Search - Hank Williams Sr :: Alone With His Guitar

Raw Hank

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 01/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hank's brief career fortunately coincided with the dawn of affordable tape recording. Thus the preservation of these ten 1949 Shreveport, Louisiana,radio broadcasts plus eight demos. As the title indicates, he's singing with no accompaniment except for his guitar. "The vocal-guitar demo leaves no place to hide, and it was in this context that Hank was at his most riveting," say the notes. From a practical standpoint, the intimate context also spared him the cost of sidemen.

Thanks to the Grammy winning The Complete Hank Williams, there's nothing new here, yet conceptually this package rises far above mere recycling, starting with the primitive cover art by original Mekon Jon Langford and William Gay's essay (narrated by lookalike grandson Hank III on the enhanced CD, which offers lyric sheet, bio, screen saver and more). The sound is surprisingly clean considering the low-tech recording equipment that was used.

Some demos have lines that subsequent studio versions revised. Even the comic "Kaw-Liga" - clearly a work in progress - conveys heartbreak in the voice. While Hank Sr.'s way with a word is well known, the 11 covers found here - including Roy Acuff, Sons Of The Pioneers and Red Foley songs - are among the peaks. Whereas Ernest Tubb portrayed the disillusioned husband of "First Year Blues" with humor, Williams' version aches with the first-hand experience of his own awful marriage. The white blues never got much bluer than Hank's."

Delivers what it claims

Chris-E | somerville, ma USA | 12/08/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's interesting to see the mixed reviews from knowledgable fans. I've gotten into Hank Williams only this past year. I bought this set because I wanted exactly what its title promised: solo acoustic peformances. On that count, it certainly delivers, and only a couple tracks suffer too-poor sound quality, though I don't mind much since I'm used to listening to rough prewar blues recordings. Whether this collection could be stronger, I don't know, but I can appreciate the skeptical scholar's general point of view; for example, as a Bob Dylan fan/freak, I'm often dismayed by what he and his record company choose to package/re-package/re-re-package as his "best" or "essential" or whatnot. So in sum, as a "newbie" or "casual fan," I'm happy with this set in all respects: performances (apart from a couple sketchy recordings), packaging, liner notes, extras--I guess Mercury's marketing ploy worked for me! But maybe as I explore more of his body of work, I'll discover in retrospect the failings of this collection."

Great Performances

JOHN SPOKUS | BALTIMORE, MARYLAND United States | 03/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of Hank's music,but don't plan on shelling out big bucks for the 10 CD box. I've heard a friend's copy, and while I love historic recordings,some of those things on the box were in real bad shape, and maybe should have been edited a little.Alone With His Guitar is a nice alternative for getting a taste of Hank's radio performances and demos. While not as massive or inclusive as the box,it's a good anthology for slightly more than casual fans."