Customer Reviews

George Jones: The Great Lost Hits (2CD)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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This double disc set gathers all the hits Jones cut for the Pappy Daily owned Musicor label from 1965 to 1971, when Jones left to join Epic Records with Tammy Wynette. The recordings have been out of print due to legal issues for years in the U.S., but many cut-rate CDs with inferior recordings and alternate takes have been around. The versions on these CDs are the original versions of the hits.

Some of Jones' best loved hits are here: "Walk Through This World With Me," "A Good Year For the Roses," and "Things Have Gone to Pieces" among them. The sound is outstanding and the liner notes do a nice job of summing up this phase of Jones' career. This two-disc set is the best way for the average fan to get these hits; Bear Family out of Germany recently put out a five and four disc set covering the entire Musicor output, but that's a bit much for most fans and very pricey. Jones recorded more than 200 songs in his time at Musicor, but the best of those are here.

It's my hope that this set sells well and Time-Life sees fit to put out another edition consisting of album cuts and the hidden gems in from Jones' Musicor years. If you don't have these songs, this is a missing piece in the George Jones discography.

George Jones' recordings for the Musicor label weren't so much lost as hung up in legal limbo. When Jones left Musicor for Epic in a rancorous split with label owner and manager Pappy Daily, seven years (1965-71) of prime recordings were left to haphazard reissue and illegitimate copying, and worse yet, inferior contemporary re-recordings. This is a textbook example of the cultural blockades created by the multiparty complexity of music licensing, restrictive copyright laws and the lawyer tax that attaches to just about everything. Jones waxed over 250 master recordings for Musicor during the early prime of his recording life, so the riches that have been locked in the vault are substantial.

True, the Musicor sessions didn't always live up the standard of "Walk Through This World With Me," "Where Grass Won't Grow" or "A Good Year for the Roses," but these simpler productions provide key contrast to the more complex arrangements Billy Sherrill would employ at Epic. Among the thirty-four tracks are twenty-three charting hits (missing only "No Blues is Good News" and the Melba Montgomery duet "(Close Together) As You and Me"), and eleven album sides. Lesser known singles like "Small Time Laboring Man" are complemented by excellent obscurities later resurrected by Keith Whitley, Elvis Costello, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Emmylou Harris and others. Listening to the high quality of these performances it seems criminal for seven prime years of Jones' career to have been available only to collectors who'd maintained a turntable.

Bear Family produced the full Musicor output on a pair of 2009 box sets (Walk Through This World With Me and A Good Year for the Roses), but the price tag of these imports is out of reach for many. Time Life's two-CD set gets to the core of Jones' greatness in the latter half of the 1960s, and though a couple dozen more sides could have fit on these discs (their absence no doubt a by-product of the U.S. per-track royalty structure), what's here is true country gold. A few tracks seem to have been re-mastered from vinyl as there are a few minor pops and ticks, but the fidelity is excellent and the performances uniformly superb. The sixteen page booklet includes terrific photos and informative liner notes by Colin Escott. If you can't afford the box sets, this is a must-have. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Jones recorded lots of music during his tenure with the Musicor label. Some of it was awesome, much of it was OK, and the rest was kind of crappy. The two Bear Family boxed sets that compile the entirety of Jones' Musicor output are, to be very honest, kind of difficult to endure. For every great song, you've got to endure ten or so that just don't make (or even come close to making) the grade.

The beauty of this compilation is that it gathers all the gems from that period (both hits and great album tracks) and leaves the crud behind. As far as great 60's country music goes, it really doesn't get much better than this.

Some will argue that this is Jones at his peak. Others will say earlier or later tracks were more definitive. My sense is that, from late 50's through the late 70's, Jones peaked a number of times at different labels. The peaks of each period are all worthwhile, but for different qualities. Which period you prefer will depend on lots of subjective stuff. It's just good now to finally have a definitive document of his Musicor best moments to go along with similar compilations of his best moments for other labels!

im not gonna type my heart out telling you about George jones he is a icon and leaving legend in country music he is the best!

I love George Jones and saw from his website that this was out. I had a hard time finding it. Thanks to Amazon, I now own the CD and it's great. If your a George Jones fan, it's a must have.

Loved the CD. Had not heard a lot of these tunes. Thanks for the music.

I have to admit that I'm not as big a fan of "the Possum" as others who have posted reviews here. I'm more a "white Lightening" and " "Love Bug" listener. But when I saw Colin Escott's name on the package I knew I was going to get, not only, interesting material, but also authoritative liner notes. (Escott's Hank Williams' reissues are primo products.). There are a lot of tracks squeezed onto each of the CDs here (34!) which is a hefty sampling for an album with an under $20. list price. The variety of styles is not as interesting to me as the Epic material on the Sony box sets (which, again, are pricier). I think it's a matter of personal taste as to whether you like the stripped down versions of Jones' hits or the fully produced ones. (Since the later became the "hits" I guess public opinion - well, through sales) determined the answer. But Jones fans want it all and its great that Time-Life is finally making these sides available. Sure, there will be gripes, but don't expect better quality transfers for ALL the tracks soon. Remember, you aren't "investing" in a Bear Family box set.

And if Time Life promotes the CD on cable TV - as they do with many of their projects - it can only mean that more folks will discover Jones material. I don't see Sony out there doing this.

So my rating is based on 1) the final availability of these tracks, 2) The package including the liner notes, and the fair price being charged by TL.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

I have a huge GJ collection but I still find songs of his I don't have or original versions I don't have. I thought these sounded great especially "Where Grass Won't Grow." I've never listened to another artist that I like as much as George. It's amazing how his voice has lasted as long as it has inspite of what he has done to his body. It's a shame what all of his fans missed from all of his no shows. He is a true original country hero. Great addition for any collector of George's missing songs.

I can't believe Time Life would put their name on this when I can definitely hear pops and clicks on some of the songs, especially Say It's Not You, which is one of the main songs I bought this for. I have an EMI Australia collection of some of George's Musicor recordings that sounds much cleaner than this and I seriously doubt the Bear Family boxes have any problems with sound. After this long wait for the domestic reissue of George's Musicor recordings, this is pathetic! Some of the songs sound decent, but enough don't that I wouldn't recommend this at all.