****Excellent***Good**Fair*Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Sons of the Pioneers--Columbia Historic Edition.” Columbia. This budget-priced compilation showcases 10 of this seminal Western group’s earliest recordings--songs that were just a hitchin’ post removed from their prairie sources. Although this is not an in-depth retrospective and it bypasses signature Sons’ material such as “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and “Cool Water,” these 1937 tracks recorded in Los Angeles do capture the timeless charm of the three-part harmonies created by the original trio--Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer and Leonard Slye, (a.k.a. Roy Rogers). Too bad Columbia only gave the Pioneers’ extensive career only 28 minutes on this CD. Excellent liner notes. ***