Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 05/27/2008
The
Complete Hits (2008) is a single-disc offering 21 of the best-loved and most popular
country sides from siblings
Jim Ed Brown,
Maxine Brown, and
Bonnie Brown -- known, suitably enough, as
the Browns. This
Collectors' Choice Music compile begins with their earliest recordings on the
Fabor label -- notably, the fun
"Looking Back to See" and
"Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" -- as well as every one of the
RCA Records titles to have made it as Top 100
Country and/or
Pop Singles circa 1955 through 1967. From their humble Arkansas origins, and while still young adults the trio attained a degree of regional success with the upbeat and winsome
"Looking Back to See" -- which had been penned by
Maxine. It gave them a chance to perform on the weekly live music radio program the
Louisiana Hayride. The exposure paid off as their subsequent ballad
"Here Today and Gone Tomorrow" made it all the way to a respectable seven on the
Country survey.
The Browns soon outgrew the
Fabor Records imprint, as the trio had gained enough clout to garner the interest of
RCA. By the spring of 1956, brother
Jim Ed Brown's time was increasingly being taken up by his duties in the Army. His extracurricular moments were devoted to recording new material. They returned in fine style, remaking the
Louvin Brothers'
"I Take the Chance," which landed at the penultimate notch on the
Country Singles countdown. In September of 1956 came another
Louvin's update with
"Just as Long as You Love Me." The number only reached eleven and marked nearly a year before
the Browns would return to the upper reaches of the singles survey. Their comeback yielded one of the group's signatures,
"I Heard the Bluebirds Sing." They benefited greatly from the input of
Chet Atkins, who was
RCA's acting head of A&R. Under his direction
the Browns created their first double-barrel classic as
"The Three Bells" not only entered the
Pop market, but made it all the way to the top of
both the
Country and
Pop Singles charts. Sensing a good thing,
"Scarlet Ribbons" followed two months later and
"The Old Lamplighter" briefly sustained their crossover appeal. Their non-threatening, rural alternative to
rock & roll had a tremendous amount to do with easy-on-the-ears vocal harmonies.
Atkins would incorporate these perfectly into the Nashville sound that he was concurrently concocting by blending middle of the road
pop and melodic
country. Although their acclaim would never attain its former level,
the Browns' last half-dozen survey entries were spread throughout the early to '60s. One of the primary pluses of this
Collectors' Choice Music package is these latter era tunes. Their lovely interpretation of
Roger Miller's
"Meadowgreen," Chip Taylor's folkie
"I Hear It Now," and the frisky update of
John D. Loudermilk's
"Big Daddy." The latter is a variant of
"Alabama Bound" and actually dates back to 1908 with the earliest known recording known by
Papa Charlie Jackson circa May of 1925. Fans of bawdy British comic
Benny Hill will undoubtedly recognize the melody as it was frequently used as incidental music. While hardcore enthusiasts might want to spring for the pricey imports of their individual albums, many consumers will find enough of a healthy sampling here to satiate the casual listener.
~Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
