Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Buck Owens - 21 #1 Hits

Billed as "the only CD containing all of Buck's #1 hits", this collection is another great starting place - as is All Time Greatest Hits - and, of course, there is a lot of duplication between these two compilations. In fact, there are only a few differences, including the instrumental theme-song "Buckaroo", "Who's Gonne Mow Your Grass" (with it's jarring fuzz-guitar - something that hadn't been done on a country record before), "Made in Japan", their live take on "Johnny B. Goode" and maybe one or two more.

So, either CD would probably suffice for any casual Buck Owens or country fan - I picked this one up at the library, myself. Of course, some tunes are better than others - he does step into the schmaltz a bit more than I would prefer - but for a good indication of Owens' "Bakersfield Sound", how can you go wrong with his impressive list of #1 hits?