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Greatest Hits

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Sovine is most famously remembered for the classic trucker ghost story "Phantom 309," written by Tommy Faile, but taken to #9 by Sovine in 1967. The infamous driver-from-the-beyond has provided character for everything from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" to a monologue by the gravel-voiced Tom Waits. But The Phantom wasn't Sovine's first popular recitation, as he'd topped the charts in 1965 with the tearjerker "Giddyup Go," and it wasn't the last, as 1976 would bring another chart-topper with the CB tale "Teddy Bear." All three share Sovine's ability to transcend maudlin lyrics with a compelling lump in his throat.

Varese's 18 track collection focuses on Sovine's hits with Starday and Gusto, expanding upon his recitations with the stray dog salvation "Little Joe" and weepy "Little Rosa," and essaying his repertoire of honky-tonk (a fine 1961 cover of George Jones' "Why Baby Why"), top-40 country hits ("I Didn't Jump the Fence" and "In Your Heart") and even 1970s contemporary-country ("The Days of Me and You"). Although "Little Rosa" and "Why Baby Why" were both originally recorded in the mid-50s as top-5 duets with Webb Pierce for Decca, these solo versions (re-recorded in 1961) are quite worth hearing.

Bill Dahl's liner notes cover Sovine's entire career in good detail, though they spend a lot of space on pre-Starday years that aren't anthologized here. The masters seem to be a mix of true stereo (1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 13, 15-18) and either mono, slightly-panned, or possibly reprocessed for stereo. The terrific cover photo will have you longing for 12" LP covers! [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

The is the first Red Sovine collection to contain all of his major country hits, including the #1 songs "Giddyup Go" and "Teddy Bear." The CD booklet includes photos and new liner notes by Bill Dahl.