Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Country & Western
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 10-OCT-2000

Track Listing

1. Wishing All These Old Things Were New
2. Honky Tonky Mama
3. Turn to Me
4. If I Could Only Fly
5. Crazy Moon
6. Bareback
7. (Think About A) Lullaby
8. I'm Still Your Daddy
9. Proud to Be Your Old Man
10. Leavin's Getting Harder
11. Thanks to Uncle John
12. Listening (To the Wind)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34451 in Music
• Brand: HAGGARD,MERLE
• Released on: 2000-10-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Amazon.com's Best of 2000
On his first new studio album in four years, Merle Haggard writes bluntly about his own life experience and his own thoughts--only now, at age 63, his thoughts have turned toward fatherhood, marriage, and the stability of home life. When Hag bares his soul as he does here, it still makes for gripping music, no matter what the themes may be. --Marc Greilsamer

Amazon.com essential recording
Merle Haggard is still singing about Merle Haggard, and the results are as compelling as ever. He still writes plainspoken, brutally honest lyrics and he still sings with passion. Above all, he can still skillfully combine them in ways that make the whole far better than the sum of its parts. There is still profundity in his economy of words and there is still an element of mythology in his honesty. If I Could Only Fly changes the man's perspective to be sure: no longer is he recalling his mama and daddy, his modest upbringing, his wild youth, and his outsider's fate. Instead, he grapples with aging, comes to grips with familial responsibilities, and learns to appreciate the wonders of home life versus the pitfalls of the highway. He boasts maturity that he was sure he'd never have, maturity that he paid dearly to attain. And while his diminished vocal range may be the cost of age, his singing now carries with it a conviction that is age's reward--in fact, this sort of tradeoff serves as a perfect analogy. The fact that Haggard has released this record on a punk label really comes as no surprise; if nothing else, it gave him and the Strangers an opportunity to craft a wise, tasteful, minimalist record in the friendly confines of Hag's home studio. But it's awfully sad that the country world has no use for Merle Haggard's hard-earned wisdom. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Merle Soars!
I think this is an excellent CD. I'm proud of Merle for continuing to keep his career alive through recording as well as live performances. I recommend this title to you if:

1. You are a Merle Haggard fan and want his current sound.

2. You are tired of the re-issued and re-record Merle Hits and want something new to bathe your ears with.

3. You like traditional country, including western swing and blues.

4. You want to encourage Merle to keep recording.

These songs, simply lyrics and arrangements for the most part, are the kinds of performances you would expect to hear if Hag and The Strangers came over to your house for an outdoor barbeque and decide to jam a little: there are no attempts at hit-single material here with its necessary song-hooks; rather, just solid performances by seasoned veterans still on their game. I recommend this CD.

Merle:Still setting the pace
Merle Haggard new CD sets out as a showcase for a whole new generation of fans and ends up being an emotional tour de force,that ranks as one of the strongest albums of his long career.The opening song "Wishing All These Old Things Were New" is stunning in its opening lines,as Hag warbles"Watchin while some old friend do a line"the open intensity which marks all Hags best work,is starkly evident here as he runs the gamut of all the sub-styles of Country Music,"Honky Tonky" is pure Emmett Miller style 1920s blues, and Hags enjoyment of singing it comes across well to the listener."Turn To Me"with its Floyd Tillman phrasing,is both beautiful and sad,with its Bakersfield sound production,and soulful steel from longtime sideman Norman Hamlet.I can,t for the life of me understand why he has re-recorded "If I could Only Fly"The song(nice though it is!) wasn,t a hit before(with Willie Nelson)and won,t be again,its far too long-winded and in parts like

the lines of the song its self,just plain dismal,(Too long for the radio),and depressing.A wet monday morning in november, feel!.We come to probably one of the two most commercial songs on the album,"Crazy Moon"with its Samba style beat,Merle works hard on it,and given the right airplay,might be a big hit for him,the voice is strained a little on the high notes,but even that adds to the overall feel of the song,and, Like nine of the songs on the album,a Haggard original song."Bareback" is pure Bob Wills Western Swing,with some fine acoustic lead form Redd Volskart on lead guitar,a real fun song for partying and dances,this on will go the rounds of honky-tonks for years to come,Rich and salty,and a great song!.Given the circumstances of the next song on the album, "Think Abmut A Lullaby"is immensely sad & moving,only Merle Haggard could convey the emotions,and the reasons why the song was written,a minor masterpiece!The next three songs on the set, are mainly to do with family,as follows:"Proud To Be Your Old Man,(Funny):Leavin,s Getting Harder,(Wistful&wishing)"Thanks To Uncle John"(Grateful)great writing prevade each of the songs,and remind us of all thats lacking in the Nashville-conveyer-belt style currently in vogue on the country charts,in short,SOUL! Hag has saved the best track on the album for the last,"Listening To The Wind" is quite simpley beautiful, this is Merle Haggard at full throttle,the one who wrote"Shellys Winter Love,and "If We Make It Through December"The song haunts, and brings a thousand images to life,for anyone,who will hear it, If he releases it,the song could be a No1 for him,but even so,its a masterclass in songwriting,for anyone,who ever put pen to paper,with an idea in their head,the vocals are subtle and assured,and Merle and his song do each other full justice,a classic in the making,and worth the price of the CD on its own!. Overall,the best Haggard Album,since "A Friend In California" way back in the mid-eighties,I hope it does well,as its free from the superficiality on modern country, and,released from the shackles of big Country Record Labels, Merle,s still setting the pace.

A Wonderful Surprise From A Country Music Legend
Merle Haggard returns to action with an astonishing first recording for the L.A. based indie, Anti Records. "If I Could Only Fly" perhaps follows the path set by Johnny Cash in his recent work, but the result is hardly imitative. Haggard has been much appreciated in recent years but, truth be told, its been a long while since he recorded a solid album of new material. Haggard wrote almost everything here, and they mark a return to the plainspoken but heartfelt songs of his younger days.

The simple, rough-hewn arrangements suit the melodies well, and the blend of honky tonk and western swing has never been more infectious. I was surprised by the energy of these songs, and the album as a whole manages to be both fun and moving. At 63, Merle Haggard has made one of the most adventurous albums of his stellar career, and its is truly a triumph. Unfortunately, "If I Could Only Fly" deserves to reach a wider audience than it is likely to find. Fans of both traditional country and alt. country will enjoy this nice surprise from Haggard.