The most underrated singer-songwriter of the `70's, Tom T. Hall's best sides play out with remarkable freshness on this twenty-four song compilation. Boasting booklet notes by Colin Escott, the set smartly spotlights the Kentuckian's narrative gifts, commercial rise, and fall.
Literate and folkie, Hall's early Mercury recordings were often inspired by real life events. Produced by Jerry Kennedy, the earliest hits - "Ballad of Forty Dollars," "A Week in a County Jail," and "Salute to a Switchblade Knife" - sound similar to his work with Roger Miller. These sardonic sides, along with such classics as "Homecoming," "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died," and "Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine," still conjure wry poignancy.
Hall embraced country radio by mixing barfly sing-a-longs "That Song is Driving Me Crazy" and "I Like Beer" with kid-friendly ditties ala "I Love" and "I Care." Yet, he also boldly experimented with his basic sound. Examples? "Ravishing Ruby" employed Mexican xylophone long before Jimmy Buffet did, and "Fox on the Run"was a rare commercial blow for bluegrass.
At his commercial peak, Hall left Mercury for RCA, where the enclosed hits "What Have You Got to Lose" and "The Old Side of Town" demonstrate an artist whose work had become merely product. A return to Mercury yielded a popular remake of Rudy Vallee's "P.S. I Love You" (the final track found here) before his star completely faded.
Although it omits interesting lesser hits, this crisp sounding collection is a strong retrospective of a great singer-songwriter. It is a repackaged version of Hall's Ultimate Collection that was put out in 2001.
This CD truly demonstrates the ultimate talent of Tom T. Hall! A little known fun song is on it "That Song is Driving Me Crazy" that for me sealed the deal on buying this CD. All the music is pure Tom T. Hall and will hook you on him forever. I grew up in the south, and have fond memories of a number of the songs on this CD.
When you listen to this CD every song has a different beat; played with a verity of instruments. Real instruments, not synthizised, but real. Recording quality is great.
Although I have enjoyed many of his songs over the years, I never actually owned one. Now I have all his best for whenever I'm in a country state of mind.
Tom T. Hall is not called the "Story Teller" for nothing, and this CD is living proof! It is a great collection of songs both happy and sad. The accompanying booklet is a great mini-biography regarding Mr. Hall's life. Highly recommend this CD.
