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Release Date: 05/17/2005
RCA/
Legacy's 2005 double-disc release
Essential Alabama should not be confused with
RCA's 1998 single-disc release
The Essential Alabama, which may have had the same title but boasted a different track listing. However, the 2005
Essential Alabama should be confused with the 1998 double-disc set
For the Record: 41 Number One Hits, since it has the same track listing as that album. At least the back cover of
Essential acknowledges that it was "formerly available" as
For the Record, so most fans will likely not be duped into buying the same album a second time. For the rest of us,
Essential Alabama keeps everything good about
For the Record: 41 Number One Hits and eliminates its one flaw: the misleading subtitle that claimed all of the songs on the album hit number one, which was not true (it also implied that the album had 41 songs when it really had 44). Which means that
Essential Alabama is now the definitive
Alabama collection, containing every one of their big hits -- including such contemporary classics as
"Tennessee River," "Mountain Music," "The Closer You Get," "Forty Hour Week (For a Livin')," "Jukebox on My Mind," and
"Down Home" -- in one concise, entertaining package.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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