Best of

Here is the later Carl Smith. While he obviously did not chart as well as he did during the '50's (or even 60's), there is some really fine material here. Unlike many artists who attempted to maintain a 3-decade career, Carl Smith maintained his smooth voice and true Honky-tonk sound. There are a few covers here: Hank's "Lost Highway" and Webb's "There Stands the Glass". But, there is some truly superb Classic Carl here as well, and that makes this a must-have album. Personal favorites include: "If You Dont....", and "A Way with Words". I do have one true criticism, and that's the cheaply packaged Disc with no liner notes or even an abbreviated history of the recordings. Someone (Bear Family????) needs to release his later, post-1960 catalog. For the price, this album cannot be beat.

" Perfect ", fast delivery, great communication, recommended highly, i will be a return buyer..........

One reviewer suggests that 9 of the 12 selections here were hits for Carl. In actual fact, there are seven. Or, to be more precise, his three from 1975 to 1976 while with Hickory/MGM, and his final four while with ABC/Hickory, along with two uncharted B-sides.But to even label the CD "The Best Of Carl Smith" without some qualifying addition such as "From 1975 To 1978" is to be misleading. In terms of chart performances none even came close to his glory years at Columbia where, from 1951 to 1973 he chalked up 86 Top 100 Country singles, including five # 1's, not to mention millions in album and EP sales. He was finally (and somewhat belatedly, rewarded by induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2003.The best of this lot was his first at Hickory/MGM, The Way I Lose My Mind, which peaked at # 67 in early 1975 b/w Happy Birthday My Darlin'). The next two, Roly Poly (b/w Remembered By Someone [Remembered By Me]), and If You Don't, Somebody Else Will (b/w It's Gonna Be One Of Those Days), both only reached # 97 in late 1975/early 1976, while A Way With Words, his first on Hickory/ABC, struggled to # 98 in December 1976 b/w Till I Stop Needing You. Show Me A Brick Wall, perhaps prophetically, indeed hit a brick wall in April 1977, reaching # 96 b/w It's Teardrop Time. None of the foregoing B-sides are included here.His last two in 1977/78, This Kinda Love Ain't Meant For Sunday School and This Lady Loving Me, fared slightly better, going to # 84 and 81 b/w, respectively, There Stands The Glass and a 1978 version of his monster 1954 hit Loose Talk.Tracks 9, 10, and 12 were not hits for Carl. Indeed, I wonder if whoever put this together at Curb did not confuse Cal Smith with Carl Smith in choosing Drinking Champagne, since Cal had a # 35 with that in 1968. Wouldn't surprise me in the least, coming from Curb.It rates no more than 3 stars for the misleading title and cheap packaging.

This is late period Carl Smith. The music quality is outstanding. These are all original recordins. This complements "The Essential" perfectly. On the downside, cheap packaging and cheap notes. Not as bad a release as some want to make you think. All of these songs except 3 made Billboards country chart 1975-1978. This would be a very historical release if not for the budget line packaging. Not a greatest hits package, but definately "The Best of" his Hickory records era.

Die CD enthält eine Auswahl der Songs von Carl Smith.Für Freunde der tradionellen Country & Western Musikist die CD eine interessante Bereicherung obwohl diebekanntesten Stücke von dem Musiker nicht enthalten sind.