Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - theseconddisc.com
The music of William Orville “Lefty” Frizzell (1928-1975), one of the most influential honky-tonk singers of all time, has long been a cornerstone of the Bear Family catalogue. The German reissue specialists first compiled the Frizzell oeuvre in 1984 as a 14-LP box set, updating that in 1992 on 12 CDs. Now, more than 25 years later, the Bears have returned to the country-and-western troubadour’s career for the most definitive chronicle ever. An Article from Life: The Complete Recordings has every one of Frizzell’s original recordings presented on 20 CDs in a package also including a comprehensive hardcover book.
Inspired by his hero, “the singing brakeman” Jimmie Rodgers, Lefty (so named for his left hook in a schoolyard fight, not a Golden Gloves match as legend has sometimes had it) had sensed by age twelve that his destiny was in song. In his earliest performing gigs, he began to broaden his repertoire to tunes by Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. Born in Texas and raised in Arkansas, the local talent made waves on radio in New Mexico. While his theme song was Ernest Tubb’s “I Ain’t Going Honky-Tonking Any More,” he not only kept honky-tonking, but made the country-and-western style his own. His burgeoning career was almost derailed in 1947 when he was found guilty of statutory rape. He served six-months in the Roswell, NM county jail, and while there wrote the words that would later be fashioned into one of his most memorable songs. “I Love You, I’ll Prove It a Thousand Ways” was addressed to his wife Alice, who was left behind with their daughter Lois while he served his time.
The music of William Orville “Lefty” Frizzell (1928-1975), one of the most influential honky-tonk singers of all time, has long been a cornerstone of the Bear Family catalogue. The German reissue specialists first compiled the Frizzell oeuvre in 1984 as a 14-LP box set, updating that in 1992 on 12 CDs. Now, more than 25 years later, the Bears have returned to the country-and-western troubadour’s career for the most definitive chronicle ever. An Article from Life: The Complete Recordings has every one of Frizzell’s original recordings presented on 20 CDs in a package also including a comprehensive hardcover book.
Inspired by his hero, “the singing brakeman” Jimmie Rodgers, Lefty (so named for his left hook in a schoolyard fight, not a Golden Gloves match as legend has sometimes had it) had sensed by age twelve that his destiny was in song. In his earliest performing gigs, he began to broaden his repertoire to tunes by Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. Born in Texas and raised in Arkansas, the local talent made waves on radio in New Mexico. While his theme song was Ernest Tubb’s “I Ain’t Going Honky-Tonking Any More,” he not only kept honky-tonking, but made the country-and-western style his own. His burgeoning career was almost derailed in 1947 when he was found guilty of statutory rape. He served six-months in the Roswell, NM county jail, and while there wrote the words that would later be fashioned into one of his most memorable songs. “I Love You, I’ll Prove It a Thousand Ways” was addressed to his wife Alice, who was left behind with their daughter Lois while he served his time.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - Rolling Stone
William Orville Frizzell was a classic country contradiction: a teenage jailbird and chronic alcoholic who wrote thoroughly believable songs of heartbreak and redemption; a massive star in the early and mid-Fifties, in the wake of Hank Williams’ passing, who endured his own version of the latter’s downward spiral, bereft of hits in the Sixties and dead of a stroke in 1975, only 47. But even in free fall, Frizzell was a pivotal influence on singers across the country-rock divide, from George Jones and Willie Nelson to John Fogerty and Levon Helm, who covered Frizzell’s bleak 1959 masterpiece “Long Black Veil” to immortal effect 10 years later on the Band’s Music From Big Pink, with Rick Danko singing lead. At 20 CDs, An Article From Life is everything from Frizzell’s tumultuous life on record including 78’s, 45’s, LP cuts, outtakes, live material and an audio documentary by his younger brother David, also a country singer. “If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time,” Lefty sang on his 1950 breakout hit. Both are well spent here.
William Orville Frizzell was a classic country contradiction: a teenage jailbird and chronic alcoholic who wrote thoroughly believable songs of heartbreak and redemption; a massive star in the early and mid-Fifties, in the wake of Hank Williams’ passing, who endured his own version of the latter’s downward spiral, bereft of hits in the Sixties and dead of a stroke in 1975, only 47. But even in free fall, Frizzell was a pivotal influence on singers across the country-rock divide, from George Jones and Willie Nelson to John Fogerty and Levon Helm, who covered Frizzell’s bleak 1959 masterpiece “Long Black Veil” to immortal effect 10 years later on the Band’s Music From Big Pink, with Rick Danko singing lead. At 20 CDs, An Article From Life is everything from Frizzell’s tumultuous life on record including 78’s, 45’s, LP cuts, outtakes, live material and an audio documentary by his younger brother David, also a country singer. “If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time,” Lefty sang on his 1950 breakout hit. Both are well spent here.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - mykindofcountry.
It wasn’t a great year for reissues but there were some bright spots. As always our British and European friends lead the way. Also, please note that these can take a while for foreign titles to become available from US suppliers, so it may be into 2019 before these are generally available.
In those cities that still have adequate recorded music stores (sadly, a rare commodity these days), it can be a real thrill finding a label you’ve not encountered before reissuing something you’ve spent decades seeking. It can be worthwhile to seek out the foreign affiliates of American labels for recordings that the American affiliate hasn’t reissued. For example, there are Capitol recordings not reissued in the US that are available on the UK or European EMI labels. For the rest of us, scanning the internet remains the best alternative.
Unfortunately as the sales of physical CDs continue to plummet, so does the willingness of labels, domestic and foreign, to invest in reissuing material by second and third tier artists. Still missing in action are the catalogues of such significant artists as Liz Anderson, Wilma Burgess, Johnny Darrell, Jack Greene, The Hager Twins, Freddie Hart, Warner Mack, Kenny Price and David Rogers. While there has been a slight uptick in vinyl sales and reissues, most of that has been of only the very top selling artists (and at $22 to $33 per title).
Anyway …
It wasn’t a great year for reissues but there were some bright spots. As always our British and European friends lead the way. Also, please note that these can take a while for foreign titles to become available from US suppliers, so it may be into 2019 before these are generally available.
In those cities that still have adequate recorded music stores (sadly, a rare commodity these days), it can be a real thrill finding a label you’ve not encountered before reissuing something you’ve spent decades seeking. It can be worthwhile to seek out the foreign affiliates of American labels for recordings that the American affiliate hasn’t reissued. For example, there are Capitol recordings not reissued in the US that are available on the UK or European EMI labels. For the rest of us, scanning the internet remains the best alternative.
Unfortunately as the sales of physical CDs continue to plummet, so does the willingness of labels, domestic and foreign, to invest in reissuing material by second and third tier artists. Still missing in action are the catalogues of such significant artists as Liz Anderson, Wilma Burgess, Johnny Darrell, Jack Greene, The Hager Twins, Freddie Hart, Warner Mack, Kenny Price and David Rogers. While there has been a slight uptick in vinyl sales and reissues, most of that has been of only the very top selling artists (and at $22 to $33 per title).
Anyway …
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - Goldmine
Bear Family’s penchant for behemothic box sets has always been a reissue industry standard. Indeed, even today, with the majors bombarding us with similarly weighty, career-long round-ups (Nazareth, Judie Tzuke and Kate Bush are the latest), the Bear still stands head and shoulders above their efforts.
Rock boxes, after all, seem to focus only on past albums as-they-were-released, with a few unreleased bonuses or b-sides to sweeten the load. Bear Family, on the other hand, offer up everything. Every released track, every studio take, every false start… if it’s out there, they find it, and rock collectors can only gaze on enviously as their country-loving cousins unwrap… for example, Lefty Frizzell’s An Article from Life. It’s subtitled “the complete recordings,” and you know what? That’s an understatement.
Bear Family’s penchant for behemothic box sets has always been a reissue industry standard. Indeed, even today, with the majors bombarding us with similarly weighty, career-long round-ups (Nazareth, Judie Tzuke and Kate Bush are the latest), the Bear still stands head and shoulders above their efforts.
Rock boxes, after all, seem to focus only on past albums as-they-were-released, with a few unreleased bonuses or b-sides to sweeten the load. Bear Family, on the other hand, offer up everything. Every released track, every studio take, every false start… if it’s out there, they find it, and rock collectors can only gaze on enviously as their country-loving cousins unwrap… for example, Lefty Frizzell’s An Article from Life. It’s subtitled “the complete recordings,” and you know what? That’s an understatement.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - National Public Radio
Lefty Frizzell Box Set Showcases The Original Recordings Of A Country Classic
Though he's widely considered one of the best country-music artists of all time, Frizzell's music is not well known or widely heard today. Ken Tucker says An Article From Life aims to correct that.
TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Lefty Frizzell is widely considered one of the best country music artists of all time. And performers like Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard have claimed him as an influence, yet his music is little known or heard today. A new release aims to correct that. It's a new 20-CD box set called "Lefty Frizzell: An Article From Life." Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review.
Lefty Frizzell Box Set Showcases The Original Recordings Of A Country Classic
Though he's widely considered one of the best country-music artists of all time, Frizzell's music is not well known or widely heard today. Ken Tucker says An Article From Life aims to correct that.
TERRY GROSS, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Lefty Frizzell is widely considered one of the best country music artists of all time. And performers like Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard have claimed him as an influence, yet his music is little known or heard today. A new release aims to correct that. It's a new 20-CD box set called "Lefty Frizzell: An Article From Life." Rock critic Ken Tucker has a review.
Pres Archiv - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - Good Times
BEAR FAMILY PRESSE Magazin: GOOD TIMES Ausgabe 6-18 BCD 17540 LEFTY FRIZZELL "An Article from Life" LEFTY FRIZZELL AN ARTICLE FROM LIFE Der größte Coun-trymusiker aller Zeiten? Wenn es nach Merle Hag-gard geht, ist dies zweifellos Lefty Frizzell: „Er hatte die Seele von Hank Williams, den Reiz von Johnny Cash und das Charisma von Elvis Presley. Er hatte alles." Auch George Jones begann seine Karriere als Lefty-Nachahmer, die Phrasierung des charakteristischen Gesangs von Wil-lie Nelson stammt von Frizzell, und als Roy Orbison zu den Traveling Wilburys stieß, nannte er sich nicht umsonst Lefty Wilbury. Auch Bear Family, der deutsche Spezialist für amerikanische Country-helden, setzte dem im Jahr 1928 in Texas geborenen Musiker schon 1984 ein erstes musikalisches Denkmal, als sie mit einer 14-LP-Box sein komplettes Lebenswerk (wieder) zugänglich machten.
BEAR FAMILY PRESSE Magazin: GOOD TIMES Ausgabe 6-18 BCD 17540 LEFTY FRIZZELL "An Article from Life" LEFTY FRIZZELL AN ARTICLE FROM LIFE Der größte Coun-trymusiker aller Zeiten? Wenn es nach Merle Hag-gard geht, ist dies zweifellos Lefty Frizzell: „Er hatte die Seele von Hank Williams, den Reiz von Johnny Cash und das Charisma von Elvis Presley. Er hatte alles." Auch George Jones begann seine Karriere als Lefty-Nachahmer, die Phrasierung des charakteristischen Gesangs von Wil-lie Nelson stammt von Frizzell, und als Roy Orbison zu den Traveling Wilburys stieß, nannte er sich nicht umsonst Lefty Wilbury. Auch Bear Family, der deutsche Spezialist für amerikanische Country-helden, setzte dem im Jahr 1928 in Texas geborenen Musiker schon 1984 ein erstes musikalisches Denkmal, als sie mit einer 14-LP-Box sein komplettes Lebenswerk (wieder) zugänglich machten.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - THE AQUARIAN WEEKLY
Lefty - In the annals of country music, there’s only a handful of such beloved artists that only a first name is needed: Willie, Waylon, Dolly, Merle, Loretta, Tammy, Conway, Hank and a singer who may have influenced more than any of them: Lefty. Lefty Frizzell, that is [1928-1975]. His vocal mannerisms were pure White Soul, his phrasing, timing and delivery practiced and copied by generations since. In the argument for greatest country singer of all-time, he now gets the Bear Family treatment. Lefty Frizzell, An Article From Life: The Complete Recordings is a big, beautiful box of 361 songs on 20 CDs with a 264-page hard-cover book. An update of their ‘92 box, this one has all the never-before-issued tracks and it comes as something of a revelation. Plus, the man had a sense of humor. He starts laughing midway through some of the songs. He wrote his first song at 19 while in jail on a trumped-up charge for having sex with a minor. Later, booze killed him at 47.
Lefty - In the annals of country music, there’s only a handful of such beloved artists that only a first name is needed: Willie, Waylon, Dolly, Merle, Loretta, Tammy, Conway, Hank and a singer who may have influenced more than any of them: Lefty. Lefty Frizzell, that is [1928-1975]. His vocal mannerisms were pure White Soul, his phrasing, timing and delivery practiced and copied by generations since. In the argument for greatest country singer of all-time, he now gets the Bear Family treatment. Lefty Frizzell, An Article From Life: The Complete Recordings is a big, beautiful box of 361 songs on 20 CDs with a 264-page hard-cover book. An update of their ‘92 box, this one has all the never-before-issued tracks and it comes as something of a revelation. Plus, the man had a sense of humor. He starts laughing midway through some of the songs. He wrote his first song at 19 while in jail on a trumped-up charge for having sex with a minor. Later, booze killed him at 47.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - americanahighways.org
Lefty Frizzell arguably played almost as big a role in the development of modern country music as his friend Hank Williams. Nevertheless, he didn’t make it into the Country Music Hall of Fame until 1982 and, for reasons I’ve never quite figured out, he is not as well known or loved by the public today as, say, Williams or George Jones.
He continues to be revered by his fellow musicians, however. “The soul of Hank Williams, the appeal of Johnny Cash, and the charisma of Elvis Presley. He had it all,” said the late, great Merle Haggard, one of Frizzell’s biggest fans. “The impact he had on country music, and on me, is not even measurable.” Indeed, Frizzell had a huge influence on many artists, including, in addition to Haggard, Randy Travis, John Anderson, and Willie Nelson. (Nelson recorded a whole album called To Lefty from Willie). Roy Orbison paid homage to him by choosing the name Lefty Wilbury for himself when he joined the Traveling Wilburys. George Jones looked up to Frizzell and Williams so much that his producer reportedly admonished him for trying to sound too much like them.
Lefty Frizzell arguably played almost as big a role in the development of modern country music as his friend Hank Williams. Nevertheless, he didn’t make it into the Country Music Hall of Fame until 1982 and, for reasons I’ve never quite figured out, he is not as well known or loved by the public today as, say, Williams or George Jones.
He continues to be revered by his fellow musicians, however. “The soul of Hank Williams, the appeal of Johnny Cash, and the charisma of Elvis Presley. He had it all,” said the late, great Merle Haggard, one of Frizzell’s biggest fans. “The impact he had on country music, and on me, is not even measurable.” Indeed, Frizzell had a huge influence on many artists, including, in addition to Haggard, Randy Travis, John Anderson, and Willie Nelson. (Nelson recorded a whole album called To Lefty from Willie). Roy Orbison paid homage to him by choosing the name Lefty Wilbury for himself when he joined the Traveling Wilburys. George Jones looked up to Frizzell and Williams so much that his producer reportedly admonished him for trying to sound too much like them.
Press Archive - Lefty Frizzell An Article From Life - The Complete Recordings - LA Times
Lefty Frizzell, “An Article From Life — The Complete Recordings” (Bear Family)
This massive 20-CD, $230 set weighs in at close to 20 pounds and, as the title indicates, pulls together all the recordings by one of the three or four most influential country singers ever. Frizzell’s fluid vocals opened up new vistas for country music that can be heard in subsequent artists from George Jones and Merle Haggard to Dolly Parton and Keith Whitley on through to Miranda Lambert. (R.L.)
Lefty Frizzell, “An Article From Life — The Complete Recordings” (Bear Family)
This massive 20-CD, $230 set weighs in at close to 20 pounds and, as the title indicates, pulls together all the recordings by one of the three or four most influential country singers ever. Frizzell’s fluid vocals opened up new vistas for country music that can be heard in subsequent artists from George Jones and Merle Haggard to Dolly Parton and Keith Whitley on through to Miranda Lambert. (R.L.)