First of all, it collects all the major singles from his years with Capitol Records. I should warn you that his tenure at Capitol is considered to be one of the greatest, most consistent bodies of work in country music, and real die-hard fans of Merle often end up buying most if not all his albums from this period. But, if you want a "best of" that skims the cream of the crop, this is the place to go.
The title track, "Okie From Muskogee," "Working Man Blues"...almost all these tracks are country music classics of the traditional sort. No countrypolitan, no orchestral arrangements...this is rootsy music with a hard kick to it (some critics like Dave Marsh and the compiler, Jimmy Guterman, even qualify this stuff as rock music). Lyrically, Haggard proves himself to be on the best in country. He sings about the working class, politics ( "Okie From Muskogee" can either be seen as satire or a right-wing anthem, depending on your view), and even criminals. In all of his songs, he uses eloquent words and sings a hard truth without embellishing too much or getting too sentimental. On top of all that, this collection has great sound, thanks to that amazing audiophile, mastering engineer, Steve Hoffman.

One may wish to get the three CD box set that covers the same time period, or even pick up the albums themselves (Merle made great tribute albums, and you'll definitely want to check out the ones he made to Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills). But, if you just want a good overview or a good entry point, you can't possibly go wrong with "The Lonesome Fugitive" collection.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:


WHEN YOU SAY MERLE HAGGARD,, YOU'VE SAID IT ALL.  Jan 14, 1999
I GREW UP ON MERLE HAGGARD MUSIC ALL MY LIFE. I'M 55 YEARS OLD AND I STILL GO TO HIS CONCERTS. THIS 2 CD COLLECTION HAS ALL THE SONGS OF THE WORKING MAN,THE SOLDIER,AND ANY OTHER CLASS OF PEOPLE THERE IS.

WHEN MERLE RECORDED "OKIE FROM MUSKOGEE" LIVE IN MUSKOGEE,OKLA.IN 1969 CARLTON HANEY,THE GREATEST COUNTRY MUSIC PROMOTER THERE IS, TOLD IT LIKE IT IS,MERLE PUTS HIS LIFE INTO THE SONGS HE SINGS.

THE SONGS IN THIS 2CD COLLECTION TELLS OF "HAGS" LIFE. WHEN YOU LISTEN TO HIS SONGS YOU KNOW HE HAS BEEN DOWN THAT ROAD.

SO YOU SEE IT'S VERY PLAIN "THE HAG" IS #1 WITH ME. IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE COLLECTION FROM MERLE HAGGARD, THIS WOULD BE IT.

I'M FROM HENRYETTA,OKLA. A SHORT WAYS FROM MUSKOGEE. IKNOW THE AREA WHERE MERLE'S FAMILY LIVED BACK THEN. I WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO CHOOSE A FAVORITE BUT IF I DID MERLE HAGGARD WOULD BE AT THE VERY TOP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Good Overview  Sep 29, 2001 By James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley"
Merle Haggard is experiencing a major revival in the music world. It began with the release of two tribute albums recorded by many of the new generation of country artists. Now a slew of reissues have been released - one of the most comprehensive of which is this two-disc ANTHOLOGY. Its forty tracks covers his formative years on the small Tally label from 1963-1964 and his subsequent move in 1965 to the Capitol label where Haggard became one of the greatest artists in country music history. Nearly every single from this period was included, along with a few well-chosen B-sides, such as his oft-covered "Today I Started Loving You Again."

At Tally, Haggard was merely an interpreter (especially the work of Liz Anderson). Upon joining Capitol, Haggard the writer immediately began to emerge. His early writing was firmly rooted in the standard country themes of cheating ("Swinging Doors") and drinking ("The Bottle Let Me Down"). From here he moved on to more autobiographical fare. "A Branded Man" and "Sing Me Back Home" brought attention to Haggard's stay in San Quentin while "Mama Tried" and "Hungry Eyes" captured his turbulent youth. With "Okie From Muskogee" and "Fightin' Side Of Me," Haggard spouted some right-wing anthems (the former which may or may not have been written in jest).

As the second disc reveals, Haggard really came into his own in the '70s as a highly observant writer. He covered religion ("Jesus, Take A Hold"), lost love ("Someday We'll Look Back," "It's All In The Movies") and surrogate love ("It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad")), and even working class struggles ("Working Man Blues," "A Working Man Can't Get Nowhere Today"). He also created some colorful country characters with "Daddy Frank (the Guitar Man)," "Grandma Harp," and "The Old Man From The Mountain." Including the inane "Cherokee Maiden" (not a Haggard original) lowers the quality of this collection quite a bit, but overall ANTHOLOGY is a very satisfying overview of Haggard's early and peak musical years.

13 of 16 found the following review helpful:


Authentic, enjoyable, and classic Country-Western music  Feb 03, 2004 By Robert Moore
As country music has grown in popularity, my dislike of it has grown. As the public has embraced such performers as Garth Brooks and all those who followed in his wake, the more the genre has loosened its grip on my imagination. For me, real country music means George Jones, Left Frizzell, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams (not Jr.), Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, the Louvin Brothers, the young Dolly Parton, and a host of other classic country performers.

Today's country music strikes me as rootless, as emanating from nowhere in particular. Most of my relatives come from Arkansas hill country, as rural as they come. If they had decided to leave for California in the 1930s, they could easily have passed for the Arkies in THE GRAPES OF WRATH. But there was a genuine, visceral connection between the music they listened to and their lives. Not so today. What real connection do Brooks and Dunn have with country folk? I admire the Dixie Chicks for their political stand, and I don't dislike their music, but they seem more urban than country.

Merle Haggard is the real deal. You listen to him and you are convinced that he knows about picking cotton and driving a tractor. He sounds like one familiar with outhouses and tin roofs and gravel roads an army of flies on a front porch in the middle of July. The experiences are real, and the emotions are real. Perhaps he has never been himself a hunted fugitive, but his background and life helps him sell it.

This isn't polished country, not by today's all-too-slick standards. But it is tremendously real. I won't defend every song on the album. Some of the songs border on corn; "Okie from Muskogee" represents the worst form of patriotism (though he has largely redeemed himself in this regard with his recent song about the injustices done by the current government in sending the troops to Iraq for unjustified reasons). But the songs are consistently good, and several are great, and Merle's singing always strong and deeply emotional.

Not all of the current generation of country singers have forsaken the country tradition. Iris Dement would have been marvelous in whatever decade she was in (a fellow Arkie, I might add). But I think by and large most young performers would produce better country music if they took Merle Haggard as their inspiration rather than the pabulum performers infesting the airwaves today.

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:


probably the 2nd best Merle Haggard collection  Nov 04, 2002 By D. Newton
this collection covers Haggard's Capitol recordings very well, but the "Down Every Road" box is more comprehensive and a better value

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