King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Master Tapes

King of the Honky-Tonk: From the Original Master Tapes

ASIN: B000000QJ5

Track Listings

1. Wondering

2. I Just Can't Be True

3. Back Street Affair

4. Broken Engagement

5. It's Been So Long

6. There Stands the Glass

7. I'm Walking the Dog

8. Slowly

9. Even Tho'

10. Sparkling Brown Eyes

11. More and More

12. In the Jailhouse Now

13. I Don't Care

14. Why Baby Why

15. I'm Tired

16. Honky Tonk Song

17. Tupelo County Jail

18. I Ain't Never

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Pierce's ostentation (epitomized by his guitar-shaped swimming pool and silver dollar-encrusted Pontiac) has tended to obscure his achievement as the best-selling country artist of the '50s. His glorious, soaring off-key vocals, his courage in tackling taboos, and his emphasis on a driving honky-tonk beat make his recordings unfailingly listenable today. Songs like "Back Street Affair," "There Stands the Glass," "In the Jailhouse Now," "Honky-Tonk Song," and "I Ain't Never" are glorious. Pierce, though, shot himself in the foot by living long enough to make some very bad records, but here are 18 unalloyed beer hall classics in their never-bettered original versions. --Colin Escott

Tracks:

Wondering
I Just Can't Be True
Back Street Affair
Broken Engagement
It's Been So Long
There Stands The Glass
I'm Walking The Dog
Slowly
Even Tho'
Sparkling Brown Eyes
More And More
In The Jailhouse Now
I Don't Care
Why Baby Why
I'm Tired
Honky Tonk Song
Tupelo County Jail
I Ain't Never

Amazon.com

Pierce's ostentation (epitomized by his guitar-shaped swimming pool and silver dollar-encrusted Pontiac) has tended to obscure his achievement as the best-selling country artist of the '50s. His glorious, soaring off-key vocals, his courage in tackling taboos, and his emphasis on a driving honky-tonk beat make his recordings unfailingly listenable today. Songs like "Back Street Affair," "There Stands the Glass," "In the Jailhouse Now," "Honky-Tonk Song," and "I Ain't Never" are glorious. Pierce, though, shot himself in the foot by living long enough to make some very bad records, but here are 18 unalloyed beer hall classics in their never-bettered original versions. --Colin Escott

Customer Reviews:

This is country, down to the wire.......2004-09-25

Webb Pierce, like Lefty Frizzell, was one of the stars of the post-Hank Williams era. Though Frizzell is more famous, and arguably the better artist, Pierce's music stands high and mighty as well. A lot of the styles here echoe back to older genres like bluegrass and appalachian, but that's what makes it all the more enjoyable (you see what influenced a 1950s honky tonk singer).

Most of Pierce's hits, like "More & more", "There stands the glass" and "Wondering" are here. Also, he covered Jimmie Rodgers ("In the jailhouse now"), Moon Mullican ("Sparkling blue eyes" renamed "Sparkling brown eyes") and George Jones ("Why baby why"). A solid collection, but (unlike Hank Williams, Moon Mullican or Jimmie Rodgers collections, which also have appeal to non-country fans) one that requires a love of country music to enjoy. I myself love country music, and this is as pure as it gets.

a must-have collection.......2004-01-16

Webb Pierce...WOW! i love his singing. no, i don't want to hear him sing at high volume...but his voice is distinct that's for sure. some have made or heard the comments that Webb is either under-rated or is forgotten. i have an answer for that. Webb lived a life that was opposite what one might think. He was NEVER a hell-raiser, despite his reputation for honky-tonk songs. The only time he raised cane was inside a studio or backstage at a concert if something didn't go as planned. He had his share of temper-flare up's but that like i said was a result of business and nothing personal. Also, he remained married to one woman for decades which is another rarity in country music. To top it all off, he remained honky-tonk and he remained decked out in rhinestones long after people stopped wearing them. He wasn't Porter Waggoner. Porter's the ONLY artist i've seen who the public insists seeing in Nudie suits (Nudie was the name of a designer). Another reason for his lack of durability lay within his commercial out-put. After 1965, he only had one single to make the Top-10 out of dozens of singles released to radio. This, coupled with his flashy lifestyle, didn't win him any friends in the post '60s Nashville caught up in Billy Sherrill's countrypolitan songs and Owen Bradley's nashville sound. This CD contains a boatload of Webb's important songs. All of them are here. The fact that 11 of his 13 #1 hits are here and a few lesser-known Top-10 hits and album tracks thrown in make this the best available single CD collection on Webb Pierce. "Love, Love, Love" and "That Heart Belongs to Me" are the #1 hits not on this CD. I would've added "Love, Love, Love" since it was a 13 week #1 hit and taken off "Broken Engagement", which is track 4, since it wasn't a hit. Well, the infectious "Sparkling Brown Eyes" is track #10. The Wilburn Brothers provide the harmony like they do on "In The Jailhouse Now". I also like the last three songs: "Honky Tonk Song", "Tupelo County Jail", and "I Ain't Never". Even though his honky-tonk fans dismiss them as rock-a-billy fluff, i enjoy them.

How Welcome was this one???.......2003-09-13

Remember when this one hit the shelves? There was absolutely NO Webb Pierce available domestically. Of course Bear Family had their mammoth box set out at the time, which I do recommend, but there was nothing.

Then one day I found this at the record store and nearly caused a scene.

This includes a lot of his most well known songs. Not all of them, but most of them.

The booklet is fantastic looking and the sound is spectacular.

Another cornerstone of my record collection

Close but no Cigar.......2002-06-17

This CD contains all the Webb Pierce classics when he was a true country star which is why I purchased it. It's too bad they didn't cut off about 5 songs in which he feebly attempted a crossover to country rock so to speak. If you want Webb at his country music best, pass this one by.

There stands the glass- fill her up to the brim.......2002-04-04

Which country singer was the #1 country "singles" ie,(45's and 78's) seller of the 1950's. You got it-Webb Pierce. Webb and Ray Price and ET cut the best honky tonk country in the 1950's. Webb was pure honky tonk from his nasal twang to his custom made nudie's of hollywood suits.This cd is fantastic and includes some of his biggest hits-my favorite being "There stands the glass". If you wanna cry in your beer or feel like you're two steppin on a sawdust floor in a honky tonk circa 1958-then this cd will do it for ya. One of the all time great Country singers.

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