Customer Reviews

Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard

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Owens' second full-length for Capitol paired him with the burgeoning song catalog of the then newly-hot Harlan Howard. Owens and Howard would go on to write numerous hits together (including "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)" and "Tiger By the Tail"), but here Owens tackles songs mostly written by Howard on his own. These include titles that were iconic hits for others (e.g., Wynn Stewart's "Heartaches For a Dime," Guy Mitchell's "Heartaches By the Numbers," and Patsy Cline's "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down"), and a few lesser-known gems from Howard's catalog.

Owens is joined on this 1961 release by several members of the soon-to-be Buckaroos, including Don Rich, Jelly Sanders, and Ralph Mooney. Owens and Rich had yet to pick up and twang their twin telecasters, so this set, like his eponymous debut, doesn't feature the full drive of the Bakersfield sound. Still, Owens was an accomplished vocalist from early on -- one ideally suited to Howard's clever lyrics -- and his band was already taking their hard country twang in an ever punchier direction.

The Owens-Howard combo would refine and expand upon their connection with later hits, but the seeds of that success are here to hear. Highlights include "Foolin' Around," with Pee Wee Adams polite, yet apparently shocking for the time, drum flourish. Owens doubled harmony vocal is a template for the sort of singing he and Don Rich would turn into an art form (ditto for the doubling on "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today" -- a tune that would become a concert staple for the Buckaroos). Rich provides mesmerizing fiddle for "Heartaches By the Number," most especially the wandering opening line.

Throughout the rest of the decade, Owens and his Buckaroos would expand upon their honky-tonk beginnings, adding more electric guitar, kicking up the beat, and reaching out more broadly for material. But the sort of steel-driven music heard here always remained the root. Sundazed's reissue adds an instrumental version of "Foolin' Around" pulled from the mid-60s "Buck Owens Songbook" album; not essential, but a nice bonus.

After listening to this cd I've come to two conclusions. As an old fan of Buck Owens since 1963 When I first heard "Act Naturally" I was sold. I really like the songs on this cd, but my only disappointment was in the final mix in the songs. Most songs don't have enough bass but the last cut "Foolin' Round" the instrumental version is way too bassy. The vocals are very good and so is the instrumentation. There's quite a few songs on this cd that I've never heard but I sure did enjoy them. Through the years I've accumulated alot of albums by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. I'm looking forward to buying more cd'c of Buck to replace my old scratchy albums. Other than the mix this cd is well worth getting for hard core country music lovers. Guitar Bob

Harlan Howard was one of the most prolific songwriters in country music. The songs included here are the early examples of his work. Both Harlan and Buck have been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in recent years. This collection contains the hit "Foolin' Around". Vintage West Coast Country that sounds better than ever on cd.

Here is proof positive of the ability of Buck Owens to be able to take someone else's song and make it his own.The songs in this CD were done,and done well,by other artists.Then Buck and the Buckaroos come along and you begin to wonder if these songs should have been theirs all along.I'm a sucker for steel guitar and this CD is loaded with it.Truely a must have for Buck Owens fans and for anyone who loves pure country sound without all the hype.

This was Buck Owens' second album. "Foolin' Around", written by Buck & Harlan Howard, had been a smash hit, spending eight straight weeks at #2 on the Country charts (it was kept out of the #1 spot by Marty Robbins' hit "Don't Worry", which spent an amazing ten weeks at #1). So, Capitol Records decided to release an album of Buck singing Harlan Howard songs, with the album leading off with "Foolin' Around". Several of these songs had been big hits for other performers. "Heartaches By the Number" was a #2 hit for Ray Price. "I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today" was a #5 hit for Warren Smith. "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" was a #2 hit for Charlie Walker. And several others were hits of lesser stature. In addition to the cover songs, there were a couple of original songs written for the album. Harlan and Buck co-wrote "Let's Agree to Disagree" and Buck wrote "Think It Over" by himself, even though that went against the title of the album. This is a typically solid Buck Owens album. The CD adds one bonus track, which is an instrumental version "Foolin' Around" from a 1966 album were the Buckaroos played instrumental version of Buck's hits.

This CD is awesome. It's the Buck that I discovered, loved, and listened to as a teenager in the 60's. The familiar tunes, the totally unique sound, and just the feelings generated here would be hard to find anywhere else. There will never be another entertainer like Buck Owens. Even though many say he lost a good part of his soul with the death of Don Rich, I feel Buck still has it all over 90% of the talent out there....both then and now. His unmistakable voice, intonations, and style only grow better with age. Many may disagree with me, but I wholeheartedly encourage you to attend one of Buck's live shows (YES, he's still going at 73!) at his Crystal Palace in Bakersfield on any Friday or Saturday night, and I think you will be amazed! But this CD, with songs penned by Harlan Howard and music by Buck and Buckaroos is a MUST for any Buck fan, any fan of the Bakersfield-style, and any fan of good traditional boot-stomping, tear-in-your-beer, two-stepping country music.

Superior collection of Harlan Howard songs done in Buck's Bakersfield style. The bad news is the awful mix. No bass at all and barely any midrange. For collectors only !

The album sounds a lot like the songs were meant to sound when they were first recorded. They weren't big on basses back then. So it sounds wonderful to me. Just like my LPs. Every song, and I have them all on various albums. And I can hear Don with his beautiful high tenor voice, and see his beautiful smile, in harmony with Buck standing, not behind Buck, but right over Buck's right shoulder. That's how much Buck loved Don. And I still believe Buck lost a lot of himself with Don's premature death. I remember it knocked me for a loop. They were the only reason I watched HeeHaw. At the time, it was the only place where I could see them.