His Epic Hits: First Eleven to Be Continued

His Epic Hits: First Eleven to Be Continued

ASIN: B000002613

Track Listings

1. Reasons to Quit - Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson

2. You Take Me for Granted

3. That's the Way Love Goes

4. Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)

5. Big City

6. Pancho and Lefty - Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson

7. Someday When Things Are Good

8. What Am I Gonna Do (With the Rest of My Life)

9. My Favorite Memory

10. Going Where the Lonely Go

11. C.C. Waterback - Merle Haggard, George Jones

Tracks:

Reasons To Quit
You Take Me For Granted
That's The Way Love Goes
Are The Good Times Really Over (I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)
Big City
Pancho And Lefty
Someday When Things Are Good
What Am I Gonna Do (With The Rest Of My Life)
My Favorite Memory
Going Where The Lonely Go
C.C. Waterback

Customer Reviews:

great songs from start to finish.......2004-03-19

When this album came out, Haggard was amidst the wildly successful duet phase of his career: from 1982-1983 he was with George Jones on the radio and in select concerts and from 1983-1984 Willie Nelson was paired with him. The album closes with his Top-10 duet with George, "C.C. Waterback". Willie is heard on two tracks: the Top-10 opener "Reasons To Quit" and then on the smash #1 "Pancho and Lefty", which in truth, is a Willie Nelson song with Haggard adding in a closing verse. other great songs are "Big City"; "Are The Good Times Really Over"; "My Favorite Memory"; and "That's The Way Love Goes". Most people tend to over-look or downplay Haggard's songs AFTER he left Capitol in the late '70s for MCA and then EPIC. CURB issued two volumes of hits on Haggard spotlighting his Capitol era, trying to include the most important songs in his career and they succeeded. MCA issued a Greatest Hits album in 1983 of his 1977-1982 hits. EPIC issued this album and the 1990 "Greatest Hits of the '80s" CD. This first volume of EPIC hits is essential if you have the 1990 sequel. however, several box sets contain ALL of these songs and many others but for the budget minded, seek out the individual hits CDs like this one.

Early eighties classics from Merle.......2004-02-16

Some say that the early eighties were Merle's best years. I wouldn't go quite that far, but he certainly made some excellent music back then and this set, dominated by ballads, proves it. In particular, there were two classic albums - Big city (represented here by three tracks) and Pancho and Lefty (a collection of duets with Willie Nelson, represented here by two tracks) - that are among the best he ever recorded.

Big city is represented by the title track, Are the good times really over and My favorite memory, although this classic album deserves to be heard in its entirety, whether you buy this collection of hits or not. Pancho and Lefty is represented by the title track (on which Merle only joins in near the end - it's almost a Willie solo track) and Reasons to quit.

Elsewhere, Merle shows his way with ballads such as You take me for granted, That's the way love goes (a cover of a Conway Twitty song that Merle later re-recorded as a duet with folk-pop singer Jewel, who is a fan of Merle's), Someday when things are good, What am I gonna do and Going where the lonely go.

Another country legend, George Jones, joins Merle on C C Waterback, rounding off an excellent set in fine style. Another of their duets, Yesterday's mine, can be found on an other of Merle's compilations, Greatest hits of the eighties, which (apart from that track) covers the second half of his Epic recordings.

This is a great collection of hits from Merle, of which only about half the tracks are included in his boxed set, Down the road. There are many compilations of his music out there, but this one is among the best despite only having eleven tracks.

The Best.......2002-12-09

This is the first and only Merle Haggard album I have ever owned and I never get tired of listening to it! Every single song on it is great. Listen to it a couple of times and you are hooked! Truly worth buying. I too am of the younger generation that truly appreciates the old country singers such as George Jones, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, etc. This stuff is good!

Great CD!.......2000-02-28

This is the best stuff from the early 80'

Grab a bottle and hold on!!!!!!!!!.......1999-08-03

This is clearly the best compilation of music ever put together in history. I happen to be of the younger generation and I'm saying something as stunning as this. You better believe it buster!! There's probably some of you new country enthusiasts out there reading this right now thinking I can't believe this lunatic listens to that old garbage. Well your dad gum straight I do. There are still some traditionalists out there and I'm one of them. This should be a building block (a platform if you will) for new singer\songwriters to grasp, cherish, and use as a stepping stone to boldly go where many new artists dare not tread.

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