Search - Various Artists :: Classic Country: 1965-74

Mike D. from ROCHESTER, NY
Reviewed on 3/21/2012...

Great selection of songs

Country before It Veered into Late-Seventies Pop

Thomas A. Holmes | Johnson City, TN USA | 09/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Time-Life collection of four CDs (sixty songs) offers a solid representation of how country music adapted during the turbulent '60s and early '70s. While some performers (Barbara Fairchild, Donna Fargo, the Statler Brothers) relied on novelty to preserve their careers, others began to see how addressing controversial issues, offering more direct questions about romantic relationships, and expressing the dignity of country roots could offer induring messages. This set offers pioneering women singer/songwriters like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. You'll find three Kris Kristofferson songs ("Why Me," Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It through the Night," and Johnny Cash's "Sunday Morning Comin' Down"). You'll find George Jones and Merle Haggard, too. While, as one reviewer on this site notes, the set contains no bluegrass (bluegrass didn't enjoy much radio airplay during this period of country programming), it does demonstrate what the country traditionalists were doing before URBAN COWBOY contaminated country radio with a pop sensibility that still infects it. Excellent song selection and ear-flattering remastering of the original material earn this set a solid five stars."