Taken from the years listed, the collection, the fifth release by Raven is a superb one. A great indication of the recordings of the prolific Texas-born (1931-2013) George Jones the five LPs (A Picture Of Me (Without You) / Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half As Bad As Losing You) / The Grand Tour / Memories Of Us / I Am What I Am) plus three bonus tracks spread over two cds make this a real treat for fan of the Jones boy. A man whom, to many had few peers when it came to performers of country ballads, and you still have the part he played in arguably the greatest country duo act ever formed with his one-time wife, Tammy Wynette.
Jones was a singer’s singer, and though I have a followed his career with great interest during the 1980s and afterwards and simultaneously delved back into his days covered here and beforehand on Musicor, United Artists and Starday it wasn’t till I was working through the songwriting credits did I realise he had covered three Tom T. Hall songs plus one from his brother, Hillman Hall (“Pass Me By”) and Lefty Frizzell’s “Mom And Dad’s Waltz” and there are others too that were a surprise me. These to go with a regular supply from Earl ‘Peanut’ Montgomery, Dallas Frazier, Noro Wilson, George Richey, Billy Sherrill, Bobby Braddock, Hank Cochran, Curly Putman Jr, Dave Kirby, Grady Martin, Ray Griff and Roger Bowling; quality fare.
Jones’ wonderful phrasing and cultivating of the emotion of the lyric set him on another level. No better illustration being than a couple of songs featured on the album I Am What I Am, and though Jones’ personal life was in turmoil. He was already separated from his wife Tammy Wynette and struggling against alcoholism and a cocaine habit too but in “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and “If Drinkin’ Don’t Kill Me (Her Memory Will)” you had two of his greatest songs. Despite his troubles outside the recording studio he was still cutting it the studio as was the case during the early 1980s. It was around this time the term ‘no show Jones’ started to roll off people’s lips through George’s no show at gigs as he would disappear on a drinking binge. But it is about the music, and the 56 track collection is loaded with wondrous performances as in such stellar fare as “The Grand Tour”, “Once You’ve Had The Best”, “What I Do Best” and “A Picture Of Me (Without You)” and one of the bonus cuts “The Battle”. Jones marked out the guide lines when it came to singing a heart wrenching country ballad that dealt with cheating, losing, and of course drinking on the likes of slow burners “Who Will I Be Loving Now” and “Memories Of Us” complemented with such dashing tunes as “The Weatherman”, “Our Private Life” and the with a genuine string in its step “Bring On The Clowns” (written with Tammy and producer Billy Sherrill) you have the the perfect blend.
Maurice Hope