Hank Williams Sr - The Complete Hank Williams \
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Free Music Notes for The Complete Hank Williams \
Free Music Review: An absolute must to understand country music and Hank
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: Still a definitive treasure trove of most of Hank William Sr.'s music.
Hit: 5 Stars
It's odd that I should mention the word "still" in regards to this majestic release. Back in 1998 this was essentially the complete work of Hank Williams Sr. in one box until more acetates were discovered, carefully remastered and released in 2008.
There's a lot beyond the ten discs which feature most of his work and various appearances. There are even alternative takes in case you thought one version was enough. Add to that a complete book that details the man and his music. Well, not just one book, though. The second book within the case not only serves as the holder of the ten discs but also provides some other details about the individual tracks and some more historic artwork concerning the various album covers, photos and other memorabilia. And the postcards are also a neat treat of various pop art and other interesting pictures based on Hank Williams Sr. printed on glossy cardstock. I doubt you'll be mailing those out, though. They're securely stored away within the box cover's inside envelope.
I mentioned that this is "still" the collection to get. It is for it is a complete retrospective of Hank William Sr.'s career. But then, in 2008, after some legal wrangling as well as a very careful remastering job of some discovered "Mother's Best" acetates, more recordings were found. These extra recordings form the basis for The Unreleased Recordings. What a difference a decade makes!
For anyone who wants to get a great amount of Hank Williams Sr.'s work but is stymied by all of the releases out there both this and The Unreleased Recordings offers up everything and more. That's not to say that the "Complete" collection is incomplete. For 1998 these were considered much of the body of his work.
Who knows? Maybe there are more acetates which were steered away from the dumpster. Even so this "Complete" box set is worth every penny. It is a breathtaking boxset in not just the music but its history as well.
Free Music Review: As complete as possible. Awesome!
Hit: 5 Stars
Hank Williams will always be the KING of Country music! No matter how hard CMT tries to make Johnny Cash look better or to seem more important, even the legacy of Johnny Cash, a hundred years from now, will continue to fall short of that of Hank Williams'. They named Johnny Cash the #1 all time male artist in Country Music History, with Hank at # 2, they gave cash the #1 video ever with "Hurt", and placed the historic "There's a Tear in my Beer" duet with Hank JR. all the way down at #18, they gave Cash five songs in there all time top 100 and Hank only four, and made sure that the highest ranking Cash song in that countdown was right in front of Hank's highest ranked song. These things only go to prove that CMT is uncreditable and silly. This set and even the "Original Singles Collection" by Hank, put to shame the three disc set by Cash "Essential Johnny Cash, 1955-1983" and his new "Unearthed" set. As much as I love Johnny Cash(I actually believe that Merle Haggard is more talented and more influential to pure Country music than anyone but Hank) the Name Hank Williams will always be the reason Country made it to the mainsteam and stayed there. Now, for the review. When you consider that The "Health and Happiness" performances, of which only five appear, make up two discs them selfs, with the songs he recorded on those shows being here in their original studio format or being done live on a different radio shows on the set, and the same for the demos, at least one version of that particular song being present, and the fact that the only songs Hank ever did that are not here, in some way or another, are tied up in the courts, then this is as Complete as we are going to get. If you can not get this collection, at leat get hold of "Original Singles Collection" which contains 84 songs, do not settle for any one or even two disc collection.Free Music Review: One of the Few Box Sets That's Worth a Hundred Bucks
Hit: 5 Stars
As the story goes, when Hank Williams died at the age of twenty-nine in 1953, a piece of paper was found on which was written; "We met, me lived, and dear we loved,
then comes that fatal day,
the left that felt so dear fades away.
Tonight love hath one alone and lonesome,
all that I could sing,
I love you still and always will,
but that's the poison we have to pay."
This box set (the most solid overview of Williams' career released so far) contains over two hundred tracks that echo the joys and the heartaches that were reflected in that poem. A sprawling ten disc collection, "The Complete Hank Williams" is ideal for anyone who wants to obtain the largest collection of work that made him such a pionner (at one time that is). But there's also an intellectual value to the music within; these songs can be seen in many respects as Williams' autobiography. The man wrote a vast majority of his own music (something few country singers do these days), making it possible for country music to be used as a form of personal expression, as well as entertainment. It's a shame that today's country performers have shown very little of the excellence that came from this frail-looking man from Alabama.
In conclusion, it should be noted that there's a reason this is not titled "The Complete Alternates, Outtakes, and Rare Demos of Hank Williams." The more obsessive fans will find themselves upset that this box is not solely comprised of a slew of unnecessary "rare" selections. This is rather an overview of history; some of the greatest musical breakthroughs of the 20th Century have never been collected in a better place than this.
Free Music Review: In the Top 5 of the 20th Century's Best
Hit: 5 Stars
When I listen to music, I like to listen to the real thing. And Hank Sr. is the REAL THING.
Let me just say it out right: I love the music of Hank Williams. From his earliest recordings through the last, the demo's through the live stuff, from the radio shows through his spirituals. No one sings 'em like Hank. And to think all this was accomplished in less than 10 years! A true hillbilly singer in every sense of the phrase. In other words, there's no mistaking him for the fake country music of today.
To me this box set represents everything that country music should be, and I thank the folks at Polygram/Mercury for keeping this great music alive. The folks who program modern country radio should listen to this set as a prerequisite before entering into their field. Maybe then we wouldn't have to listen to the majority of the current crop of country pap out there who seem to be more into rock and pop than country music.
I'm not going to squabble about how 'incomplete' this set really is. To add every single recording - including the live stuff and demos - would make this box set so outrageously priced that no one would be able to afford it. It has his complete MGM studio recordings, and that is what I believe the title pertains to.
Hank Williams is truly a musical hero of mine, a true legend of the 20th century.