Hank Williams Album: “The Complete Hank Williams [Box]”

With all the different re-issues of Hank Williams Sr's material over the years - sometimes lovingly done and other times dreadfully overdubbed, I am one of many thousands who waited patiently for years for a truly definitive collection of Williams' material (including live recordings, demos, alternate takes, etc known to exist but not issued for a variety of reasons, including legal complications).

The Polydor series went a long way, but this 10-CD answers those prayers, and moreso. Included here among the 225 tunes are recordings his most devoted fans didn't know existed. "Happy Roving Cowboy," Williams' theme song over his career is heard here on a pretend radio show sometime in 1939/40. His rendition of "Freight Train Blues," from 1940, imitates the version of his hero, Roy Acuff. "I'm Not Coming Home Anymore," from 1942 and thought until this release to be the earliest known recording by Williams, is especially noteworthy because it is stylistically like the Hank we recognize and clearly shows how early his "style" was formed.

And then there are the demo recordings. "Your Cheatin' Heart, with just Hank and his guitar, defines the man, his music and his effect on people. It grabs me in the pit of my stomach and gives me goose bumps. The power and emotion in his voice is such that having The Drifting Cowboys backup on the commercial release - however complimentary it is - detracts from focusing on Williams' voice, in my opinion. And there is so much more in this box set, more than any review could adequately discuss.

Complimenting this incredible package are a 2,500 word essay by Daniel Cooper and 17,500 word book of notes by Colin Escott, author of the definitive biography of Hank Williams. Special thanks must go to Kira Florita whose tireless efforts for the record label made this release possible.

Two "complaints" and one "get ready for:" The box set isn't the complete re-issue of Williams' previously released commercial recordings. But the number is tiny and only a quibble. There should have been a cover page listing everything on the ten CDs and how to locate specific recordings. This is a problem. The good news is that there may be another release of other Hank Williams material in 1999, including more "Mother Knows Best" shows - if the legal problems can be worked out - and other recordings which have surfaced since this fabulous box set was put together.

The music on this boxset is of course wonderful , but , what bugs me is the fact that the packaging scratches the cd's everytime they're taken out and put back . As someone who looks after his cd collection , I've had to record the music on this boxset to avoid further deterioration of the cd's ( absolutely crazy ) .

If I had known that Mercury Records had made such a fundamental error with the packaging , I would not have bought this boxset . For the price they're charging , you have the right to expect a quality product that will last , but , I'm afraid that's not the case with this boxset .

How many out there think that by buying this set, you are getting the complete recorded output of Hank? Think again! Even after you buy this set, you are still going to have to do some searching to fill in the gaps left by this set. Number one, you're going to have to buy the CMF label release "Rare Demos First to Last" for alternate takes not presented here such as "A House of Gold" that have completely different lyrics from the better known version. You also will have to purchase the two disc set "Health & Happiness Shows" to get those complete recordings. You are still missing alternate takes of "Jesus Died For Me" (without Audrey) & "The Angel of Death". For these, you'll have to search for "The Collector's Edition". Of course, missing are an untold number of live recordings for which you'll have to find the long out of print "Live At The Grand Ole Opry". We're starting to get into some expense now, huh? Mercury Nashville really needs to get a dictionary and look up the word "complete". If, like me, you love Hank & want the truly complete Hank Williams, bombard Mercury Nashville with letters! Also, write Bear Family Records in Germany & beg them to do a box set on Hank because those German guys really know what they're doing!

Truly no where near being complete. Completely missing are the "Mother's Best" recordings, most of the "Health & Happiness Shows" and several alternate takes that are distinct from better known versions. There are, for instance, in the words of Hank's biographer, Colin Escott, at least three known versions of "The Angel of Death". Only ONE version makes its way on to this box set. The alternate take of "House of Gold" that appeared on "Rare Demos First To Last" is missing as well. Live versions of "Dear John" & "I Can't Escape From You" are missing also. I realize Mercury Nashville is experiencing some legal problems over the "Mother's Best" masters, but there is truly no excuse for the alternate takes to be excluded. This is the same company who gave us "The Original Singles Collection" which excluded all but two of the Luke the Drifter sides as well as all singles with Audrey and instead presented many non-session takes such "The Log Train" & "Alone & Forsaken". I enjoy these songs very much, but I would have opted for the lesser known Luke the Drifter cut "No, No Joe" or "Lost On The River" with Audrey. If Mercury Nashville and/or Polygram cannot do the right thing, then license the masters to Bear Family in Germany and let them do a truly complete Hank Williams set as they have done for both Jim Reeves and Jimmie Rodgers. The worst Mercury Nashville could do is to release the alternate takes on a separate collector's edition. As many Hank fans do, I eagerly await the "Mother's Best" recordings becoming available. I also await the planned September re-release of "Live At The Grand Ole Opry".

As a boy , I hated all country music, because my father hated Rock'n Roll. But I knew that Hank Williams was something special. I bought his 40 greatest several years ago, thinking that this was the ultimate collection. However, for some reason, when this 10 CD collection came out, I bought it. If anyone thinks Hank Williams was one of the greatest preformers ever based on his hits, YOU NEED TO HEAR THESE CD's. His versions of songs such as "Cool Water" "The Old Home" "Rocking Chair Money" and many others make his hits seem tame. These recordings are masterpieces.