Out of the Silence (Came a Song) - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
The Rubber Room - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
George Leroy Chickashea - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Cassie - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
Fairchild - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
Indian Creek - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Lonely Comin' Down - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Bones - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Jim Johnson - Porter Wagoner, Owens
Lonelyville - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
My Many Hurried Southern Trips - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
As Simple as I Am - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
Woman Hungry - Porter Wagoner, Chrysler
First Mrs Jones - Porter Wagoner, Anderson
The Cold Hard Facts of Life - Porter Wagoner, Anderson
Shopworn - Porter Wagoner, Harris, Ted
Julie - Porter Wagoner, Jennings, Waylon
The Carroll County Accident - Porter Wagoner, Ferguson, Bob
Let Me In - Porter Wagoner, Chrysler
Wino - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
The Bottom of the Bottle - Porter Wagoner, Young, Anne [1]
Nothing Between - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Crumbs from Another Man's Table - Porter Wagoner, Graham
He's Alone Again Tonight - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Life Rides the Train - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Little Boy's Prayer - Porter Wagoner, Owens
My Last Two Tens - Porter Wagoner, McAlpin, Vic
The Party - Porter Wagoner, Parton, Dolly
Moments of Meditation - Porter Wagoner, Wagoner, Porter
Porter Wagoner is a much misunderstood artist. Singing about the peaks and troughs of the human experience from inside a purple sequinned Nudie suit he has created the most extraordinary catalogue of any country music arti... more »st, and quite possibly any popular performer, ever. Don't believe me? Then check out the skull cracking and heart rendering reverberations of The Rubber Room, the troubled soul of George Leroy Chickashea, the desperate howl that is Lonely Coming Down and the seething hurt that is Fairchild. Yet amongst this human train-wreck there are jewels of burning pathos and profound spirituality like Moments of Meditation and Little Boy's Prayer. It is indeed this collision of an image that is at times admittedly pure kitsch, with songs and a delivery that are soul-shakingly sincere, that makes Porter Wagoner perhaps the most compelling recording artist of all time. Still not convinced? Then go now, right now, and listen to The Party by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. For the first time the darker, more poetic highlights of Porter Wagoner's astounding career have been compiled with love and care, featuring a slew of tracks never before sighted on CD. Once you have heard this album you will never be quite the same ever again!Psychotronic, dark, heartfelt country... with a touch of showbiz! First time on CD! Deluxe collectors 16 page package featuring original LP artwork and exclusive liner notes. All tracks are remastered in 2006 from the original master tapes! Compiled and curated by noted musician (Snog, Soma, Black Lung) and film composer David Thrussell.« less
Porter Wagoner is a much misunderstood artist. Singing about the peaks and troughs of the human experience from inside a purple sequinned Nudie suit he has created the most extraordinary catalogue of any country music artist, and quite possibly any popular performer, ever. Don't believe me? Then check out the skull cracking and heart rendering reverberations of The Rubber Room, the troubled soul of George Leroy Chickashea, the desperate howl that is Lonely Coming Down and the seething hurt that is Fairchild. Yet amongst this human train-wreck there are jewels of burning pathos and profound spirituality like Moments of Meditation and Little Boy's Prayer. It is indeed this collision of an image that is at times admittedly pure kitsch, with songs and a delivery that are soul-shakingly sincere, that makes Porter Wagoner perhaps the most compelling recording artist of all time. Still not convinced? Then go now, right now, and listen to The Party by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. For the first time the darker, more poetic highlights of Porter Wagoner's astounding career have been compiled with love and care, featuring a slew of tracks never before sighted on CD. Once you have heard this album you will never be quite the same ever again!Psychotronic, dark, heartfelt country... with a touch of showbiz! First time on CD! Deluxe collectors 16 page package featuring original LP artwork and exclusive liner notes. All tracks are remastered in 2006 from the original master tapes! Compiled and curated by noted musician (Snog, Soma, Black Lung) and film composer David Thrussell.
CD Reviews
Pictures From Life's Darker Side
K. H. Orton | New York, NY USA | 04/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The fact that Porter Wagoner brought non-other than James Brown in to perform at The Grand Ol' Opry should give you some indication that he is much more than a pompador & purple Nudie suit.
Johnny Cash once remarked, "No one tells a story like Porter Wagoner" & the likes of "Fairchild" & "Jim Johnson" are all the proof you need. Murder, lust, madness,& sheer unmitigated heartbreak abound here. In short, this as macabre as Country Music gets. With perhaps, just the right amount of unintentional kitch thrown in to sweeten the deal. Regardless of that, the sincerity of of "Moments Of Meditation" & "Lonely Comin' Down" cannot be denied.
Though perhaps somewhat overshadowed by a certain tall haired protege, many of the songs here reveal not only a consummate craftsmen, but also someone willing to push the boundries of his genre. I'd be hard pressed to find another song quite like "Rubber Room" filed under "Country". At times, it borders on 60's Psyche. Fortunately, Wagoner's forays into Disco have not been included.
Songs like, "Fairchild" & "The First Mrs. Jones" have more in common with the Pulp Noir novels of Jim Thompson than anything you might have seen on Hee Haw. Despite sometimes lush arrangements, these songs capture the true bleakness lying behind Country's shopworn cliches. Many of the songs here bring a chill as they tickle the funnybone.
While Hank Williams Sr.'s Luke The Drifer recordings are an obvious influence, I'd say it all lies somewhere inbetween a Countryfied Serge Gainsbourg & Leon Payne's "Psycho".
Maudlin, macabre & heartfelt, this is one of the finest Wagoner collections on offer. Not to mention some of the darkest stuff to ever come out of Nashville. It's rapdily becoming one of my favorite Country albums of all time. Much more than the man who introducted us to Dolly Parton, here's proof that Wagoner is truely one of the most underrated figures in Country Music."
Haunting Country Storytelling
Kevin Fontenot | New Orleans, LA United States | 03/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off, this is not a greatest hits package, so if you are interested in that, you might want to look at some of the RCA packages that are excellent. But . . .
Storytelling has long been a basic facet of Southern life and country music strongly reflects the storytelling infleunce. There was a time when those stories weren't all happy, fluffy pieces like you will hear today. Go far enough back in country music history and murder songs abound, some repentant, others defiant. "Rubber Room" compiles a ranging collection of story songs recorded by Porter Wagoner. The truth is that these songs aren't always pleasant and they aren't feel good. But they plunge into the depths of the human condition with deep insight. What you get is a portrait of an extremely strong artist performing some powerfully written songs. Summarizing them is difficult so I would say they best thing you could do is experience this CD. Everything from miscegenation to adultery to the paralyzing impact of alcohol is explored here. And it helps to underscore what all of us Southerners have known, Porter Wagoner is a fine singer and interpeter of song."
Celebrating 50 years of Porter Wagoner
Mascorrolandia | Somewhere in Texas, USA | 12/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If the Power of Porter compels you, this is a must-have for your collection. Be warned that it's not your mama's Grand Ole Opry-fied version of Porter Wagoner, however - you'll be going from "Sorrow on The Rocks" to 'solitary confinement' here, but you'll love the mad, lyrical ride through Porter's world of pain, encapsulated in his murky morality tales dealing in drunkenness, jealousy, murder, complete mental erosion, just to name a few."
If John Waters put together a Porter comp, this would be it
Wilbur29 | Poughkeepsie,NY | 02/20/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Great stuff...the kind you will never hear on the radio...unless you listened to Laura Cantrell's show on WFMU."
Who knew life was so desperate in the country?
Wesley Clark | Springfield, Virginia | 04/19/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Desperation, poverty, adultery, insanity, murder... they're all present and accounted for. Vintage country music is great stuff! An excellent collection from one of country music's unsung greats. Hipsters will love this..."
Track Listings (29) - Disc #1