If any artist cried out for a cross-licensed, multi-label retrospective, it was George Jones. When Epic/Legacy released the double-disc The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country in 1994, he had recorded for no less than six labels -- in chronological order: Starday, Mercury, United Artists, Musicor, Epic, MCA (since then, he's added two more labels: Elektra and BNA/RCA) -- over the course of four decades, a discographical nightmare if there ever was one. The Spirit of Country was the first (and, to date, only) to ...
Read More
If any artist cried out for a cross-licensed, multi-label retrospective, it was George Jones. When Epic/Legacy released the double-disc The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country in 1994, he had recorded for no less than six labels -- in chronological order: Starday, Mercury, United Artists, Musicor, Epic, MCA (since then, he's added two more labels: Elektra and BNA/RCA) -- over the course of four decades, a discographical nightmare if there ever was one. The Spirit of Country was the first (and, to date, only) to attempt a serious, multi-label overview of George Jones' lengthy career, and while it has a few flaws, it nevertheless is indeed essential as an overview of his prolific work, tracing his hits from 1955's "Why Baby Why" to 1989's wonderful "The King Is Gone (And So Are You)." That means there's nothing from his MCA records here, but that's not a major problem, since his peak ended when he left Epic, and that entire peak is chronicled here. It is not chronicled evenhandedly, though. Starday and Mercury account for the first seven tracks, then UA is rushed through in three cuts, before moving to five Musicor sides (including "A Good Year for the Roses," previously unavailable on CD). This means the '50s and '60s are finished in 15 tracks, with the remaining 29 songs all from his Epic work of the '70s and '80s. This is a bit of an imbalance, and it's hard not to wish that some of the missing songs -- whether it's "What Am I Worth" or "Things Have Gone to Pieces" -- were here, but, that said, there are no truly essential items missing from his pre-Epic sides. As far as the Epic material is concerned, the 1982 collection Anniversary may have arranged the material in a more dramatic fashion, but 14 of that record's 22 songs are here, including all the really big hits, although there are enough great songs absent -- "Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)," "What My Woman Can't Do," "The Battle," and "Memories of Us" -- to still make that collection necessary (much as Rhino's The Best of George Jones [1955-1967] still serves a valuable need). But, this set not only has songs unavailable on other collections, it does do its job very well, providing the best available overview of George Jones' career. It might not have everything, but it has all the important sides, and there simply isn't a better way to get acquainted with George Jones than this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Essential: Spirit of Country to cart. $6.91, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Epic/Legacy.
Add this copy of Essential: Spirit of Country to cart. $6.94, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Colorado rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Epic/Legacy.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. All our items come in the original case with artwork, though manuals and slipcovers are not always guaranteed to be included as these items are donated goods and will show some wear and tear from normal use. Jewel cases will be included but may be damaged and/or cracked. We typically resurface discs that are visibly scratched prior to shipping, but we do not test disc(s). Digital codes may not be included and have not been tested to be redeemable and/or active. Thank you for shopping with Goodwill Colorado! Orders shipped Monday through Friday. Safe and Secure Bubble Mailer! Your purchase helps put people to work and learn life skills to reach their full potential. Thank you!
Add this copy of The Essential George Jones: the Spirit of Country to cart. $7.00, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Epic/Legacy.
Add this copy of Essential: Spirit of Country to cart. $9.99, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Sony.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Essential: Spirit of Country to cart. $12.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1998 by Sony.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Essential George Jones: the Spirit of Country to cart. $19.89, very good condition, Sold by Rebooksellers rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tequesta, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Sony.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 12x6x1; This 2 CD box set is in Very Good condition. Discs are perfect and Guaranteed. See our picture for exact item you will receive. All items ship within 24 hours. Packaging is 100% Recyclable. Most items purchased from Charitable organizations. A portion of each sale is also donated to a monthly charity, check your package for this months charity. Reuse-Recycle-Rebook!