Merle Haggard / Bonnie Owens - Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me CD

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me songs Merle Haggard's willingness to tackle tough subjects in his songs--and his ability to do so without being mawkish or simple-minded--has resulted in a classic body of work, one that has achieved overwhelming commercial success without compromising Haggard's artistic integrity. THE OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE, a budget-line release from Capitol Records, offers a solid introduction to the first decade of Haggard's career, during which the singer made and cemented his reputation as the 'working man's poet.' Among the stellar tracks included here is Haggard's first single, "Sing A Sad Song." Several of Haggard's great prison songs are included, among them "I'm A Lonesome Fugitive," "Mama Tried," and the Death Row classics "Sing Me Back Home" and "Green Green Grass of Home." Other hits appearing here are the Haggard-Bonnie Owens duet "Today I Started Loving You Again" and the ironic title track, which pays homage to a place "where even squares can have a ball." Digitally remastered by Mark Chalecki (Capitol Mastering). This is part of Capitol's Cornerstone series. Includes ...

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me buy CD music In 2002, BGO released Merle Haggard's 1971 album Hag and 1972 effort Let Me Tell You About a Song on a single CD. These two albums were separated by two other records: Land of Many Churches and Someday We'll Look Back, both from 1971. If Someday We'll Look Back would have fit better with Hag on a two-fer since it shares a similar sound and sentiment, it's still hard to complain about this disc, since neither album has been released on CD before and they're both among Haggard's best. Which, of course, means this is a necessary purchase for any serious fan of either Hag or country music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Digitally remastered 2LPs on a single disc of two late 70's Capitol albums from the country legend. 2 LPs on 1 CD: HAG (Capitol 1971)/LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT A SONG (Capitol 1972). Personnel: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar, fiddle); Bonnie Owens (vocals); Roy Nichols, Bobby Wayne (guitar); Al Bruno (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Norm Hamlet (steel guitar); Johnny Gimble (fiddle); Earl Ball, Glen D. Hardin, Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano); Dennis Hromek (bass guitar); Biff Adam (drums). Liner Note Author: Spencer Leigh. Photographer: Robert Wortham.

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me album for sale This 2006 twofer compiles Merle Haggard's very first solo ventures, discounting JUST BETWEEN THE TWO OF US (co-billed to Bonnie Owens). While 1965's STRANGERS finds the young Bakersfield country singer still getting his musical bearings, it features a number of excellent singles, including the woeful "You Don't Have Far to Go" and a rollicking cover of Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You." SWINGING DOORS AND THE BOTTLE LET ME DOWN marks the emergence of a more confident Hag, with the title calling attention to two of the record's finest tunes--the honky-tonk ode "Swinging Doors" and the classic "The Bottle Let Me Down," a woozy lament about an unsuccessful attempt to drink away a broken heart. This release also includes alternate takes and previously unreleased tracks, making it an excellent value and an essential collection for Haggard fans. Audio Remasterer: Randy LeRoy.

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me CD music This BGO two-fer features two of Merle Haggard's Capitol albums from the early '70s. These are largely unheralded despite the fact that they are solid offerings from Hag. Of course, the title track of If We Make It Through December is one of his greatest singles, but there's much more here, too: "Uncle Lem," "New York City Blues," "A Shoulder to Cry On," "Dad's Old Fiddle," and "Come on into My Arms" reveal Haggard's more sentimental side, but that's not to say that these recordings are not powerful. They are, and the man was at the top of his game and remained that way into the 21st century. ~ Thom Jurek 2-on-1 reissue features It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) & If We Make It Through December. Two much requested 70's Capitol label albums from Merle. Remastered and slipcased with extensive new notes. BGO. 2004. 2 LPs on 1 CD: IT'S NOT LOVE (BUT IT'S NOT BAD) (1972)/IF WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER (1974). Personnel: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar). Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson . Audio Remixer: Hugh Davies. Liner Note Author: Maurice Hope. Recording information: Nashville, TN. Photographer: David Alexander .

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me buy CD music In an era in which a major artist will work an album for two or three years, it seems hard to believe, but Merle Haggard managed to crank out 30 LPs between 1965 and 1974, and album number 30 is included on this two-fer CD reissue from Beat Goes On along with one of Hag's last albums for Capitol, 1977's A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today. His 30th Album was for the most part typical of Haggard's long-playing output in 1974 -- a few solid tunes dominated by plenty of filler, with the production and arrangements noticeably slicker than the glory days of his Bakersfield period. But there are still some fine cuts here, with Haggard sounding spunky on "Old Man from the Mountain" and "It Don't Bother Me," emotionally resonant on "Things Aren't Funny Anymore" and "Holding Things Together," and confident and committed even on the weakest material. Hag sounds especially feisty on A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today, with the tough title cut, a handful of blues workouts, a heartfelt tribute to Lefty Frizzell, and the edgy "I'm a White Boy," which falls short of being racist but would probably be described as "politically incorrect" these days (not that Hag would be likely to care). While the album sounds like something Haggard and his band could have tossed off in a few days, there's a loose but emphatic grit to the sessions, and Hag sounds like he's having a good time throughout, which makes a difference -- even if he worked on the same assembly line as the average Nashville artist of the day, Haggard always cared too much about his music to let his records sink into hackwork, and these two albums stand as proof. ~ Mark Deming UK remastered reissue combines two of the country outlaw's 70s albums 'Presents His 30th Album' (1974) & 'A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today' (1977). BGO records. 2004. 2 LPs on 1 CD: PRESENTS HIS 30TH ALBUM (1974)/A WORKING MAN CAN'T GET NOWHERE TODAY (1977) Personnel: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar). Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson . Liner Note Authors: Maurice Hope; Dean McKinney Moore; Tiny Moore. Editor: John Tobler.

Just Between the Two of Us/The Fightin' Side of Me songs This two-fer reissue from the British Beat Goes On label features two albums Merle Haggard cut during his long tenure with Capitol Records, and on the surface the two sets wouldn't seem to have a lot in common. A Portrait of Merle Haggard was cut in 1969 when Hag was at the very peak of his abilities, and features three classic singles, "Workin' Man's Blues," "Silver Wings," and "Mama's Hungry Eyes." Meanwhile, Keep Movin' On was released six years later, is pegged on Hag's theme song for the television series Movin' On, and is filled out with lesser-known material. The ten cuts from A Portrait of Merle Haggard lead off the disc and set the bar quite high; along with the three Hag landmarks already cited, the set includes a superb cover of George Jones' "She Thinks I Still Care" and some excellent honky tonk weepers in "I Die Ten Thousand Times a Day" and "Who Do I Know in Dallas." The production and arrangements are spare and effective, with even the occasional string charts fitting the album's spare and elemental mood. The progress of six years can certainly be heard on tracks 11 though 21, which were originally released as Keep Movin' On; the sound is a good bit slicker, the mood isn't as tough, and there are a lot more songs about love than about living on the wrong side of the law. In short, the album is good Hag but not great Hag, though he's in fine voice throughout, and "Kentucky Gambler," "A Man's Gotta Give Up a Lot," and "Life's Like Poetry" show his songwriting chops were still in good shape. Think of the first album as the main attraction, and the second as a bonus (which most buyers will feel entitled to, since the two sets together play out in less than an hour). ~ Mark Deming 2-on-1 from the Beat Goes On label featuring Merle Haggard's 1969 album Portrait Of and 1975 album Keep Movin' On. 2005. 2 LP's on 1 CD: A PORTRAIT OF (1969)/KEEP MOVIN' ON (1975). Personnel: Merle Haggard (vocals, guitar). Liner Note Authors: Mark Yeary; Maurice Hope. Editor: John Tobler.