Customer Reviews

Don Gibson - 18 Greatest Hits

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First off, most of the big songs here are remakes...but, but, but, there are a few songs here that are not remakes and are essential to any country music collection.

Country Green, Woman Sensuous Woman, Touch the Morning, One Day at a Time, and Bring Back Your Love To Me are all the original hit recordings.

Now all the rest, such as Oh Lonesome Me, are remakes. Not bad remakes by any means, but remakes none the less.

Some advice: Don't look at anything on Curb records if you want the original RCA recordings.

A true Don Gibson fan would know that these tracks are from 1970, when Don was recording for HICKORY records. Almost all of Don's original hits were on RCA. The ones on this cd lack the quality and originality of the RCA tracks. If you're looking for the original hits get the RCA package.

1. The tracks on this CD are not the orginal hit recordings.
2. If you buy on this basis, you'll be disappointed.
3. You'll be able to tell from the very first track that these
were cuts from recording secessions they didn't originally
plan on releasing.

You finally get all the songs you want to hear from a certain recording artist and there's a passel of remakes in it? Sure, the songs have a charm of their own done again years later, but some people (like myself) remember every little nuanace of a favorite song, a small note on the guitar, the singer going a little higher on a certain note, etc. that recalled a time or times back when, when you and that special person were listening to the song when it was new. If you don't care about such little things, sure, the songs are good, yes, they are, so buy it. We ARE talking Don Gibson after all.

OK, so these are the Hickory recordings and not the original RCA ones. BIG DEAL! These are still excellent and well worth listening to. Bring back your love to me is a gem with fantastic guitar picking, Blue Blue Day is a spicy uptempo reworking - it sizzles. Woman, Sensuous Woman is another classic. Don owes no apologies for these recordings - they run rings around Garth and the boring glamor boys of present day Nashville.

Not the original recordings and not spelled out in the ads. My fault I should have listened to the samples. Now I have to buy what I thought I was getting.

Don Gibson had 27 charted records while recording for Hickory or Hickory/ABC. This CD picks up 7 or 8 of his Hickory hits, with the rest being remakes of his RCA successes. The remakes are well worth being heard, but I'd really like to see a decent collection focusing the Hickory hits. Gibson's last top ten for RCA had occurred in 1966 except for a pair duets with Dottie West. The switch to Hickory in 1970 revitalized his career with "Country Green" going to #5 in 1971, "Woman (Sensuous Woman)" reaching #1 in 1972 and several more top 15 tunes.

Much had changed in country music when these recordings were made in the early 70s, compared to Gibson's RCA days. The Nashville Sound was by this time well established, Gibson and Chet Atkins having ushered it in some 15 years before. The remakes of those great songs actually served a purpose at the time, as the RCA collection was scarce on the shelves. Of these, I like 'Too Soon to Know"-- the vocal is better than the original, showing a dramatic maturity that was lacking on the old version. Also, "Sweet Dreams" is very different, showing, it seems, the influence of Patsy Cline on the songwriter. This album contains one of Gibson's best vocals, label notwithstanding, in Woman,Sensuous Woman. It resembles the 60's "Sea of Heartbreak" recording in the way each refrain builds with emotional tension. "I'm All Wrapped Up" is not a great cut, but it was one of Don Gibson's final compositions to chart, and, ironically, one of the only ones to reflect a love that is requited. "Bring Back... " is the best of his own songs from this era. I miss a couple of other lesser hits that came from this period, which Gibson wrote: "That's What I'll Do", and "There She Goes". Perhaps his upcoming entry in the CMA Hall of Fame will prompt additional releases. Finally, for good clean fun, "Touch the Mornin'", and "Country Green" will take you back to the 70's in a flash, and , how young was Eddy Raven when he wrote those tunes, anyways??

Chet Atkins said Don Gibson was the best vocal that he had ever recorder with. Truly a great singer that I've never get tired of hearing.

I'm very happy with this CD. Since listening to The Roadhouse On Sirius Radio I've been hearing a lot of the singers from some time back but can't find the CD's in the stores so I'm glad I have a place to buy them now. I'll be coming back for more.