5-CD box (LP-size) with 52-page book, 133 tracks. Playing time approx. 343 mns

In 1962 Merle Haggard cut his first session for Tally Records and set about defining his personal vision of country music. It was radically opposed to what was coming out of Nashville then, but it laid the foundation for half of what comes out of Nashville now. Here are Merle Haggard's complete recordings for Tally and Capitol from 1962 to 1968.

The classic early hits are here, like Strangers, Swinging Doors, The Bottle Let Me Down, I Threw Away The Rose, Branded Man, Sing Me Back Home, Lonesome Fugitive, and Mama Tried, but the importance of this set is that it shows Merle's developing artistry in the album tracks, abandoned cuts, and rare singles. Other sets skim the surface; this one tells the complete story.

Track Listing

• Sing A Sad Song
• You Don't Even Try
• Life In Prison (false start)
• Life In Prison
• You Don't Have Far To Go
• Sam Hill
• Please Mr. DJ
• I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows
• (My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers
• Slowly But Surely (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Just Between The Two Of Us (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Falling For You
• I Wanta Live Again
• A House Without Love Is Not A Home
• Walking The Floor Over You
• The Worst Is Yet To Come
• Piedras Negras (Go Home)
• Singin' My Heart Out
• Skid Row
• Falling For You (without string overdub)
• I'd Trade All Of My Tomorrows (w/o string od)
• If I Had Left It Up To You
• I'm Gonna Break Every Heart I Can
• Stranger In My Arms (& BONNIE OWENS)
• If I Could Be Him
• Shade Tree (Fix-It-Man)
• This Town's Not Big Enough

• I'll Take A Chance (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Our Hearts Are Holding Hands (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Too Used To Being With You (& BONNIE OWENS)
• That Makes Two Of Us (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Forever And Ever (& BONNIE OWENS)
• Wait A Little Longer Please Jesus (& B.OWENS)
• Swinging Doors
• Swinging Doors (alt.)
• The Girl Turned Ripe
• I Threw Away The Rose
• The Fugitive
• Loneliness Is Eating Me Alive
• Someone Told My Story
• Hang Up My Gloves
• The Longer You Wait
• The Bottle Let Me Down
• I Can't Stand Me
• Someone Else You've Known
• High On A Hilltop
• I'll Look Over You
• No More You And Me
• Mixed Up Mess Of A Heart
• I'm A Lonesome Fugitive
• House Of Memories
• All Of Me Belongs To You

• Mary's Mine
• If You Want To Be My Woman
• Whatever Happened To Me
• Drink Up And Be Somebody
• Gone Crazy
• Some Of Us Never Learn
• Branded Man
• You Don't Have Very Far To Go
• Wine Take Me Away
• If You See My Baby
• Somewhere Between
• Don't Get Married
• My Hands Are Tied
• I Made The Prison Band
• Look Over Me
• Long Black Limousine
• I'll Leave The Bottle On The Bar
• Sing Me Back Home
• The Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp
• Seeing Eye Dog
• Will You Visit Me On Sundays
• Home Is Where A Kid Grows Up

• Where Does The Good Times Go
• Good Times
• News Break
• My Past Is Present
• Mom And Dad's Waltz
• My Ramona
• Because You Can't Be Mine
• The Train Never Stops
• You Still Have A Place In My Heart
• Money Tree
• A Picture From Two Sides Of Life
• The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde
• I Started Loving You Again
• Love Has A Mind Of Its Own
• Fool's Castle
• Is This The Beginning Of The End'
• The Sunny Side Of My Life
• Run 'Em Off
• I'll Always Know
• You'll Never Love Me Now
• Mama Tried
• In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
• Little Old Wine Drinker Me
• Teach Me To Forget
• Lookin' For My Mind (takes 1-2)
• Lookin' For My Mind (takes 3-5)
• Lookin' For My Mind (take 6)

• Green Green Grass Of Home
• I Could Have Gone Right
• The Day The Rains Came
• I Think We're Livin' In The Good Old Days
• Somewhere On Skid Row
• Who Do I Know In Dallas
• Folsom Prison Blues
• Too Many Bridges To Cross Over
• You're Not Home Yet
• I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am
• I Just Want To Look At You One More Time
• I'm Bringin' Home Good News
• Keep Me From Cryin' Today
• I Can't Hold Myself In Line
• I'm Free
• It Meant Goodbye To Me When You Said Hello...
• Who'll Buy The Wine
• She Thinks I Still Care
• What's Wrong With Stayin' Home
• When No Flowers Grow
• Every Fool Has A Rainbow
• Hungry Eyes
• Silver Wings

Additional Details

Label: Bear Family Records

Genre: Country

Run Time: 343 mins

Release Date: 01/02/07

UPC: 4000127157447