Customer Reviews

Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This 87-track collection from the artist who single-handedly kept alive the spirit of honky tonk music has something for everyone. For those who only know Dwight Yoakam from his radio hits--they're all here from 1986's "Honky Tonk Man" through 2000's "What Do You Know About Love."

For the serious fan, you get his one-off tracks like "Carmelita" (from Flaco Jimenez's album PARTNERS), "Holding Things Together" (from the Merle Haggard tribute album), "Rapid City, South Dakota" (from the Kinky Friedman tribute album), "New San Antonio Rose" (from Asleep at the Wheel's tribute album to Bob Wills) and "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide" (from this year's ZZ Top tribute album). The only songs missing are "Suspicious Minds" from the Honemoon in Vegas soundtrack and "Truckin'" from the Grateful Dead tribute album. [They are, however, both included on disc 4 in live versions.] You also get two tracks ("Doin' What I Did" and "Hey Little Girl") that previously were available only on Reprise's international collection LA CROIX D'AMOUR. In addition there are four new recordings: "Louisville," "Sittin' Pretty," "Mercury Blues" and a solo reworking of "Sin City," which first appeared as a duet with k.d. lang on JUST LOOKIN' FOR A HIT.

Disc 4 is ALL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL!!! Tracks 1-10 are from Yoakam's 1981 demo recordings. Except for "Please Daddy," they would all show up in slightly different form on his first four studio albums. After hearing these demos, it's amazing it took five years for Yoakam to get a recording contract. Tracks 11 and 12 are superb duets with Kelly Willis. The last eight tracks are live songs from 1986, 1991 and 1995.

I've never been a huge country fan, but in 1986 I bought debuts from three artists that I thought would bring some integrity to country music. They were Steve Earle, Randy Travis and Dwight Yoakam. What they have in common is a sincerity and honesty in their music that makes them stand head and shoulders above the rest of the country music landscape. ESSENTIAL

In his time at Reprise, Dwight Yoakam made a fascinating round trip. His earliest albums, as excerpted on disc one of this four-disc masterpiece, revitalized the commercial fortunes of hardcore honky-tonk music. Though he tipped his cowboy hat (and syrupy twang of a voice) in a decidedly backward direction, his music, created with ace guitarist and producer Pete Anderson, never felt particularly retro. Though he owed a big debt to Buck Owens, and others of his era, Yoakam's music was never a carbon copy, and as it progressed, it began to meld non-country influences, including jazz and Beatle-esque pop, with his foundational honky-tonk Bakersfield sound.

Some of the earlier experiments felt heavy handed (and some of the sidetracks, such as the "Covers" album, contained some out-and-out duds), but by the time "A Long Way Home" rolled around in 1998, the balance Yoakam and Anderson struck was, simply, incredible. Yoakam ended his tenure at Reprise with a string of interesting experiments, including the nearly all-acoustic visit to his own songwriting catalog, "dwightyoakamacoustic.net," a film soundtrack ("South of Heaven, West of Hell"), and the full-circle return to his roots, "Tomorrow's Sounds Today."

This four-disc set is stuffed with highlights from most of Yoakam's studio albums (his 1997 Christmas album is passed by), and provides previously unreleased live tracks in lieu of selections from his 1995 live LP. More interesting for Yoakam's fans are the cuts collected from his extra-curricular activities, such as guest appearances with Asleep at the Wheel and Flaco Jimenez, contributions to tribute albums, and a trio of new tracks (exclusive to this set) at the end of disc three, including a cover of "Mercury Blues" originally waxed for the automaker's advertising campaign.

Disc four contains all previously unreleased material, starting with the ten tracks that comprised Yoakam's pre-record-deal demos. Anderson's deft touch as producer is sorely missing here, as Yoakam's songs (many of which would reappear in re-arranged form on his Reprise LPs) and his voice are often subsumed by the playing. A pair of duets with Kelly Willis are surprisingly bland, but the remaining live tracks hold several gems, including a solo reading of Gram Parsons' "Sin City," and a wonderful take of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me."

Given the riches here, it's difficult to knock this set; it's a fitting tribute to one of the past couple of decade's most important American musical artists. Still it's hard to identify exactly who the audience is. Yoakam's fans will appreciate the disc of unreleased material, as well as the interwoven contributions from non-Yoakam projects, and the informative, newly penned essay. On the other hand, fans are unlikely to be fully satisfied with the track selection from the regular albums -- not that it's unrepresentative, just that anyone who already has the regular albums will know what's missing. Those new to Yoakam will find this a compelling introduction to his work, but, in the end, will want to accumulate the full studio albums. Perhaps that's the marketing genius of this set -- it's perfect for those who have all of Yoakam's albums, and should entice those who don't to buy them.

At the risk of making this review sound like the Rhino Records Appreciation Society, is there anything this company can't do when it comes to the world of re-issues, compendiums, and best-ofs? There's nothing really fancy or gimmicky about this Dwight Yoakam box - no hard-to-store novelty packaging, no DVD's, and no gristle. The first three discs draw the cream of the crop from Yoakam's studio releases, his guest appearances on the albums of others (including a surprise take on Syndicate Of Sound's "Hey Little Girl"), and three brand new recordings, while the fourth disc is comprised entirely of previously unreleased studio and live material, including demos cut in 1981 before earning his first recording contract. The three new cuts, "Louisville," "Sittin' Pretty," and "Mercury Blues," all carry the magic imprint of Yoakam's secret weapon - producer, arranger, and lead guitarist Pete Anderson - whose signature twang is every bit a part of Yoakam's sound as Dwight's own hiccuping, hillbilly croon. Throw in a booklet full of photos, testimonials and classy liner notes by Holly George-Warren and you've got another no brainer courtesy of the compilation geniuses at Rhino.

If it wasn't for Dwight Yoakam I would have given up on Country music a long time ago. Dwight is one of the only connections we have to the great country artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzel and Buck Owens. Dwight Yoakam continues to make great country music despite what is being recorded as country music today. With the exception of a few artists like the Mavericks, we have to look at what is being titled as "Alternative Country" to find the future of this art.

This box set is amazing! It truly defines Dwight Yoakam and country music...

If you own all of his albums then shelling out for this set will seem redundant. HOWEVER - The unreleased tracks alone are worth the cost. The fourth disc is a stunner, featuring demos taken from 1981 that sound as good as if not better than the final studio versions. A solid collection from one of the most consistently excellent artists of this generation.

The reason this compliation deserves 5 stars is because of the accompanying fourth disc that has nothing on it but brand new tracks; and most importantly, the track titled Please Daddy. This song has to be the BEST song that he has EVER recorded in his ENTIRE career. Just listen to it, and you will find out why. The fourth disc also has some very interesting "revised" tracks of his. This means that he took some of his older songs and re-did them. It would be safe to say that he majorly screwd up some of them, but he did "Floyd County" and "Twenty Years" fairly well. There are also some other newly recorded tracks as well as some live ones, but i dont care much for those.

As for the other three discs, they pretty much cover his entire career, from the beginning (Guitars Cadillacs) to his Souh of Heaven West of Hell Soundtrack. There are a few other pretty good unreleased tracks on the other discs as well.

So if you can afford it, I reccomend you buy this box set. It is worth buying it just for that one song. And heck, if you are a REAL Dwight fan, i'd say buy it for the heck of it! 86 songs covering his entire carrer from the beginning to 2001; you cant go wrong!

Like I said, this box set is so good I bought two of them. One to save and the other to thumb through and get all dog-eared. First of all, the book with the biographical information about Dwight and his musical career and the numerous pictures are worth half the price right there, believe me!! As far as the music, I own every Dwight album, so for me there's not a whole lot new, but for those of you wanting an introduction to Dwight's music, it's a great deal, as well as if you want to round out your collection. My favorite is Disc 4 with the 1981 demos and also the live tracks when Dwight and the band just break loose and tear up those songs, just the way I like to hear them!!

This is a fabulas collection of all Dwight's Warner Reprise career. Dwight fans will love it and for those not fully aware of Dwight's talent, you will become hooked. If you like Homky tonk music you will love this collection. Dwight Yoakam will go down as one of the true great exponents of country music. It is amazing that this multiy nominated and twice GRAMMY award winner has received so little recognition on the NASHVILLE circuit.
All the well known songs are here, "Streets of Bakersfield" "Guitars Caddalacs" "Honky Tonk Man" "Pocket of a Clown" etc but there are also some other great songs including some great cover versions. I love Drigt's covers of "Suspicious Minds" and "Little Sister"
I am a fan but can say without bais " A Fantastic collection of music"

AWESOME COLLECTION OF SONGS IN 4 AMAZING CDS. GREAT AMAZON SELLER, GOOD PRICE, AND FAST SHIPPING! THANKS!

The hardback book packaging is definitely unique. Dwight Yoakam never fails to deliver and this time is no exception. Every CD has more than it's share of great Yoakam classics, with lesser tracks sprinkled in their for good measure. All in all this is a must have CD set.