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Merle Haggard - For the Record: 43 Legendary Hits Audio CD

A fair review of the Merle Haggard "For the Record: 43 Legendary Hits" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Merle Haggard reviews here, or go back to the Merle Haggard tabs.

Merle Haggard Band: Merle Haggard
Title: For the Record: 43 Legendary Hits
Rating:
Release Date: 1999-08-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Mama Tried 2: Sing a Sad Song 3: Swinging Doors 4: I'm a Lonesome Fugitive 5: Branded Man 6: Sing Me Back Home 7: Legend of Bonnie and Clyde 8: Hungry Eyes 9: Workin' Man Blues 10: Silver Wings - Merle Haggard, 11: Okie from Muskogee 12: Fightin' Side of Me 13: Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) 14: Carolyn 15: It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) 16: Everybody's Had the Blues 17: If We Make It Through December 18: Old Man from the Mountain 19: Things Aren't Funny Anymore 20: Movin' On - Brooks & Dunn, Merle Haggard 21: Always Wanting You 22: It's All in the Movies 23: My Favorite Memory - (newly recorded version) 24: Roots of My Raising 25: Cherokee Maiden 26: Ramblin' Fever - Alabama, Merle Haggard 27: I'm Always on a Mountain When I Fall 28: It's Been a Great Afternoon 29: Footlights 30: Way I Am 31: Misery and Gin 32: I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink 33: Rainbow Stew 34: My Favorite Memory 35: Big City 36: Pancho and Lefty - Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson 37: Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver) 38: Going Where the Lonely Go 39: Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room 40: Place to Fall Apart 41: That's the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard, Jewel 42: Natural High 43: Kern River 44: Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Star

Not as good as the originals; song selection somewhat suspect
), I love Merle Haggard's music. Although I'm primarily an aficianado of rock and blues (and subgenres such as country rock, rockabilly, etc.

That having been said, this compilation is something of a letdown. First, as seems to be true with every retrospective, songs that should have made the cut didn't. In particular, "Makeup and Faded Blue Jeans", "Leonard", and "5:01 Blues" should be among the top 43, but they are not represented here.

Even more than the songs selected, the reason I was disappointed with this album is because the songs have all been modified (they are new recordings). I understand how musicians feel the need to update their songs over time, to change the feel, tempo, timing, phrasing, even lyrics, but I think that should be left to live performances. If a person wants to hear the songs exactly as they sound on the radio--listen to the album at home.

But in a "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" package, such as this one, new wine should not be put into the old wineskins. It's interesting hearing Brooks and Dunn, Alabama, and Jewel (and Willie, of course) mixing it up with Merle, but in many cases it sounds as if Merle is just going through the motions or changing the songs just for the sake of change, rather than because there was a compelling reason to do so. In other words, in my opinion, these "oldies but goodies" are, on the whole, only about 75% as good as the original versions.

If you want an overview of Haggard's work, get "Epic Hits" and "Best Of", not this collection.


Wonderful Collection
His duets with Jewel are priceless and should not be missed. All of the great hits in one collaboration.


A Wonderful Ripoff
About all the Haggard I'd heard was Mamma Tried and Oakie from Muskogee, so I was looking forward to exploring his work. Like many others, I was fooled by this cd. When Mamma Tried fired up, I realized this was a remake and in a fit of rage I tossed the cd into the back of my closet. Time passed. I realized that I still hadn't heard this man's work, and that I had this cd. So I played it.

What a revelation. The man is great. He has a wonderful voice, an awesome band, great tunes and amazing lyrics. This is a wonderful cd. I am looking forward to hearing the originals, and if they are better than this, then I will be truely blessed.


Remakes
Now all of these songs are spreading around to every cheap record company who repackages them. A few years ago, Merle Haggard sat down and remade almost all of his biggest hits in a mamoth recording session.

Be careful, everything here is remakes.


Re-recordings. Avoid like the plague!
I was wrong. I bought this CD set thinking the songs were the original recordings. I still respect Merle, and think he's still making wonderful contributions to real country music, but . . . he just didn't have the original strength & punch of his original recordings. It's like listening to Johnny Cash sing "Hurt," and imagining him singing Folsom Prison Blues in the same voice -- painful.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.


You can see a complete list of all Merle Haggard discography, or go back to the Merle Haggard tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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