Customer Reviews

Merle Haggard 1994

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Beginning in 1990 with "Blue Jungle" and followed by the eponymously titled efforts of 1994 and 1996, Merle Haggard created three pieces of work that I believe could define the pinnacle of his wonderful career. Strangely, none of these three masterpieces is usually mentioned by most reviewers as belonging on the list of Hag's best. In fact, somewhere I read where even the great man himself dissed the albums. Be that as it may, the writing; poignant, clever and always incisive, the musicianship; clean, precise, inventive and, of course, the voice; smooth, supple and capable of conveying the full gamut of emotions are all present on these LPs to a degree only dreamed of by other artists.

If Merle Haggard has lost anything, it's only in the creativity of his
album titles. For some reason, he's gone for simplicity in the last
two albums, calling them '1994' and '1996' respectively. Inside
however, you'll find the same old Hag; great music is the first
priority.

The real gem of this CD is the Max D. Barnes penned "In
my next life", a tearjerker about an aging farmer who loses his
farm to the elements. On his deathbed, he laments his failures, and
promises his wife that he'll make it up to her in his "next
life".

The rest of the album is solid as well. "Way back in
the mountains", "Set my chickens free" and
"Chores" are the kind of working class celebrations that
only Hag can write. There are a couple of lost love songs: "I am
an island", "What's new in New York City" and a couple
of strait love songs: "Solid as a Rock" and Willie Nelson's
"Valentine". "Bye, bye, travelin' blues" is a
Jimmie Rodgers inspired blues number, written by Merle, but if you
didn't know better, you would think it was another Rodgers
tribute. (Maybe Hag is really the reincarnation of the Singing
Brakeman, wasn't he born about the same year Rodgers died?). The
inclusion of the previously recorded "Ramblin' Fever" is a
bit superfluous, but who'll complain? It's a great song.

It's too bad
country radio has decided that no one over 40 is allowed. In a real
'free market', this one would have had several big hits.

My credentials or lack thereof: Only been a Hag fan since 1989. Only own 42 Hag cd's and about 13 albums. Was a country deejay for a weekly 3 hour radio show (Carter's Country Radio Show) for 3 years. My views about this disc...Production (sound quality) is outstanding. The mix is right on the money. The songs all somehow fit together, although the classic, Ramblin' Fever, seemed a little out of place, but still is a great song none the less. The 2 above reviews put it right about some of the excellent songs, musically and lyrically. I also did hear that Merle didn't necessarily care for these albums (1994 & 1996), feeling that Curb was too much in control, etc. Why he wasn't too attached to these discs, and this one in particular, which I feel is a little stronger than "1996", is beyond me. As a matter of opinion, I tend to think that this disc may be among his best work from then 'til now. "Chicago" is also well done and one that I thoroughly enjoy, as well as his latest release "I Am What I Am". His voice was a few years past it's prime at this recording, but somehow has more soul than ever before. It has that weathered, rich sound, which has only increased with the passing of years. I realize that I've not heard/read many good critiques of this album and I'm always baffled as to why. It's funny how people can be so extreme in their opinions on things, but I guess that just one of the things that keeps life interesting. I think this is a disc with excellent original songs, sung by one of the best and could be accepted more than it is if reviews were never read/heard before listening and people made up their own minds based on their own hearing. I also think that my acceptance of this disc right from the beginning was that I had only been a Hag fan for a few years previous to the release. My only real exposure to Merle's music at the time was anything from about 1981 to 1994. I wasn't a cast-in-die, old time/long-time fan with built in expectancies of what Hag should or shouldn't be/sound like. Also, my musical palette was quite extreme. I owned and enjoyed music from many different genres. I guess when I heard this I simply thought it was just great music by a performer who cared about what he was doing. Anyhow,I really believe this is a great piece of music and if given half the chance would be enjoyed by others as well. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

This is one of the worst albums of Merle Haggards Even though I am a big fan of Merle's .I do not like this one.