Hank Thompson Albums (34)
What The Critics Say
Seven Decades is an impressive album any way you look at it: Thompson sounds almost as good as ever, he's still writing some great material (the album is more than half original), and the songs he chose to cover are interesting and even ambitious. "Condo in Hondo" and "Lobo the Hobo" indulge Thompson's trademark wordplay, while "Medicine Man" celebrates the bygone days of the medicine show. Tex Williams' hit "The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel for Single Girls Burned Down" gets an entertaining run-through, while "Dinner for One, Please James" and the Kingston Trio's "Scotch and Soda" are smoky sounding and ready-made for the supper club. Thompson even breathes some fire into such well-worn covers as "In the Jailhouse Now" and "Wreck of the Old '97." With crystal clear sound, tasteful production, and lots of great Merle Travis-style picking by Thom Bresh, Seven Decades is sturdy enough to stand alongside Thompson's best. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
'At the Golden Nugget'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 13
Label Capitol Nashville
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What The Critics Say
At the Golden Nugget was not only the first live album ever recorded for commercial release by a single country artist, but is arguably Hank Thompson's best album, representing his amalgam of honky tonk and Western swing better than any other long-player in his history. Most country artists of his generation responded better to the enthusiasm of an audience than to the cold, usually tense, often retake-laden ambience of a studio, and Thompson had a very satisfied audience that night in March of 1961. The record is made all the more alluring by the presence of Merle Travis (who had played on Thompson's recordings since 1953) on lead guitar, and two numbers out of Travis' repertory ("Nine Pound Hammer," "John Henry") are included among the 13 songs here. The CD transfer, from 1995, is state of the art, and the historical notes are an extra treat. Along with Capitol's 1996 Vintage Collections compilation, this is essential to own, and not just for country music fans -- rock & rollers (and not just Flying Burrito Bros. aficionados) can also learn a few things from Thompson. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
'Here's to Country Music'
Release Date 1/1/1987
Tracks 12
Label Step One
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What The Critics Say
Hank Thompson is a country great that could make a song out of the yellow pages of the Nashville phone book. It turns out this come have made for a better album than some of the material he chooses to present here. From song to song, this album runs the gamut from classic to wretched, the matter of songwriting consistency seeming to be the one element that didn't get close enough attention as the late '70s production unfolded. That date places this Brand New Hank close to the end of the third decade in this artist's career, in an era when country was making whoopee with disco and traditional artists such as Thompson were shrugged off as dated. Producer Larry Butler should be lauded for sticking to a completely mainstream country and western swing sound, delivered by the Nashville studio A-team. Billy Sherill ran the board during sessions and mixdown at Jack Clement's recording studio. Thompson performs beautifully, his delivery an unending series of surprises, some of them unfortunately related to his art of making even stupid lyrics seem profound. Which brings back the subject of the songs themselves. A Thompson fan looking over this album cover and the songwriting credits on the disc itself should notice one important thing that sets this album apart from earlier Thompson classics such as On Tap, In A Can or In A Bottle. Most of the songwriting credits on the latter album involve Thompson himself as a songwriting partner. An aspect of Brand New Hank, sadly, is that he had nothing to do with writing the songs. Material that is tailored to his reputation as a honky tonk menace comes off the best. "Through the Bottom of the Glass" is just plain wonderful, as is the subtle, atmospheric "Dance With Me Molly". "I Hear the South Callin' Me" swings so hard it could have gone on for five minutes rather than two, still the amount of instrumental action that takes place during the abbreviated running time borders on startling. "Tony's Tank-Up, Drive-In Cafe" also comes off rather well for no clear reason, kind of like a hot dog purchased at a gas station. In all of these titles as well as the poorer entries yet to be described, instrumental comments by players such as Pete Drake on steel guitar or the guitarists Jimmy Capps, Ray Edenton and Bill Sanford are easily worth the price of admission, that comment not geared toward a shopper who finds this for a buck at the used record pile. "I'm Just Gettin' By", lonesome and sentimental, is a good opener. It suggests that Thompson will be allowed to express a range of emotions here, as if he has decided to stay home from the gin mills one night a week as an experiment in self-improvement. Other efforts to "enrich" his personality on record come across as if the producer was trying to make Thompson more like Don Williams or even worse connect with the Mac Davis crowd. "Signs of Love" literally pits Thompson against himself. He can't help but sound relaxed, that's the beauty of his vocal style, but a man this relaxed should never be singing about how hard his wife is working. Part of the experience of this song is wanting to tell Thompson to get off his rear and do a sink full of dishes if he is so concerned. "Have a Good Time", slightly sour goodtime juice from the excellent songwriting team of Felice and Bourdleaux Bryant, is a much better idea in terms of exploiting Thompson's versatility while getting toes tapping. "Point of No Return" required three songwriters to reach, according to the credits. The conventional Nashville cynicism regarding the final destinationnis to imagine a restaurant patron patiently waiting for his cold soup while the waiters were huddled in the kitchen completing this song. The finale of the album is the musical equivalent of stepping out the front door and realizing there is now a massive crater there. It is straight, straight down with the horrible "That Want You, Need You, Got to Have You Feelin'" and "World's Greatest Feelin' one right the other. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide
'Back in the Swing of Things'
Release Date 1/1/1976
Tracks 11
Label ABC/Dot
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'Cab Driver: A Salute to the Mills Brothers'
Release Date 1/1/1972
Tracks 10
Label Dot
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What The Critics Say
Hank Thompson's 1972 tribute to the Mills Brothers is an interesting idea: 10 country and western swing versions of songs associated with the popular black vocal group. Thompson's own compositions were often melodically sophisticated, so he has no trouble negotiating these songs that have become, in many cases, pop and jazz standards. The repertoire suggests that Thompson followed the Mills closely since "Cab Driver" was a late, minor hit for the group in 1968. Thompson charted higher with that song than the Mills did, and also enjoyed modest success with his version of "Glow Worm." The Mills Brothers, in a fitting turnaround, recorded country music in the '70s, so Thompson's unusual enterprise makes an odd sort of sense in retrospect. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
