Search - Hank Thompson :: Six Pack To Go/Breakin' In Another Heart

Crisply Re-mastered Country Dance Music of the Sixties!

Gerald Lyda | San Antonio, TX USA | 05/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was raised in Texas and consequently, have been exposed to Hank Thompson music since the Early Fifties. As a rock-and-roll kid of the Fifties, his music seemed to epitomize everything wrong with country music. In middle age, I have come to appreciate this man and his melodious, well-orchestrated music. This "two-on-one" re-mastered CD features two albums by Hank & the Brazos Valley Boys recorded for Capitol--"A Six Pack to Go" (1966) and "Breakin' in Another Heart" (1963). This is the best and most representative collection of Thompson music currently available outside of a boxed collection. There are many hits that made Billboard's charts, such as: "A Six Pack to Go", "Honky Tonk town", "Hangover Heart", "Hangover Tavern" "The Wild Side of Life", "Anybody's Girl", "Just an Old Flame", "Don't Take It Out on Me", and "Breakin' In Another Heart". Equally special are non-country selections such as: "Drunkard's Blues" (Hank's blues country arrangement of "St. James Infirmary"); "Bartender's Polka" and "Beer Barrel Polka," instrumental showcases for the band, and Hank's renditions of a pop standards, such as "Paper Doll", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Til Then", and "September in the Rain." These are wonderful tracks that crackle with excitement and a freshness that doesn't exist in country music today. Listen to this album to discover why Hank Thompson's career has spanned fifty years. His music is as versatile and accomplished as Bob Wills band at its best. Listeners will love the strings, rollicking piano and the guitar work of unbilled guitar superstar Merle Travis. This is country dance music at its best, crisply re-mastered for the discriminating music listener of today. Highly recommended."