Live from Austin, TX 1978

While the New West label had previously released an excellent live-at-Austin City Limits Merle Haggard album from the 1980s, this '78 date finds Hag appearing on that legendary program at an even more interesting time in his career. Haggard was perhaps at his jazziest in the '70s, and while there are plenty of pure honky-tonk classics here, the Western swing flavor represented by tunes like "San Antonio Rose" and "Cherokee Maiden" adds another level to the enjoyment of this country hero's work.