Search - George Jones :: My Very Special Guests (Dig)

Good Album, Bad Copy Protection Software

Rick Buchanan | Roanoke, Virginia United States | 09/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this double CD used. Nowhere does anyone address the issue of the copy protection software on the two discs. When I attempted to burn these discs into ITunes, the software would not allow it. The software requires that you download using its own player, in WMA format, and in the lowest quality, at that. There is a link to the Sony BMG website which explains that you can download the songs, burn an interim CD, and then download THAT disc into ITunes. This is not only stupid it is venal and despicable, since you are not informed in advance of the copy protection. I gave up on it, and I will simply throw it away, since I cannot put the songs on my IPod. BE WARNED."

Great country vocalist as duet partner

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Though Jones has sung duets throughout his career, most notably with Tammy Wynette, his reputation as one of the singularly great country voices generally overshadows his partner work. This 1979 release set out to highlight how well he could intertwine his voice with another's, and showed that he could partner as smoothly with a male singer as he had with females. Perhaps it's the heavyweight talent with which he consorts (Waylon, Willie, Emmylou, Tammy, et al.), but as terrific as is his voice, his ability to amplify the greatness of his partners is equally impressive. There's no mistaking Jones' star, but he's a generous partner who sings harmony and lays out on his partners' verses; he's able to retain his uniqueness even as he adjusts to a second voice.



The drowsy tempo taken to Willie Nelson's "Nightlife," gives Jones and Waylon Jennings an opportunity to show their chops as country-blues singers. Whether or not they actually stood in a studio and recorded together (many of these tracks were tape duets rather than in-studio collaborations), the result feels like a conversation. The duet with Willie Nelson finds Jones charging straight ahead while Nelson typically floats ahead and behind the beat. The resulting vocal syncopation is furthered by the light scuff Jones adds to his normally rounder tone, recounting his early honky-tonk sides and matching Nelson's edgier sound. Jones trades verses with Elvis Costello for the latter's terrific "Stranger in the House," with Costello showing off the wonderful nuances in his voice. Emmylou Harris' high, fragile voice provides superb balance to Jones lower tones on "Here We Are," but Linda Ronstadt's belted west coast country overshadows Jones in their shared passages.. Closing the original LP is a collaboration with Pops and Mavis Staples that inventively meshes the latter's gospel-pop with a commercial country sound.



Sony's 2005 2-CD reissue nearly quadrupled the original ten duets with twenty-seven more tracks drawn from the original 1979 sessions and cherry-pick from Jones' albums of the 1980s and 1990s. Jones finds resonance with nearly everyone, but especially enjoyable are Janie Fricke on "All I Want to Do In Life," the high-lonesome pairing with Ralph Stanley on "Wonderful World Outside," and Patty Loveless' brilliance on "You Don't Seem to Miss Me." Jones' woeful harmony on the latter is breathtaking, making this one of the very best duets of both their careers. Charlie Daniels provides the response to Jones' call on the Cajun inflected "Fiddle and Guitar Band," the novelty "We Didn't See a Thing" gives Jones a chance to muse with Ray Charles and Chet Atkins, and Vince Gill matches Jones syllable for syllable on the chorus of a superbly rendered, twangy shuffle of "The Love Bug." Added tracks by Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt and others show the primal influence Jones had on subsequent generations of country singers.



What keeps these sessions from being legendary is their factory origins. Jones doesn't sound artistically engaged, and though the voices intertwine on tape, you quickly get the feeling there wasn't an opportunity for many of the singers to engage artistically. The arrangements and production are by-the-books Nashville, the players studio rehearsed, and the results are indistinct and tepid. There are some quality tracks here, and even a few moving performances, but this doesn't represent Jones' best (or most committed) work as a duettist. The recently issued "40 Years of Duets" is shorter but broader in time, and gives a look at more of Jones' classic duets. 3-3/4 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"

The Possum Can Sing Well With Anyone!

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 05/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"George Jones vocal versatility and extensive range makes him an ideal duet partner for just about anyone as My Very Special Guests - a reissue of Jones' 1979 ten-song duets album of the same name bolstered mightily by 27 additional tracks from other sources - makes quite clear. The tracks from the original album, which run from Jones' soulful pairing with Waylon Jennings on "Night Life" to the traditional stroll "Stranger In The House" alongside the smoothly understated Elvis Costello, leads off this two-disc set, followed by the bonus tracks (including eight from 1991's Friends in High Places). The bonus highlight probably being the impressive collaboration with Ray Charles and Chet Atkins on "We Didn't See a Thing."



Jones sounds as comfortable flanking the poppish Deborah Allen on "Our Love Was Ahead Of Its Time" in 1984 as he does swapping angst with modern trad queen Patty Loveless in 1997 on their CMA award-winning "You Don't Seem To Miss Me," and his tone is equally distinctive next to Charlie Daniels' hearty bark when tackling " Fiddle And Guitar Band" as it is when paired with Alan Jackson's soft baritone on "A Good Year For The Roses." It is Jones' displays of singular strength and flexibility that tie this eclectic collection together, and make it as indispensable as his best solo recordings.

"