The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology (1963-1977)

Merle Haggard | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 1995)
• Original Release Date: March 28, 1995
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Razor & Tie
• ASIN: B000002Z8T
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,202 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Sing a Sad Song

2. Sam Hill

3. Just Between the Two of Us

4. (My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers

5. I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can

6. Swinging Doors

7. The Bottle Let Me Down

8. The Fugitive

9. Someone Told My Story

10. I Threw Away the Rose

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Street Singer

2. Jesus, Take a Hold

3. I Can't Be Myself

4. Sidewalks of Chicago

5. Soldier's Last Letter

6. Someday We'll Look Back

7. Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)

8. Carolyn

9. Grandma Harp [*]

10. It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)

See all 20 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Merle Haggard collection from his best period, September 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology (1963-1977) (Audio CD)

Merle Haggard is one of the true giants of country music; if they built a Mount Rushmore of male country legends, he'd certainly be one of the heads, along with Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and George Jones. Of all the anthologies out there, the best and most concise choice has to be this collection, "The Lonesome Fugitive."

First of all, it collects all the major singles from his years with Capitol Records. I should warn you that his tenure at Capitol is considered to be one of the greatest, most consistent bodies of work in country music, and real die-hard fans of Merle often end up buying most if not all his albums from this period. But, if you want a "best of" that skims the cream of the crop, this is the place to go.
The title track, "Okie From Muskogee," "Working Man Blues"...almost all these tracks are country music classics of the traditional sort. No countrypolitan, no orchestral arrangements...this is rootsy music with a hard kick to it (some critics like Dave Marsh and the compiler, Jimmy Guterman, even qualify this stuff as rock music). Lyrically, Haggard proves himself to be on the best in country. He sings about the working class, politics ( "Okie From Muskogee" can either be seen as satire or a right-wing anthem, depending on your view), and even criminals. In all of his songs, he uses eloquent words and sings a hard truth without embellishing too much or getting too sentimental. On top of all that, this collection has great sound, thanks to that amazing audiophile, mastering engineer, Steve Hoffman.

One may wish to get the three CD box set that covers the same time period, or even pick up the albums themselves (Merle made great tribute albums, and you'll definitely want to check out the ones he made to Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills). But, if you just want a good overview or a good entry point, you can't possibly go wrong with "The Lonesome Fugitive" collection.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHEN YOU SAY MERLE HAGGARD,, YOU'VE SAID IT ALL., January 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology (1963-1977) (Audio CD)

I GREW UP ON MERLE HAGGARD MUSIC ALL MY LIFE. I'M 55 YEARS OLD AND I STILL GO TO HIS CONCERTS. THIS 2 CD COLLECTION HAS ALL THE SONGS OF THE WORKING MAN,THE SOLDIER,AND ANY OTHER CLASS OF PEOPLE THERE IS.

WHEN MERLE RECORDED "OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE" LIVE IN MUSKOGEE,OKLA.IN 1969 CARLTON HANEY,THE GREATEST COUNTRY MUSIC PROMOTER THERE IS, TOLD IT LIKE IT IS,MERLE PUTS HIS LIFE INTO THE SONGS HE SINGS.

THE SONGS IN THIS 2CD COLLECTION TELLS OF "HAGS" LIFE. WHEN YOU LISTEN TO HIS SONGS YOU KNOW HE HAS BEEN DOWN THAT ROAD.

SO YOU SEE IT'S VERY PLAIN "THE HAG" IS #1 WITH ME. IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE COLLECTION FROM MERLE HAGGARD, THIS WOULD BE IT.

I'M FROM HENRYETTA,OKLA. A SHORT WAYS FROM MUSKOGEE. IKNOW THE AREA WHERE MERLE'S FAMILY LIVED BACK THEN. I WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO CHOOSE A FAVORITE BUT IF I DID MERLE HAGGARD WOULD BE AT THE VERY TOP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview, September 29, 2001

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology (1963-1977) (Audio CD)

Merle Haggard is experiencing a major revival in the music world. It began with the release of two tribute albums recorded by many of the new generation of country artists. Now a slew of reissues have been released - one of the most comprehensive of which is this two-disc ANTHOLOGY. Its forty tracks covers his formative years on the small Tally label from 1963-1964 and his subsequent move in 1965 to the Capitol label where Haggard became one of the greatest artists in country music history. Nearly every single from this period was included, along with a few well-chosen B-sides, such as his oft-covered "Today I Started Loving You Again."

At Tally, Haggard was merely an interpreter (especially the work of Liz Anderson). Upon joining Capitol, Haggard the writer immediately began to emerge. His early writing was firmly rooted in the standard country themes of cheating ("Swinging Doors") and drinking ("The Bottle Let Me Down"). From here he moved on to more autobiographical fare. "A Branded Man" and "Sing Me Back Home" brought attention to Haggard's stay in San Quentin while "Mama Tried" and "Hungry Eyes" captured his turbulent youth. With "Okie From Muskogee" and "Fightin' Side Of Me," Haggard spouted some right-wing anthems (the former which may or may not have been written in jest).

As the second disc reveals, Haggard really came into his own in the '70s as a highly observant writer. He covered religion ("Jesus, Take A Hold"), lost love ("Someday We'll Look Back," "It's All In The Movies") and surrogate love ("It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad")), and even working class struggles ("Working Man Blues," "A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today"). He also created some colorful country characters with "Daddy Frank (the Guitar Man)," "Grandma Harp," and "The Old Man From The Mountain." Including the inane "Cherokee Maiden" (not a Haggard original) lowers the quality of this collection quite a bit, but overall ANTHOLOGY is a very satisfying overview of Haggard's early and peak musical years.