Hag: The Studio Recordings 1969-1976

This is a quick review to set the "record" (CD) straight.Existing reviews are for Hag- Studio Recordings; this is Hag- Concepts, Live, Strangers.I like disc 1 (Jimmie Rodgers tribute) the most. Great songs, excellent guitar work and arrangements. Beautiful and moving. Close to folk music, but product of one person's view of life in the 1930's or so. Excellent mix of styles- blues, dixieland, standards, old timey.Disc 2 is Bob Wills tribute plus live Okie. This too is very good, as so are the originals. Live disc is also very good, most songs were studio-recorded as well.Disc 3- more live recordings. I like his imitations of Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Johnny Cash- funny and somehow, Merle manages to sound just like them. Talented fellow! Have had enough versions of "Okie" though.Disc 4- live recordings at churches. I'm not a southern baptist, but still found much of this quite moving (I like San Quentin choir "Give me that old time religion"- some talent is locked up out there.) As with disc 1, has historic/cultural interest, and was an interesting idea.Disc 5 + 6- Mostly Strangers' instrumentals and some vocals, with occasional Merle interjections. These are a lot of fun, laid-back, lots of different styles. Some catchy tunes ("pickin corn"), good spirit.Expensive to buy, but worth it for me.I like the historic value of the different styles and periods in US history, and the obvious love of music and life that can be felt. We can't (and shouldn't) hold on to and live in the past, but good music can liven up and add to the present. Glad Merle did these projects.

This box is very well done including studio albums from1969 to 1976 and much more later recordings. Excellent accompanying book on Merle Haggard. I strongly recommend this box set by Bear Family Records

I've been listening to country music all of my life(40 years), and in my opinion Merle Haggard will end up viewed as the most talented country music artist EVER. He would never make that claim because he is too humble. Who would make tribute albums to Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills when every thing he was cranking out in '69 and '70 was a hit? Merle would and did! That's another box set. He's a songwriter, singer, and bandleader. The best ever! This compiles all of the great 70's albums and singles. Most of this is available on single CD's, but look at the price of this collection vs. buying all of the cd's, and you won't get the stuff that's never been released(all very good) and the beautiful book! You need this in your collection today!!

I am totally blown away by the quality of the presentation of this box set-you may see me cut and paste this exact praise, as after buying one Bear Family box set I went nuts and bought several more. A good tip- check the used section here, but in almost half the cases amazon had new and sealed for LESS than many sellers did for used.

I purchased the Untamed Hawk box set when it came out then the Capitol Recordings box set now this one.I already have all of these songs minus the unreleased and Strangers stuff.I'm hoping the live in Philidelphia concert sounds better on this compilation than the re-release that BGO records turned out.They tried to make a live album sound like a studio album.It's very muffled.Anyway you can't go wrong with Merle and the Strangers.Just enjoy

The accompanying coffee sized table book is beautifully done. the 4 of 6 discs of Merle singing are very wel[ remastered., However 2 discs of The Strangers instrumentals? Well, I suppose they are fine if you like just instrumentals. I think the 4 disc collection "Merle Haggard --Down Every Road" is better by far for a lot less money.

Continues where "Untamed Hawk" left off. Must have for serious fans. Merle was really on a roll with his writing and vocal quality during this time period, though I believe he never recorded a bad track, EVER!

Very good box set lf you love The Hag Live your love the box set !!!!!!!!!

Merle Haggard was an inspired signing by Capitol Records. They bought out his contract from Tally Records in 1964, and he recorded for Capitol until 1976. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was the biggest Country artist to emerge in the 1960's, and he was also one of the artists recognised as creating the Bakersfield sound.This 6 CD Box Set deals with only a part of his time with Capitol, the Studio recordings from 1968 to 1976. Untamed Hawk, a previous Bear Family Box Set dealt with his earlier Capitols, and now this new Box Set moves the story forward. In 1968, Merle Haggard was a very big star indeed. He really had no need to push himself. He could have coasted on his earlier classic hits, Mama Tried, Sing Me Back Home, The Bottle Let Me Down etc. and enjoyed a comfortable life. Instead he kept going, with no noticeable weakening in his creative energies. The hits flow. I'd Rather Be Gone leads off CD1, and What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana is virtually the last track on CD6. In between, the whole set is studded with his self written songs or recordings of classic songs to honour their creators, Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell etc.This is truly remarkable. What is also surprising is that Bear Family who dutifully do a thorough job in unearthing unreleased material, usually do so just to satisfy historical interest. For Merle Haggard it represents insight into artistic creation and puts songs like I Wonder What She'll Think About Me Leaving into a new light. There are other interesting facets as well, and here we are walking on the fighting side. Note the way Irma Jackson was downplayed to avoid the mixed race message, and the involvement of Ken Nelson, the Producer, who was certainly no racist. This is illuminating, as is the reworking and rewriting of Somewhere In Between. The USA was a troubled country during the late 1960's and early 1970's. Okie From Muskogee is now seen as a bit of fun and a throwaway. Not what it sounds like from these two recordings, more like an anthem.Still, Merle Haggard, judged on this body of work, had a social conscience probably ahead of his audience, and that says a lot about the man, all I believe to his credit.The Box Set comes with a magnificent hard back book, which would have cost a fortune to produce separately. Deke Dickerson has worked on the biography, and my, it is good. Anecdotes abound. Gram Parsons asking Merle to produce him. Merle and his signature Grammer guitars. The sidebars to his career when he did his concept albums. All interesting and relevant to his life. The discography is good too, and allowed me to join the rest of humankind in noticing that Johnny Meeks the former Blue Cap played with the Strangers for a year or so on Bass. Kind of makes you think about the available talent in the Band that confined Johnny to the rhythm section. Add in all the pictures, and it makes a lovely package. Well, it kept me enraptured over Christmas, and I will be playing this Box Set for a long while yet.

i have the majority of this set on albums,but certainly a worthy replacement with includes a wonderful book as do all bear family boxes,my particular set was bought s/hand from all your music and i recieved exc service

A superb box set. High standard of songs from start to finish. merle Haggard didn't need to do covers to fill his albums. Buy this axing box set with the utmost confidence.

very good nice x x xx x

Nice collection of songs (most of which I have on vinyl). Good condition, used collection but one track (which I have already) doesn't play properly, ironically not on the disc advertised as marked. Overall still a great purchase for the money.