I've been a country music fan dang near all my life. There's only one time that I was willing to put out over $40 (which is a lot of money to a workin' man like me) for a box set of music and this is it. That was about a year ago, and I have absolutely no regrets. They don't call Merle the "working man's poet" for nothing. Just pop one of these CDs in -- sit back, and listen closely to the words. He sings about what life really boils down to -- the hurtin', the lovin', the laughin', the cryin', the dyin', and in a way that just soaks into your soul. Just listen to the words and emotions behind "The Fugitive", "Branded Man", "The Bottle Let me Down", and "Silver Wings" for example. Merle's isn't just successful at singing heart-tugging songs, he can also belt out "get up and boogie" songs with the best of them -- songs like "Workin' Man Blues" and "Stay a Little Longer". Out of these 100 songs within these 4 CDs, there's not one bad song in the lot. You don't have a music career that spans decades if you're not touching a bunch of folks out there -- and Merle does just that with his heartfelt, believable singing. But, if you're checking out this album, you probably allready know that. Thanks, Merle, for all the great music.

It's my humble opinion that Merle Haggard is the best American songwriter of all time. The songs of Merle Haggard resonate stronger today than ever before. It's unfortunate that country music now emphasizes tight blue jeans and big hair more than powerful lyrics and great music. From Merle's early 3-chord songs such as Lonesome Fugitive and Sam Hill to some of his later work such as Are the Good Times Really Over, Merle always tells a story with a powerful message. I find it ironic that some of the very same messages we find today in inner city-rap music about doing time, keeping it real, staying true to yourself, Merle sang about 30 years ago. The book that comes with the CD set is a nice little biography about Merle. Nobody will be disappointed with this collection. Merle is the epicenter of country music.

Merle Haggard is one of the few artist I truly respect. This set almost contains all you need from the greatest country music talent ever. It is missing some classics, which you can find on the series of cds called Prison, Hurtin, Drinkin and Cheatin. These songs are Love and Honor, My Ramona, You can't be mine, I came so close to losing my home, Drink up and be somebody, Wine take me away, Some of us never learn, Who'll buy the wine?, Little ol wine drinker me, Making believe and Every fool has a rainbow. Those are the Capital gems not included. Only a few other label greats are not here, mainly I'm always on a mountain when I fall. I feel many of the songs, though good ones, on the box set could have been sacrificed for the ones mentioned above, but there are enough greats to make it an essetial collection nonetheless. Haggard, unlike George Strait and Conway Twitty, who are the only two country artist with more #1 singles, wrote the majority of his songs and albums, Hag is second in #1 albums as well. Only Hank Williams Sr. can be credited as such a great singer/composer of both the lyrics and music in the country field along side Haggard. Sure, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, are often mentioned, but if you examine the body of their work it is more 50/50 on what they actually wrote themselves or had written by others. And even Hank did not sing as good as Merle, in my opinion. Only George Jones challenges Haggard in that area. But at the end of the day, Merle Haggard is the best all around country music "ARTIST" ever.

Capitol has been more than a little tardy in realizing the value of Merle's back catalogue, but this project was worth the wait. Though it all but ignores Merle's career after 1986, except for "In My Next Life" (from 1993), you get 100 tracks of classic Haggard over four discs - five songs are previously unreleased - as well as an excellent 74-page book. Of special note is the A-side of Merle's ultra-rare first single (only 200 copies exist), "Skid Row" and an unreleased version of "Trouble In Mind" from the 1970 sessions which produced Merle's classic Bob Wills tribute album; an album which kicked off a western swing revival which continues to this day. Though the set glosses over the past 10 years of Merle's distinguished career (a fifth disc really would have been justified here), and misses out on a number of hits ("Cherokee Maiden," "Movin' On," "The Bull and the Beaver," etc.) it remains an essential purchase for fans of Merle Haggard or the Bakersfield sound. Highly recommended.

I have been listening to Merle Haggard since the day I was born (literally) and I am now fourteen. My parents are crazy about him, and I am also. None of my friends know who he is, but we do. I have been to at least 10 concerts, and this set really shows him at his best. The 3rd and 4th CDs are better in my opinion, but it is all good. A great way to start out your Merle collection. Or, if this is too expensive, go for "Live At Billy Bob's". It ranks right up there too and is only a single CD. A great collection!