearing yourself play ha ha ha!  I just HAD to post this video to commemorate my fondness for Mountain Heart and good driving bluegrass! Keep up the good work, and God Bless.

[jdfidv2001]

@jdfidv2001 HAHA!! It's ALL about Ron Stewart for me on this one, my friend!!!! :) Thanks again, buddy!

God bless,

Jim VanCleve

[SamwiseOfYell]

Ha HA! :D Too true! :)

[jdfidv2001]

Thanks for so much for posting this, Samwise! Nice job on the pics as well. :)

[charsduke]

WONDERFUL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

@charsduke Aw thanks! :D

[patrickcc112]

the best train 45 version ive ever heard. That fiddle is sumthin

[SamwiseOfYell]

Wow! Good news! It IS incredible!

[ArkRed1]

Excuse me, I've got to go in the creek and get my hat.

[SamwiseOfYell]

Ha, ha!  Thanks!

[TheGibsonlover]

Holy crap that mandolin solo is amzing!

[SamwiseOfYell]

Yep, yep! Adam Steffey is the MAN!! I love how he uses those double stops coming into the B part of his break. That endless noodling concluding his break is FANTASTIC! I love to play the mandolin. Thanks for the comment and view, and keep picking! :)

[teakbridge101]

HC is right. It's more like HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!

[LayersofTruth777]

Man, all this arguing over this video makes laugh. If you want my opinion, here it is. God gives us each very unique talents and ways of playing. Earl was a great musician and so is Ron Stewart. I look at this video from the perspective of a classically trained guitarist, a mandolin player, and a banjo player. I can do all of them pretty well, but I don't aspire to be a copy of Earl or a copy of Ron. To each his own. I can appreciate the talent of all musicians who work for the Lord.

[SamwiseOfYell]

THANK YOU LoT777! All this arguing has got me pretty stymied, too. I COMPLETELY agree. . .God has given all of us talents in various areas of music that are unique and are no less worthy than another's. It is good that we musicians are not all the same. If we were, music would be p.r.e.t.t.y bland.  ALL members of the music "body" are valuable, i.e., let's quit tearing each other down and start building one another up. :)

[bigmrclean]

Too fast...The melody is totally not even in the song.. I don't understand why people listen to this garbage. You ever hear Earl scruggs play anything this fast? Maybe that's because it WASN'T NECESSARY.

[teakbridge101]

Hey Bigmrclean, I have a question for you: why are you so bothered with this vid? I can't believe that anyone could be this mad about something like this...especially a bluegrass vid. Yes, Earl never played this quickly, but I think his having done so or not is hardly a reason for condemning this vid. The guys here, one of whom is my friend, worked really hard to play this number. I think it's an overstatement to say it wasn't necessary.

[bigmrclean]

Obviously he can play...and obviously he is very talented. But man It just takes away from the music and melody when it gets this fast. A lot of todays bluegrass is just so fast it all sounds the same. I dunno..Just my opinion...You know what they say...opinions are like buttholes..everyone has one.

[teakbridge101]

Opinions are like buttholes?? Dude, that is pretty coarse! You need to get a life. It's just a song. And the melody of Train 45 really didn't change at all for the banjo breaks...it just became faster than usual. For the record, I clocked these guys at 195bpm average. That is pretty rock solid. I think when you listen to the song more and more it begins to grow on you, too. It's the shock of that first time that throws some folks.

[bigmrclean]

Ok "Dude" Since that is too coarse for you let me put it a bit more subtle for you. It's people like you that think the faster something is the better it is. I've been playing music for over 20 years and this doesn't shock me...more like makes me laugh. Is that better? Or do I need to clarify it a bit more. There's no melody hardly in this song due to the 200 beat per minute playing. What are you 16 or something? You sure as hell ain't from the old school.

[teakbridge101]

Almost 16? You really make me laugh Bigmrclean! Try almost 22. I have been playing for over seven years myself, though I have been a fan for over 8. While that is no record in anyone's books, I think that it affords me some kind of perspective. I don't feel that "faster is better" at all; but I think that to come down so hard on it is not accurate. The song is extremely fast, but I don't think we sould judge it too harshly since few of us (including myself) cannot play with that speed and talent

[teakbridge101]

And what does being from the "old school" have to do with anything? That is a pretty pointless statement...one that seems just a little visceral considering the fact that you are only four years older than I am! I would define myself as being just as much an "old schooler" as I am a progressive player. I think there can be a balance between the two. Your severity only shows that you have a one sided argument.

[guitarcrazy37]

@bigmrclean back in the day Mr Earl Scruggs Could kick some butt!!! And he still makes people look like fools cuz they cant keep up with him. he can play can play and HAS played every bit as fast as this. That's part of why they did it that way. you need to figure out what you're talking about!! And it WAS NECESSARY because it makes it unique! Get it straight!!! FOOL!!!!!!

[bigmrclean]

@guitarcrazy37 You don't even know who Earl Scruggs is you imbecile. Don't ever talk about Earl like that again. People on here get dumber every comment. Go find me a clip where earl played 195 bpm...Oh and bpm is beats per minute. I'm sure I have to break it down for you simple one.  Show me a clip, MOUTH. Otherwise I'll hurt your little feelings. Man parents don't need to smoke dope and drink while their kids are still in the womb.

[Banjerman07]

Ive noticed everywhere u pop up,Youtube,BanjoHangout. You never have nothing good to say. I belive back in the day Earl Could Kick Some ass and go that fast. Reason you dont like that is you cant go that fast, Ron Stewart is a Professional and a far better banjo picker than you. Keep pickin Roll in my Sweet babys arms, it might sound better,

[kentuckywillie54]

this is GREAT!!! 5*****+

please post more drivin' bluegrass like this

[SamwiseOfYell]

Aww. . .thanks so much for the kind comment! :) And thanks for the advice; I'll definitely keep it in mind!

[ultfishrman]

i love the mix on this song. i like the change up from just the regular old boring train 45 too great song thanks for posting

[SamwiseOfYell]

Thanks for the insight! Good comment; happy new year! :D

[flatpikinguitar]

My headphones just caught on fire. Man!!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

Mine, too! Ha, ha, ha! :D

[2005fiddler]

Somebody get some water I smell smoke!!!!!!

These folks are on fire!!!!!

[SamwiseOfYell]

Oh!! Thanks so much for the clever comment! These guys ARE on fire. . .at 195 beats per minute! :DD The Mountain Heart crew are a talented group of guys to be sure! Wanna be friends?

[teakbridge101]

Approaching 1500. . .

[teakbridge101]

Hey dude, YOU FINALLY CROSSED 1000!!

[ArkRed1]

It just don't get no better than this. I have to agree. The best damn version of this song I ever heerd.

[SamwiseOfYell]

Aw, thanks a million man! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[teakbridge101]

Your about to cross five-hundred, dude!!!

[teakbridge101]

The train has no more wheels after this!!!!!!!!!!!!!