Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. I Saw The Light
2. A Mansion On The Hill
3. Honky Tonkin'
4. Move It On Over
5. You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)
6. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
7. Mind Your Own Business
8. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
9. Long Gone Lonesome Blues
10. Cold, Cold Heart
11. Howlin' At The Moon
12. I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)
13. Hey, Good Lookin'
14. Ramblin' Man
15. I Dreamed About Mama Last Night
16. (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle
17. Honky Tonk Blues
18. Half As Much
19. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
20. Settin' The Woods On Fire
21. I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive
22. You Win Again

Disc 2:

1. Your Cheatin' Heart
2. Please Make Up Your Mind
3. Kaw-liga
4. Take These Chains From My Heart
5. Rockin' Chair Money
6. Please Don't Let Me Love You
7. Someday You'll Call My Name
8. Cool Water
9. First Year Blues
10. Alone And Forsaken
11. The Angel Of Death
12. Ready To Go Home
13. There's A Tear In My Beer
14. Weary Blues From Waitin'
15. Why Don't You Love Me
16. Moanin' The Blues
17. I'm A Long Gone Daddy
18. Lost Highway
19. I Can't Get You Off Of My Mind
20. Lovesick Blues

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49358 in Music
• Released on: 2002-07-23
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com essential recording
Whether it's Elvis, the Beatles, Louis Armstrong, or Hank Williams, one challenge to the recording industry is sustaining an evergreen artist's appeal to succeeding generations. Hank's legacy has received treatment ranging from the ridiculous (oily overdubbed strings on 1960s LPs) to the sublime (the 10-CD Complete Hank Williams). This generously programmed, 42-track compendium of essentials, a live Opry performance, and four radio transcriptions aims at newcomers for whom wading through the plethora of reissues can be difficult. Some may have discovered Hank as a seminal American artist. Curious younger listeners may know him as a charter icon of the alt-country scene or as Hank Williams III's grandpa. Either way, the packaging here ably introduces Hank--instead of preaching to the converted--with vintage photos and graphics and producer Kira Florita's elemental notes. In all, it makes the joy of discovering Hank a whole lot easier. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews

Some #1's Are Live Versions, Not the Studio Hits
The best Hank Williams compilation is one called "40 Greatest Hits" that is now out- of -print (but easily found used here on Amazon and elsewhere). It had all his essential songs in their Original form. The Ultimate Collection is a good second bet. But BEWARE! Tracks 15-20, which include 3 #1's (Lovesick Blues, Why Don't You Love Me and Moanin' The Blues) are NOT the original versions but live cuts. Nowhere on the back cover of this CD do they mention this, nor does Amazon.com's listings show this. The liner notes are decent but not spectacular and the sound is okay considering the source of most of these songs is acetate discs. So, here's the bottom line. If you just want a quick overview of Hank's hits buy the 20 track Greatest Hits (1990). If you know the songs already and feel like delving further than this is a good bargain.

A Stellar Collection
More than fifty years after his untimely death, Hank Williams' influence is still felt across the landscape of popular music. He is one of the few recording artists to have been inducted into both the COuntry Music Hall of Fame (1961) and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1987). Although regarded principally as a country artist, he was at heart a poet, putting into music and words the heartache, pain and loneliness that ultimately consumed him before his thirtieth birthday.

To not have any Hank Williams in your music collection is to leave a gaping hole. The problem is there are some three dozen anthologies to pick from. Is THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION the best? Maybe not, but it has much to offer. The sound quality is very good. The 28-page booklet has plenty of pictures, serviceable liner notes (written by Kira Florita, co-author of "Hank Williams: Snapshots from the Lost Highway"), and recording dates for all 42 tracks. All the biggest hits are here ("Honky Tonkin'," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," et.al.). There are a couple of his songs recorded as Luke the Drifter, including the weeper, "I Dreamed About Mama Last Night." CD-1 is presented chronologically, but CD-2 skips around after the first four tracks. Also, (as noted in other reviews) the last six tracks are radio transcriptions. "Why Don't You Love Me" and "Moanin' the Blues" are from a 1950 Grand Ole Opry Show; the final four tracks are taken from a 1949 WSM "Health & Happiness" radio show. The sound on these final tracks are the equal of his studio recordings and if anything add a more intimate and relaxed feel to these performances in front of a live audience.

Overall, this is an excellent overview of Williams' career, and will more than adequately provide the neophyte fan with an understanding of the legend of Hank Williams. [Running Time: Disc 1-59:29, Disc 2-50:05] HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Really Good but 40 Greatest and Original Singles are better
If you are looking to own a basic two disc set of Hank, order 40 Greatest Hits used. What you really need to do is to buy the three disc set Original Singles Collection. The 10 disc set, Complete Hank Williams is a bit too costly, although great for the die hard fan. Avoid this "Ultimate Collection" if you can get your hands on any of the three I mentioned. The last six songs are live, not the original studio versions, the demos on here, though good, replace many other big hits found on the other sets. This collection is more of a companion to the first two listed above.