Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Merle Haggard

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: September 12, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000HC2PCM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,584 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Newsweek, February 13, 2006
"For 40 years, Haggard’s been country music’s most compelling figure."

Product Description
The first-ever career spanning, cross-label (Capitol, MCA, Epic, Anti, Compendia), single disc, "Best of" compilation. 26 classic songs all remastered from the original studio tapes. Features duets with Johnny Cash, Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. This collection focuses on Haggard's songwriting--23 of the 26 songs were written or co-written by Merle Haggard. Includes 13 #1 Country Singles.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best introduction to a legendary artist., May 22, 2007

By	Somewhere in Texas (Planet Texas) - See all my reviews

If you were going to buy a best of to introduce someone to Merle Haggard, this is a good one. Plenty of classics here, But I kind of wish they included more of his MCA and Epic era hits.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest country artists ever...., March 26, 2007

By	Grigory's Girl "Grigory's Girl" (NYC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I really like old country music. It's much more sincere and real that the current garbage permeating the airwaves. Merle Haggard is a prime example of that old country music. He's one of the greatest songwriters to emerge from country music, and his songs are still valid today. Many people dismiss him as a right wing blowhard because of songs like Okie from Muskogee and The Right Side of Me. I actually like Okie, and its criticisms of hippie lifestyles is kind of funny and true, considering hippies were silly and naive. I used to dislike The Right Side of Me, but it's grown on me over the last year, and it's not as jingoistic as I thought. Even if you don't like these 2 songs because of their (possible) right wing bias, one shouldn't dismiss everything Merle has done over his career because of them. Merle is a true artist and a complicated man. The Grateful Dead have covered his songs (most notably Mama Tried, included here), so even the hippie Dead recognized that Merle is a great songwriter, and his political views (which are probably more complicated than most people think) shouldn't matter when it comes to his art. Personally, I think there's more wisdom in a 3 minute Haggard song (and a Cline and Wiliams one) than in all the political rants of lefties and righties combined. There was a recent article on Amazon's plog about how people in Seattle were rather rude to him when he was performing, showing that liberals can be closed minded as well. The biggest surprise here is the duet Merle does with Toby Keith, She Ain't Hooked on Me Anymore. It's a great song, co-written by Keith himself, and it makes me want to go out and buy some CD's of Toby's. This is a wonderful collection, featuring many of Merle's greatest, including Mama Tried, Okie from Muskogee, Hungry Eyes, and The Bottle Let Me Down. Haggard is still going strong today, and his music will go on forever....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Single Disc Out There On This Artist, December 22, 2007

By	Original Mixed Up-Kid "jg" (New York United States) - See all my reviews

I say artist since Merle is indeed an icon not some single/45 maker typically known to this genre of music but a serious artist that is best served up on individual albums showing his development or with the great box set "Down Every Road" that beautifully sums it all up and belongs in any serious CD collection.
The song selection here on HAG is a great mix and flows seamlesly and is enough to turn any rock fan into a country fan.
The sound is extraordinary as is the running time and liner notes and overall a great CD that included his famous duets with the great Johnny Cash(from the CASH CD Solitary Man),and the classic Willie Nelson cut Pancho and Lefty as well as a newer track with Toby Keith spanning a trip down memory lane circa 1962- 2005..Interesting photos of Merle standing over a grave site within as a middle age man with additional shots of him younger and the elder statesmen which he now is, akin to 2006 when this great CD hit.