Merle Haggard

The remastered, expanded edition of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's 1982 classic, Pancho & Lefty, was well worth the wait. First, there's the sound. In the title cut, there are voices and guitars listeners have never heard before either on LP or CD. There are stunning little surprises like a keyboard or a marimba in "My Mary," or the subtle organ shadings in "Reasons to Quit," or the extra reverb on Hag's electric on "No Reason to Quit." These might seem like audiophile nitpickings to some, but they actually change the way one hears this recording -- and it wears its legendary status very well indeed. The bonus tracks are winners, too. In those days country records only had ten songs on them because the labels didn't want to pay the publishing. "Half a Man" is a slow Nelson waltz written in his trademark style; this is an unissued version of the song minus Hag. It's full of slinky honky tonk pianos, a slowly walking bassline, and a gorgeous Mickey Raphael harmonica solo. "My Own Peculiar Way" is a familiar song to Nelson fans; he's played it in his live sets forever, as it dates from 1965. But this is a completely fleshed-out, reworked version with many surprises instrumentally and vocally. For the price tag, this is ultimately an unbeatable -- and necessary -- item for the country collection. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide