The Original Singles Collection

by

Hank Williams

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Let's get the negative stuff out of the way first. For the material included in this collection, it is wonderful. My problem with it (and, it would seem, I am not the only one) has to do with the material NOT included. OK, a set called THE ORIGINAL SINGLES COLLECTION would not be expected to include demos or live recordings, but there were many songs released as singles that were left off. The songs recorded as Luke the Drifter are ignored ("Ramblin' Man", originally a Luke the Drifter single, was reissued and credited to Hank Williams as the B-side of "Take These Chains From My Heart" in July, 1953), as are many of the songs released as singles credited to "Hank Williams and His Guitar". While some of those songs appear here, some really good ones like "Faded Love and Winter Roses" and "Please Don't Let Me Love You" (released as both sides of the same single in 1955) were overlooked.

But enough with the problems with this set.

What we do have in this collection is a chronological journey through the studio recordings that Hank released under his own name during his brilliant and tragically short career. Listening to this material in order, one can hear the development of a true artist and pioneer. When Hank first started recording, electric instruments and drums were all but taboo in country records. After Hank, they were almost mandatory. His vocal delivery, while heavily colored with his southern accent, never sounded forced or affected. He just seemed to be doing what he was born to do.

The writing is top-notch, for the most part. There are some very clever hooks in many songs and, as a lyricist, Hank wrote in simple language, but he did it so cleverly that even intellectuals could appreciate it (pay attention to the lyrical symmetry in "I Won't Be Home No More" for an example of this).

The sound quality is variable in this set. The first few tracks (recorded as early as 1942) sound pretty bad by modern standards. Even early MGM recordings, such as 1948's "Mansion on the Hill" leave something to be desired. But as time passed and Hank's popularity (and, probably, recording budget) grew, the quality improved dramatically. The studio recordings from the early 1950s actually sound pretty good from a technical perspective and brilliant from an artistic one.

The book included gives good background on the recordings as well as the artist. A nice extra for the set.

This collection is a very good introduction to the music of an American treasure and I recommend it highly. But be warned. After listening to this, you will very probably want to go out and buy the 10-disc COMPLETE* HANK WILLIAMS. This stuff really is that good.

Just as you would expect "The Complete Hank Williams" to be EVERYTHING, you would expect this to be every session recording Hank ever made, but it isn't. For starters, it is missing "I'm Satisfied With You" which is a Hank cut, not a Luke the Drifter selection. Polygram completely ignores, with the exception of two songs, the sides Hank cut as Luke the Drifter as well as all studio recordings made with Audrey Williams. Instead, they give us selections like "Alone & Forsaken" and "The Angel of Death" which have been rehashed on practically every release they've done. Polygram & Colin Escott consistently harp upon the bad treatment that MGM heaped upon the Williams catalouge, but they are doing just as much of an injustice to it themselves. When will Polygram (and it's affiliates such Mercury Nashville) finally decide to do the right thing with this body of classic American music? Take a lesson from Bear Family in Germany as to what they have done for many American artists and hope Polygram will get it's act straight!