Customer Reviews

For the Record: 43 Legendary Hits

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Having been an avid Haggard fan since my early teens (now 41) I have felt this man's joys and his sorrows, I can relate thru everybit of poetry that Merle composes and sings for "the common man" This CD set is an accomplishment of Merle's dedication to his art form, his love for man and country and the new freedom he has found to share his treasures with us his public. It dosen't matter which way a Haggard classic is sung, reproduced, or rearranged it is and always will be that pure strong influence that Merle has had on country music. People use the word legend to describe this country giant, I say ICON! Merle is the total sum of country music today. This album not only takes you on a total memory trip from hit to hit, but, if you are a dedicated Haggard fan you will remember when and where you were, when these songs had airplay on country radio. The works on the tracks, including; Willie Nelson, Brooks & Dunn, Jewell, Alabama proves that the versatility of this man who taught himself to play the guitar and fiddle compose the greatest country music of our time, live thru the life and times that he has, that we the fans only hope for many more years of the joy and endless hours of entertainment that he has provided. I further suggest that you check out Merle's autobiography "MY HOUSE OF MEMORIES"

All the hits are here and for the first time in digital recordings. Haggard, like Sinatra in his later years, trades power and range in for deeper tonal qualities and interpretation. Maybe the performances are less than the earlier recordings, but its good to hear Hag still great at age 62. Best cuts: Silver Wings and That's the Way Love Goes.

Re-recordings of 43 of Haggard's greatest hits, this double CD was recorded at the record company's request; Haggard himself had doubts about the project's validity as all the original recordings of these songs are still available. Can a sixty year old match or improve the standard he set up to 30 years previously? The answer is - sometimes. Haggard's voice had naturally changed during his decades-long career, devoloping a shrill edge in certain songs that required him to use the higher part of his range. He puts alot of life into songs that he not only recorded in the 60s and 70s (and beyond), but has sung in every concert ever since - Okie From Muskogee, The Fightin' Side Of Me and Mama Tried being obvious examples. Haggard is a superb ballad singer - listening to Natural High, one of his later hits re-recorded on this CD, it's clear that this is a singer of the highest quality. To appeal to a younger audience, both in country music and beyond, duets of Silver Wings and That's The Way Love Goes with Jewel are included, as are other duets with Brooks and Dunn, Alabama and Willie Nelson. Merle Haggard is one of the great voices in country, a true artist who has sung and written some of the greatest country music ever made. If you want all his major hits in one double CD, this is an excellent value for money purchase.

These songs are classics... I mean great songs... but, don't waste your money on this collection: buy the originals. I love to hear Haggard sing his classics, and if this CD were recorded in concert I'd say buy it NOW, but it's not. It's represented here as 43 Classics, but these are not the classic hit recordings of these songs... they're all re-records made in 1995 (for I suppose the sake of making money that wasn't being made from the original records which were far superior to these). To put it in a nutshell, this collection is simply "Re-fried Hag".

If you're going to bother to re-record a song, shouldn't it be an improvement on the original? All of these songs are basically performed the same as the originals, with occasional stray horns or strings added which don't enhance the performance. The guest appearances are also unnecessary, the worst example being the inclusion of Jewel. There are plenty of compilations available with the original versions of these classics. Personally, I don't see the point of settling for this.

(One side note; I hope Hag's been getting royalties on Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer", a blatant ripoff of "Daddy Frank"!)

I bought this CD set thinking the songs were the original recordings. I was wrong. I still respect Merle, and think he's still making wonderful contributions to real country music, but . . . he just didn't have the original strength & punch of his original recordings. It's like listening to Johnny Cash sing "Hurt," and imagining him singing Folsom Prison Blues in the same voice -- painful.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Well, unaware I purchased this CD at a local music store. I couldn't wait to get in the truck and pop it in, however, when I did I heard re-recordings of every song, what? That's right, there is no original on this CD and I absolutely hate live music. I went back to the store to return it and was shot down, you bought it, you keep it. I now sit here ...in debt with a CD that was nothing like I expected. Always, Always read the fine print on the back of the CD way at the bottom where no one would expect it. I love Merle, but this CD brought out THE FIGHTIN' SIDE OF ME!!! (I would never say I hate any Merle Haggard work so that's the reason for the two stars rather than one)

I have been a Merle Haggard (Hag) fan for 30 years and I am thoroughly familiar with his music. I am also street smart when it comes to identifying original material, but I was fooled on the CD, "For the Record." Check the fine print on the back of the CD. I was debating whether to buy this CD or his "40 #1 Hits" CD and because of the 3 extra songs, I chose "For the Record." Three seconds into the first song, I realized this was re-recorded material. There is no original material on this CD. During the mid-'80's, Hags voice changed and he had trouble keeping on track. He just can't belt out his old standards anymore. This CD is evident of the change in his voice. It's just not Hag! "For the Record" is a great disappointment to the avid Merle Haggard listener. I promptly returned to the store and exchanged this CD for his "40 #1 Hits." Now I am in Hag heaven. If you are a Merle Haggard fan or just curious, buy his "40 #1 Hits" CD as it is the only CD you will need to appreciate the great voice of Merle Haggard.

Some of Merle's fans don't like this at all, but I do. Perhaps some of the recordings are not quite as good as the originals, but others are certainly better. Great song that Okie from Muskogee is, the original was recorded live when a lot of other things were going on - listen closely to that version and you'll hear a lot of background noises (including popping) quite apart from the audience. The studio re-recording presented here has no such distractions.

As to the guest appearances, Jewel has been a fan of Merle's since childhood - no surprise really, as she is a very poetic lady, and Merle is the working man's poet. I wouldn't be surprised if Jewel records more country in the future. Alabama and Brooks and Dunn have more obvious credentials to be guests. I would have liked to see even more guests.

If you accept that these are the recordings of a 62-year old man (and if you can't, don't complain about major labels and radio stations ignoring country music's legends), what you are left with is a great collection of 43 of his finest songs (in chronological order) that you otherwise need to buy on different compilations. Even if (like me) you've got most of the originals, it's still convenient to have them all in one place.

For some people (including, perhaps, some Jewel fans who must have everything she recorded), this will be their first collection of Merle's. Some may not be impressed, but others will become country fans. Those who discredit this collection should think about that. If Merle gains a new generation of fans, more of his old music will be made available on CD, so we will all benefit.

As for me, I will continue to enjoy this collection as well as the original Capitol and Epic recordings.

PEOPLE THOUGHT MERLE HAGGARD WAS GONE FOR GOOD. BUT THEN HE SURPRISED EVERY ONE WITH THIS NEW RELEASE. I THINK IT'S THE BEST THING HE COULD HAVE DONE. AND I'AM SO GLAD TO SEE THAT THE GREAT ONE'S DO STILL LIVE ON. THIS TYPE OF MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE. THANK YOU HAG. AND ALL THE OLD TIMER'S.