George Strait Album: “50 Number Ones”

I am heartened to find that there are purists out there who share the same complaint I have about this CD. Cramming 51 number ones into a package is impressive...until you realize that they chopped down many of the songs (particularly the older ones) to make it all fit. They give us premature fade-outs and deleted lyrics in an attempt to market another Greatest Hits CD. It is inexcusable and not worthy of the purchase. Still, if you do happen to own this compilation, you can journey back to George's early days and experience the evolution of country music from the early '80's to today. The debate will forever rage on about the state of country music then and now and which time period was preferable, but this album can highlight those differences by charting the career of a constant bright star in country music who is now in his third decade of music-making. Outside of these historical musings, skip this album. There are several Strait Greatest Hits packages that you can buy very cheaply that encompass almost all of the songs on this album. The other albums also include many other worthy offerings that don't appear on this one like the classic, "Amarillo by Morning," "Unwound," "The Fireman," "The Cowboy Rides Away," and "Marina Del Ray." If older country isn't to your taste, just wait a few years until RCA puts out yet another compilation. Either way, give this album a pass.

Here's a two CD set that attempts to cover the amazing career of George Strait. Personally, I dont think it's possible, and despite their best intentions, MCA Nashville was not entirely successful with this venture. All of the songs included are indeed signature george Strait; BUT, as others have pointed out, many of the songs have been edited/shortened. I consider it a slap in the face not only to the great George Strait and his songwrtiers, but more importantly, to his fans. With that said, the sound quality and layout of the discs are great; and the recordings are originals (although, often editied for length). If I were a true George Strait Fan, I'd go with the more complete Box Set. However, this is an affordable way to get a significant number of his hits on a 2 CD Set.

First, I know, if you want the entire version of a George Strait song then by the 1995 box-set. But, that was ten years and a lot of #1 hits ago. Besides, if you're going to title a CD "50 Number Ones" then include all of each of the songs. And please, don't tell me "so what if they shortened a few songs"!

It does matter if you're a true George Strait fan. Among many others, they edited "Fool Hearted Memory" his very first #1 hit. That is truly indefensible. How about this for an idea, Mr. MCA Records, The 50 number one hits, "in toto", plus the obvious chart records not included in this musically abridged

fiasco. If it takes 3 discs, then a "so what" attitude becomes

reasonable. Add $5.00 to the price, add the songs in their

entirety and add the obvious missed ones. How about, "Unwound"

his first chart record and first top 10 hit. And then you could

include "Marina Del Rey" (#6), "Amarillo By Morning" (#4), "If You're Thinking You Want A Stranger" (#3) etc, etc. You get the idea. Of course, no one at MCA Records would take this type of idea seriously. It's the bottom line stupid. They'll do another #1 hits package in ten more years and we'll buy it and they'll laugh all the way to the bank.

Cal Stout

Hey i agree with the two folks about the short songs. It's really unnerving to know the songs pretty much by heart and then get to the big finish and there's only one "Does Ft. Worth ever...." instead of the usual three lines of it. Half the fun is singing it three times,lol.It just feels wrong!! I love George, but like the other reviewer said, i'll probably listen to this once or twice and then go back to the original cds with the full versions of the songs. A big dud.

It's ironic that the liner notes extol George Strait's virtues as a plainspoken man, and his longevity as a hitmaker, while the discs themselves offer a highly stylized view of his recording career. One could favorably suggest that cramming 51 tracks onto two CDs provides buyers a great value, but when those tracks are edited from their original form so as to fit, one has to think that a lower count of original versions would have been a better idea.

What one can glean from this collection is how incredibly consistent Strait has been as a hitmaker, and how true to himself he's been as a recording artist. He's shown an unmatched ability to find songs, and as he became more famous, exert the gravitational pull that brought songs and songwriters to him. Even better is how he's virtually ignored Nashville's flavors-of-the-month by crafting contemporary sounding recordings that pay a strong debt to country music of the 40s and 50s.

Marketing ran the show on this one, counting #1s from a variety of charts and apparently figuring that the profit from a triple-disc set wouldn't match that of a double. Given the number of copies that fill racks at used CD stores, many fans seem to have rejected MCA's gameplan. 5 stars for Strait's original recordings, 1 star for the edited versions. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]