Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk- The Early Recordings Of Merle Haggard [1995] (5 x CDs)

MERLE HAGGARD

Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk- The Early Recordings Of Merle Haggard [1995] (5 x CDs)

Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 - April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.

Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launched a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class; these occasionally contained themes contrary to the anti–Vietnam War sentiment of some popular music of the time. Between the 1960s and the 1980s he had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000s.

He received many honors and awards for his music, including a Kennedy Center Honor (2010); a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006); a BMI Icon Award (2006); and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977); Country Music Hall of Fame (1994) and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died on April 6, 2016, on his 79th birthday, at his ranch in Shasta County, California, having recently suffered from double pneumonia. (Wiki)

The thing that makes Bear Family's Merle Haggard - Untamed Hawk- The Early Recordings Of Merle Haggard [1995] a little difficult to listen to for pleasure is the very reason it's necessary for serious Merle Haggard fans and collectors: Over the course of five discs, it contains all of the Capitol recordings (plus his early work for Talley) between 1962 and 1968, including alternate takes and unreleased cuts. This is a bonanza, since from the outset, Haggard was one of the most reliable of all country singers, turning out consistently enjoyable work due to his terrific ear for material and excellent songwriting and performances. He certainly did record a few duds, or at least unrealized tracks, during this time, but those are fascinating in context (either on the original albums or in this box set). Yet the consistency is rather remarkable; the singles are usually the standouts, but there are many tracks nearly as compelling as well. This is all apparent on the original albums as well as Untamed Hawk, but the box set may not be the best way to hear this music, largely because of the sequencing. Like many Bear Family boxes (or at least their sets from the '80s through the mid-'90s), this places chronological order before listenability, as it presents everything in session order -- which means that the alternate takes and false starts slow the momentum of the sessions. This is a problem, but it is one that can be avoided through judicious use of CD programming (or at least the fast-forward button), but it does also point out that this set is more for the historian than the casual listener. That said, those listeners who want a complete set of Merle Haggard's groundbreaking '60s recordings will certainly not be disappointed with this, particularly because many of these songs are not easily available on CD, even with the straight-up reissues of his '60s albums. And, frankly, if you love Merle Haggard, it is worth investing in this set. His music may have grown richer in the years after this set, but even at the outset, he was one of the most inventive, interesting, enjoyable, and flat-out wonderful country artists of his time, and it's all worth hearing, from the singles to the album tracks to the cuts that never were aired before this set. Even if not everything here is perfect, the overall effect is pretty awe-inspiring all the same. (AMG review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

In 1962 Merle Haggard cut his first session for Tally Records and set about defining his personal vision of country music. It was radically opposed to what was coming out of Nashville then, but it laid the foundation for half of what comes out of Nashville now. Here are Merle's complete recordings for Tally and Capitol from 1962 to 1968 (except the Jimmie Rodgers tribute available separately). The classic early hits are here, like 'Strangers', 'Swinging Doors', 'The Bottle Let Me Down', 'I Threw Away The Rose', 'Branded Man', 'Sing Me Back Home', 'Lonesome Fugitive', and 'Mama Tried', but the importance of this set is that it shows Merle's developing artistry in the album tracks, abandoned cuts, and rare singles. Other sets skim the surface; this one tells the complete story. (Amazon)

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Track lists

CD01

01 Merle Haggard - Sing A Sad Song 2:36

02 Merle Haggard - You Don't Even Try 2:18

03 Merle Haggard - Life In Prison (False Start) 1:14

04 Merle Haggard - Life In Prison 2:25

05 Merle Haggard - You Don't Have Far To Go 2:33

06 Merle Haggard - Sam Hill 2:37

07 Merle Haggard - Sam Hill 2:37

08 Merle Haggard - Please Mr. D.J. 2:28

09 Merle Haggard - I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows 2:32

10 Merle Haggard - (My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers 2:32

11 Merle Haggard - Slowly But Surely (& Bonnie Owens) 2:23

12 Merle Haggard - Just Between The Two Of Us (& Bonnie Owens) 2:46

13 Merle Haggard - So Much For Me So Much For You (& Bonnie Owens) 2:35

14 Merle Haggard - Falling For You 2:19

15 Merle Haggard - I Wanta Live Again 2:05

16 Merle Haggard - A House Without Love Is Not A Home 2:18

17 Merle Haggard - Walking The Floor Over You 1:48

18 Merle Haggard - The Worst Is Yet To Come 2:44

19 Merle Haggard - Piedras Negras (Go Home) 2:09

20 Merle Haggard - Singin' My Heart Out 2:19

21 Merle Haggard - Skid Row 1:45

22 Merle Haggard - Falling For You (Without String Overdub) 2:20

23 Merle Haggard - I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows (Without String Overdub) 2:47

24 Merle Haggard - If I Had Left It Up To You 2:24

25 Merle Haggard - I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can 2:02

26 Merle Haggard - Stranger In My Arms (& Bonnie Owens) 2:48

27 Merle Haggard - If I Could Be Him 2:53

28 Merle Haggard - Shade Tree (Fix-It-Man) 2:22

29 Merle Haggard - This Town's Not Big Enough 2:39

CD02

01 Merle Haggard - I'll Take A Chance (& Bonnie Owens) 2:02

02 Merle Haggard - Our Hearts Are Holding Hands (& Bonnie Owens) 2:23

03 Merle Haggard - Too Used To Being With You (& Bonnie Owens) 3:00

04 Merle Haggard - That Makes Two Of Us (& Bonnie Owens) 2:47

05 Merle Haggard - Forever And Ever (& Bonnie Owens) 2:09

06 Merle Haggard - Wait A Little Longer Please Jesus (W Bonnie Owens) 2:08

07 Merle Haggard - Swinging Doors 2:55

08 Merle Haggard - Swinging Doors (Alt) 2:53

09 Merle Haggard - The Girl Turned Ripe 2:19

10 Merle Haggard - I Threw Away The Rose 2:59

11 Merle Haggard - The Fugitive 2:54

12 Merle Haggard - Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive 2:35

13 Merle Haggard - Someone Told My Story 2:53

14 Merle Haggard - I Threw Away The Rose 3:05

15 Merle Haggard - Hang Up My Gloves 2:43

16 Merle Haggard - The Longer You Wait 2:22

17 Merle Haggard - The Bottle Let Me Down 2:48

18 Merle Haggard - I Can't Stand Me 2:18

19 Merle Haggard - Someone Else You've Known 2:11

20 Merle Haggard - High On A Hilltop 3:00

21 Merle Haggard - I'll Look Over You 2:11

22 Merle Haggard - No More You And Me 2:20

23 Merle Haggard - Mixed Up Mess Of A Heart 2:10

24 Merle Haggard - I'm A Lonesome Fugitive 2:59

25 Merle Haggard - Life In Prison 3:03

26 Merle Haggard - House Of Memories 2:48

27 Merle Haggard - All Of Me Belongs To You 2:39

CD03

01 Merle Haggard - Mary's Mine 2:56

02 Merle Haggard - If You Want To Be My Woman 2:17

03 Merle Haggard - Someone Told My Story 2:34

04 Merle Haggard - Piedras Negras (Go Home) 2:34

05 Merle Haggard - Whatever Happened To Me 2:57

06 Merle Haggard - Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive 2:34

07 Merle Haggard - Skid Row 2:00

08 Merle Haggard - Drink Up And Be Somebody 2:31

09 Merle Haggard - Gone Crazy 2:04

10 Merle Haggard - I Threw Away The Rose 3:22

11 Merle Haggard - Some Of Us Never Learn 2:41

12 Merle Haggard - Branded Man 3:09

13 Merle Haggard - You Don't Have Very Far To Go 2:21

14 Merle Haggard - Wine Take Me Away 2:47

15 Merle Haggard - If You See My Baby 2:30

16 Merle Haggard - Somewhere Between 3:06

17 Merle Haggard - Don't Get Married 2:31

18 Merle Haggard - My Hands Are Tied 2:18

19 Merle Haggard - I Made The Prison Band 2:32

20 Merle Haggard - Look Over Me 2:56

21 Merle Haggard - Long Black Limousine 3:14

22 Merle Haggard - I'll Leave The Bottle On The Bar 2:40

23 Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home 2:49

24 Merle Haggard - The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp 2:59

25 Merle Haggard - Seeing Eye Dog 1:57

26 Merle Haggard - Will You Visit Me On Sundays 2:52

27 Merle Haggard - Home Is Where A Kid Grows Up 2:22

CD04

01 Merle Haggard - Where Does The Good Times Go 2:05

02 Merle Haggard - Good Times 2:37

03 Merle Haggard - News Break 1:24

04 Merle Haggard - My Past Is Present 1:56

05 Merle Haggard - Mom And Dad's Waltz 2:54

06 Merle Haggard - My Ramona 3:01

07 Merle Haggard - Because You Can't Be Mine 2:42

08 Merle Haggard - The Train Never Stops 2:21

09 Merle Haggard - You Still Have A Place In My Heart 2:31

10 Merle Haggard - Money Tree 2:49

11 Merle Haggard - A Picture From Two Sides Of Life 3:32

12 Merle Haggard - The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde 2:06

13 Merle Haggard - I Starting Loving You Again 2:22

14 Merle Haggard - Love Has A Mind Of Its Own 2:23

15 Merle Haggard - Fool's Castle 2:48

16 Merle Haggard - Is This The Beginning Of The End 3:03

17 Merle Haggard - The Sunny Side Of My Life 2:13

18 Merle Haggard - Run 'em Off 2:51

19 Merle Haggard - I'll Always Know 2:22

20 Merle Haggard - You'll Never Love Me Now 2:46

21 Merle Haggard - Mama Tried 2:14

22 Merle Haggard - In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) 2:46

23 Merle Haggard - Little Ole Wine Drinker Me 2:40

24 Merle Haggard - Teach Me To Forget 3:16

25 Merle Haggard - Lookin' For My Mind (Takes 1-2) 2:36

26 Merle Haggard - Lookin' For My Mind (Takes 3-5) 1:32

27 Merle Haggard - Lookin' For My Mind (Take 6) 2:10

CD05

01 Merle Haggard - Green Green Grass Of Home 3:15

02 Merle Haggard - I Could Have Gone Right 2:33

03 Merle Haggard - The Day The Rains Came 2:42

04 Merle Haggard - I Think We're Livin' In The Good Old Days 2:07

05 Merle Haggard - Somewhere On Skid Row 2:52

06 Merle Haggard - Who Do I Know In Dallas 2:28

07 Merle Haggard - Folsom Prison Blues 2:47

08 Merle Haggard - Too Many Bridges To Cross Over 2:29

09 Merle Haggard - You're Not Home Yet 2:40

10 Merle Haggard - I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am 2:50

11 Merle Haggard - I Just Want To Look At You One More Time 3:04

12 Merle Haggard - I'm Bringin' Home Good News 2:50

13 Merle Haggard - Keep Me From Cryin' Today 3:01

14 Merle Haggard - I Can't Hold Myself In Line 2:56

15 Merle Haggard - I'm Free 1:57

16 Merle Haggard - It Meant Goodbye To Me When You Said Hello To Him 2:36

17 Merle Haggard - Who'll Buy The Wine 2:37

18 Merle Haggard - She Thinks I Still Care 2:36

19 Merle Haggard - What's Wrong With Stayin' Home 2:50

20 Merle Haggard - When No Flowers Grow 3:40

21 Merle Haggard - Every Fool Has A Rainbow 2:30

22 Merle Haggard - Hungry Eyes 3:28

23 Merle Haggard - Silver Wings 2:43

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