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If a person wants to hear the songs exactly as they sound on the radio--listen to the album at home. First, as seems to be true with every retrospective, songs that should have made the cut didn't. Although I'm primarily an aficianado of rock and blues (and subgenres such as country rock, rockabilly, etc)., I love Merle Haggard's music.That having been said, this compilation is something of a letdown. But in a "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" package, such as this one, new wine should not be put into the old wineskins. 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. 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.
All of the great hits in one collaboration. His duets with Jewel are priceless and should not be missed.
This is a wonderful cd. The man is great.
About all the Haggard I'd heard was Mamma Tried and Oakie from Muskogee, so I was looking forward to exploring his work. 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.
Like many others, I was fooled by this cd. So I played it.What a revelation.
Time passed. I realized that I still hadn't heard this man's work, and that I had this cd.
He has a wonderful voice, an awesome band, great tunes and amazing lyrics. I am looking forward to hearing the originals, and if they are better than this, then I will be truely blessed.
A few years ago, Merle Haggard sat down and remade almost all of his biggest hits in a mamoth recording session. Now all of these songs are spreading around to every cheap record company who repackages them. Be careful, everything here is remakes.
I still respect Merle, and think he's still making wonderful contributions to real country music, but. I bought this CD set thinking the songs were the original recordings. I was wrong. 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.
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