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Great Country Hits of the '60s

George Jones
1 disc

1. Okie From Muskogee
2. There Goes My Everything
3. (All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers
4. Almost Persuaded
5. Apartment No. 9
6. I Threw Away the Rose
7. Don't Let Me Cross Over
8. Mamma's Hungry Eyes
9. Six Days On the Road
10. Fightin' Side of Me
11. Shoe Goes On the Other Foot Tonight, The
12. Sweet Thang
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 26444-D
Credits

Producer Harold W. "Pappy" Daily; Colin Escott (Compilation)
Engineer
It's easy to assume Time-Life's 2011 Great Country Hits of the '60s would contain a selection of `60s hits from George Jones, but that's not the case. Every one of the 12 songs here was indeed a hit in the `60s, and every track here was cut by George in the '60s, but the catch is every song here was a hit by another singer. Most of the time, that other singer is Merle Haggard: no less than five of the 12 cuts here are associated with Hag. George gives "Okie from Muskogee," "Mama's Hungry Eyes," "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers," and "Fightin' Side of Me" strong readings, and he's just as good on the truck driver's anthem "Six Days on the Road" and David Houston's "Almost Persuaded." No matter how closely these versions hew to the original arrangements -- and they do, they were knocked out quickly during jam-packed sessions for Musicor -- George doesn't erase memories of the original hits, nor does he implant his own personality on them. He merely sings them with his natural grace, which is enough to make this an enjoyable period piece, if not necessarily a memorable one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine