Search - Waylon Jennings :: Rca Country Legends

Double disc collection hits the spot

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 01/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Covering twenty years of recording at RCA, this is a superb introduction to the artistry of Waylon Jennings. Starting with his first full LP for RCA ("Folk Country," represented here by "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)"), Jennings showed off a unique voice with a sensibility driven as much by his tenure with Buddy Holly's Crickets as it was by country music. Though restrained by the Nashville Sound (courtesy of his staff producer, Chet Atkins), he still recorded many gems early on. "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" quickly became a signature tune, and his 1969 cover of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" rises above its surroundings.Jennings stood firm in his 1972 contract renegotiation, and won some astounding concessions from RCA. In addition to recording with his road band (The Waylors), he was freed to produce himself, and to record in non-RCA and non-Nashville studios. Having already recorded tunes by Kris Kristofferson and Gordon Lightfoot, he began writing more of his own material and championing the works of young bucks like Billy Joe Shaver and Rodney Crowell.Throughout the 70s and into the 80s, Jennings recorded a nearly endless stream of hit singles and solid LPs. This latest 2-CD collection (essentially replacing 1993's "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line" collection) focuses on the hits, bringing together 40 tracks, 36 of which were top-10, and 13 of which topped the charts. For some artists, the focus on hit singles would provide a distorted picture of their career, but for one whose artistic success defined the commercial landscape, these tracks provide an excellent overview and introduction.For neophytes, this is a great place to start one's appreciation of Jennings' work. For collectors, this includes a rare studio take of "Bob Wills is Still the King." For both, this is a wonderfully listenable set."

Decent sampler but poor sound

hyperbolium | 04/30/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who loves real country, country that stays true to its roots and traditions even as it stakes new ground, should have some Waylon Jennings in their collection. Jennings is best-known for his 70's work, when he helped pioneer the "outlaw" movement with such contemporaries as Willie Nelson (with whom he recorded several classic hits) and recorded a great run of solid albums and timeless singles like "Amanda." While his earlier, late 60's recordings were uneven and his style clashed with that of his producer, the great Chet Atkins, he still managed some great singles. During the 80's, his final years with RCA, the light, pop-oriented "urban cowboy" movement undermined his work, and it was definitely the lowest point of his tenure at RCA, but he did manage a handful of hit singles, a few of which were great.With such a long, amazing career, an extensive Waylon Jennings anthology is very much welcome, and we got one in 1993. "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," produced by country fanatic Jimmy Guterman (who also produced a great Loretta Lynn box set and the definitive Merle Haggard collection of Capitol recordings), was exemplary. It picked his best work, not just his most popular, and some solid liner notes. It was missing some key singles, but overall it was still a great collection.That set has since fallen out-of-print and this new one, "RCA Country Legends," is essentially the replacement. Just like "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line," this two CD set has 40 songs, but overall, it's much worse. It does include a few great songs that was missing on the other set, like "Cedartown, Georgia" and "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" (a Willie Nelson duet found on many Willie Nelson CD's), but it loses a lot of great ones, too. We also get the rare studio version of "Bob Wills Is Still The King," but it's not as good as the hit, live version. The liner notes are okay, not as good as Guterman's, which were more extensive, but the WORST thing about this set is the sound. The sound on "RCA Country Legends" is terrible, with every ounce of life COMPRESSED out of the songs. This is a sad, sad trend in music these days, country or otherwise, where everything is remastered at an extremely loud volume, but in order to accomodate the louder volume, they have to compress/squeeze the music, destroying the dynamics and leaving everything sounding squashed. Even the old, subpar CD's from the 80's sound better, much more open and lifelike instead of closed and smooshed. Even worse, some louder passages on "RCA Country Legends" have really bad distortion. If you listen to other CD's, those passages have a tiny bit of distortion, probably because they overloaded the tape during recording, but with the extra compression on "RCA Country Legends," it's even worse and really harsh.I haven't heard any of the other Waylon Jennings remasters, but I hope they aren't the same. If you have the old CD's, stick with them. If you're new and looking for a good anthology, pick up either the old single CD "Greatest Hits" (originally released in 1979 as an Lp, it's a little short, but has his biggest hits) or try to find the two CD "Only Daddy That'll Walk The Line" box set, which usually goes for about $15-20 used."

A View From The Burbs

Erik J. Fortmeyer | Brooklyn, NY USA | 07/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...Prior to buying this double CD after Waylon's death, the only Waylon I knew was from the Dukes of Hazzard and his wildly popular duets with Willie Nelson. I NEVER expected that I would become absolutely HOOKED on this double CD! This RCA Country Legends double CD set of Waylon's best fit the bill very well. It covers much of his popular material from 1965 through 1985. I immediately heard some songs that I had forgotten were his such as "Sweet Dream Woman", "Are You Ready for the Country", and "America". The smiles soon began. His version of Marshall Tucker's "Can't You See" put my toes a tappin and the Waylon bug began to bite me hard! What really got me going though, were several fabulous songs I had never heard before, but found electrifying: "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way", "I've Always Been Crazy", and the stomping early Rodney Crowell penned "I Ain't Living Long Like This". The Willie Nelson and Outlaw songs are well represented and continue to satisfy along with his early material, particularly "(That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me", "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line", and "Rainy Day Woman". The songs that really sold me though, were the distinctively non-conformist screwball songs that I couldn't help but like such as "Bob Wills Is Still the King", "Clyde", "I May Be Used (But Baby I Ain't Used Up)", and "Never Could Toe the Mark". The coup de grace for my hopes of resisting Waylon's musical magnetism was the final cut on Disc 2 from 1985 called "Drinkin' and Dreamin'". Country fan or not, I will proffer the thought that every man on earth can sometimes relate to (or at least understand) these lyrics: Everybody's looking for some way in,
I'm looking for some way out.
I've been wasting my time standing in line,
if this is what it's all about.
All I've got is a job that I don't like,
and a woman that don't understand.
So tonight at the bar,
I'll get in my car and take off for the promised land.Hokey? Maybe. But it sure is fun to listen to! Each time I listen to these discs (and it has been ALOT lately), a new song from it lodges in my sub-conscious for the rest of the day. Waylon had his ups and downs in his life but, he has left us with a great trove of relateable music for many, many people.Included in this offering is an eleven page set of liner notes chronicling the rise of Waylon and his battles for artistic independence. Also included are notes on each song and how high they reached on the Country and Pop charts.Give this compilation a try if you have found yourself at least as curious as I had become of the music of this original musical Outlaw. The sound quality is excellent and the selection of songs is very good. If you are a little less sure about taking the double disc plunge, pick up a used copy from one of the Amazon sellers. Waylon may have been known as an 'Outlaw', but he has become a true good guy in my world lately."