(8-CD LP-sized box + 124 page hardcover book) This second Bear Family box set of Hank Thompson's studio recordings picks up where the previous collection ended and includes all his post-Capitol recordings for Warner Bros., Dot, ABC, Churchill, and MCA/Dot during the twenty year period from 1966 through 1986. It was an era when Hank would experiment with new sounds while repeatedly returning to the unparalleled brand of honky-tonk infused western swing that made him a legend.If one were to completely ignore the achievements of his classic years on Capitol Records and only consider his career from 1966 onward, Hank Thompson would still be regarded as a major country music success story. He placed twelve LPs on the country album chart during this era, including three in the top 20. Additionally, he racked up thirty charting singles, including the top 20 hits Where Is The Circus, He's Got A Way With Women, On Tap, In The Can, Or In The Bottle, Smoky The Bar, Next Time I Fall In Love (I Won't), The Mark Of A Heel, I've Come Awful Close, Cab Driver, The Older The Violin, The Sweeter The Music, and Who Left The Door To Heaven Open.
This 8-CD collection features all the hits, along with every album track, and dozens of rarities and overlooked gems that have never been available on CD before now. Included are complete theme albums such as Hank's tributes to The Mills Brothers and Nat 'King' Cole, as well as his album of songs about Oklahoma, and the instrumental recordings he made with his band, the incomparable Brazos Valley Boys. Also included are more than twenty titles that have never been released in any format, including an album's worth of excellent truck driving songs that were inexplicably shelved until the release of this set.
In addition to the music, this collection comes with a hardcover book featuring a complete discography of Hank's recordings from the era, dozens of photos from his personal scrapbooks, and an in-depth essay by Scott B. Bomar drawn from nearly twenty new interviews with those closest to Hank, and detailing the evolution of a legacy artist finding his place in a changing country music marketplace while continually reasserting the magic of the Thompson touch.
