George Jones

Birth Of A Legend: The Truly Complete Starday And Mercury Recordings 1954-1961

BEAR FAMILY. CD Definitive chronicle of the rise of a country stylist on 6-CDs with a 174-page book. As with most musical pioneers of the ’50s, country legend George Jones’s early recordings were entangled in various rights issues and inaccurate recording documentation. Undaunted, Bear Family’s Richard Weize set out to create the ultimate collection of the singer’s initial output. That was two decades ago. Now, at last, this remarkable box set has landed – its detail, both sonically via sublime mastering and in terms of Kevin Coffey’s extensive linernotes, is staggering. Musically speaking, you get to hear Jones move from being an excitable hillbilly cat to becoming a singer whose rich vocal seduces Nashville and, indeed, the world. Designed explicitly as a set for Jones obsessives, there’s the obligatory unreleased material of 20 songs/takes. All that is missing from this hugely rewarding set is the time required to listen to all 200 tracks in one sitting. But that’s your problem.