Live at the Grand Ole Opry [Extra tracks, Live]

Hank Williams Sr. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Extra tracks, Live
• Label: Mercury Nashville
• ASIN: B00001QGTM
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,843 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Some years ago, MGM Records issued an LP of 11 Hank Williams Opry performances originally recorded for broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. Years of digging have unearthed much more Hank at the Ryman in crystal-clear monaural sound. Disc 1's 19 songs, punctuated by onstage joshing with singer Red Foley and Opry comics Minnie Pearl and Rod Brasfield, begin with his June 1949 debut as an Opry regular, ending in July 1952, a month before his firing over drinking-related no-shows. These powerful live renditions include the broadcast debuts of "Jambalaya" and "Window Shopping" along with two stark, chilling gospel numbers. Even with his physical stamina failing--as it clearly was on the final two songs--these raw performances are powerful testaments to Hank's charismatic genius and remain as arresting today as at the moment of broadcast. Disc 2, a complete 1950 Opry segment featuring Williams, Foley, and other Opry acts, is a historically valid, though musically inferior document, and including it on a Hank Williams package tends to dissipate the album's overall focus. --Rich Kienzle

Product Description

Imagine tuning in to radio station WSM back in 1949 and hearing Hank Williams comin' in live over the airwaves from the Grand Ole Opry! Well, that's what you have here-23 of his performances at that country temple, from his first broadcast in June 1949 to this last in July of 1952. Includes three tracks on CD for the first time, plus previously unissued versions and a bonus disc containing one complete Opry show with Red Foley, Minnie Pearl and the whole gang!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2 Unearthly Performances, December 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Live at the Grand Ole Opry (Audio CD)

This 2-CD set brings together some truly sublime performances (the unearthly Grand Ole Opry debut of "Lovesick Blues" and "Move It On Over") on disc 1, but little of consequence is contained on disc 2. The "Move It On Over" track was 'recently discovered' in Mercury's vaults, but most of these live recordings were released on the 10-CD box set, lending truth to my suspicion that Mercury is hoarding the majority of these recordings and will release them one at a time at a premium price.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but should've been condensed down a bit!, April 18, 2000

By 

Ronald G. Reagan (Steele, Mo.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the Grand Ole Opry (Audio CD)

Ok, anything new by Hank is essential! But, the problem is that Mercury Nashville knows this & uses this to make a quick buck off of Hank's fans. Here's what you get with this set. You get disc one that is comprised of all Hank, but runs only about 60 minutes. The second disc has only one song by Hank. The rest is throw away stuff like a comedy skit by Jamup & Honey and some other lesser knowns. Yes, it's nice to hear Red Foley doing a live rendition of a gospel song, but when I buy a Hank CD, I do not want to hear Red Foley unless he is MCing the show. This second disc runs short of 30 minutes making it a total waste. Mercury should've taken the one song off of disc two and put it on disc one. If you are going to have this as a two-discer, how about some of the live stuff not included here? How about the video versions of "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'" or the live version of "I Can't Help It" w/ Anita Carter? How about the live version of "Dear John" that appeared on the bootleg CD "Jambalaya"? I'm beginning to think Kira Florita & Mercury Nashville are more intent on fleecing the pocketbooks of Hank's fans than providing excellent retrospectives on Hank!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best Hank Williams Opry recordings available., September 15, 2002

By 

Gerald L. Russell (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the Grand Ole Opry (Audio CD)

For those of you who own THE COMPLETE HANK WILLIAMS box set, this CD looks like a mere duplication of CD #10. It really isn't. It's substantially better. Well worth owning at the right price.

Five of the tracks ("I Can't Help It," "Wedding Bells," "Jambalaya," "Window Shopping," and "Half as Much") are brand new and excellent. The first and last are especially outstanding. Additionally, there are six new song versions that are generally longer and better than the versions on the set. "Long Gone Lonesome Blues," with more vocal inflection than any other, is the best live version. "Why Don't You Love Me," "Moanin' the Blues," and "Nobody's Lonesome for Me" are longer versions than on the set. "Cold, Cold Heart" has more feeling than the set version, although I prefer the set version for the violin quality of the fiddle.

Ignore the second disc; it's [not that great]. I suspect Mercury stuck this on so that the set would roughly correspond in quality and length to their HEALTH AND HAPPINESS set. The latter, while essential to own, totals only 96 minutes and has lots of filler with eight versions of "Happy Rovin' Cowboy," and "Sally Goodin'," plus Audrey's screeches, etc. Disc one of LIVE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY makes the whole thing worthwhile.

In conclusion, Disc One of LIVE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY is worth owning. Look for a good used copy, or an inexpensive new copy, of this. It probably isn't worth paying the retail price for this product, any more than the HEALTH AND HAPPINESS SHOWS is worth the full retail price. ...