Disc #1

1. Branded Man

2. The Fugitive

3. Mama Tried

4. Sing Me Back Home

5. The Legend Of Bonnie And Clyde

6. Hungry Eyes

7. Okie From Muskogee

8. The Fightin’ Side Of Me

10. Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)

11. Carolyn

12. Grandma Harp

13. It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)

14. Everybody’s Had The Blues

15. I Wonder If They Ever Think Of Me

16. If We Make It Through December

17. Old Man From The Mountain

18. Things Aren’t Funny Anymore

19. Always Wanting You

20. It’s All In The Movies

Disc #2

1. Kentucky Gambler

2. Movin’ On

3. Cherokee Maiden

4. The Roots Of My Raising

5. I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink

6. I’m Always On A Mountain When I Fall

7. If We’re Not Back In Love By Monday

8. Bar Room Buddies

9. My Favorite Memory

10. Big City

11. Yesterday’s Wine

12. Going Where The Lonely Go

13. Pancho And Lefty

14. You Take Me For Granted

15. Let’s Chase Each Other Around The Room

16. Someday When Things Are Good

17. That’s The Way Love Goes

18. A Place To Fall Apart

19. Natural High

20. Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Star

Review

With a title like 40 #1 Hits, it’s easy to assume that the collection will contain nothing but number one hits, whether it’s from the Billboard charts or Cash Box, and it’s also easy to assume that it would contain all of an artist’s number one hits.

In the case of Merle Haggard’s double-disc 2004 collection, neither is true. Using just the Billboard charts as a guide—which is an assumption, since the liner notes do not specify which charts are used, but Billboard is the standard-bearer—singles like “I’m Always on a Mountain When I Fall” and “If We’re Not Back in Love by Monday” did not top the charts, and singles like “What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana” that did reach number one are absent. Still, these are exceptions to the number one rule, three of only a handful on this collection. Besides, quibbling about whether tracks reached number one or not doesn’t matter to the average audience, who will view 40 #1 Hits as an excellent cross section of Hag’s biggest and best material, and the only compilation outside of the classic Down Every Road box set to draw from his three main record labels: Capitol, MCA, and Epic.

Not all the great songs are here, but nearly every song here is great, from 1967’s “Branded Man” to 1988’s “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star.”

Razor & Tie’s The Lonesome Fugitive remains the best compilation of Haggard at his peak and Down Every Road the most comprehensive set, but this occupies a middle ground between the two, offering a thorough overview of Merle’s long career as a country hitmaker, and it’s a terrific listen to boot.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide