I have never been a huge fan of country music. But in 1986 three artists released their debuts: Randy Travis (Storms of Life), Steve Earle (Guitar Town) and Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.) and I thought that maybe, just maybe country music was going to be saved. Perhaps that's an incredible burden to place on a musician, but I believe that they all made significant contributions even fourteen years later--especially Earle and Yoakam.

There's very little on this collection that Yoakam's fans won't already be familiar with. There are only two previously unreleased tracks: the Rodney Crowell-Yoakam collaboration "Thinking about Leaving" and the Waylon Jennings' cover "I'll Go Back to Her." In addition you get Yoakam's romping version of Queen's rockabilly-influenced "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (otherwise only available as a single) and a killer version of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" from the Honeymoon in Vegas soundtrack.

The rest of the album contains his hits from the five studio albums he released during the nineties (not counting his Christmas album). Each song is a gem.

But if you don't already own the albums (If There Was a Way and This Time are excellent choices), this "best of" along with his eighties collection Just Lookin' for a Hit belong any music collector's library if you enjoy country-rock, or the Bakersfield sound pioneered by Buck Owens. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Even though I already own all of Dwight Yoakam's previous cd's, I knew I had to get this one. "Thinking About Leaving" is worth the purchase price, as is "I'll Go Back To Her" and Dwight's awesome rendition of "Suspicious Minds." Cap it off with all of the previously released hits and it's a "must have" for Yoakam fans. I do wish it contained some of his other hits like "Please Don't Look So Pretty," "I'll Just Take These" and "Near You", which are personal favorites of mine. But I just really hope Dwight keeps cranking out the music just like he has been doing for the last decade. His sound is untraditional like Buck Owens was in the 60's, and I hope he never changes.

Dwight Yoakam emerged on the country music scene in 1986 and initially averaged an album a year, culminating in his first hits collection, Just Lookin' For A Hit, in 1989. Yoakam's output has tapered off dramatically in the 90's (no surprise considering his busy side career as an actor in films), but the quality of his work has remained just as strong, if not stronger.

The rhythm-driven "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose," "It Only Hurts When I Cry," and "Fast As You" are just a few of the first-rate hillbilly romps found here while weepers like the enclosed "The Heart That You Own" and "Nothing" effectively hit an emotional bullseye. Best of all is the Grammy winnning, midtempo classic "Ain't That Lonely Yet" which haunts the listener long after it's finished playing. Whatever the tempo, heartbreak and unsuccessful relationships permeate throughout these recordings.

Three new tracks contribute nicely to the Yoakam legacy. The melancholy "Thinkin' About Leaving" and a heartfelt version of Waylon Jenning's "I'll Go Back To Her" provide a much needed contrast to the uptempo hits which dominate this collection. The third recording - Yoakam's rockabilly remake of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - was overexposed on Gap commercials while it zipped up the country charts (but credit Yoakam's infectious delivery for keeping this tune fresh in spite of the multimedia overkill).

This set's only disappointment lies in what's not included: the shimmering "Things Change." It was a top-20 hit last year and one of Yoakam's - and the 90's - greatest recordings. By the way, check out the album it comes from, A Long Way Home (it's one of Yoakam's best ever). But first, hook up with Last Chance For A Thousand Years: a great retrospective of Yoakam's more recent work for both new fans and diehards.

Listening to Dwight Yoakam is like being in a time warp circa early Buck Owens/Faron Young. Through the years, Yoakam may have taken a few creative chances, but his style has never really changed (not that I'm complaining). Dwight's the perfect mix of contemporary country and hillbilly rock. Sure, he's never had the commercial success as other male artists, but that's only part of his appeal. By sticking to his guns and doing his own thing, Dwight's managed to amass a career of critical and commercial successes as well as a HUGE fan base which includes young and old alike.

"Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Dwight Yoakam's Greatest Hits from the 90's" is a great collection of Dwight's biggest hits from the past decade. Unlike his hits from the 80's, the ones on this cd are a little more experimental, which makes them all the more enjoyable. Sure, you've still got the Bakersfield-style tunes, but you've also got some really cool ones that will just knock you on your rear.

There are 11 hits, 2 previously unreleased singles and one brand new song on "Last Chance....". His older hits include "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose","You're The One", "It Only Hurts When I Cry", "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere", the rockin' "Fast As You", and "Pocket Of A Clown". The new single is a remake of the Queen tune "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". You may recogzine this tune from those neat Gap dancing commercials a few years ago. It's such a fun tune to listen to and he really does the song justice.

The more creative songs on the cd are the ones that I enjoy most. They're still country, but they've got a little rockabilly thing going on, which TOTALLY appeals to me. The remake of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" and 1995's "Nothing" completely blew me out of the water. These are incredible singles and are quite possibly the best of his career. They are totally different than anything I have ever heard before. This sound to me suits Dwight perfectly.

Like with MOST greatest hits collections, a few really good songs were absent from this one. I really would've liked to have seen "Things Change" (from 1998's "A Long Way Home") and "Try Not To Look So Pretty" (from 1993's "This Time"), which were both excellent singles.

In short, I think this is an awesome greatest hits collection and I highly recommend it for ANY country fan. Dwight's able to pull off just about any country genre you can think of, so there should be something for everyone here.

Gennie Bailey-Rogers

When people tell me they don't like country music (and I hear it more than you might think, even though I live in the South), I just shake my head. I want to tell them that "country music," like "rap" or "R&B" or "rock," is just a term that serves as shorthand to vaguely describe a particular style of music. As a term, it doesn't carry any critical information about the quality of the music, aside from an individual's own generalized prejudices. On the more cynical side, it's what marketing execs hang their hats on when they aim for a certain demographic and, more precariously, how many people define the narrowness of their own tastes ("alternative" anyone?).

The real question, of course, is whether or not the music is any good. A case in point is Dwight Yoakam, who may be strictly a "country" artist by industry standards, but his intelligence and ever-growing songwriting ability (not to mention his expressive voice) highlight how stylistic delineations fail. Regardless of what section of the music store you find it in, "Last Chance For A Thousand Years" is a showcase for how Yoakam has honed his skills in the past decade and become one of the most consistenly satisfying artists in music today. Whether he's running roughshod over "Suspicious Minds" or writing his own already- sound-like-classics along the lines of "It Only Hurts When I Cry," Dwight's got an infectious knack for what he's doing that doesn't smack of commercial concerns. The fact that he has chart hits is a bonus.

If you still need convincing, just take two songs from this collection and hold them up to close scrutiny. First have a listen to "A Thousand Miles From Nowhere." With some great imagery ("bruises on my memory" for example) and equally memorable guitar electric guitar lines, the song evokes shades of heartache that are familiar to all of us, and does so without being condescending or saccharine. I rest the remainder of my argument on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"; like the Cowboy Junkies' did with the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane," Dwight discerns the essence of Queen's song and filters it through his own sensibilities, making the song sound like we always knew it was supposed to.

This collection makes it clear that DY is well on his way to becoming what copywriters like to call a "legend." If the unexpected solo songbook run-through of "dwightyoakamacoustic.net" is any indication, he's also not going to stop taking chances, no matter what his status.