Disco de Alan Jackson: “The Greatest Hits Collection”

Descripción (en inglés) :

Personnel: Alan Jackson (vocals); Bruce Watkins, Jimmy Capps (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (acoustic & electric guitars, 6-string electric bass); Keith Stegall (acoustic guitar, piano, background vocals); Robbie Flint (acoustic slide & steel guitars); Steve Gibson (electric guitar); Paul Franklin, Weldon Myrick (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan, Rob Hajacos, Larry Franklin, Mark McClurg (fiddle); Jo-El Sonnier (accordion); Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano); Roy Huskey, Jr. (acoustic & electric basses); Glenn Worf, Larry Paxton, Dave Pomeroy, Michael Rhodes, Roger Wills (electric bass); Harold Bradley (6-string bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Bruce Rutherford (drums, background vocals); John Kelton (programming); John Wesley Ryles, Denny Henson (background vocals). Producers: Keith Stegall (tracks 1-3, 5, 7, 9-10, 12, 15, 19); Scott Hendricks, Keith Stegall (tracks 4, 6, 8, 11, 13-14, 16-18, 20). Engineers: Bill Deaton, Chris Hammond, Scott Hendricks, John Kelton, Gary Laney. Recorded between June 26, 1989 and May 31, 1995. Includes liner notes by Alan Jackson. With twenty songs (two of them newly recorded) and more than an hour of playing time, THE GREATEST HITS COLLECTION is particularly generous by Nashville standards, and it shows off how easily this blonde-haired honky-tonk hero can wear a variety of country hats. Included are a few songs from each of Jackson's four hit albums, and they range from the waltzing regret of "(Who Says) You Can't Have It All" and the stately, vintage balladry of "I'd Love You All Over Again," to the jangly country-rock of "Gone Country" and flat-out barn-burners like "Chattahoochee." Jackson has a magnificent voice that registers halfway between George Jones' low drawl and Dwight Yoakam's nasally impudent twang, and he's comfortable in either of his predecessors' milieus. The proof is in the cover songs--Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" is pure Yoakam country, and "Tall, Tall Trees" is a great, early Jones/Roger Miller collaboration. But Jackson wrote most of these tunes himself, and one of his amazing achievements is that he's been able to build a formidable catalog of honky-tonk-related stuff with hardly any references to moonshine or any other kind of wet stuff. "She's Got The Rhythm (And I Got The Blues)" is the token drinking song here, and its presence only makes the absence of them in the Jackson ouevre that much clearer. He may be a slave to the honky-tonk spirit, but he's not addicted to the music's vices. If it hadn't been for Garth Brooks' pop-crossover success, Alan Jackson probably would have been the male face of country music in the first half of the 1990s. Though he started off as a basic New Traditionalist ballad singer in the style of Randy Travis or George Strait, Jackson quickly developed a slightly rougher edge on honky-tonk classics like "Don't Rock the Jukebox" and "She's Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues)." He also shows off a taste for R&B and rockabilly classics like K.C. Douglas' "Mercury Blues" and Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues." But it was with 1994's career-defining "Gone Country" that Jackson scored his most enduring hit. A catchy but subtly damning dismissal of the "hat acts" that were flooding the Nashville scene in the wake of Garth Brooks' success, "Gone Country" states the case for country music tradition as something more than a fashion statement. This impressive 20-track summation of Jackson's first five albums is a perfect example of that stance in action.

There isn't a lame song in this whole collection. Not only is Jackson a superstar for his talent as a performer, but his copious gift as a songwriter will ensure his fame long after he's gone from this earthly realm.

He penned 15 of the 20 songs on this CD, among them many of my favorites like "She's Got the Rhythm" and most of all, "Midnight in Montgomery"...the entire CD is worth buying for this song alone...a moving tribute to Hank Williams, with a haunting, beautiful melody.

The musicianship thoughout is top-notch. Just listen to "I Don't Even Know Your Name"...it's spectacular, and those guitars on "Mercury Blues" !...just amazing. The booklet is great, with lyrics and commentary by Jackson about each song (though you'll need a magnifying glass to read it, it's worth it), and lots of photos, including a back page "centerfold" of Mr. Long 'n' Lean himself that's really, I mean really good.

To name this album a Greatest Hits Collection is is somewhat modest after you listen to it because I think this album goes beyond greatest hits. These songs span the whole globe of country music no matter what kind of it you like the best. There are great love songs, songs that'll make you laugh, tribute songs, and good ol' country music in the rest. There's not a bad song on here. The country song that got me to start listening to country in the first place is on here (Don't Rock the Jukebox). I used to just like rock 'n roll but I credit Alan Jackson the most for getting me hooked on country music. This was also the first country music album that I bought. Now i have a collection of at least 20.

Country is the only music I particulary like other than oldies! This album is a great work of art with 20 songs! Ive listened to the cd over and over again till I memerized the cd. It ties in with traditional country music such as George Jones! I like the fast beat to his music which makes people feel better rather than making one depresed like some of George Strait's music does! Who cares if he advertised for Ford changing some of the lyrics to Mercury Blues. He is making money off great music! This album features Alan's best with each song having a meaning to it! I would like to approve Alan for his diligent work for keeping the traditional country music alive!

Alan Jackson is country music. Pure and simple. You can always count on him to deliver real, solid, traditional country music. This CD, full of 20 greatest hits, proves that. Jackson jumps from happy, up-tempo toe tappers like "Chatahoochee", "Tall, Tall Trees", "Mercury Blues", "Summertime Blues", and a few more, to pretty, down home country ballads like "Here In The Real World"(which sounds like a song George Jones should really cover), "Who Says You Can't Have It All", "Wanted", "Home", and a slew of others. Jackson is a lyricist who tells it like it is. There is nothing fake or phoney about him. He's the real deal. His voice is crystal clear with a pinch of classic country twang. Many of his lyrics can be fun at one moment, and then serious and very truthful the next. His silly hit "I Don't Even Know Your Name" falls into the 'fun' category. Jackson has been able to appeal to both kinds of country fans. Hardcore traditional fans, and more modern type of country fans. He has been able to write and record songs that can please both at the same time. He's really the country music artist for the people. His music will most definitley be looked back on the way people look at George Strait, George Jones, and others. Country music would be at a loss without him. Hurry up Alan!, where's greatest hits volume 2?!.