Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Flying A Logo
2. Cowboy Blues - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
3. Home on the Range - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
4. Great Grand Dad - Cass County Boys
5. Mexicali Rose
6. Sing Me a Song of the Saddle
7. Ridin' Down the Canyon
8. Can't Shake the Sands of Texas from My Shoes
9. When the Bloom Is on the Sage
10. Back in the Saddle Again
11. Pretty Mary
12. That's My Home
13. Texans Never Cry
14. Along the Navajo Trail
15. Goodbye to Old Mexico
16. There's a Rainbow on the Rio Colorado
17. When It's Night Time in Nevada
18. Mellow Mountain Moon
19. Cool Water
20. Room Full of Roses
21. Back in the Saddle Again
22. Be Honest With Me
23. I'm Beginning to Care
24. Painted Desert
25. Broomstick Buckaroo
26. Strawberry Roan
27. There's Nothing Like a Good Old Fashioned Hoedown
28. Let Me Ride Down in Rocky Canyon
29. Marcheta
30. Tweedle O'Twill
31. Red River Valley
32. Heart as Big as Texas
33. Let Me Cry on Your Shoulder
34. She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain/Tears on My Pillow
35. Angel Song
36. I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine
37. Cowboy's Heaven
38. End Credit

Disc 2:

1. Flying A Logo
2. Crime Will Never Pay
3. Let's Go Roamin' Around the Range
4. Roll On, Little Doggies - Gene Autry, Pat Buttram
5. As Long as I Have My Horse
6. Silver Spurs on the Golden Stairs
7. When You and I Were Young, Maggie
8. I Want to Be Sure
9. Under Fiesta Stars
10. Rhythm of the Hoofbeats
11. 'Neath the Blue Montana Skies
12. Ages and Ages Ago
13. Back in the Saddle Again - Pat Buttram
14. Down in the Valley
15. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - Gene Autry,
16. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
17. Ridin' Down the Canyon
18. Yellow Rose of Texas
19. Ridin' Double
20. Texas Plains
21. Home on the Range
22. Pretty Mary
23. Mexicali Rose
24. I'm Beginning to Care
25. After Tomorrow
26. Billy Boy
27. Old Nevada Moon
28. Rainbow on the Rio Colorado
29. Back in the Saddle Again
30. Dixie Cannonball
31. Westward Ho!
32. Love, Burning Love
33. I'm a Cow Poke Pokin' Along
34. I'll Go Ridin' Down That Old Texas Trail
35. If You'll Let Me Be Your Little Sweetheart
36. Guns and Guitars
37. I Only Want a Buddy Not a Sweetheart
38. Gone With the West
39. Onteora
40. End Credit

Disc 3:

1. Flying A Logo
2. When the Bloom Is on the Sage
3. Fetch Me Down My Trusty .45
4. Hillbilly Wedding in June
5. God's Little Candles
6. Crime Will Never Pay
7. Let Me Ride Down in Rocky Canyon
8. Ridin' All Day
9. Silver Spurs on the Golden Stairs
10. Cowboy's Trademarks
11. What's Gonna Happen to Me
12. I've Got a Heart as Big as Texas
13. Mama Don't Like Music - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
14. Gallivantin' Galveston Gal
15. Pretty Mary
16. Gallivantin' Galveston Gal
17. Ridin' Down the Canyon - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
18. 'Neath the Blue Montana Skies
19. Old MacDonald Had a Farm - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
20. Sing Me a Song of the Saddle
21. Mellow Mountain Moon - Gene Autry,
22. Marcheta
23. Under Fiesta Stars
24. Onteora - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
25. It's My Lazy Day - Gene Autry, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys
26. Back in the Saddle Again
27. When the Bloom Is on the Sage - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
28. Back in the Doghouse Again - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
29. Somebody Bigger Than You and I
30. I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine
31. Yellow Rose of Texas
32. Sierra Nevada - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
33. Trail to Mexico - Cass County Boys
34. Crime Will Never Pay
35. There's Nothing Like a Good Old Fashioned Hoedown
36. You're the Only Good Thing (That's Happened to Me) - Gene Autry, Cass County Boys
37. End Credit

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #233889 in Music
• Released on: 2000-10-31
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Box set, Limited Edition, Original recording remastered, Soundtrack

Customer Reviews

One-of-a-kind box of 50s singing cowboy nostalgia
One has to wonder if Varese label chief Cary E. Mansfield wears Gene Autry memorabilia to staff meetings and mastering sessions. There's no evidence of his clinking spurs to be heard here, yet Varese's lengthy catalog of Autry releases, topped by this spectacular triple-disc set, is clearly the work of someone with a rather fanatical interest. This encyclopedic release complements earlier issues covering Autry's film soundtracks (including a volume with teen co-star Mary Lee), a collection of Autry's collaborations with singing groups such as Sons of the Pioneers, and a disc of Autry's Christmas recordings.

These tracks, recorded over a six year period (1950-1955), represent every song Autry sang on his popular television show. Included are previously unreleased tracks, rare renditions, and just enough program continuity (dialog and sound effects) to set the context. The recordings are clean and well recorded, taken directly from Autry's archives. Most are without background sound effects, though atmospheric hoofbeats on the trail (could it really be Champion?) can be heard here and there, and bits of dialog are left intact on some intro and outros. Only a very few cuts (e.g., "When It's Night Time in Nevada," "Red River Valley" and "A Heart As Big As Texas") are incomplete, fading in or out.

The fades and dialog never get in the way of appreciating the music, and some snippets, like those of comedian Pat Butram, are truly revelatory. Though Butram's distinctive voice had appeared on Autry's radio program, the television seeds of his Green Acres character, Mr. Haney, are found here, along with a deeper insight as to just how satirical Green Acres really was. It's like seeing Don Knotts "Nervous Man" on the Steve Allen Show and realizing where Barney Fife was born.

The optimism and purity of Autry's recordings is something to behold. Fifty years after their initial release, they retain the same sort of inspirational wonder that fuels latter-day homages such as Toy Story. Though Autry's multiple talents (singer, guitarist, songwriter, radio/TV/film star, businessman) softens the focus on any of his particular accomplishments, one can't help but be transported into the idyllic Western frontier painted by his music. The imagery and attitude is so compelling that it's impossible to avoid becoming nostalgic, either for the closing of his fictional Western frontier, or just for a spot on the braided rug in front of the television set.

The three discs are stuffed with superb songs, lovingly rendered, often to the simple accompaniment of guitar and a lazy fiddle or harmonica. The song list ranges from Autry's many originals (including his rewrite of Ray Whitley's "Back in the Saddle," sung here in several different versions, even one by Pat Butram!) to traditional songs like "Home on the Range" "Billy Boy" "Down in the Valley" "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (sung with the Cass County Boys and accompanying animal sound effects) "Yellow Rose of Texas" and many, many more.

At three discs and 115 tracks (augmented by excellent graphics, photos and liner notes by Allen J. Wiener), this is a rather deep place to introduce yourself to Autry. On the one hand, it includes elements of both his recording and television careers, on the other, it's an awful lot to take in as an introduction. Single-disc collections that anthologize his better-known recordings might be a more obvious first-buy. But for anyone with a love of singing cowboys, this is a terrifically playable set that will bring you hours and hours of memories you may not even have had yet.

Terrible! - one of the worst music purchases in 5 years
I am a big fan of Gene Autry and western music. When I saw this box set of 1950s television recordings, I snapped it up and couldn't wait to listen to the music. I was never so disheartened! Since all recordings were made in the Fifties when audio tape was being used, I looked forward to hearing clean and crisp recordings of one of my favorite cowboy singers.

As I hoped, the recordings proved crisp and many of the songs compare favorably to Autry's Columbia recordings of the period. And Mr. Autry is in good form. Unfortunately, the clean, crisp recordings of Autry's voice counts for nothing. Because Autry's beautiful singing voice is trampled upon by character dialogue and sound effects on virtually every song. Typical disruptions include: hoofbeats, squeaking leather, horse whinnies, Pat Buttram's sneezes, footsteps, horse snorts, overlapping dialogue, cornball jokes, and even crackling campfires.

Even more annoying, the songs are cluttered with dialogue from various characters. Characters talk (1)before (2)during and (3) after the songs. Equally disconcerting is the fact that a great number of the songs are much too short in length. Many recordings end abruptly where a musical bridge would normally occur--and many songs seem to have been poor selections. Some songs are outright silly or childish. Other songs reflect simplistic, cookie-cutter writing. Some songs seem to be missing whole verses.

This is undoubtedly the worst music purchase I have made in five years. I'll never listen to this music again. I have lost all respect for Varese Sarabande for marketing such flawed recordings.

Excellent TV collection
A good, complete collection of songs from Gene's TV show. There are backgound sounds on some songs, like the sounds of riding a horse but it does not detract from the songs but instead enhances the atmosphere of the recordings. There are a couple songs that could have been eliminated due to excessive talk over from other characters but overall this is a must for Autry fans and quite enjoyable.