Roger Miller Album: “King of the Road [Box Set]”

I would guess that this man's work would have limited appeal. It's crazy and it's country and not a lot of people like either one, but especially when you put the two together. But there was a fire in this man that you can feel, I hope, burning hot and bright for at least 2 1/2 hours of this 3 hour set. And his fire burnt hotter and brighter than just about any other that I've come across. As a country songwriter, maybe only Hank is his equal. As a performer, he might be in a class of his own. There is as much wit and irreverence in the performance of songs like "My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died" as there are in the lyrics. Then you hear him turn around and deliver something with remarkable poignance like "A World So Full of Love," and he pulls this off with heart-stopping grace and fluidity. Then he does "Lou's Got The Flu" and you get both the irreverent and the poignant in the same song, and you find yourself picking your jaw off the floor for the hundredth time, only this time you can't seem to get it back in place the right way again.

This may not happen for you. But if you have a) a sense of humor, and b) a tender heart, it probably will. I'm not even sure if you have to like country music or not, but that helps too, even though an appreciation for "depressive jazz" might be just as helpful.

After being introduced to Roger over the last year, appreciating new music is even more difficult than it was before. There is so little else out there in the world of creative works that captures this wide spectrum of human emotion and thought.

My non-inspired opinion is that this box set badly needed a 4th disc so that the following songs could be included.

*INVITATION TO THE BLUES *HEY LITTLE STAR *THINK I'LL PICK UP MY HEART AND GO HOME *THE DAY I JUMPED FROM UNCLE HARVEY'S PLANE *SOUTH *THE TOM GREEN COUNTY FAIR *TOMORROW NIGHT IN BALTIMORE *STEPHEN FOSTER *LOCK, STOCK AND TEARDROPS-(my favorite RM song)

LS&T was recorded at RCA after a stint with STARDAY and before his SMASH recordings as was HEY, LITTLE STAR. LS&T featured the "Talking Steel Guitar" work of Pete Drake and should have been included if for no other reason. The only RCA cuts in this set, to the best of my knowledge, are #'s 8, 9, and 10 from disc 1.

Roger Miller was a phenom! He is the uncrowned "King of Country Songwriting". The last time I saw him on TV, he was explaing why he lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico (so far away from the music recording mecca's of Nashville and Los Angeles). Roger's explanation: "I live in Santa Fe because that's where my house is." I miss Roger Miller!

This Mercury Compilation is one of the finer box-sets I have come across (not including peerless Bear Family). Roger Miller is best known for his comedic numbers, such as "King of the Road", "Dang Me", and "Chug-a-Lug", all of which are included here. But this 3 CD set also includes a wealth of both earlier and later numbers that have been overshadowed by the "big" Roger Miller hits. This set goes back to 1957 and introduces us to a Roger Miller that sounded much more honky-tonk than 60's pop, with such songs as "A Man like Me".....these early songs are not at all unlike Ray Price! Then there's the crazy numbers of the late -60's, such as "My Uncle Used to Love Me but She Died" and his ode to smoking (which would kill him later in life) "Dad Blame Anything a Man Can't Quit". The last disc covers 1967 forward, including a great trio-number with Willie and Ray "Old Friends". Yes, there are other compilations out there, but this one really nails the comedic genius and slick wording of one of the greatest songwriters of any genre of music. The box set is a hard, book-style, case with a fine set of notes and discography (some great pics as well). Highly recommended. A+

From "King of the Road" to "Dang Me" to "My Uncle Used To Love Me" Roger Miller had a unique outlook on life, love, and and his place in it. Back when country wasn't cool, Miller wrote and performed songs that crossed the lines between country and pop. Many of his songs are timeless icons of our society and many others have become clasics when performed by other people -- "Little Green Apples" and "The Last Word in Lonesome is Me".

The collection spans the full spectrum of his recording life from some early takes through the Broadway musical "Big River".

If the music wasn't enough (and it is), the included booklet is full of great photographs, bio information, and song notes.

Roger Miller was a true original and this collection captures his spirit well.

This may not be the fully comprehensive collection that someone of Miller's stature deserves, but it's an excellent 70-track album that contains all the essentials. Attractively packaged, with a booklet of over 30 pages that includes some great photos, this would make a fine gift for any Miller fan.

It starts in 1957 with hard-country songs that Hank Snow might have recorded. It ends in 1986 with 2 tracks from his crowning achievement, the Broadway hit Big River. The mid-sixties were his finest years and many of his most memorable hits are to be found on disc 2. But it's all good.

Go for The All Time Greatest Hits album if you are sampling. Chances are you'll want to trade it in for this one.