Set aside, for the moment, the titanic bluegrass talent embedded in this lineup of Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Wes Golding, and Terry Baucom. Set aside the vibrant cover portrait of the quartet, giving away its original release year—1976—by way of the conspicuously oversized shirt collars and healthy hair. Set aside that this is the first appearance on CD and digital, as well as a vinyl reissue, for this lost treasure.

What’s left?

Only a supergroup soaring into focus, offering a set of recordings that pushed into the stratosphere the boundaries of bluegrass, jam, and pop. Not to mention coalescing with a new grass movement that still stands as massively influential and impactful five decades later.

As for the sonics on this 16-song collection, they are brilliantly presented, remastered and including four previously unreleased tracks. It’s an album immediate and pure, glistening and full. A considerate and worthy restoration.

And while the song-lengths hold tightly- most are under the 3-minute mark- the instrumental interplay between the four is abundant and captivating, jumping the start with “Dixieland,” and off we go. Rich harmonies ring throughout, with Skaggs’ signature vocal tones carrying the heavy loads. The string-work, too, is expectedly exceptional, as Douglas sparkles on dobro.

Even as these are somewhat early days in the careers of the foursome, there’s a lived-in wisdom that permeates the cuts. Listen to “I’m Gonna Settle Down” and be convinced, (though, really, these boys are just getting started.) There’s a confidence and maturity evident in each selection, rooted with a deeply held respect for the genre and its traditions. Yet, for sure, this ensemble is breaking new ground, just with shovels, and not dynamite.

In fact, in the fifty years since its release, Boone Creek stands now like an archetypal rendering of the form, as much as feisty upstarts on the corner. Any way its sliced, this is a classic and a game-changer, a past gem and a present beauty. Cue up “White House Blues” and feel the floorboards shake and the fretboards burn.