484 - Merle Haggard - Branded Man

[csberry]

It isn't a greatest hits collection, but the songs exemplify the Bakersfield Sound to such an extent that it is easy to think it is. The guitars and drums shuffle behind the vocals; which are front and center. The only time the guitars jump to the front are in small flourishes to the riff in pauses of the lyrics in much the same way as many blues greats have mini-solos between stanzas and verses. And talk about clean, the sound of the vocals and all of the instruments is pure and crisp.

But that clean production is in sharp contrast to the dusty bar/honky-tonk that immediately comes to mind when you hear about Merle's struggles with society and the law. It would be interesting to hear a lo-fi version of this album.

Songs I knew I liked: "Long Black Limousine"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Branded Man," "Don't Get Married," "Some of Us Never Learn," and "I Made the Prison Band"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: "I Threw Away the Rose"