Search - Bill Anderson :: Definitive Collection

Anderson's Legendary Career Half-Told In "Definitive Collect

Anthony G Pizza | FL | 09/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As late as last week (September 18) George Strait took Bill Anderson's co-written "Give It Away" to #1 on the country charts. It continued a success timeline Anderson has enjoyed as songwriter, singer, TV and radio show host and guest for the better part of 50 years, peaking in his being named to the Country Music Hall of Fame and honored as one of its top three all-time songwriters.



Yet "The Definitive Collection," capturing 20 hits from Anderson's hit-making years (1963-78), doesn't quite tell the story of his talents and influence. To be sure, this set features some great songs: "Tips of My Fingers" was a country standard in the 1960s whose 1992 revival by Steve Wariner revived Anderson's second hit songwriting era. The tragicomic "Po' Folks," "Walk Out Backwards," and "Wild Weekend," are literate, funny countrypolitan songs whose wordplay speaks to Anderson's previous journalism career. (Anderson wrote nearly all the songs here, most produced by Owen Bradley in his "Nashville Sound" style.)



But while his dramatic songs became country classics for Lefty Frizell ("Saginaw, Michigan") and Porter Wagoner ("I'll Go Down Swingin," "Cold, Hard Facts of Life") Anderson whispered (with near-perfect annunciation) a series of ever more maudlin spoken word top 10 hits to his own audience. These included 1963's pop and C&W Top 10 "Still," to "8 x 10," to 1977's smooth "Liars One, Believers Zero." (The most cloying of these, 1964's "Five Little Fingers," prompted my 9-year-old to ask, "Is he supposed to be singing from heaven?") These, plus 1978's country-disco self-parody, "I Can't Wait Any Longer," showed Anderson wasn't above following music trends where they'd lead him.



Despite these occasional missteps, Bill Anderson has earned his place among country's greats and successor to Roy Acuff as a Grand Old Opry ambassador. Here's hoping MCA expands this collection into their 2CD "Gold," series, capturing not only these hits (and overlooked gems like "Bright Lights and Country Music") but the many songs he's written for two generations of country performers. For its faults, "Defintive Collection" is a worthwhile, superb-sounding buy for any traditional country fan.











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It's good, but it could've been better!

S. SMITH | COLONY 9, PLUTO | 12/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD serves as a decent overview of Bill Anderson and it sounds great. Unfortunately, it only has 20 tracks and clocks in at under 56 minutes. There could've easily been another 8-10 songs on here. That really bugs me because many Top 10 Country hits were left off. I'll never understand why the compilers do this. Why not just do a 2-disc anthology for the guy? He definitely deserves that kind of treatment. But until that happens, this disc will have to do. Hey, it's better than nothing!"

Excellent CD!!

John A. Howe Jr. | 08/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At long last,a CD has been released containing the ORIGINAL

DECCA recordings.The sound quality is perfect!

I wish the "Definitive Collection" was a double-cd with 40 songs....because these 20 leave me craving more.

I'm still hoping that the entire Decca library be released....for some of my favorite Bill Anderson songs were not released as singles.One of the few artists who never had a "throwaway" song on his albums.Highly recommended and at a decent price!!You'll be happy with this CD!!"