Merle Haggard Album: “Out Among the Stars”

I remember hearing this on cassette as a very young boy and thinking that "Out Among The Stars" was/is one of his greatest songs ever. I had a copy of the cassette, which I counted as one of my favorites until the cassette went bad. After it did I started looking for another copy but the few I found were priced in the triple digit range and with a family to provide for it was simply outside my reach. When I ran across this the other day I placed an order on the spot and can hardly wait for the release. If your a Haggard fan you have to have this CD, just the song "Out Among The Stars" is well worth the asking price. The story that Haggard tells through this song speaks to all who hear it that we all have demons and we all wish to shed them and fly high above and beyond them. Please don't miss what may be your last chance to add this to your collection.

Merle Haggard is the best country music artist ever, but this album is one of his worst. There are a few good listens. The title track is good, but there is too overprocessed. If you are a big Haggard fan, then it is worth trying to find this, but beware this is among the rarest of the rarest to find on CD of Haggard, so you will pay a lot for it.

If you are a casual Haggard fan, don't bother with it, because this is not a great album. The cover of the CD makes you think that Haggard was at a bad time in his life, which he was as he was in the middle of his years of heavy drinking, drug use, among other problems. This release certainly shows that sometimes even the best of the best can release a stinker.

This should put an end to the vultures trying to sell the original CD for over $100. The new release is a 2 for 1 deal which also includes 1986's "A Friend In California".

This is one of Merle's lesser albums, but even weak Merle is better than most. The standout is Red Lane's "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa", which was covered by George Strait and also by Merle's son, Noel.