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Big City
Merle Haggard's Epic stint was short-lived and aimless; it produced a slew of celebrity duets, but little of merit except this, his 1981 label debut and 47th album overall. The first album Haggard produced himself has no fat. With his love for Western swing peaking around this time, the Strangers are a bigger band than ever and get almost as much play as he does. But even when he brings in still more instruments, as on "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)," they're honed to a sharp, minimalist edge. The writing is also growing more ambitious. The title song is still an alt-country favorite, but the album also hides such gems as the slow-death "You Don't Have Very Far to Go," cowritten with Red Simpson. Can't say the bonus tracks add anything, but neither do they do Haggard any harm. --John Morthland
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Tracks| 1 | Big City | | 2 | My Favorite Memory | | 3 | Good Old American Guest | | 4 | I Think I'm Gonna Live Forever | | 5 | This Song Is Mine | | 6 | Stop the World and Let Me Off | | 7 | Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver) | | 8 | Texas Fiddle Song | | 9 | You Don't Have Very Far to Go | | 10 | I Always Get Lucky with You | | 11 | Call Me [#][*] | | 12 | I Won't Give Up My Train [#][*] |
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