The Gene Autry Show: Complete 1950s Television Recordings [Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered]

Gene Autry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 31, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00004ZEIV
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,562 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Cowboy Blues

2. Home on the Range

3. Great Grand Dad

4. Mexicali Rose

5. Sing Me a Song of the Saddle

6. Ridin' Down the Canyon

See all 36 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Crime Will Never Pay

2. Let's Go Roamin' Around the Range

3. Roll On, Little Doggies

4. As Long as I Have My Horse

5. Silver Spurs on the Golden Stairs

6. When You and I Were Young, Maggie

See all 38 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. When the Bloom Is on the Sage

2. Fetch Me Down My Trusty .45

3. A Hillbilly Wedding in June

4. God's Little Candles

5. Crime Will Never Pay

6. Let Me Ride Down in Rocky Canyon

See all 35 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One-of-a-kind box of 50s singing cowboy nostalgia, December 8, 2000

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Gene Autry Show: Complete 1950s Television Recordings (Audio CD)

One has to wonder if Varese label chief Cary E. Mansfield wears Gene Autry memorabilia to staff meetings and mastering sessions. There's no evidence of his clinking spurs to be heard here, yet Varese's lengthy catalog of Autry releases, topped by this spectacular triple-disc set, is clearly the work of someone with a rather fanatical interest. This encyclopedic release complements earlier issues covering Autry's film soundtracks (including a volume with teen co-star Mary Lee), a collection of Autry's collaborations with singing groups such as Sons of the Pioneers, and a disc of Autry's Christmas recordings.

These tracks, recorded over a six year period (1950-1955), represent every song Autry sang on his popular television show. Included are previously unreleased tracks, rare renditions, and just enough program continuity (dialog and sound effects) to set the context. The recordings are clean and well recorded, taken directly from Autry's archives. Most are without background sound effects, though atmospheric hoofbeats on the trail (could it really be Champion?) can be heard here and there, and bits of dialog are left intact on some intro and outros. Only a very few cuts (e.g., "When It's Night Time in Nevada," "Red River Valley" and "A Heart As Big As Texas") are incomplete, fading in or out.

The fades and dialog never get in the way of appreciating the music, and some snippets, like those of comedian Pat Butram, are truly revelatory. Though Butram's distinctive voice had appeared on Autry's radio program, the television seeds of his Green Acres character, Mr. Haney, are found here, along with a deeper insight as to just how satirical Green Acres really was. It's like seeing Don Knotts "Nervous Man" on the Steve Allen Show and realizing where Barney Fife was born.

The optimism and purity of Autry's recordings is something to behold. Fifty years after their initial release, they retain the same sort of inspirational wonder that fuels latter-day homages such as Toy Story. Though Autry's multiple talents (singer, guitarist, songwriter, radio/TV/film star, businessman) softens the focus on any of his particular accomplishments, one can't help but be transported into the idyllic Western frontier painted by his music. The imagery and attitude is so compelling that it's impossible to avoid becoming nostalgic, either for the closing of his fictional Western frontier, or just for a spot on the braided rug in front of the television set.

The three discs are stuffed with superb songs, lovingly rendered, often to the simple accompaniment of guitar and a lazy fiddle or harmonica. The song list ranges from Autry's many originals (including his rewrite of Ray Whitley's "Back in the Saddle," sung here in several different versions, even one by Pat Butram!) to traditional songs like "Home on the Range" "Billy Boy" "Down in the Valley" "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (sung with the Cass County Boys and accompanying animal sound effects) "Yellow Rose of Texas" and many, many more.

At three discs and 115 tracks (augmented by excellent graphics, photos and liner notes by Allen J. Wiener), this is a rather deep place to introduce yourself to Autry. On the one hand, it includes elements of both his recording and television careers, on the other, it's an awful lot to take in as an introduction. Single-disc collections that anthologize his better-known recordings might be a more obvious first-buy. But for anyone with a love of singing cowboys, this is a terrifically playable set that will bring you hours and hours of memories you may not even have had yet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take me back to the 50's, October 31, 2003

By 

"straitnut" (Palm Bay, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gene Autry Show: Complete 1950s Television Recordings (Audio CD)

I am a big fan of Gene Autry's music and his TV show....this is the perfect collection. It takes me back to when I sat on the floor and watched his progam. The songs are clear and the added background clippity clop of the hoof beats make you visualize riding a horse with Gene right down the road.
I would definitly recommend this collection to any fan of good cowboy music.
Thanks Varese.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent TV collection, September 16, 2008

By 

Anthony V. Bolton "Antonio Adventura" (MSN groups, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gene Autry Show: Complete 1950s Television Recordings (Audio CD)

A good, complete collection of songs from Gene's TV show. There are backgound sounds on some songs, like the sounds of riding a horse but it does not detract from the songs but instead enhances the atmosphere of the recordings. There are a couple songs that could have been eliminated due to excessive talk over from other characters but overall this is a must for Autry fans and quite enjoyable.