 Merle Haggard “Golden Classics”
(CD Double Play DBLP4001.2)
Merle is just the man. He’s known as
“The Outlaw” these days, not so much because of his years in prison and trouble
with the law, but more because he is anything but a Nashville insider. Of course
he did do three years in San Quentin at the end of a string of 17
incarcerations, but since then Merle has been on the straight and narrow, sort
of. Aside from his many convictions, Merle has been married five times with six
children, battled alcohol and drugs, womanizing and a re-occurring gambling
addiction- all of which he has overcome in recent years. The good news is that
all of that trouble provided Merle with plenty of great song writing material
and a deep appreciation for the freedom to record and perform his music.
He’s such a great singer/songwriter
that he makes the current crop of “country” artists seem like a bunch of rookies
trying make it on American Idol or Star Search. Merle’s songs are mostly based
on his own life, which is fascinating in and of itself. But it’s his voice and
his incredible vocal control that makes him stand head and shoulders above
everyone else.
This compilation is a perfect place to
start if you aren’t yet a Hag fan. It’s one great song after another, and all of
them are perfectly executed. After a while you get the feeling that Merle and
the Strangers can do no wrong. Yet nothing about Merle’s style is predictable.
Merle’s music reminds me of Mozart’s in that every melody takes a slightly
different or unexpected turn yet comes out sounding just right in the end.
Trying to sing along to Haggard’s music is tempting even when you don’t totally
know the songs, but be careful because like the melodies, the words are far from
predictable. I can’t tell you how many times my friend Soupy and I have driven
around in his Bronco butchering Merle’s beautiful lyrics. At a time when the
radio is flooded with Garth, Shania and friends, who have nothing meaningful to
say and not enough talent anyway, it’s really refreshing to listen to a real guy
like Merle who’s songs and stories are so provocative and so beautifully
performed.
If you are at all reluctant to listen
to country music, don’t let that keep you from appreciating perhaps the greatest
voice of them all. I never thought the name Merle Haggard would make my ALL-TIME
list, but here we are and frankly, he’s near the very top! By the way, we’ve
bought up some stock on this disc if you’re having trouble finding it.
-Dave
(Jon’s note: Had Dave not chosen this
disc, it would have been my next entry. Consider this recording twice
nominated.)
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