The Essential Tom T. Hall: Twentieth Anniversary Collection-The Story Songs

Amazon.com
If you haven't yet been bitten by the Tom T. bug, this well-chosen single-CD collection serves as a perfect introduction. Not so much a hits package--it leaves behind many of his biggest charters--Essential instead focuses on his strongest narratives and most memorable characters. Blessed with an uncanny ability to turn a phrase, Hall clearly isn't an average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill American; yet those are the people he's obsessed with and the people he seems to understand better than they understand themselves. Waitresses, farmers, preachers, musicians, soldiers, hitchhikers, and assorted misters and ma'ams populate his stories, and Hall himself is the narrator, the observer, the straight man as it were, utterly fascinated by what most consider mundane. Hall is amiable and incredibly credible, somehow removing all the sap from sentimentality. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

The Year That Clayton Delaney Died
It Sure Can Get Cold In Des Moines
Ravishing Ruby
The Little Lady Preacher
A Week In A Country Jail
Ballad Of Forty Dollars
The Hitchhiker
Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs
Salute To A Swithblade
Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On
Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine
Coot Marseilles Blues
Don't Forget The Coffee Billy Joe
Homecoming
Trip To Hyden
The Ballad Of Bill Crump
Second Handed Flowers
She Gave Her Heart To Jethro
Pay No Attention To Alice
Before Jessie Died

Amazon.com

If you haven't yet been bitten by the Tom T. bug, this well-chosen single-CD collection serves as a perfect introduction. Not so much a hits package--it leaves behind many of his biggest charters--Essential instead focuses on his strongest narratives and most memorable characters. Blessed with an uncanny ability to turn a phrase, Hall clearly isn't an average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill American; yet those are the people he's obsessed with and the people he seems to understand better than they understand themselves. Waitresses, farmers, preachers, musicians, soldiers, hitchhikers, and assorted misters and ma'ams populate his stories, and Hall himself is the narrator, the observer, the straight man as it were, utterly fascinated by what most consider mundane. Hall is amiable and incredibly credible, somehow removing all the sap from sentimentality. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

"Essential" Says It All.......2007-02-07

Fun to actually hear all the words of the story songs again! Very enjoyable!

That Old Story Teller!.......2006-10-25

Country fans should not be dissuaded that only 7 of the 20 selections herein made the Billboard charts. "The Story Songs" are not a "Greatest Hits" compilation. They are pure country magic from the Old Storyteller from Olive Hill, Kentucky. This reviewer was unfamiliar with most of the songs, but took the advice of previous reviewer Wardlow and bought "sight unseen". A wise move! Virtually each of the 20 tracks pleases the ear here. Favorites are always highly subjective, but this reviewer liked a cynical "Ballad of 40 Dollars", a foot tapping "Ballad of Bill Crump" (`he made the church, he made the pew') and "The Homecoming". There are 2 fine "sung" tracks; "Old Dogs.." and "Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs?". The final 3 tracks are real life sad; Tom T must have been writing about folks he knew. Life must be better than fiction. How else does he derive these "stories"? In fact, most of his songs seem to capture life in the raw; other country performers have done the same but none so consistently as Hall. Here is a singer/songwriter who truly throws himself into his work. This observer does not know why most of these tracks were not "hits". They probably are not "radio" releases, but must be listened to for complete appreciation. That is what CDs are for! There are minor low points here: This reviewer could have done without "Salute to a Switchblade", about some not so memorable Army days. Also, some of the tracks, notably those final 3 are sad! But since when does country music have to cheer folks up? Tom T might not be for casual country listeners but for veterans the best advice to my amazon friends is to indeed buy sight unseen. Be adventurous and hit that "Add to Cart" button.

Essential Tom T. Hall: Twentieth Anniversary Story Songs.......2006-02-01

Tom T. is one of my favorite artists. His talents are very obvious in this album. I had looked for Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On for a long time and accidentally found it while browsing the Amazon site. Tom T. Hall has written many songs, story songs, ballads and some very good gospel. All the songs on this album have a lot of truth in them. Anyone will enjoy this collection of some of the best of Tom. I have added it to my collection with pride.

one of a kind.......2005-04-18

Nobody told a story in a song like Tom T. Hall. In the late '60s and '70s, you might hear "Week in a Country Jail," Homecoming, "Old Dogs, Children, '''", "Clayton Delaney," etc., on the radio. You sure to God won't now, and more's the pity. Anybody dumb enough to judge this singer based on "I like Beer," like my family did, is foolishly uninformed. 10 of these songs I've never heard before, but his reputation is rock solid and I'm buying, sight unseen. The one song of his I truly disliked--"That Song is Driving Me Crazy," isn't even on this album, so I'm banking on a winner, taking a sure thing. Nobody sounded like Tom T. Hall, either--unlike to-day, where everybody sounds like everybody else. Hall, Haggard, Cash, Twitty, Dave Dudley--you couldn't confuse them with anybody else, by voice, style of song they would record, etc.

wonderful for children of all ages.......2002-08-07

Tom T. Hall's music is wonderful to listen to for children of all ages. His manner of story telling is very informative and entertaing.

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