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The Definitive Collection 1955-1962 [Remaster]

George Jones
1 disc

1. Why Baby Why
2. I'm Ragged But I'm Right
3. Just One More
4. Don't Stop the Music
5. Too Much Water
6. Cup of Loneliness
7. Color of the Blues
8. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
9. If I Don't Love You (Grits Ain't Groceries)
10. Treasure of Love
11. White Lightning
12. Mr. Fool
13. Who Shot Sam
14. Big Harlan Taylor
15. Money to Burn
16. You're Still on My Mind
17. Family Bible
18. Life to Go
19. Window up Above, The
20. Tender Years
21. Achin' Breakin' Heart
22. She Thinks I Still Care
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Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 0002500
Credits

Producer Andy McKaie (Compilation)
Engineer
Liner Note Author: Rich Kienzle.
There have been many George Jones collections over the years, and many of them have concentrated on his early recordings for Mercury (often including some Starday sides, which Mercury acquired). Given that surplus of comps, it's easy to be suspicious of another new collection of Mercury sides, but Mercury/Chronicles' 2004 The Definitive Collection 1955-1962 isn't an average, run-of-the-mill comp, it's the best single-disc distillation of Jones' seminal early work. Running a generous 22 tracks, this contains all of the big hits and usual suspects from the Starday/Mercury vaults: "Why Baby Why," "Just One More," "Cup of Loneliness," "Color of the Blues," "If I Don't Love You (Grits Ain't Groceries)," "White Lightning," "Who Shot Sam," "Big Harlan Taylor," "You're Still On My Mind," "The Window Up Above," "Tender Years," "Achin' Breakin' Heart," and "She Thinks I Still Care." All these may be on the more extensive double-disc set Cup of Loneliness, but no other single disc contains all of them, nor is any other single-disc Mercury comp is quite as listenable as this. Sure, there are good songs missing -- for instance, "Tall Tall Trees" should have been here -- but it's hard to argue with what's included, and there's no finer concise summary of this timeless music than this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine