George Jones - The Birth Of A Legend: The Truly Complete Starday and Mercury Recordings 1954-1961 (2016)

In the 40 years that acclaimed German record label Bear Family has been reissuing classic, career-spanning CD boxed sets, one of the artists whose early work has been on customers' wish lists is country legend George Jones. Christmas has come early for Jones fans as the label announces the February release of a sprawling six-disc collection encompassing all of Jones' early recordings from the Starday and Mercury labels.

Titled George Jones: Birth of a Legend - The Truly Complete Starday and Mercury Recordings 1954-1961, the set will include 200 tracks with a total running time of over seven-and-a-half hours. More than 20 of the tracks included are previously unissued takes or never-before-released songs. A deluxe 174-page hardcover book will accompany the box. As a special treat for Jones' completists, the set includes his failed rockabilly single, "Rock It" b/w "How Come It" (released in 1956 with the name "Thumper Jones" in an effort not to derail his country career) and all of his soundalike records for the Dixie label, which found the singer, for instance, doing his best Elvis Presley imitation on "Heartbreak Hotel." He also tackles a number of Hank Williams tunes as well as songs by Johnny Cash, Lefty Frizzell and more.

Of course, the early Jones classics are included as well, from his first hit, "Why Baby Why," and first Number One, "White Lightning," to now-immortal tunes including "Tender Years" and the plaintive "Window Up Above." The set also features several rare early duets Jones performed with, among others, Margie Singleton and Jeanette Hicks.
The all-encompassing CD set has been in the works for more than two decades, during which time several multi-label compilations have collected various tracks from this fertile time period in Jones' remarkable career. Jones would release music on several labels throughout his next six decades, including his own imprint, Bandit Records, toward the end of his life. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992, the singer gave his last concert on April 6th, 2013. He died in a Nashville hospital three weeks later at 81.

TRACKLIST

CD 1

01. No Money In This Deal (2:20)
02. No Money In This Deal (alt) (2:32)
03. For Sale Or For Lease (take 1) (2:24)
04. For Sale Or For Lease (take 2) (2:20)
05. Play It Cool Man - Play It Cool (2:45)
06. You're In My Heart (2:31)
07. If You Were Mine (2:33)
08. Wrong About You (2:34)
09. You All Goodnight (2:09)
10. Hold Everything (2:06)
11. Hold Everything (alt) (1:57)
12. Heartbroken Me (2:42)
13. Heartbroken Me (2) (2:45)
14. Let Him Know (2:41)
15. My Sweet Imogene (2:44)
16. What's Wrong With You (2:35)
17. What's Wrong With You (alt) (2:25)
18. Painless Heart (2:10)
19. Still Hurtin' (2:11)
20. Settle Down (2:33)
21. Mexican Boogie (Boogie Woogie Mexican Boy) (1:35)
22. Why Baby Why (2:47)
23. Mexican Boogie (Boogie Woogie Mexican Boy) (2:33)
24. What Am I Worth (2:34)
25. Seasons Of My Heart (2:56)
26. Seasons Of My Heart (alt) (2:57)
27. What Am I Worth (remake) (2:47)
28. It's OK (2:19)
29. Your Heart (2:43)
30. Mexican Boogie (Boogie Woogie Mexican Boy) (alt) (2:36)
31. You Never Thought (2:51)
32. I'm Ragged But I'm Right (2:16)

CD 2

01. I'm Ragged But I'm Right (alt) (2:18)
02. You Gotta Be My Baby (take 1) (2:25)
03. You Gotta Be My Baby (take 2) (2:44)
04. You Gotta Be My Baby (take 3) (2:43)
05. I've Got Five Dollars (2:10)
06. Run Boy (2:12)
07. Heartbreak Hotel (short ending) (1:50)
08. Yes I Know Why (2:11)
09. Cause I Love You (2:10)
10. You Gotta Be My Baby (2:38)
11. Rock It (2:15)
12. Rock It (2:14)
13. How Come It (2:26)
14. Boat Of Life (2:05)
15. Taggin' Along (3:01)
16. Yearning (2:49)
17. Yearning (2:46)
18. I'm With The Wrong One (2:27)
19. Sweet Dreams (2:08)
20. I Take The Chance (2:40)
21. Any Old Time (1:41)
22. Gonna Come Get You (2:30)
23. Gonna Come Get You (alt) (2:35)
24. Just One More (2:43)
25. No Money In This Deal (2:25)
26. I'm With The Wrong One (edit) (2:10)
27. I'm With The Wrong One (2:21)
28. You're Running Wild (2:22)
29. Singing The Blues (1:58)
30. Wasted Words (2:13)
31. I'm A One Woman Man (1:51)
32. Before I Met You (1:38)
33. Go Away With Me (1:47)
34. 1956 Radio Spot 1, 1956 (0:24)
35. 1956 Radio Spot 2, 1956 (0:23)
36. 1956 Radio Spot 3, 1956 (0:19)

CD 3

01. You're Back Again (2:52)
02. Don't Stop The Music (2:16)
03. (That's) All I Want To Do (2:14)
04. Uh, Uh, No (2:18)
05. Uh, Uh, No (alt) (2:18)
06. Cup Of Loneliness (2:40)
07. Cup Of Loneliness (alt) (2:39)
08. Please Take The Devil Out Of Me (2:45)
09. Giveaway Girl (2:33)
10. Too Much Water (2:11)
11. Flame In My Heart (2:27)
12. No, No, Never (2:06)
13. Don't Do This To Me (2:18)
14. Hearts In My Dreams (2:34)
15. Tall Tall Trees (2:26)
16. No Use To Cry (2:14)
17. One Is A Lonely Number (2:33)
18. That's The Way I Feel (1:56)
19. Frozen Heart (2:20)
20. Never Been So Weary (2:04)
21. Maybe Next Christmas (2:11)
22. New Baby For Christmas (2:16)
23. Wandering Soul (2:26)
24. If You Want To Wear A Crown (2:10)
25. (I) Gotta Talk To Your Heart (2:27)
26. Nothing Can Stop Me (2:32)
27. I Always Wind Up Losing (2:23)
28. Color Of The Blues (2:53)
29. Eskimo Pie (2:32)
30. Maybe Little Baby (2:06)
31. Rain Rain (Rain Keeps Fallin') (2:12)
32. (I Believe) The Good Old Bible (2:22)
33. We'll Understand It (Farther Along) (2:29)

CD 4

01. I'm Gonna Burn Your Playhouse Down (2:29)
02. Will The Circle Be Unbroken (2:26)
03. Life To Go (1) (2:57)
04. Jesus Wants Me (2:05)
05. My Lord Has Called Me (2:32)
06. All By Yourself (1:50)
07. Deep In The Heart Of A Fool (2:49)
08. Last Night (2:32)
09. Now Tell Me (take 1) (2:37)
10. Now Tell Me (take 2) (2:35)
11. Now Tell Me (take 3) (2:35)
12. Now Tell Me (take 4) (2:36)
13. Treasure Of Love (2:20)
14. White Lightnin' (2:48)
15. Long Time To Forget (2:26)
16. If I Don't Love You (Grits Ain't Groceries) (1:57)
17. Stay On Board (2:09)
18. The Likes Of You (2:21)
19. There's Gonna Be One (2:18)
20. Into My Arms Again (2:10)
21. Who Shot Sam (2:26)
22. Mr. Fool (2:30)
23. Candy Hearts (undubbed) (2:29)
24. Candy Hearts (overdub) (2:30)
25. Have Mercy On Me (2:08)
26. If You Believe (2:28)
27. Big Harlan Taylor (2:04)
28. Someone Sweet To Love (2:22)
29. Everything Ain't Right (2:34)
30. Relief Is Just A Swallow Away (2:25)
31. Time Lock (2:22)
32. Money To Burn (2:40)
33. Talk To Me Lonesome Heart (2:19)

CD 5

01. Your Old Standby (2:26)
02. Watcha Gonna Do (2:06)
03. Accidentally On Purpose (2:26)
04. Vitamins L-O-V-E (2:05)
05. The Last Town I Painted (2:23)
06. Revenooer Man (2:34)
07. Sparkling Brown Eyes (2:44)
08. The First One (2:27)
09. You Better Treat Your Man Right (2:36)
10. Out Of Control (2:40)
11. Glad To Let Her Go (2:24)
12. You're Still On My Mind (2:38)
13. Just Little Boy Blue (2:11)
14. Tarnished Angel (2:21)
15. Slave Lover (2:17)
16. Why Baby Why (2:19)
17. Poor Man's Riches (1:55)
18. Heartaches By The Number (2:38)
19. I Love You Because (2:55)
20. Oh Lonesome Me (2:45)
21. (I'll Be There) If You Ever Want Me (2:14)
22. If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time) (2:12)
23. I Walk The Line (2:15)
24. It's Been So Long (2:15)
25. Just One More (2:35)
26. You Gotta Be My Baby (1:59)
27. Life To Go (2:32)
28. Settin' The Woods On Fire (2:15)
29. Window Shopping (2:30)
30. Howlin' At The Moon (2:43)
31. There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight (2:49)
32. Hey Good Lookin' (2:20)
33. Half As Much (2:18)

CD 6

01. Nobody's Lonesome For Me (2:12)
02. Cold, Cold Heart (3:21)
03. Why Don't You Love Me (2:06)
04. Honky Tonkin' (2:03)
05. Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (2:11)
06. I Can't Help It (2:24)
07. Family Bible (3:04)
08. The Window Up Above (2:37)
09. I Wouldn't Know About That (2:14)
10. With Half A Heart (2:22)
11. Aching Breaking Heart (2:50)
12. Battle Of Love (2:47)
13. Tender Years (2:27)
14. When My Heart Hurts No More (2:09)
15. Did I Ever Tell You (2:09)
16. Not Even Friends (2:24)
17. I Want To Be Where You're Gonna Be (1:55)
18. Waltz Of The Angels (2:46)
19. Are You Mine (2:19)
20. One Excuse Is As Good As Another (2:09)
21. Yearning (2:18)
22. Looking Back To See (2:09)
23. One By One (2:22)
24. If You Don't Somebody Else Will (2:08)
25. When Two Worlds Collide (2:26)
26. Baby (You've Got What It Takes) (2:53)
27. Talk About Lovin' (2:14)
28. I Don't Hear You (2:52)
29. Why Baby Why (edited) (2:18)
30. Seasons Of My Heart (ST-2333 RE) (2:59)
31. Heartbreak Hotel (long edit) (2:16)
32. Let Me Be Your Salty Dog (2:19)
33. Back To The Country (2:43)