The Complete Hank Williams Jr. [BOX SET]

Hank Williams Jr.

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 6, 1999)
• Original Release Date: April 6, 1999
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Curb Records
• ASIN: B00000IFW5
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,453 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Hank Jr.'s career stands as the most frustrating of all modern honky-tonkers', as much for the way the industry has managed his immense catalogue as for the way he has managed his undeniable gifts as a songwriter and singer. At three CDs, Curb's overview is a far cry from "complete": his best work, especially the tough, bluesy songs of Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound, is slighted in favor of a play-the-hits approach, even though Williams's singles haven't always been his best work. Likewise, the collection includes nary a cut from the sadly out-of-print Hank Williams Jr. & Friends, though the liner notes recognize that 1975 album as a landmark. Instead Curb has cobbled material readily available elsewhere on existing hits packages and complete albums. That said, Jr.'s country-fried rock--newcomers may be shocked at how hard he rocks--and his unreconstructed hillbilly ideology can be bracing on "Come On Over to the Country," on the foreboding "A Country Boy Can Survive," and on his best '80s performance, a scorching duet with Johnny Cash on "That Old Wheel" (from Cash's classic Water from the Wells of Home). But instead of focusing on similarly strong tunes, this box includes the tasteless beyond-the-crypt duets with Hank Sr., the silly, unblushing prejudice of "Young Country," and the war-mongering diatribe "Don't Give Us a Reason"--as if the listener needed reminders of just how bad Bocephus can be. What Hank Jr.'s legacy needs is a thorough, critical, and eclectic compilation of his finest performances. This set isn't it. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Collection for the Casual Fan, April 5, 2003

By	Smilin Charlie (Winston-Salem, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Ignore the whining from the completists and purists. I was looking for a collection with all of the radio standards that I've sung along with for years, and this one had them all. Yes it might not have all the obscurities that longtime fans love, but for the rest of us it covers all the bases. This is all the Hank Jr. most of us will ever need. A great collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bocephus at his best, April 17, 2000

By	tmg (fairview, nc) - See all my reviews

I was given the complete Hank Williams Jr. set for Christmas and I love every song on it. I love Hank Jr.'s blend of different styles of music ranging from country to rock to blues to jazz. The only songs that I feel should have been on this album were I Got Rights and My Name is Bocephus. But all in all I think this is the best compilation of an artist's career in any genre.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hank- was it enough?, January 5, 2000

By	"tito_j" (US, Indiana) - See all my reviews

I think that the complete hank box set was excellent. Of course I think that anything by hank williams jr. is great. But I believe it could have been better. Maybe have some more of the songs that he wrote on it. Like the new Stormy CD that he just released. All of the songs on that he wrote. I believe it is one of the best cds of his in a while, since born to boogie. But the complete hank is good and I would suggest it be a part of every hank fan's collection.