Hank Williams Album: “Ultimate Collection [Mercury]”

More than fifty years after his untimely death, Hank Williams' influence is still felt across the landscape of popular music. He is one of the few recording artists to have been inducted into both the COuntry Music Hall of Fame (1961) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1987). Although regarded principally as a country artist, he was at heart a poet, putting into music and words the heartache, pain and loneliness that ultimately consumed him before his thirtieth birthday.

To not have any Hank Williams in your music collection is to leave a gaping hole. The problem is there are some three dozen anthologies to pick from. Is THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION the best? Maybe not, but it has much to offer. The sound quality is very good. The 28-page booklet has plenty of pictures, serviceable liner notes (written by Kira Florita, co-author of "Hank Williams: Snapshots from the Lost Highway"), and recording dates for all 42 tracks. All the biggest hits are here ("Honky Tonkin'," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," et.al.). There are a couple of his songs recorded as Luke the Drifter, including the weeper, "I Dreamed About Mama Last Night." CD-1 is presented chronologically, but CD-2 skips around after the first four tracks. Also, (as noted in other reviews) the last six tracks are radio transcriptions. "Why Don't You Love Me" and "Moanin' the Blues" are from a 1950 Grand Ole Opry Show; the final four tracks are taken from a 1949 WSM "Health & Happiness" radio show. The sound on these final tracks are the equal of his studio recordings and if anything add a more intimate and relaxed feel to these performances in front of a live audience.

Overall, this is an excellent overview of Williams' career, and will more than adequately provide the neophyte fan with an understanding of the legend of Hank Williams. [Running Time: Disc 1-59:29, Disc 2-50:05] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have spent almost an hour reading all the reviews on Hank. I remember Hank -- I saw him at the Grand Ole Opry, when he appeared in Chicago, and anytime he was close enough to Chicago for me to get to the theater.

When I heard of Hank's death I sat down and cried.

(Guess that gives my age away -- 75 yrs.)

I guess I can't be called a completest. I purchased the Ultimate Collection and 20 Greatest Hits because they have all the songs I really like -- no, love -- on them. Hank had a way of telling the story in his songs. I sometimes thought he was telling my story in some of his songs.

However, since the completest sets have been mentioned think I'll look them up and check them over.

One thing about Hank's songs -- he has been dead for a long time now and his songs are still being played and sung. That in itself is a tribute to Hank Williams.

No matter which albumn you get you will not be disappointed. They are all timeless. You will not be disappointed.

Dorothy W. Rossa

Chicago, Illinois

This is the 21st Century update of the once-definitive "40 Greatest Hits" collection (which first came out in 1978...) This fine 2-CD set has a lot of overlap with the old best-of, but also veers off in new directions, taking advantage of all the Hank Williams rarities that have come out of the vaults in the past couple of decades. This has 42 tracks total, including a bunch of radio performances and demos, as well as a couple of "Luke The Drifter" recitation tunes. This makes for a nicely balanced Hank collection, highlighting him in a variety of settings, but also of necessity means that some of the more canonical Williams hits (which were on the earlier best-of) had to be nudged out to make room for the new material. Still, it's Hank. How could you go wrong?? A great introduction to one of the towering figures of 20th Century popular music.

Hank Willaims was a key inspiration for most of the music that we have grown up with. Listen to Hank - then Carl Perkins ("Sure To Fall", for example) and then the early Beatles doing "Sure To Fall" and George Harrison's rock-a-billy guitar work on "Live At The BBC". The connection is obvious. By the time Hank was taken from us, "Settin' The Woods On Fire" had set the stage for rock 'n' roll.

However, forget that. The man was a poet and the best white vocalist ever recorded. This is the REAL DEAL folks - buy this CD if you can't afford the Complete Hank Williams Boxed Set.

Unfortunately, today's country music has become prepackaged commercial sound-alikes that are totally devoid of the soul that comes from living the blues. But fear not, those of you who are looking for authentic music that was born in the hardscrabble honky tonks of the deep south, rather than it's office buildings - just buy this CD! You will treasure it for the rest of your days and it will never fail to reach your heart and soul and keep your toes tapping. Yes, absolutely, Hank was THAT good.

Back in the 60's a nice two record set of Hank's top hits came out and I had a friend that owned the set. I borrowed it and made a good recording on 7 in. reels with my then Akia-reel to reel recording deck. This CD set carries most of the songs that were on that double LP set. I think that this CD set is "Great" for the person who wants to get some of Hank's basic stuff, but after visiting a music store and seeing a set that I didn't know existed called "The Complete Hank Williams/10 CD box set" I made up my mind that for a true Old Time Collector of "REAL" Country music like myself this set is the only way to go! The 2CD set that this review is about is exceptional and has a lot of Hank's Favorites and if you are looking for some good basic stuff from Hank -buy it- But I have my sites set on the Big Box and as soon as I pick it up I'll be sure and give you all an honest review on that set also ! "ENJOY"