Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's

Dwight Yoakam

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B00000J7I4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,938 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

All those folks who contemptuously dismiss today's mainstream country and wish they could have been around for the heyday of Lefty Frizzell and Buck Owens are missing the boat. Right now, right in front of us, the Frizzell-like George Strait and Owensesque Dwight Yoakam are quietly assembling two of the great careers in country music history. Further evidence is now available in the form of Yoakam's second greatest-hits package (the first, Just Lookin' for a Hit, collected his 10 best singles from 1986-89). The new collection gathers 11 of his 13 Top 40 country hits from 1991-96 (strangely omitting "Nothing's Changed Here" and "Try Not to Look So Pretty") and adds three new songs. The new ones are good ones--Yoakam gives the ballad "Thinking About Leaving," cowritten with Rodney Crowell, a striking low-note guitar riff; he makes Waylon Jennings's "I'll Go Back to Her" even more traditional than it was; and he lends Queen's rockabilly romp, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," an authenticity it never had. Yoakam is living proof that it's still possible to combine commercial success and artistic achievement in country. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Yourself Loose, February 17, 2000

By	Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have never been a huge fan of country music. But in 1986 three artists released their debuts: Randy Travis (Storms of Life), Steve Earle (Guitar Town) and Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.) and I thought that maybe, just maybe country music was going to be saved. Perhaps that's an incredible burden to place on a musician, but I believe that they all made significant contributions even fourteen years later--especially Earle and Yoakam.

There's very little on this collection that Yoakam's fans won't already be familiar with. There are only two previously unreleased tracks: the Rodney Crowell-Yoakam collaboration "Thinking about Leaving" and the Waylon Jennings' cover "I'll Go Back to Her." In addition you get Yoakam's romping version of Queen's rockabilly-influenced "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (otherwise only available as a single) and a killer version of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" from the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack.

The rest of the album contains his hits from the five studio albums he released during the nineties (not counting his Christmas album). Each song is a gem.

But if you don't already own the albums (If There Was a Way and This Time are excellent choices), this "best of" along with his eighties collection Just Lookin' for a Hit belong any music collector's library if you enjoy country-rock, or the Bakersfield sound pioneered by Buck Owens. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another "must have" cd from Dwight., October 12, 1999

By A Customer

Even though I already own all of Dwight Yoakam's previous cd's, I knew I had to get this one. "Thinking About Leaving" is worth the purchase price, as is "I'll Go Back To Her" and Dwight's awesome rendition of "Suspicious Minds." Cap it off with all of the previously released hits and it's a "must have" for Yoakam fans. I do wish it contained some of his other hits like "Please Don't Look So Pretty," "I'll Just Take These" and "Near You", which are personal favorites of mine. But I just really hope Dwight keeps cranking out the music just like he has been doing for the last decade. His sound is untraditional like Buck Owens was in the 60's, and I hope he never changes.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll Enjoy This For 1000 Years, June 20, 2000

By	James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dwight Yoakam emerged on the country music scene in 1986 and initially averaged an album a year, culminating in his first hits collection, Just Lookin' For A Hit, in 1989. Yoakam's output has tapered off dramatically in the 90's (no surprise considering his busy side career as an actor in films), but the quality of his work has remained just as strong, if not stronger.

The rhythm-driven "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose," "It Only Hurts When I Cry," and "Fast As You" are just a few of the first-rate hillbilly romps found here while weepers like the enclosed "The Heart That You Own" and "Nothing" effectively hit an emotional bullseye. Best of all is the Grammy winnning, midtempo classic "Ain't That Lonely Yet" which haunts the listener long after it's finished playing. Whatever the tempo, heartbreak and unsuccessful relationships permeate throughout these recordings.

Three new tracks contribute nicely to the Yoakam legacy. The melancholy "Thinkin' About Leaving" and a heartfelt version of Waylon Jenning's "I'll Go Back To Her" provide a much needed contrast to the uptempo hits which dominate this collection. The third recording - Yoakam's rockabilly remake of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - was overexposed on Gap commercials while it zipped up the country charts (but credit Yoakam's infectious delivery for keeping this tune fresh in spite of the multimedia overkill).

This set's only disappointment lies in what's not included: the shimmering "Things Change." It was a top-20 hit last year and one of Yoakam's - and the 90's - greatest recordings. By the way, check out the album it comes from, A Long Way Home (it's one of Yoakam's best ever). But first, hook up with Last Chance For A Thousand Years: a great retrospective of Yoakam's more recent work for both new fans and diehards.