The Best of the Early Years

Merle Haggard

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Curb Records
• ASIN: B000000CZS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,163 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Legend, June 16, 2008

By	B. Grant "Bonnie" (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Merle Haggard is such a genuine man. It is projected in his songs and the tenor of his voice. There are many songs that we own on albums that were never released but are some of his very best work. They tell a story with truth and humility. He is a legend!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as the title says but very nice, February 12, 2004

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In the early days of CD when I wanted to collect Merle's great songs, it was quite tricky, with no double CD's or boxed sets. I started with the Capitol collectors series which contained about half the essential early songs. A volume 2 was planned but never released. Rhino then released More of the best, which filled most of the gaps but still left me without a few important tracks. This compilation filled most of the gaps left by those other two sets. Another Curb compilation, 18 rare classics, also proved useful. So this is not actually the best of the early years, because songs such as Mama's hungry eyes, Branded man, Mama tried and Okie from Muskogee were to be found on the other two compilations.

Nevertheless, there are some Hag classics here including Legend of Bonnie and Clyde, All my friends are gonna be strangers, I threw away the rose and Sidewalks of Chicago. Perhaps the most famous song here is Today I started loving you again, a song that was only originally a B-side for Merle but which has been covered by many other country singers.

So, this is a handy collection of some of Merle's great early songs. If you want just a little of his music, this may appeal to you although you can probably get a stronger selection at a similar or only slightly higher price. If you are a committed fan looking to complete your collection of Hag hits, you may find this useful, though you'd have to check the track listing against what you already have, unless you've got the compilations I've already mentioned.