What Is Your Favorite Country Album Of All Time?

That’s a helluva question.

For me it would have to be Hank Williams Gold. It has a lot of songs, and its Hank. I would hate to only pick one, but if there can only be one, it would just have to be Hank.

Merle Haggard’s “Songs I’ll Always Sing”–it’s been supplanted by other, lesser (IMO) hits packages, but that’s the one I grew up on.

Are box sets allowed? If so, I’ll go for ‘The Complete Hank Williams.’

Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger

Dreaming My Dreams
Waylon Jennings

I’d go for any Randy Travis greatest hits…he’s got a voice that really soothes the soul for me. :)

I should have maybe said you could have three albums just to get a bigger variety, but this is great.

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Mulla - I did a little googling and could only find that one on LP, do you know if it was ever released as a CD?

Pierce - Nice choice. I’ve heard all of his hits, but I don’t think I’ve listened to all the songs on that particular album.

Chris - I suppose if you have to be stuck on an island for the rest of your life the least I can do is allow box sets.

Ben J - That’s a mighty bold selection. If you like Sweeney I’d definitely recommend Iris DeMent (if you haven’t checked her out yet). I’m particularly fond of her Lifeline album.

Baron - Can’t go wrong with that one, either.

Dave - I bought that one a couple of months back, but haven’t given it a proper listen, yet. Any recommendations on favorite songs from the album?

Alonso - The outlaws seem to be the safe choices thus far and this one is another good choice that I’ll have to go back and check out. Thanks for the comment.

Paul - Aside from the Travis pick, the ’60s seem to be your era of choice. If box sets and greatest hits collections were available to choose from would your choice be any different?

Josh - Randy Travis seems to be another safe choice as well. Do you have a particular favorite out of all the hits?

Colt - Thanks for the comment, that’s definitely one I’m not familiar with that I’ll have to check out.

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Awesome picks everyone, keep ‘em coming.

3 picks, that means I totally get 2 more besides Hank

Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson - VH1 Storytellers (if you haven’t heard this, its totally, totally awesome. It took listening to this for me to really piece together how good of a songwriter Cash was)

Steve Earle, Townes, Guy Clark - Live At the Bluebird (on an island you have to go for economy and variety right?)

Brody- My absolute favorite song on “Heartaches and Highways” is “Boulder to Birmingham,” but I also like her cover of “Pancho and Lefty.” “Born to Run” and “Two More Bottles of Wine” are also two of my favorites.

Dwight Yoakam - “Dwight Live”: A greatest hits/live album that captures the raw energy of his live performance at the peak (or at the end of the peak) of his popularity. “Wild Ride” and “Suspicious Minds” are highlights for me on this TAPE (the first time I bought it was on cassette).

I came in here with one album and now I have to think of two more ;)

Merle Haggard - Big City
Dwight Yoakam - Hillbilly Deluxe (real close call between that and Guitars, Cadillacs)
Waylon - Live (expanded edition, of course)

Ashley Monroe’s album is one of my all time favorites (eventhough it has never been released) and have been listening to it constantly for the past year, and I have to agree with Chris about Bobby Cryner, one of the best albums I have ever heard, but to pick just three would be so hard. Can’t I just take my ipod, which has all of my favorites…

Andre - Curious choice. If I had to choose a Nichols album I would have chosen his debut, but I haven’t heard most of Revelation. Do you have any recommendations from the album?

Ben - I’ll have to check out your other two choices. Have you heard the new Billy Joe Shaver album from the Bluebird? If so, what did you think?

Mr. Sandy - I’ll be honest, I haven’t listened to much Steve Earle because I never really knew where to start, but he seems to get lots of rave reviews. Maybe now I can start with El Corazon.

Dave - Out of the ones you mentioned “Boulder to Birmingham” is my favorite as well and it’s always nice to hear different versions of our favorite songs (mine being “Pancho & Lefty”).

Ben J - Man, I thought DeMent would be a can’t miss for a Sweeney fan. Good call on the Haggard set and the Hiatt one is another that I’ll have to check out.

Kelly - My aunt has been trying to make me a Yoakam convert for a while now with mix CDs. I went out and bought Population Me after Matt recommended “The Back of Your Hand” in his 20 Underappreciated Songs list, and recently bought the dwightyoakamacoustic.net album on a whim and have been loving it. Maybe Dwight Live will be next in line.

Patrick - Added Willis Alan Ramsey to my growing list of albums to check out and I actually picked up the Guy Clark album two days ago at Waterloo Records, even though I already had the majority of the songs. Good choice on the Townes album. I think his singing is an acquired taste, but count me among those who’ve acquired it.

C. Eric - Just feel lucky that you get any albums at all ;) I’m going to have a Yoakam overload since it seems like every fan has a different favorite.

Chris A. - I found a few videos on YouTube, but I think they improperly labeled the “You Think He’d Know Me Better” one. Sucks. This line from her Oldies.com biography cracked me up “…it is generally predicted that she will soon be very busy.”

Alana - Matt C. has written about Ashley Monroe for The 9513 on a few occasions as well. No iPods. That makes it too easy ;)

Chris N. - You only get one since you chose such a huge box set the first time. ‘Tis the penalties of being greedy, but I’ll go check out the Allison Moorer album and maybe I’ll take it with me to my island.

Brody,

you should definitely check out the Willie Cash VH1 storytelers one, its extra good.

Haven’t heard the Billy Joe Live yet, heard some tracks in Barnes and Noble and it sounds pretty awesome. I’m going to see him on Friday when he’s out in LA (for once), so I’m pretty stoked on that.

Yeah, I can’t say anything bad about DeMent, just not me I guess.

You should definitely look into Hiatt, he’s best known for artists that have covered his songs (most notably Bonnie Raitt’s “Thing called love)

I grew up listening to “Slow Turning”. every weekend in the late 80’s into the 90’s you could hear my dad blasting that record throughout our house. Now almost 20 years later I still listen to it consistently.

Dave: Chet Flippo wrote an article over at CMT a few months back with that story. I’ve also read that Earle’s people sued Lambert and only then she put him in the credits and royalties. Who knows what the real story is?

Thanks, Brady. I do remember reading that article; But didn’t remember him mentioning the Steve Earle rip-off.

“Aside from the Travis pick, the ’60s seem to be your era of choice. If box sets and greatest hits collections were available to choose from would your choice be any different?”

Yes, it would make a difference. My favorite singers of all-time are Ernest Tubb and Webb Pierce, but neither ever issued an album that was great from top to bottom. Both were among the biggest stars of their day and, as such, were expected to issue three or four albums per year. Consequently, there was bound to be some filler on each album.

There are several Bear Family box sets that I own that would really tempt me and there are also several “Best Ofs” that would warrant pride of place. I guess if I were to pick any one such collection, it would be the Bear Family Webb Pierce WONDERING BOY box set that covers through 1957. To be truthful, however, I’d probably pick Louis Armstrong’s MY MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY over anything else, Country or otherwise

Mary Chapin Carpenter: Stones in the Road.

It’s been my favorite album for more than a decade now.

Gary Stewart: Out of Hand

Gary was one of the best! The King of the Honky-Tonk’s Out of Hand album from 1975 is simply a masterpiece. It’s a shame Gary never got the credit he deserved.

My choice would be Matraca Berg’s Sunday Morning to Saturday Night, because it would remind me what it means to be human. The range of emotions on that record is tremendous.

Dixie Chicks’ Home. One of the very, very few albums where I love every single song.

Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come On Come On is a close second, though.

Katie,

Home is my second favorite album. I think there’s a chance I might take it over “Stones in the Road” since I can’t imagine not being able to listen to “Long Time Gone” over and over again!

If we’re talking no box sets, only studio albums (not compilations), I would have to say Ropin’ the Wind. If I could take a live album, it’d be Garth’s Double Live.

My favorite country albums of all time would have to be George Jones 50 years of hits, Geoge Jones-I am what I am, or George Jones- The Cold Hard Truth.

I’m with Natalie on the fact that mine would be a Gary Allan album. It’s a toss up between Smoke Rings and Tough All Over. Maybe I would be smart, and if I were headed to an island that I could potentially be stranded on, I would have both albums burned to one disc :)

Hey Natalie, how about we kidnap Gary, take off to a remote island in Costa Rica, and let him occupy our days? :)

Yes, I am nice enough to share :P