Classical Country – Billy Sherrill

The audaciousness with which this record was recorded is mind-blowing. Back in the 1960s, when Buck Owens was king of the charts -- 12 number one singles in a row -- producer Billy Sherrill decided to try to work a little of his own magic with his tunes. How he convinced Epic that a record of classically oriented Owens tunes would sell more copies than to the participating musicians' -- who are not named anywhere on the cover -- parents is a mystery. Here are ten Owens classics performed by a harpsichord and a string quartet -- with an endorsement by Owens on the back cover! The set opens with a particularly reverent "Act Naturally" that is indicative of the arrangements by Frank Hunter, who thought he was charting incidental music for the theater. This music is so flowery and overly ornate it's difficult to imagine these ever having been country songs -- not to mention the intonation is so awful it's shrill. But this is part of the album's charm. This is far from the best/worst of it; "Tiger by the Tail" gets that distinction, as do "Love's Gonna Live Here," "Together Again," and "My Heart Skips a Beat." But they're all schmaltzy and ridiculous and only Buck Owens could have been honored by this treatment of his songs. What an awesome record. Why hasn't this been reissued on CD? ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide