Loretta Lynn "Loretta Lynn Sings" (Decca, 1963) [DL-74457] *
Loretta Lynn "Before I'm Over You" (Decca, 1964) [DL-74541] *
Loretta Lynn "Songs From My Heart" (Decca, 1965) [DL-74620] *
Loretta Lynn "Blue Kentucky Girl" (Decca, 1965) [DL-74665] *
Loretta Lynn "Hymns" (Decca, 1965) [DL-74695] *
Loretta Lynn "I Like 'Em Country" (Decca, 1966) [DL-74744] *
Loretta Lynn "You Ain't Woman Enough" (Decca, 1966) [DL-74783] *
Loretta Lynn "A Country Christmas" (Decca, 1966) [DL-74817]
A mighty fine, pleasantly understated set of Christmas standards and a few new yuletide ballads. Loretta does this stuff up right. Sadly, though, when the CD reissue came out (as Christmas Without Daddy...) it omitted several of the album's best songs, notably "To Heck With Ole Santa Claus," which, along with "Country Christmas," was the real heart of this album when it first came back, way back when. Still, this is a nice set, well worth checking out if you want some really down-home cheer.
Loretta Lynn "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' " (Decca, 1967) [DL-74842] *
Loretta Lynn "Singin' With Feelin' " (Decca, 1967) [DL-74930] *
Loretta Lynn "Who Says God Is Dead?" (Decca, 1968) [DL-74928] *
Loretta Lynn "Here's Loretta Lynn" (Decca, 1968) [DL-73853] *
Loretta Lynn "Fist City" (Decca, 1968) [DL-74997] *
Loretta Lynn "Your Squaw Is On The Warpath Tonight" (Decca, 1969) [DL-75084]
Loretta Lynn "Woman Of The World/To Make A Man" (Decca, 1969) [DL-75113] *
Loretta Lynn "Loretta Lynn Writes 'Em And Sings 'Em" (Decca, 1970) [DL-75198] *
Loretta Lynn "I Wanna Be Free" (Decca, 1971) [DL-75282]
Loretta Lynn "You're Lookin' At Country" (Decca, 1971) [DL-75310] *
Loretta Lynn "One's On The Way" (Decca, 1972) [DL-75334]
Loretta Lynn "God Bless America Again" (Decca, 1972) [DL-75351]
Loretta Lynn "Alone With You" (Vocalion, 1972) [VL-73925]
Loretta Lynn "Here I Am Again" (Decca, 1972) [DL-2146] *
Loretta Lynn "Entertainer Of The Year" (MCA, 1973) [MCA-300]
Loretta Lynn "Love Is The Foundation" (MCA, 1973) [MCA-355]
Loretta Lynn "They Don't Make 'Em Like Daddy Anymore" (MCA, 1974) [MCA-444] *
Loretta Lynn "Back To The Country" (MCA, 1975) [MCA-471]
Loretta Lynn "Home" (MCA, 1975) [MCA-2146] *
Loretta Lynn "When The Tingle Becomes A Chill" (MCA, 1976) [MCA-2179]
Loretta Lynn "Somebody Somewhere" (MCA, 1976) [MCA-2228]
Loretta Lynn & The Coalminers "On The Road With..." (Loretta Lynn, 1976)
Loretta Lynn "I Remember Patsy" (MCA, 1977) [MCA-2265]
Loretta Lynn "Out Of My Head And Back In My Bed" (MCA, 1978) [MCA-2330]
Loretta Lynn "I Lie" (MCA, 1982)
Loretta Lynn "We've Come A Long Way, Baby" (MCA, 1979) [MCA-3073]
Loretta Lynn "Loretta" (MCA, 1980) [MCA-3217]
Loretta Lynn "Lookin' Good" (MCA, 1980)
Loretta Lynn "I Lie" (MCA, 1982)
Loretta Lynn "Making Love From Memory" (MCA, 1982)
Loretta Lynn "Lyin', Cheatin', Woman Chasin', Honky Tonkin', Whiskey Drinkin' You" (MCA, 1983)
Loretta Lynn "Just A Woman" (MCA, 1985)
Loretta Lynn "Who Was That Stranger" (MCA, 1989)
Loretta Lynn "I'll Just Call You Darlin' " (MCA, 1989)
Loretta Lynn "Peace In The Valley" (MCA, 1990)
Loretta Lynn "Old Rugged Cross" (MCA, 1992)
Loretta Lynn/Dolly Parton/Tammy Wynette "HONKY TONK ANGELS" (Columbia, 1993)
Three grand dames of the '60s country scene unite for a sweetly produced set of cover tunes and oldies, with a musical formula much like the Dolly-Emmylou-Linda "Trio" albums. Producer Steve Buckingham does a workmanlike job on this one -- it's relatively understated (which I guess is good), though also not that adventurous. This never really catches fire, but there are some nice moments, such as Loretta's "Wouldn't It Be Great" and Dolly's gospel-tinged "Let Her Fly," as well as the disc's sole single, a rollicking, irresistible version of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles" that has an admittedly county-fair quality to it, but still is pretty durn catchy.
Loretta Lynn "Columbia River" (1997)
Loretta Lynn "All Time Gospel Favorites" (Madacy, 1998)
Loretta Lynn "Still Country" (Audium/Koch, 2000)
...As if she could ever be anything else! It's funny: Loretta's voice has changed a lot over the years. Here, she's scarcely recognizable as the hillbilly filly who recorded "Fist City" and "You're Looking At Country," but paradoxically the deepening and thickening of tones has given her mature voice a sound that actually sounds younger than it did back then, even like that of an inexperienced newcomer. It's nice to hear there's still a lot of kick left in the old gal, although to tell the truth, this isn't her strongest album ever... There's one solid country novelty song on here, "Table For Two," which would be a classic today if it'd been recorded three decades earlier, but the rest of the songs strain at the edges. Musically, the album's pretty solid, with direction by Randy Scruggs (and a lick or two on the banjo by his daddy, Earl...) but somehow it fails to catch fire on all but a few tunes. Worth checking out if you're a Loretta loyalist... and despite being nonplussed overall, I'm still gonna keep my copy.
Loretta Lynn "Somebody Somewhere" (Columbia River, 2001)
Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose" (Interscope, 2003)
Wow. I mean, I was extremely skeptical about this record, what with all the going into it -- the mighty Loretta hooking up with Jack White of the White Stripes, a neo-garagepop band that I've found to be a little on the not-so-interesting side, and letting him repackage her ala Johnny Cash's American Recordings makeover. Plus, Loretta's career -- and her voice -- had seemed to peter out in recent years, so I was worried she'd sound to old and adrift in whatever production they erected around her. Sounded like a hipsterized recipe for disaster to me, but I figured I still hadda check it out. What I wasn't prepared for was how far "out there" she'd go, with a full-on embrace of soft-edged garage-a-billy, with a tune or two that made her sound like Wanda Jackson. Loretta's voice is also in fine shape here (yay) and the White Stripes provide a loose but surprisingly forceful backup. For one thing, guitarist Dave Feeny is a lousy steel player... But then again, it's obvious he isn't really trying to match the kind of fancy licks the Nashville studio cats can come up with, and in an odd way his undisciplined, careening accompaniment is entirely appropriate and helps set the tone for this freewheeling project. They play some fairly straightforward country stuff as well, and Lynn rambles through some familiar themes, of growing up in rural poverty, more autobiographical stuff about life in the holler, etc. Honestly, I think she lays it on kinda thick, but then again that's nothing new. I still like this album... a lot. The highlight song for me is her rambling recitation, "Little Red Shoes," though several of the regular songs, including the title track, are also pretty good. Definitely worth checking out.
Loretta Lynn & Ernest Tubb "Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn" (Decca, 1965) [DL-74639]
Loretta Lynn & Ernest Tubb "Singin' Again" (Decca, 1967) [DL-74872]
Loretta Lynn & Ernest Tubb "If We Put Our Heads Together" (Decca, 1969) [DL-75115]
Loretta Lynn & Ernest Tubb "The Ernest Tubb/Loretta Lynn Story" (MCA, 1973) [MCA-2-4000]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "We Only Make Believe" (Decca, 1971) [DL-75251]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Lead Me On" (Decca, 1972) [DL-75326]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (MCA, 1973) [MCA-335]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Country Partners" (MCA, 1974) [MCA-427]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Feelin's" (MCA, 1975) [MCA-2143]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "United Talent" (MCA, 1976)
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Dynamic Duo" (MCA, 1977) [MCA-2278]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Honky Tonk Heroes" (MCA, 1978) [MCA-2372]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Diamond Duet" (MCA, 1988) [MCA-3190]
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Two's A Party" (MCA, 1981)
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "Making Believe" (MCA, 1988)
Loretta Lynn "Greatest Hits" (Decca, 1968) [DL-75000]
Loretta Lynn "Greatest Hits, v.2" (MCA, 1974)
Loretta Lynn "The Best Of Loretta Lynn" (MCA, 1976)
Loretta Lynn "Christmas Without Daddy" (Decca/MCA, 1966)
An almost-straight reissue of the 1966 A Country Chistmas album... A mighty fine, pleasantly understated set of Christmas standards and a few new yuletide ballads. Loretta does this stuff up right. Sadly, though, the CD reissue omits several of the album's best songs, notably "To Heck With Ole Santa Claus," which, along with "Country Christmas," was the real heart of this album when it first came back, way back when. Still, this is a nice set, well worth checking out if you want some really down-home cheer.
Loretta Lynn "Country Music Hall Of Fame Series" (MCA, 1991)
A for-real country girl, Loretta Lynn came from a poor working class family, and made her slow climb into the Nashville stratosphere in the early '60s. Like Buck Owens, Lynn combined an undeniable hick authenticity with an unfailing sense of what what kind of punchy novelty tunes would take hold in the new world of rock'n'roll. Songs like "Fist City," "You Ain't Woman Enough" and "Your Squaw Is On The Warpath" cemented Loretta's place in the popular imagination; she later made up for these admittedly sexist ditties with a series of sexually frank songs made in the late '60s and early '70s, such as "The Pill" and "Rated X," which gave a more nuanced look at the war between the sexes. This single disc may not be enough to do her justice, but still a pretty solid collection, sticking to her early stuff on Decca, which remains her best work. There are lots of Loretta best-ofs which have come out since, but this disc won't disappoint you.
Loretta Lynn "Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection" (MCA, 1994)
This 3-CD set really has it all, including a couple of songs from Loretta's early indie work (which was later licenced by Decca), to her smash '60s hits and gorgeously goofy 70s/80s duets with Conway Twitty, and her later, sorta-politan pop-country records. Might be too much for a casual listener, but for anyone so inclinded, you'd be hard pressed to find better country music anywhere. Hardcore fans may quibble, but since MCA is unlikely to reissue all her original albums anytime soon, this box set should remain definitive for most country fans. Recommended!
Loretta Lynn "The Millennium Collection, v.1" (MCA, 1999)
Loretta Lynn "The Millennium Collection, v.2" (MCA, 2001)
Loretta Lynn "All Time Greatest Hits" (MCA-Universal, 2002)
A nice overview which ranges from her perky early work to her deliciously syrupy duets with Conway Twitty. If you're only searching for a comprehensive look at her early hits, this might not have enough of what you want, but for a more complete picture of Loretta's career, this 22-track best-of is pretty swell. Recommended!
Loretta Lynn "The Definitive Collection" (Universal/MCA-Decca, 2005)
A fine, 25-song best-of that overlaps with other Loretta collections (including a few duets with Conway Twitty... "Definitive" is definitely a relative term, here, especially considering how thorough and gratifying the old, 4-CD Honky Tonk Girl box set has proven over the years. Still, this is a great introduction to her work, and dips into some of her later work from 1975-onwards, stuff that doesn't readily come to mind when you're thinking of Loretta's glory years, but that still holds up nicely today. They seem to have omitted "Your Squaw Is On The Warpath" (presumably because of PC cultural sensitivity concerns) but the rest of the songs on here are of at least equal calibre to that old chestnut. Other best-ofs may serve you equally well, but this disc is also first-class.
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty "The Very Best Of Loretta And Conway" (MCA, 1979) [MCA-3164]
Loretta Lynn "The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn" (MCA, 2000)
Loretta Lynn remains one of the all-time great hick music artists, a country gal who kept her twang while topping the charts over several decades. Lynn came by her country roots the hard way... Her long road from rural poverty to international stardom is well documented, notably in the film, Coal Miner's Daughter. Loretta's triumph in mid-1960s Nashville coincided with the rise of the much-dreaded "Nashville Sound," but unlike her many contemporaries, Lynn stuck to a pared-down, backwoods sound. Like Buck Owens at the same time, she came to embody country's rural roots, and while she weathered the rise of '70s countrypolitan and the '80s synth-pop craze largely by softening her sound, she still has kept a recognizable, human face on her music.
