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I never ever ever buy stuff like this - over $40 for a music download! I could have bought it on CD from Amazon for the same price, but I decided I didn't want to wait a week for the package to arrive in the mail, so I made a completely impulsive download purchase so I could have the music right away. What great music! It was worth spending the money, and I'm glad I didn't wait, or completely talk myself out of making the purchase at all.
This four-CD set covers everything Merle Haggard, and I've never heard most of this music before. I'd call some of these songs blues, rather than country. In `I'm Bringing Home Good News', Merle gets out of his own way, and he lets the individual musicians have their time in the spotlight, giving huge respect to the whole blues genre by acknowledging the singer is only one part of the musical experience. Some of these songs (in particular, Skid Row) would be impossible to identify as modern recordings if the listener heard the individual songs without knowing the singer was Merle Haggard.
With `I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can', Merle doesn't just plan on getting even with the woman who done him wrong - he's declared war on all of womanhood, and he'll break hearts all over the world to get even with his ex, even if it takes him the rest of his life. "I'm gonna break every heart I can/ I'd be a find-'em-and-fool-'em man/ I'm gonna dedicate my whole life to this one plan/ Well if I live and have enough time/I'll get evil with the woman kind /I'm gonna break every heart I can in everyone I find/I'm gonna think of a lotta good lies/ I'm gonna laugh when a woman cries."
`The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp' is gorgeously simple. After her husband leaves, a mother with 14 children finds a new way to support her family. "The path was deep and white from footsteps leading to our cabin/Above the door there burned a scarlet lamp/Yes, I'm the son of Hickory Holler's Tramp."
`In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)' is a tongue-in-cheek reminder that there weren't really any good old days.
`Here in Frisco' is a great song. `The night is still early here in Frisco/Market Street's still goin'/The same old shows are showin'/And I'm still all alone here in Frisco.'
Some of the songs will be familiar to fans of Merle Haggard, including `Sing Me Back Home' and `The Fugitive.'
`If We're Not Back In Love By Monday' is more modern-sounding but still sweet and completely country.
`Are The Good Times Really Over? (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)' is also modern in tone and style, including mentions of the Beatles and the war in Vietnam, with great meaning to the world we're living in today. `I wish a Ford and a Chevy would still last ten years like they should./Is the best of the free life behind us now? Are the good times really over/Before microwave ovens, when a girl still cooked.'
I absolutely recommend this music collection for any fans of Merle Haggard. If you're not familiar with his music, I'd start with a smaller purchase - a single MP3 or one album download before you spend the money to buy this whole set. Also, if you don't already insanely love and understand country music, you won't like 'Down Every Road 1962-1994.' This kind of purchase is really meant for hard-core traditional country music fans. Anyone else would be wasting their time.
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First, the music: This is a phenomenal collection of Merle Haggard songs. Sure, it skips a few -- this guy had hits for 40 years! But there's around 100 songs here, so surely this will fill you. Sound quality-wise: Excellent. The mastering is very smooth and natural, and sounds like it must be from the original master tapes, or at least very clean original vinyl for the oldest songs.Now the BAD news. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are defective discs out there! On the first delivery I got, the third disc skipped and glitched on the last songs. When you flipped it over, there was a manufacturing defect that could be seen with the eye, which I've included pictures of. So I ordered an exchange, and on the next set, there was a skip in one of the last songs on disc one! I've never had this problem with another manufactured CD from any label, large or small. So I swapped out the bad and good discs from each set and returned the bad ones.There is no book or jewel cases as with the original `90's issue of this set, and the cardboard sleeve seems like it could fall apart with vigorous use. Good thing I'm ripping these to a terabyte drive. Nice photos of Hag, though.So great music, great sound, but look out for those defective discs!
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2010
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2020
First, the music: This is a phenomenal collection of Merle Haggard songs. Sure, it skips a few -- this guy had hits for 40 years! But there's around 100 songs here, so surely this will fill you. Sound quality-wise: Excellent. The mastering is very smooth and natural, and sounds like it must be from the original master tapes, or at least very clean original vinyl for the oldest songs.
Now the BAD news. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are defective discs out there! On the first delivery I got, the third disc skipped and glitched on the last songs. When you flipped it over, there was a manufacturing defect that could be seen with the eye, which I've included pictures of. So I ordered an exchange, and on the next set, there was a skip in one of the last songs on disc one! I've never had this problem with another manufactured CD from any label, large or small. So I swapped out the bad and good discs from each set and returned the bad ones.
There is no book or jewel cases as with the original `90's issue of this set, and the cardboard sleeve seems like it could fall apart with vigorous use. Good thing I'm ripping these to a terabyte drive. Nice photos of Hag, though.
So great music, great sound, but look out for those defective discs!
Now the BAD news. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are defective discs out there! On the first delivery I got, the third disc skipped and glitched on the last songs. When you flipped it over, there was a manufacturing defect that could be seen with the eye, which I've included pictures of. So I ordered an exchange, and on the next set, there was a skip in one of the last songs on disc one! I've never had this problem with another manufactured CD from any label, large or small. So I swapped out the bad and good discs from each set and returned the bad ones.
There is no book or jewel cases as with the original `90's issue of this set, and the cardboard sleeve seems like it could fall apart with vigorous use. Good thing I'm ripping these to a terabyte drive. Nice photos of Hag, though.
So great music, great sound, but look out for those defective discs!
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
Denny
Nobody better than merle apart from willie
Reviewed in Australia on January 24, 2019
paul hutchings
The best collection of Merle's recordings.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2019K. Ross
A wonderful box set of Hag's Capital years
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2014Amazon Customer
Merle was one of the best
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2020
