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31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Short Life marks a long heritage, January 22, 2000
1 Whispering Pines 2 Mansion You Stole, The 3 I'm Ready, If You're Willing 4 When It's Springtime In Alaska (It's Forty Below) 5 All For The Love Of A Girl 6 Comanche (The Brave Horse) 7 Jim Bridger 8 Johnny Freedom Johnny Horton died young, the victim of an automobile accident. His death brought to an abrupt end the beginning of what could have been one of the greatest music careers that ever was. This album reflects some of the marks he made on the world of Country Music. Unfortunately, when this was originally released, there were twelve cuts, now there are only eight. I guess the others weren't great, for instance, they left out, "The Battle of New Orleans", one of the most outstanding hits in the history of the music, "North To Alaska", and "When It's Springtime in Alaska", two of the most definitive changes in his style as he began to leave the historical area and venture into the world of love and feeling; "Sink The Bismark" and "Johnny Reb", two of the songs most representative of his historical era. Why is it that Columbia Records feels that they have to cut the amounts of songs down through the years just because the business, as it stands today, usually releases only eight cuts. It doesn't cost them any more; all their costs were recovered in the first twenty or so releases of this album; it's just plain greed. With my "bitching" aside, I can still say that any Country and Western or late 50's rock enthusiast would love the album. The songs that were kept true to country style, in the memory of Hank, are "Whispering Pines", and "The Mansion You Stole", and "All For The Love of a Girl"; each of these reflects the true country nature of it's artist. The "Historical Hitmakers" are here, as well, thus, fulfilling the dream of the complete Johnny Horton Sound.
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