Customer Reviews

The Definitive Collection

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Currently experiencing a career resurgence thanks to her Grammy-winning album Van Lear Rose, Loretta Lynn established herself as one of country music's greatest artists during her twenty-plus years on Decca/MCA. Lynn's early records at Decca like "Wine, Women, And Song" and "Blue Kentucky Girl" were very much in the traditional female country vein and had a subservient theme. 1965's "You Ain't Woman Enough" and 1966's "Don't Come Home A Drinkin'" drastically altered that doormat persona and were also the first hits Lynn wrote at Decca. From then on, Lynn would become a voice and role model for women everywhere.

From 1967 - 1971, Lynn was at her commercial and artistic peak. She wrote most of her hits during this period and no subject appears to have been off-limits. "Fist City" finds Lynn willing to get physical to keep her man while "Rated X" discusses the stigma placed on divorced on women. "One's On The Way" humorously poked at the drudgeries of being a housewife with a lot of kids. Country pride also played a prominent role in Lynn's music during this era with "You're Looking At Country" and"Coal Miner's Daughter," which would become Lynn's signature song.

By 1972, Lynn stopped writing her own material (due to a bad publishing deal with the Wilburn Brothers). Her musical stylings had expanded, with "Trouble In Paradise" finding Lynn experimenting with rock (and sounding extremely ill at ease). Pop-flavored ballads like "When The Tingle Becomes A Chill" and "Somebody Somewhere" also became more common as Lynn's distinctive sound became watered down during the mid-to-late 1970s (when her recording career began to wind down), yet all retain at least a modicum of charm.

For this Definitive volume, Universal Music merely added three recordings to Lynn's twenty-two track All-Time Greatest Hits (2002) cd: ""Blue Kentucky Girl," "You're Looking At Country," and "The Pill." It leaves off such truly definitive recordings as Lynn's first hit "Honky Tonk Girl" (1960, for the Zero label), her first Decca hit "Success" (1962) and her last top-ten hit, "I Lie," as well as such fan favorites as "To Make A Man (Feel Like A Man), "Home," and "Red, White, and Blue" which aren't currently available on cd. Instead, we get five duet chart-toppers with Conway Twitty that were already included on their Definitive set in April. While this is the best single disc Lynn set available, you really need to purchase her box set Honky Tonk Girl (1994) to get a true feel for her greatness.

1. Wine Women & Song
2. Happy Birthday
3. Blue Kentucky Girl
4. You Ain't Woman Enough
5. Don't Come Home A Drinkin'
6. Fist City
7. You've Just Stepped In
8. Woman Of The World
9. Coal Miner's Daughter
10. After The Fire Is Gone (with Conway Twitty)
11. You're Looking At Country
12. Lead Me On (with Conway Twitty)
13. One's On The Way
14. Rated X
15. The Pill
16. Love Is The Foundation
17. Louisiana Woman, Mississipi Man (with Conway Twitty)
18. As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone (with Conway Twitty)
19. Trouble In Paradise
20. When The Tingle Becomes A Chill
21. Feelins' (with Conway Twitty)
22. Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed
23. Somebody Somewhere
24. She's Got You
25. I Can't Feel You Anymore

Note - this compilation is a re-issue and re-packaging of an earlier compilation (All-time greatest hits) with three additional tracks - Blue Kentucky girl, You're looking at country and The pill. This compilation has a higher price so if you're choosing between the two, your decision will be based on the value you place on those three tracks.

At the start of the sixties, female singers had a really hard tine getting noticed, except Patsy Cline. Loretta (along with Dolly and Tammy) helped to change this forever, by recording songs that appealed to women as well as men. While men (including myself) can sometimes be satisfied with women singing love songs, Loretta recorded some hard-hitting songs about life and its struggles.

Examples of her diverse themes include her heritage (Coal miners' daughter), fending off other women (You ain't woman enough, Woman of the world, Fist city), everyday life (One's on the way) and the evil of drinking too much (Don't come home a-drinking). All these songs can be found on this collection. Of course, she sings love songs too and plenty of those are included on this set, although these are not what Loretta is best remembered for. Among the love songs here is a cover of She's got you, a Patsy Cline song that Loretta also had a huge country hit with.

Her duets with Conway Twitty were an important feature of her career. Five are included here - After the fire is gone, Lead me on, As soon as I hang up the phone, Louisiana woman Mississippi man and Feelins'.

Notwithstanding Van Lear Rose, her incredible comeback album in 2004, Loretta's reputation ultimately rests on the music that she recorded in the sixties and seventies. 25 tracks are nowhere near comprehensive (notable omissions include Your squaw is on the warpath, Hey Loretta and They don't make 'em like my daddy anymore) but this single CD will be enough for most people, particularly those of you whose introduction to Loretta's music was via that comeback album.

If you only want a single CD of Loretta's sixties and seventies music, make it this one or All-time greatest hits. Committed fans may prefer the boxed set (Honky tonk girl).

A fine, 25-song best-of that overlaps with other Loretta collections (including a few duets with Conway Twitty...) "Definitive" is definitely a relative term, here, especially considering how thorough and gratifying the old, 4-CD "Honky Tonk Girl" box set has proven over the years. Still, this is a great introduction to her work, and dips into some of her later work from 1975-onwards, stuff that doesn't readily come to mind when you're thinking of Loretta's glory years, but that still holds up nicely today. They seem to have omitted her novelty hit, "Your Squaw Is On The Warpath" (presumably because of modern-day PC concerns...) but the rest of the songs on here are of at least equal calibre to that old chestnut. Other Loretta best-ofs may serve you equally well, but this disc is unquestionably first-class.

I have just finished listening to this collection, and it's a very enjoyable compilation, particularly if you put some of the songs in the context of when they were recorded. I have never been a die-hard Loretta Lynn fan, and only became aware of her when the film "Coal Miner's Daughter" was released back in 1980. But this offering is gorgeously packaged, with nice liner notes and chart positions for every track. My personal favorites are "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)," "One's On The Way," "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," and the Conway Twitty duets "As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone" and "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man." 25 tracks in all. Now if MCA would just re-release her 80's album, "Just A Woman" on CD!

Loretta Lynn is a wonderful lyricist and melody maker. Each song is infused with her own wit and realism. Although her husband brought her "out" into the world: Had it not been for talent, there would have been nothing to bring out. This is a classic album of her talent and will either send you on a trip down memory lane, or give you the start of a new street. Great job Loretta.

i grew up with this wonderful woman and her music i have watched coal miners daughter over and over i love Loretta Lynn.she is the queen of country music.

This CD is a delight to listen to. Loretta is at her best with this collection. Great Amazon price.

Another excellent CD by Loretta Lynn. This particular CD gets played quite often. I would recommend this to any country music fan.

If you like Loretta Lynn you will love this CD. The Audio is very good.

This seller sent CD very quickly and it was new as described. Wish I liked the music more than it turns out that I do but it was worth the experiment into C&W. Great seller!