Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Second Fiddle
2. Under Your Spell Again
3. Above and Beyond
4. Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)
5. Foolin' Around
6. Loose Talk - Rose Maddox, Buck Owens
7. Mental Cruelty - Rose Maddox, Buck Owens
8. Under the Influence of Love
9. Nobody's Fool But Yours
10. Save the Last Dance for Me
11. Kickin' Our Hearts Around
12. You're for Me
13. Act Naturally
14. Love's Gonna Live Here
15. My Heart Skips a Beat
16. Together Again
17. Close Up the Honky Tonks
18. Hello Trouble (Come on In)
19. A-11
20. I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)
21. Buck's Polka

Disc 2:

1. I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
2. Cryin' Time
3. Memphis
4. Before You Go
5. Only You (Can Break My Heart)
6. Gonna Have Love
7. Buckaroo
8. Waitin' in Your Welfare Line
9. Dust on Mother's Bible
10. Think of Me
11. Open Up Your Heart
12. Sam's Place
13. Your Tender Loving Care
14. It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)
15. How Long Will My Baby Be Gone
16. Sweet Rosie Jones
17. Let the Whole World Keep on Turnin' - Buddy Alan, Buck Owens
18. I've Got You on My Mind Again
19. Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass?
20. Johnny B. Goode

Disc 3:

1. Tall Dark Stranger
2. Big in Vegas
3. We're Gonna Get Together - Buck Owens, Susan Raye
4. Kansas City Song
5. Great White Horse - Buck Owens, Susan Raye
6. I Wouldn't Live in New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town)
7. Bridge over Troubled Water
8. Ruby (Are You Mad)
9. Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms
10. I'll Still Be Waiting for You
11. Made in Japan
12. You Ain't Gonna Have Ol' Buck to Kick Around No More
13. Ain't It Amazing Gracie
14. Streets of Bakersfield [Original Version]
15. Big Game Hunter
16. On the Cover of the Music City News
17. It's a Monster's Holiday
18. Play "Together Again" Again - Emmylou Harris, Buck Owens
19. Streets of Bakersfield - Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam
20. Hot Dog - Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam
21. Act Naturally - Buck Owens, Ringo Starr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31005 in Music
• Released on: 1992-08-04
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set

Amazon.com essential recording
Backed by the sterling Buckaroos, Owens's trademark Bakersfield honky tonk was grittier and meatier than that of contemporaries like George Jones. Relying heavily on the crisp lead guitar of Don Rich and the steel-guitar strains of Tom Brumley, the music possessed a distinctive locomotive rhythm. Rhino's comprehensive 62-song collection follows Owens from his landmark 1961 duets with Rose Maddox through early collaborations with Harlan Howard to his first number one hit, "Act Naturally." Owens would put a stranglehold on the country charts, reaching the top spot consistently with hits including "Together Again" and "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail." Along the way, he'd mix in Chuck Berry covers, bluegrass staples, and even a Paul Simon tune. His later work features duets with Susan Raye, Emmylou Harris, and Dwight Yoakam. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Not nearly enough of a great thing
It's hard to believe, but at 3 full CDs, this box leaves you wanting more Buck Owens. Rhino's done a nice job of presenting a comprehensive overview of Owens' career, from his earliest duets with Rose Maddox, through his "comeback" duet with Dwight Yoakam, and latter-day hit, "Hot Dog." It might have been interesting if a few of Owens' earlier sessions for Capitol (as a guitarist) were included, as well as his debut rockabilly single (as Corky Jones).

Still, what's here is magnificent. It can be difficult to see (in hindsight) what an impact Owens had on country music, and the domination that he exercised over the charts. His music, well represented in this box, certainly makes the case. The twin telecasters of Owens and Don Rich, as well as their harmony singing, are blueprints of electric country music. Owens' songs, and those from the pens of others, are delivered with an originality that only the very best ever achieved.

Perhaps the only shortcoming of this box is the enormous number of album tracks that they couldn't fit. Given Sundazed's reissue of all of Owens' original Capitol LPs, this generous 3-disc box (with excellent liner notes and historical photos) starts to feel like a sampler! A great place to whet your appetite.

California country music at its finest
When most people think of country music, they tend to think of Tennessee and Texas but California has a strong country music tradition of its own exemplified by the success of Buck Owens. He had a lot of success with his own record, while his songs provided hits for others and he was also an inspiration for other Californians including Merle Haggard and Dwight Yoakam. This compilation contains three CD's of Buck's finest music.

The box includes all of Buck's classics including Above and beyond (later successfully revived by Rodney Crowell), Act naturally (which was covered by the Beatles), Love's gonna live here, Together again, I've got a tiger by the tail and many others. Buck also wrote Crying time but released it on a B-side. Ray Charles covered it and had a huge pop hit with it. You can find Buck's version here. Buck originally recorded Streets of Bakersfield in 1974 but the song only became successful when Dwight Yoakam decided to cover it as a duet with Buck. Both versions are included here.

Apart from Dwight, this features other notable guests including Susan Raye (Buck's duet partner in the early seventies), Rose Maddox (on Loose talk and Mental cruelty), Emmylou Harris (singing Play Together again again) and Ringo Starr (on a re-recording of Act Naturally).

While Buck wrote many of his own songs, he also had big country hits with cover versions. Here, you will find his superb versions of Save the last dance for me, Johnny B Goode, Bridge over troubled water and Roll in my sweet baby's arms.

A close look at the Billboard country charts will show that one or two big hits are missing, but that doesn't really matter. Real country music fans will find much to get excited about here.

great overview and introduction
This is the man who almost singlehandedly invented the Bakersfield sound. If you haven't listened to Buck before, this is the place to start, as it covers his earliest raw cuts, some with Rose Maddox, into the Dwight Yoakam-inspired revival. Full of fiddles and steel guitar but also full of raunchy rock-stylings of the late Don Rich on guitar. If all you know of Buck is from the hokey overall-tinged Hee Haw spots, listen to this before you decide.