I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man [Import]

Editorial Reviews

Product Description:
Two of the country legend's complete 1967 LPs for Capitol together on one disc: 'I'm A Lonesome Fugitive' and 'BrandedMan'. A combined total of 24 tracks, including the title cuts of each. Also features the original cover art of both records. 1998 Capitol/ EMI release.

I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man,Merle Haggard,EMI Int'l,Bakersfield Sound,Country,Country & Western,Country/Bluegrass,Honky Tonk,Pop,Songwriter,Traditional Country,Western Swing Revival
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
Average customer rating: 0 out of 5 stars
  • Third and fourth LPs continue Haggard's streak
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
Merle Haggard
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
Honky-TonkHonky-Tonk | Country | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
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  4. Hag/Someday We'll Look Back
  5. American V: A Hundred Highways

ASIN: B000E5LFFA
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Tracks:

  1. I'm A Lonesome Fugitive
  2. All Of Me Belongs To You
  3. House Of Memories
  4. Life In Prison
  5. Whatever Happened To Me
  6. Drink Up And Be Somebody
  7. Someone Told My Story
  8. If You Want To Be My Woman
  9. Mary's Mine
  10. Skid Row
  11. My Rough And Rowdy Ways
  12. Mixed Up Mess Of A Heart
  13. Life In Prison (Alternate Take - bonus track)
  14. Someone Told My Story (Alternate Take - bonus track)
  15. Branded Man
  16. Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive
  17. Don't Get Married
  18. Somewhere Between
  19. You Don't Have Very Far To Go
  20. Gone crazy
  21. I Threw Away The Rose
  22. My Hands Are Tied
  23. Some Of Us Never Learn
  24. Long Black Limousine
  25. Go Home
  26. I Made The Prison Band
  27. I Threw Away The Rose (Alternate Take - bonus track)
  28. Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive (Alternate Take - bonus track)

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Third and fourth LPs continue Haggard's streak.......2006-05-02

Capitol's deluxe series of Haggard 2-fer reissues takes its second step with Haggard's third ("I'm a Lonesome Fugitive") and fourth ("Branded Man") solo albums, both from 1967. This pair of releases continues to mix the electric twang of Bakersfield with the emotional directness of Johnny Cash, but with songwriting that's both increasingly personal and sophisticated. The doggedness Haggard displays in the face of romantic and personal dissolution adds metaphorical echoes to its autobiographical detail, resulting in songs that connect on first spin and reveal their layers over time.

"I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" was recorded with Haggard's band in transition. Guitarist Roy Nichols had left, and was replaced for these sessions by studio hotshots James Burton and Glen Campbell. Surprisingly, the loss of Nichols' signature licks isn't all that noticeable. Liz Anderson's title track (and Haggard's first #1 single) is the perfect opener, parlaying a fugitive's rootlessness into a metaphor for Haggard's continual run from romantic turmoil. Haggard's a drowning man, and whether it's the nostalgia of "My House of Memories," the loneliness of "Life in Prison," or the bottle of "Drink Up and Be Somebody," he's always struggling to keep from going under.

Haggard's debt to Bakersfield is heard in the Don Rich-styled harmony (provided by Glen Campbell) on "Mixed Up Mess of a Heart," and his favor for Jimmie Rodgers made its first appearance here with "My Rough and Rowdy Ways." Bonus tracks include a tougher pre-Capitol version of "Life in Prison" (recorded for Tally, but unreleased at the time), and a more straight-forward take of "Someone Told My Story" culled from discarded 1966 album sessions.

"Branded Man" continued Haggard's roll. With Roy Nichols returned to the fold, the title track complements "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" by showing that the parolee wears a scarlet mark as damning as the stripes of the escapee. Haggard offers several new originals, including the signature "I Threw Away the Rose," but he also takes on co-writers (Bakersfield legend Red Simpson for "You Don't Have Far to Go," and Bonnie Owens for "Gone Crazy"), and picks up songs from others, including a trio of tunes from Tommy Collins.

Collins' "Don't Get Married" is more hopeful in its longing than Haggard's typical songs of incarceration, and "I Made the Prison Band" actually feels pragmatic and light. Mexicali-styled guitars add a dramatic flair to several tunes, including the prisoner's romantic lament, "My Hands Are Tied." The album's most recognizable cover, the funereal classic "Long Black Limousine," is fine, but surprisingly underwhelming in contrast to Haggard's originals. Extras include early takes of "I Threw Away the Rose" and "Loneliness is Eating Me Alive," each of which lack the delicacy of the final album takes.

"Lonesome Fugitive" is the slightly more satisfying spin, but the beauty of Capitol's reissue series is that you don't have to choose. These two-fers include both original album covers (one on each side of the booklet), color photo reproductions, and newly struck liner notes. Though Haggard fans are likely to have a lot of this material on previous single-CD reissues or box sets, the logical album pairings and remastered 24-bit sound make these sets especially attractive. The only real nits one could pick is the absence of session credits, master numbering and chart positioning, as well as a lack of detail on some of the bonus tracks. These are minor issues for such a stellar series of five-star reissues. [?2006 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]
I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
Average customer rating: Not rated
    I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
    Merle Haggard
    Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
    Honky-TonkHonky-Tonk | Country | Styles | Music
    Western SwingWestern Swing | Country | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
    Singer-SongwritersSinger-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music
    CountryCountry | Imports | Stores | Music
    RockRock | Imports | Stores | Music
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    1. Strangers/Swinging Doors
    2. Mama Tried/Pride In What I Am
    3. Sing Me Back Home/Legend Of Bonnie & Clyde
    4. Portrait of Merle Haggard/Keep Movin' On
    5. It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)/If We Make It Through December

    ASIN: B00000FCLN
    Release Date: 1999-08-03

    Tracks:

    1. I'm A Lonesome Fugitive
    2. All Of Me Belongs To You
    3. House Of Memories
    4. Life In Prison
    5. Whatever Happened To Me
    6. Drink Up And Be Somebody
    7. Someone Told My Story
    8. If You Want To Be My Woman
    9. Mary's Mine
    10. Skid Row
    11. My Rough And Rowdy Ways
    12. Mixed Up Mess Of A Heart
    13. Branded Man
    14. Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive
    15. Don't Get Married
    16. Somewhere Between
    17. You Don't Have Very Far To Go
    18. Gone Crazy
    19. I Threw Away The Rose
    20. My Hands Are Tied
    21. Some Of Us Never Learn
    22. Long Black Limousine
    23. Go Home
    24. I Made The Prison Band

    Album Description

    Two of the country legend's complete 1967 LPs for Capitol together on one disc: 'I'm A Lonesome Fugitive' and 'BrandedMan'. A combined total of 24 tracks, including the title cuts of each. Also features the original cover art of both records. 1998 Capitol/ EMI release.

    Album Details

    Merle Haggard Wrote Hit Song after Hit Song, all Sung and Written in the Heartfelt Way Unique to Him, Illustrated Perfectly with 'i'm a Lonesome Fugitive' and his Major No One Album 'Branded Man'. Part of EMI'S 'Two on One' Series. Digitally Remastered.
    I'M a Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      I'M a Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
      Merle Haggard
      Manufacturer: Musicrama/Koch
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B0000DEMGT
      Release Date: 1998-10-16

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      2. Is It Hot in Here
      3. Johnny Cash & Friends [Import]
      4. Land of Opportunity
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      6. Let's Dance
      7. Lisa Stewart
      8. Live at Billy Bob's [Live]
      9. Long Time Home From Here
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      Music Album

      Music Album