Various Artists - Only Country 1980-1984

Title: Only Country 1980-1984 Artist: Various Artists Release Date: 12/19/1995 Re-Released On: 0/0/1995 Label: JCI Associated Labels Duration: 66:36 Album Type(s): Various artists collection UPCs: 051091315726, 051091315740 Genre: Country Styles: Traditional Country, Progressive Country, Country-Pop, Contemporary Country, Adult Contemporary, Honky Tonk, Outlaw Country, New Traditionalist, Urban Cowboy Total Copies: 0 Members Wishing: 2 Number of Discs/SwapaCD Credits: 1

1. Elvira :: The Oak Ridge Boys
2. Lookin' for Love :: Johnny Lee
3. Jose Cuervo :: Shelly West
4. Baby Bye Bye :: Gary Morris
5. Drivin' My Life Away :: Eddie Rabbitt
6. The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known) :: Juice Newton
7. Southern Rains :: Mel Tillis
8. Crying My Heart Out over You :: Ricky Skaggs
9. One of a Kind Pair of Fools :: Barbara Mandrell
10. Pancho and Lefty :: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson
11. Swingin' :: John Anderson
12. You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma :: Frizzell & West, David Frizzell, Shelly West
13. Slow Burn :: T.G. Sheppard
14. Always on My Mind :: Willie Nelson
15. Somebody's Knockin' :: Terry Gibbs
16. Talk to Me :: Mickey Gilley
17. Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream) :: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
18. Beneath Still Waters :: Emmylou Harris
19. Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again) :: Tompall Glaser
20. Slow Hand :: Conway Twitty

Year Type Label Catalog # 1995 CD JCI Associated Labels 3157

No other editions were found for this album.

It's Only Country 1980-1984 follows the pattern of JCI's It's Only series, offering a seemingly random collection of 20 hits from a given genre for a period of five years. These songs weren't necessarily the biggest hits of these five years, although there are a number of classics and smashes here. It may be hard to deduce exactly why these songs were chosen, but the end results are nevertheless quite entertaining. All of the songs are featured in their original hit versions, not remakes, which isn't always the case with midline country collections. Furthermore, there a few cuts that aren't easy to find on other collections or even greatest-hits albums, which means it's interesting to collectors as well as casual fans. Most importantly, each volume captures the feeling of the era, even if it's missing several big hits, and that's what makes the series a nice introductory overview for curious listeners. Among the highlights on It's Only Country 1980-1984 are the Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira," Johnny Lee's "Looking for Love," Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away," Juice Newton's "Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Heard)," Mel Tillis' "Southern Rains," Ricky Skaggs' "Crying My Heart Out Over You," Merle Haggard's "Pancho & Lefty," John Anderson's "Swingin'," Willie Nelson's "Always on My Mind," Terry Gibbs' "Somebody's Knockin'," Emmylou Harris' "Beneath Still Waters" and Conway Twitty's "Slow Hand." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Barbara Mandrell Performer Conway Twitty Performer David Frizzell Performer Eddie Rabbitt Performer Emmylou Harris Performer Gary Morris Performer John Anderson Performer Johnny Lee Performer Juice Newton Performer Mel Tillis Performer Merle Haggard Performer Mickey Gilley Performer Ricky Skaggs Performer Shelly West Performer T.G. Sheppard Performer Terri Gibbs Performer Terry Gibbs Performer The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Performer The Oak Ridge Boys Performer Tompall Glaser Performer Willie Nelson Performer