Mickey Gilley - Mickey Gilley Absolutely the Best, Vol. 1 '1967

Tracks list

Fuel 2000s 2003 release Absolutely the Best, Vol. 1 contains 18 tracks Mickey
Gilley cut in the 60s for Paula Records, including the entirity of his 1967
album, Down the Line, where he pretty much split the difference between country
and rock & roll. It also contains several singles he cut with Jack Clement after
that album, where he settled on a barroom-ready, hardcore country style, as well
as a version of Charlie Richs Mohair Sam, complete with compressed fuzz tones,
wah-wah guitars, and a heavy four-four beat that suggest it was recorded much
later than the rest of the music on this collection. To figure out which track
came from where, youd need to read Bill Dahls excellent liner notes very
closely; his work here, as a writer and compiler, is very good, but a
track-by-track information breakdown is sorely needed. That said, Absolutely the
Best, Vol. 1 is a welcome addition to Gilleys catalog, since there not only isnt
much out on the market, but because the music here is very, very good. While the
Down the Line does find him in full-on Jerry Lee Lewis mode, even covering Down
the Line, Ill Make It Up to You, and Breathless, but he does also dabble in
country and even if the performances are occasionally derivitive, theyre
well-done and quite enjoyable. The real heart of the collection is at the end
with the Clement-produced singles. This is where Gilley finds the sound that
would lead him to the top of the country charts in 1974, and the songs -- A
World of My Own, Love in the Want Ads, Shes Still Got a Hold on You, and his
first national hit, Now I Can Live Again -- are expert honky tonk and barroom
ballads that perhaps should have been bigger hits but stand as very fine
unheralded country from the late 60s. So, theres more than enough high-quality
material here to make Absolutely the Best, Vol. 1 a necessary addition to any
Gilley collection, but its good enough to make it of interest to any fan of
good, solid pure country and no-nonsense 50s-styled rock & roll.

Tracklist:
 01. Mickey Gilley - Lonely Wine (02:12)
 02. Mickey Gilley - Down the Line (02:17)
 03. Mickey Gilley - Forgive (02:17)
 04. Mickey Gilley - My Babe (02:11)
 05. Mickey Gilley - Im to Blame (02:15)
 06. Mickey Gilley - Turn Around (02:52)
 07. Mickey Gilley - Night After Night (Love After Love) (02:09)
 08. Mickey Gilley - Susie-Q (02:01)
 09. Mickey Gilley - Ill Make It All Up to You (03:08)
 10. Mickey Gilley - Is It Wrong (01:56)
 11. Mickey Gilley - Breathless (02:38)
 12. Mickey Gilley - Lotta Lovin (01:55)
 13. Mickey Gilley - A World of My Own (02:30)
 14. Mickey Gilley - Love In the Want Ads (02:05)
 15. Mickey Gilley - Now I Can Live Again (02:19)
 16. Mickey Gilley - You Can Count Me Missing (02:40)
 17. Mickey Gilley - Shes Still Got a Hold On You (02:54)
 18. Mickey Gilley - Mohair Sam (02:25)

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