1-CD DigiPac (6-plated) with 68-page booklet, 25 tracks, playing time 74:37 minutes

An unprecedented collection of tragedy songs by the biggest stars of Country Music, recorded 40-50 years ago.
Full lyrical transcriptions to make the experience even more overwhelming.
A semi-serious essay on the history of the 'Shit Happens' tradition in country music.
A collection of original drawings by Reinhard Kleist, and help preserve your mental health.

Welcome to a musical world where the worst imaginable things happen. This is a world inhabited by drunks, beggars, homeless people, dead soldiers, orphans. You name it. Nobody is safe. Little children are run down by automobiles in these songs. Even the family pet is fair game if there's a chance the dying pooch will wrestle a tear or two from the listener?

We have titled this collection 'Shit Happens!' It is a time-honored traditon. Even though it may make you laugh today, nobody had comedy in mind when they wrote or performed these songs back 40 or 50 years ago. This was deadly serious business. People actually considered these songs entertainment.

If you know the history of country music, you realize that the 'Shit Happens' genre got started well before these tracks were recorded. Just listen to the earliest country music by artists like Jimmie Rodgers, Bradley Kincaid or Vernon Dalhart. Their lyrics just oozed pathos. Children, parents and loving wives were slaughtered wholesale for the sake of family entertainment. Whether you call this music schmaltz or kitsch or tear jerkers, they're guaranteed to make you feel good about your own life by comparison. This is wretched excess. A dying guy by the railroad track imploring a stranger to turn his last few bucks into some pretty clothes for his long-suffering wife. These songs celebrate sadness for its own sake. The victims are ordinary people with fatal flaws. It's just a matter of time until the damage is done.
Read more at: https://www.bear-family.de/

Track Listing

• Haggard, Merle - Mommy Please Stay Home With Me
• Arnold, Eddy - Mommie, Ain't That Daddy
• Parton & Porter Wagoner - Don't Make Me Go To Bed And I'll Be Good
• Snow, Hank - Little Tom
• Hamilton Iv, George - Jeannie's Afraid Of The Dark
• Parton, Dolly & P. Wagoner - Little Blossom
• Thompson, Hank - The Answer To 'Little Blossom'
• Snow, Hank - The Drunkard's Son
• Snow, Hank - Nobody's Child
• Snow, Hank - Did You See My Daddy Over There
• Arnold, Eddy - Mother I Thank You For The Bible You Gave
• Louvin Bros - The Blind Boy's Dog
• Snow, Hank - O Lord Please Tell Me, Do
• Pine, Hal Lone & Betty Cody - Pickin' Flowers
• Harris, Ted - Little Rosa
• Pierce, Webb & Red Sovine - Mother Went A-Walkin'
• Reeves, Jim - Give My Love To Rose
• Cash, Johnny - The Hobo And The Rose
• Pierce, Webb - Old Shep
• Foley, Red - Dear Sister
• Pine, Hal Lone - Another Woman Wears My Wedding Ring
• Horton, Johnny - The Cold Hard Facts Of Life
• Wagoner, Porter - Tiny Golden Locket
• Bruce, Ed - Drunken Driver
• Husky, Ferlin - The Carroll County Accident

Additional Details

Label: Bear Family Records

Genre: Country

Run Time: 74 mins

Release Date: 01/02/07

UPC: 4000127166333