Please note that this is a re-issue of a long-out-of print double CD (Crazy dreams - the Four Star years) with exactly the same track listing but different packaging.
Patsy's recording career lasted from 1956 to 1963 and was divided between two record labels - Four Star and Decca, the switch occurring in 1960. Most of her success came with Decca but this collection focuses on the Four Star recordings, for which this is the best ever released, containing every song she ever recorded for the label, superbly re-mastered. There are extensive liner notes including session details for these recordings, even including an outline of her career with Decca. The style of Patsy's music on Four Star was solidly traditional country with none of the strings that were used on her Decca recordings.
Patsy's only hit during her time with Four Star was Walking after midnight, a song that Patsy later re-recorded for Decca. Part of the reason for Patsy's limited success (and the main reason that she eventually left Four Star) was that she was only allowed to record songs for which the record label held the publishing copyright. Despite this limitation, there are many excellent songs here.
Apart from Walking after midnight, the most famous original song here is the classic ballad, Just out of reach, a song that has often been covered by country, pop and soul singers. Now, why wasn't Patsy's recording a hit? Among the other great songs here are Pick me up on your way down, A poor man's roses (later covered by Reba McEntire, a huge fan of Patsy's music), In care of the blues and Come on in.
Towards the end of Patsy's contract with Four Star, the label relented and she was able to record some other songs including covers of Lovesick blues, Life's railway to heaven and Just a closer walk with thee. It was too late. Patsy moved to Decca and suddenly became a major star by recording some of the best original songs available.
If you are new to Patsy's music, I recommend that you should first look for a collection of her Decca music including such classics as I fall to pieces, Crazy and She's got you. If you want to explore further, you will enjoy this.
patsy recorded 51 songs for the 4-star recording company between 1955-1960. this collection feature's 50 of those recordings. the one song that is missing is the first version of "i don't wanta" recorded during the january 5th, 1956 sessions. my only guess is the reason for the omission is because they already had the more popular second version done in 1957 on here. to call it "the complete early recordings" is not true. that being said this is without a doubt the most comprehensive collection of patsy's early work you can get with very nice remastering. if you get this and [ASIN:B003GGKB22 Sweet Dreams: Her Complete Decca Masters (1960-1963)]from 2010 you would have 101 of her 102 studio recordings. or you can get everything and more by getting "the patsy cline collection" box set from 1991.
Patsy's powerful voice transends Country Music. Everyone I know has a Patsy song that brings special memories good or bad. This cd set ties the knot in performances that I can listen to anytime.
This CD was a revelation to me. I have long known and enjoyed the well-known Cline songs (Walking After Midnight, Crazy, etc) but sort of thought of her as arriving full-blown. This fall I read a biography of her ("Patsy" by Margaret Jones, Da Capo Press, 1999) that spoke of many early iconic Cline songs such as A Church, a Courtroom, and Then Goodbye; Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray. These sound like (and are) self-explanatory storylines but hearing the songs was a knockout. Had all the songs I wanted to hear after reading the bio.
