Track Listing

1. Walking The Floor Over You
2. Try Me One More Time
3. Soldiers Last Letter
4. Yesterdays Tears
5. Keep My Memry In Your Heart
6. Tomorrow Never Comes
7. Careless Darlin
8. Its Been So Long Darling
9. Rainbow At Midnight
10. Filipino Baby
11. Drivin Nails In My Coffin
12. Dont Look Now (But Your Broken Heart Is Showing)
13. So Round So Firm So Fully Packed
14. Ill Step Aside
15. Seamans Blues
16. You Nearly Lose Your Mind
17. Forever Is Ending Today
18. That Wild And Wickedlook In Your Eye
19. Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)
20. Lets Say Goodbye Like We Said Hello
21. Till The End Of The World
22. Im Biting My Fingernails And Thinking Of You
23. Dont Rob Another Mans Castle
24. Daddy When Is Mommy Coming Home
25. Mean Mama Blues
26. Slippin Around
27. My Tennessee Baby
28. My Filipino Rose
29. Warm Red Wine
30. Blue Christmas
31. White Christmas
32. Tennessee Border No 2
33. Letters Have No Arms
34. Dont Be Ashamed Of Your Age
35. Ill Take A Back Seat For You
36. I Love You Because
37. Unfaithful One
38. Throw Your Love My Way
39. Give Me A Little Old Fashioned Love
40. Hillbilly Fever No 2
41. (Remember Me) Im The One Who Loves You
42. Goodnight Irene
43. Dont Stay Too Long
44. Hey La La
45. Driftwood On The River
46. The Strange Little Girl
47. Missing In Action
48. Somebodys Stolen My Honey
49. Fortunes In Memories
50. Too Old To Cut The Mustard
51. Blue Eyed Elaine
52. Ill Get Along Somehow
53. Swell San Angelo
54. Ill Never Cry Over You
55. My Baby And My Wife
56. Please Remember Me
57. Our Babys Book
58. First Year Blues
59. Wasting My Life Away
60. When The World Has Turned You Down
61. Ill Always Be Glad To Take You Back
62. I Aint Goin Honky Tonkin Anymore
63. Ive Really Learned A Lot
64. Im Wondering How
65. I Know What It Means To Be Lonely
66. Are You Waiting Just For Me
67. Answer To Walking The Floor Over You
68. Theres A Little Bit Of Everything In Texas
69. Should I Come Back Home To You
70. Youll Want Me Back (But I Wont Care)
71. Theres Gonna Be Some Changes Made Around Here
72. Im Free At Last
73. Wondering If Youre Wondering Too
74. Theres Nothing On My Mind
75. Dont Brush Them On Me
76. The Last Thoughts Of Jimmie Rodgers
77. Im Missing You
78. Time After Time
79. Fort Worth Jail
80. You Were Only Teasing Me
81. A Lonely Heart Knows
82. You Hit The Nail Right On The Head
83. Headin Down The Wrong Highway
84. Waiting For A Train
85. When I Take My Vacation In The Sky
86. Stand By Me
87. The Old Rugged Cross
88. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
89. The Wonderful City
90. Farther Along
91. Texas Vs Kentucky
92. G I R L Spells Trouble
93. Im Free From The Chain Gang Now
94. The Lovebug Itch
95. Kentucky Waltz
96. Im With The Crowd But So Alone
97. My Mother Must Have Been A Girl Like You
98. Somebody Loves You
99. Dont Trifle On Your Sweetheart

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80780 in Music
• Released on: 2003-02-24
• Number of discs: 4
• Formats: Box set, Import
• Dimensions: .49 pounds

Album Description
100 tracks are included in the budget priced 4 CD box, which comes with a 48-page illustrated booklet bearing all the proper hallmarks. Four standard jewel cases housed in cardboard slipbox. Proper. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Hardcore country mostly from the forties
Ernest Tubb was one of the earliest superstars of country music. Unlike his friend Red Foley whose voice had pop crossover appeal, Ernest had a voice that was pure country with no obvious crossover appeal. Yet Ernest had hits in the American pop charts because the songs were of such great quality.

This compilation covers the best of his Decca recordings from 1940 to 1952, although that was far from the end of his recording career. He continued to have big country hits well into the sixties, in which decade he recorded three albums of duets with Loretta Lynn. The set is divided up so that most of the hits from the period covered are on the first two CD's. The third CD contains a selection of other songs that he wrote, while the fourth CD contains his versions of songs written by others (not all covers - some were written for him). The last two CD's include some hits too - they couldn't fit them all on the first two.

The hits include all the songs for which Ernest is best remembered and some that have since yielded interesting covers. They include Walking the floor over you, Soldier's last letter, Tomorrow never comes (covered by Elvis Presley), Filipino baby, So round so firm so fully packed, Let's say goodbye like we said hello, Have you ever been lonely have you ever been blue, Slipping around, Blue Christmas and I love you because.

Ernest, though not the first to record Blue Christmas, was the first to have a hit with it though it has since become identified with Elvis Presley. Likewise, Ernest's huge country hit with I love you because is generally forgotten - Jim Reeves made the song his own in the sixties when he had a huge international hit with it.

Ernest also recorded plenty of duets, especially with Rod Foley. Among their duet hits were Goodnight Irene, Too old to cut the mustard and Don't be ashamed of your age. Ernest also recorded two songs with the Andrews sisters (I'm biting my fingernails and thinking of you, Don't rob another man's castle), both featured here.

The third and fourth CD's prove that there was more to Ernest's music than just hit singles. Among the tracks here are The last thoughts of Jimmie Rodgers (recorded in 1936 and released on the Bluebird label), Blue eyed Elaine (his first Decca single, presumably written about his wife), There's a little bit of everything in Texas (a huge hit), Texas vs Kentucky (with Red Foley) and The lovebug itch (with Red Foley and Minnie Pearl).

Diehard Ernest Tubb fans will want the Bear Family boxed sets, but outside those very expensive collections, this is the strongest available. Of course, it only covers the early part of his career but those were his best years. For comparison, this contains the first 35 of the 40 tracks to be found on the Definitive collection. There is more than ample compensation for the omission of Yellow rose of Texas, Mister love, Half a mind, Thanks a lot and Waltz across Texas. Many other hits missing from that collection can be found here.

I spent my misspent youth listening to Ernest Tubb

I have Peter Harris to thank for bringing this boxed set to my attention. I had a small collection of Tubb's songs, but one in particular, which I always liked, I could not find anywhere;
probably because I had the name wrong: I thought it was "On My Way to Italy (From the Gulf of Mexico)". It was, instead, titled "Seaman's Blues." I could play it on the guitar, and knew the lyrics, but I wanted it by Ernest Tubb. Now I have it. Thanks again, Peter Harris (see his spotlight review.)

There are four CDs in this boxed set, with 25 songs on each, all by Ernest Tubb. Too many to critique them all, but if you are familiar with his singing, you won't need a critique. Contrary to another critic, I found the quality of the CD quite good. I'm always amazed at the number of critics who spend more time criticizing the technical quality of the vehicle (CD, DVD, etc.) than the quality of the singer's voice or instrumental skill of the side men.

These days, it is the digital mastering. In the old days it was the clicks and pops in the records. Well, in the beer halls on the Mex border, we were often too drunk to care, and we enjoyed the music for the music itself. T. Texas Tyler and Ernest Tubb were big with that audience. Marty Robbins was in the Navy at the time (along with me) and no one had yet heard of him. We never heard of Patsy Cline or Jim Reeves, either, although they may have been around. We surely knew Eddy Arnold, although he was not yet Pat Boone's father-in-law, and Red Foley.

So, don't expect soothing pop music from Ernest Tubb. It's country/western, beer hall music that you could sit and nurse your broken heart to all night. Run Western music backwards, as they say, and you get your girl back, your truck back, your dog back, your horse back, and you don't need Western music anymore. And that would be a shame.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books.

Honky Tonk Legend
Ernest Tubb was simply one of the best country singers to ever walk before the mike. This box set is an affordable collection of his greatest recordings. Don't let the price fool you--all the songs are great, the sound is wonderful, and the booklet is very informative. If you can't afford the Bear Family sets, this is the way to go. Let's hope Proper keeps doing country reissues.