Search - Roger Miller :: All Time Greatest Hits: Roger Miller

Robert R. (flicknife) from CHICAGO, IL
Reviewed on 12/24/2009...

Finally, the original versions!

Put a smile upon your face as if there's nothing wrong.

David Kenner | Fort Worth, Texas United States | 07/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the last few single disc compilations on Roger Miller, it's great to have one that has over a dozen songs! It's almost a shame to see "Golden Hits" go out of print because it holds such sentimental value for me. I've owned it on 8-track, cassette, CD, as well as two different vinyl issues. That familiar blue, white and gold cover is something I'll never forget. But at least this current release sports the excellent photo from the cover of Miller's 1969 self-titled album (the one with "Me and Bobby McGee"). It's a beautiful package with a booklet containing several more photos and nice liner notes by Robyn Flans. The disc was produced by the meticulous Andy McKaie who compiled the 20 track set with Cary Mansfield. It's a solid collection that contains most of Miller's best known hits. Now, a lot of these songs are very short and there was certainly room to expand this set to 25 or even 30 tracks. However, after the 12 track "Golden Hits" and "Millenium Collection" discs and the 1997 11 track "The Hits", this is certainly a big improvement, quantity-wise. And since the two 1992 "best-of's" are out of print ("Country Tunesmith"/"King Of The Road"), this is your best bet for a single disc retrospective of classic Roger Miller. Some further selling points for the collection is that while the "King Of The Road" box set contains mono versions of most of the singles, the same songs are in stereo on this disc. While I'm a definite fan of mono, I believe Roger Miller's recordings sound much better in stereo. And while "Golden Hits" also contains his hits in stereo, this is definitely a considerable upgrade in mastering, resulting in greatly improved sound quality. Miller's 1967 hit "Walkin' In The Sunshine" is my all-time favorite song and up until now, I've only had the mono version on the box set. The stereo version is sonically superior and greatly enhances my enjoyment of the song. Another nice thing about this disc is the inclusion of two tracks that were not on the box set: Bobby Russell's "South" and Kenny Price's "Tomorrow Night In Baltimore". All the songs on this disc were either pop or country hits (most of them both) with the exception of "In The Summertime" (a 1964 re-recording of his RCA hit) and "The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me" which is one of his most revered compositions and was a gigantic hit for Eddy Arnold. All in all, 12 of Miller's 15 Billboard Hot 100 pop hits are on this set. Unfortunately, the three that didn't make it are also among his very best: "Heartbreak Hotel", "My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died", and "Vance". Still, whether you're a longtime fan of Roger Miller who owns all of his stuff, or just looking for a solid overview of his career highlights, you won't be disappointed with this CD. I highly recommend it."

Best Single Disc of Miller's Classic Recordings

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 06/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All Time Greatest Hits nicely captures Roger Miller's evolution as an artist during his years on the Smash/Mercury label. It begins with his silly novelty hits "Dang Me," "Chug A Lug," and "Do Wacka Do" from 1964. Miller's 1965 follow-ups added wit to normally somber subjects like destitution ("King Of The Road") and abandonment ("Engine Engine #9"). He then played it straight with the painful observations "Last Word In Lonesome Is Me" and "Husbands And Wives" as well as the joyous "Walking In The Sunshine."By 1968, Miller was no longer writing his hits. Instead, he gave exposure to new songwriters, being the first to chart with Kris Kristofferson's "Me And Bobby McGee" and Bobby Russell's "Little Green Apples." Miller left Mercuy in the early '70s and, except for some side projects not included here (scoring Disney's Robin Hood, recording "Old Friends" with Willie Nelson and Ray Price), experienced little success over the next decade. A final creative burst came in 1985, when he wrote the music for the Tony Award winning Big River (Miller's top 40 single "River In The Rain" from Big River serves as a collection-ending bonus track). This twenty-track retrospective is easily the best single disc of Roger Miller's classic recordings. To get a more comprehensive look at his peak years (including the Christmas classic "Old Toy Trains"), you would need to get the three-disc King Of The Road box set."