Fantastic Collection
LoveMerle | 05/03/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Of the many Merle Haggard albums, this one is the BEST. Among 20 great hits, it includes the song "Leonard" that is hard to find on any MH album. You will definitely want to listen to this collection over and over!"
Best Collection of his mid-to-late 70's, early 80's hits
C. Stormont | New York | 01/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You won't find all of the hits from this particular segment of Haggard's career on another single cd, and I regard it to be his best period overall. What I like about this collection is that they included a few of the essential earlier songs as well. My main gripe is that "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" - one of his best songs ever - is missing. Regardless, this is a great Merle cd. Where else can you find "Ramblin Fever," "Leonard," "My Own Kind of Hat," "Pancho and Lefty," "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive," "Mama Tried," and "The Way I Am" on a single cd? The live version of "Sing Me Back Home," from Live in Anaheim, is the best I've ever heard. There are a couple of corny love songs thrown in, but Merle is the realest of the real deal, and most of the songs included here prove that."
Close But No Cigar
Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 11/04/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Is there really such a thing as a bad Merle Haggard song? I'm not the most rabid of country music fans, but if you don't like Merle Haggard, you don't like fried chicken on Sunday. Each of the songs Hag made on this set are quality, done with feeling, but it's pretty audacious of the company to call this "ultimate". Not fair to new Haggard fans. Where is "Silver Wings", "Branded Man", "Today I Started Loving Her Again"? There are others. Number one in Hag's heyday meant only #1 on the country chart, but that was sufficient and the missing songs were way up there on that chart as country music came into its own. You can buy all of his works if you like, but you will probably be better served to go for "20 Greatest Hits" or even "40 #1 Hits" if you can't get enough of this country music giant. Shop before you buy."