Customer Reviews

Roy Acuff - Greatest Hits [Columbia]

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

 

 

For anyone wanting a good cross-section of Acuff's early hits (before all of the re-records), this is a must. These are truly his greatest hits.

There are certainly a few tracks missing that could've made the cut, but the emphasis being this is an intro to the work of Acuff.

Roy bridged the gap that was between Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. He tied together the hillbilly music of old with a pop music sensibility that was just ripe for a national audience. Is it any wonder that so many early country stars found their influence here? Acuff was only bested by Hank Williams (who himself was a disciple of Acuff).

The reason this gets 3 stars is for the fake stereo that was added to these selections in the mid-60's (same masters are being used from some of the Harmony LP's such as "Waiting For My Call To Glory"). I thought we were well past the days of faking stereo, but even in that format, these takes are essential listening.

Audiophiles stay away. If sound quality is what you value most, go with "The Essential Roy Acuff" in Columbia's "Country Classics" series. But if you do, you'll be missing out on a motherlode of country music and the history of the people who made it. The songs in this collection--and the order in which they are set down--are the reason why.

Religious themes have a dodgy history in country music. There's a good bit of it that seems like a nod to God to assuage the guilt over the honky-tonkin' that preceeded and was to follow. And that brings me to the genius of both Mr. Acuff and this collection: the religiousity of his music has its roots in two facts--the consciousness of his own sinfulness, and the consciousness of having death as a constant companion; a companion closer than one's own shadow. The touch of the icy finger could come from any number of sources: sudden illness and lack of medical care, old age, drunk driving--you name it. Add to that experiences that imitate and foreshadow death--like having to get on a train and leave the people and land you love (and the lonliness among strangers that goes with that), poverty, missed chances--and you come to understand that getting right with God was serious business for people who realized just how precarious and fleeting life and happiness are. Unlike Big Jawn whose songs are all about himself and how bad he feels about everything, Roy Acuff was humbled by his experiences and those of the people he sang about. It's the simple, unadorned gratitude of a sinner saved by grace--a gratitude that also extends to the simple joys of life (check out "Fire Ball Mail")--that will make this collection endure for generations to come.