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The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams

Hank Williams Sr.Audio CD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)

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Biography

American music legend Hank Williams has long been considered one of the earliest influences on rock ‘n’ roll and in fact was the first of a very few artists to be inducted in both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.  .
 
Williams’s vocals, steeped in emotion, have influenced generations of rock and Americana artists, and lately ... Read more in Amazon's Hank Williams Sr. Store

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The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams + The Lost Concerts: Limited Collector's Edition + The Legend Begins: Rare & Unreleased Recordings
Price for all three: $49.97

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Product Details

  • Audio CD (October 4, 2011)
  • Original Release Date: 2011
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Columbia
  • ASIN: B005F23NMK
  • In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,502 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. You've Been Lonesome, Too - Alan Jackson
2. The Love That Faded - Bob Dylan
3. How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart? - Norah Jones
4. You Know That I Know Jack White
5. I'm So Happy I Found You - Lucinda Williams
6. I Hope You Shed a Million Tears Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell
7. You're Through Fooling Me Patty Loveless
8. You'll Never Again Be Mine Levon Helm
9. Blue Is My Heart Holly Williams
10. Oh, Mama, Come Home Jakob Dylan
11. Angel Mine Sheryl Crow
12. The Sermon on the Mount Merle Haggard

Editorial Reviews

Created from writings left behind by country music's "lovesick blues boy," The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams premieres the first-ever performances of 12 previously unheard Hank Williams lyric compositions newly set to music by 13 artists whose own sensibilities have been profoundly shaped by Williams.

The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams project began with the idea of finding a well-known artist, one who felt Hank's inspiration and influence, to record an album's worth of the unheard songs. After veteran music industry manager/A&R executive Mary Martin approached Bob Dylan, a natural first choice for the endeavor, the project evolved into a multi-artist tribute providing a variety of sympathetic approaches to this rich mysterious material. Other artists appearing on the album include Jack White, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, Alan Jackson and many more.

When Hank Williams died, at the age of 29, in the back of his Cadillac sometime early morning on New Year's Day 1953, he left behind a scuffed, embroidered brown leather briefcase, which he used to carry bound notebooks, among other items, darkening their pages with lyrics and song ideas. Some were fully finished, some just started.

The odyssey of Hank Williams' notebooks is recounted in the album's liner notes, penned by Michael McCall from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, who observes, "The history of Hank's notebooks is as complex as the legend himself. Yet, in the end, what matters most are the songs, and these new works rise from the ether with ghostly relevance. As with his many standards, these new recordings tap straight into the soul of man. This is songwriting at its most artful and most powerful."

Customer Reviews

The fantastic writing of Hank Williams is interpreted by some great artists. Richard Pufpaff  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
If you like old-time country/western music, you're in for a real treat. William V. Lipp  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 90 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
How to categorise this album is by no means an easy task. Is it a careful work of historical restoration taking the mother lode of lyrics produced in 4 large notebooks by Hank Williams the legendary genius of the country movement and treating them to latter day reverence? Alternatively is it an act of retro fitting Williams copious lyrics and giving them a pristine new revamp in song structures imagined by an impressive range of performers? Ultimately its a bit of both and has at its heart the ultimate archivist in the form of the one and only Bob Dylan acting as the guiding curator for a treasure trove that he was first offered as far back in 1967 when approached with a shoebox full of Williams's lyrics. The rights for these unfinished songs were only acquired in 2004 but as Rolling Stone states Dylan has performed a remarkable feat here offering these base metals to a range of great songwriters and turning "a vaguely necrophiliac idea into a startling reincarnation".

Hank Williams was the high lonesome prophet of honky tonk country who wrote the greatest heartbreaking classics of the genre. He was also the sad template for the "live fast die young" philosophy which has taken so many artists at a criminally young age and which saw him in the grave by the age of 29 ravaged by morphine and alcohol. Despite the passing of 60 years since his death in 1953 his legacy grows at pace and he has previously been covered by artsist ranging from Nat King Cole to the Mekons. On this album Dylan has assembled a top notch team, asked them to choose a lyric from the notebooks and set it to music. All have thankfully largely followed the Williams "house style" and as such the songs are immediately accessible and strangely familiar despite their newness. To be fair all participants come out of the exercise with credit with Jakob Dylan probably producing the most modern reading of the lyrics in the lovely alt country style ballad "Oh mama come home" while the most classic interpretation comes from the excellent country neo traditionalist Alan Jackson in the form of "You've been lonesome too' where the ghost of Williams is most clearly invoked. In between there are are some great songs not least from the always impressive Norah Jones who is no stranger to Hank Williams covers with her previous version of "Cold Cold Heart". Her hint of Tex Mex in the sumptuous "How many times have you broken my heart" sung in her smoky voice is a true joy and an album highlight. More rough hewn and invoking the outlaw elements of Williams songwriting is the song by former White Stripes main-man Jack White whose "You know that I know" demonstrates yet again that Hank Williams's words amounted to him being the Shakespeare of cheating songs. Aside from providing the guiding principles Bob Dylan himself contributes the "The love that faded" showing that the old curmudgeon is still in great voice, but even more remarkable is the unmistakable vocal of the Band's Levon Helm whose "You'll never again be mine" is underpinned by his earthy Southern pastoralism. Talking of fine voices Lucinda Williams is almost the female counterpoint to Helm and her "I'm so happy I found you" is one of the saddest of the collection; it is however another Williams that provides the most fitting tribute. Indeed Holly Williams is the granddaughter of Hank Williams and her "Blue is my heart' deserves to enter the canon of great country music songs. The whole thing is topped off with a fine contribution from the old "Okie from Muskogee" Merle Haggard whose "The sermon on the mount" is a fitting conclusion to proceedings.

Its a very fair bet that if Hank Williams had got round to recording the lyrics in the notebooks that further classics would have been added to a repertoire already sardine packed with the some of the best country songs ever recorded. That this exercise guided by Dylan succeeds in cementing that reputation is a testimony to the talents of the songwriters concerned to whom we should offer a very loud vote of thanks for this excellent piece of musical refurbishment.
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Pitcher of Water October 6, 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This music is delightful. Bob Dylan was wise to invite others to join this project and the results are refreshing. Indeed, no silly self-glorification, or self-promoting gimmicks. In this day and age Hank Williams and his fellow songwriters demonstrate what music and lyrics can mean when they promote the art form and not the "star". Laid bare, this is simply a group of songwriters doing their best to celebrate Hank Williams. A daunting challenge, but a great one, a good humored one, and the best part is they succeed. I've read reviews and one person likes this artist or that person thinks another was "best". I think that's great. It speaks to many tastes, many impressions, and the variety of skill these individuals display. Of course no single song will please everyone. Why should it? It's not a contest; it's a songwriting jam session and a pretty great one.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An audio treasure, a nod to Hank October 14, 2011
By Dante
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The best radio station in the country, WMNF in Tampa, played Jack White's contribution and I immediately knew that I had to have this album. Characteristically the WMNF DJ (Marcie Finkelstein) took the time to describe the project and how Bob Dylan had set the rules and that all artists had to agree to not change Hank's lyrics. Within that framework and seeing the list of artists I purchased it that day. I was not disappointed and this CD will be played many times and even talked about to friends and family. The diversity of musical styles is welcome and pleasing in their own right and yet each and every artist somehow finds a way to bring back the memory of a vibrant and talented Hank Williams. What we lost in our musical culture with his untimely passing we will never really know, but this collaboration hints at it. Bob Dylan is to be commended for spearheading this project and the other artists have created lasting and living tributes to the real Hank Williams. In my opinion this album adds to the legacy and legend of Hank Williams and I would put this on the gift list for any fan of real country music as well as fans of Americana and singer-songwriters.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Only One Up-Tempo Tune
This is a tremendously important endeavor, and should be more highly regarded than it seems to be. My biggest complaint is that listening to the entire album in one sitting can be... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. North
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
The variety of songwriters and singers on this album is a great collaboration. Each one of Hank Williams' song lyrics has come alive in their musical efforts and is appreciated by... Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Ribeiro
5.0 out of 5 stars True Hank.
Great Music , done in the true Hank Williams Style. The various artist did justice to these great Hank Williams Songs
Published 3 months ago by D. E. Stringer
5.0 out of 5 stars Reverend reconstruction
Hank Williams was one of the greatest writers in American popular song, and his influence enduring. On this CD a stellar bunch of modern performers, led by Bob Dylan, pay tribute. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kelvin Rowley
5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas present
This was a gift and it was received with much enthusiasm. The music is pure country. It just doesn't get much better than this,
Published 4 months ago by Sara L Tidmore
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Highly recommend this! Jack White and all doing Hank Williams! What's not to like? If you are a fan of Hank Williams, you owe it to yourself to get this and enjoy the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nick Pusloskie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lost Notebooks Of Hank Williams
I'm a fan of Hank Williams music and this cd has a lot of great songs that are even better,knowing that Hank
himself penned the lyrics.
Published 5 months ago by David G. Lewis
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Album
Wonderful to recover some of Hank's stuff that he didn't live long enough to record. Makes you wonder which ones would be hits.
Published 5 months ago by Robert Lyons
5.0 out of 5 stars cd various artist sing hank
Liked this it is really good not as long as I would like it to be but can't have everything.
Published 5 months ago by Linda Sessions
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice CD
I enjoy listening to this CD. It is a nice addition to my collection. The price was right, and it came to me in perfect condition.
Published 5 months ago by Suzanne Caffery
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Hank's Unfinished Work
Hank Jr and the rest of Hank Sr's family would be the ones who owned that notebook. I am sure that would have authorized it's use. Further, I think they will be happy with the results.

The album is a surprise to me. I think the producers and artists stayed true to Hank Sr's sound. I was... Read more
Sep 25, 2011 by tloubee |  See all 15 posts
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