Hank Williams Album: “Gold”

I have been listening to a local weekend folk, rock and contemporary music interview show here in Boston for years. The format of the show is to interview, in depth, contemporary well know singers, songwriters and musicians as well as young unknowns looking to make their mark. One of the questions always asked of each interviewee is about formative influences on their musical development. Although I do not believe that I have ever heard what I would consider a country singer interviewed on the show the name Hank Williams has come up many more times than any other from young and old interviewee alike. When New Age- type musicians are going on and on about brother Williams you know something is up. And that is exactly the point. He has been gone for over fifty years yet those well thought out ballads and `jump' country swing tunes still sound pretty damn good.

Sure that is easy for me to say now. Although I was raised in the North my father was from the South, a hillbilly. This is music that I unconsciously heard at my father's knee. But such tunes as Cold, Cold Heart and You're Cheating Heart that he sung to me as a child were his kind of music. It was not until fairly recently that I got the message. In any case this compilation gives as good a cross section of Hank's work as you are liable to get with a mix of heart-felt ballads, some crossover tunes and, as seemingly inevitably in greatest hits packages, some novelty songs that could have justly been left out. I would note that not all of the many Williams compilations are equal either technically or musically. Here the technical quality is more than adequate and the producers seen to have put in the best back up band versions of his material that they could find. So stop Honky-Tonking and get this album.

Hank's most popular songs all on one CD. I was thrilled because it has been so long since I've heaed a good CD. I bought a used cd at one point and it was terrible. Growing up with Hank's songs was great, but to hear him sing again almost like he was right here.I am extremely pleased with this gold of Hank Williams Amazon supplied three different CDs and I actually love them all. If I should decide in the future I want music of a different artist I will go to Amazon first. Oh yeah the prices were almost unbelievable compared to the cost here in Edmonton , Alberta.I would definately recommend Amizon to anyone.