Vern Gosdin Albums (19)
'Till the End'
Release Date 7/29/2008
Tracks 10
Label Collectors' Choice Music
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What The Critics Say
Although Till the End (1976) was Vern Gosdin's solo debut, the opening track "Hangin' On" instantly re-establishes the artist as "The Voice" via a remake of the Gosdin Brothers' -- Vern and brother Rex -- 1967 Grammy-nominated hit. However, he'd all but abandoned the music business by the mid-'70s. Instigated by pop music impresario Gary Paxton -- owner of the Gosdin Brothers' former record label, Vern cut demos of "Hangin' On" and ballad "Yesterday's Gone." These came to the attention of Emmylou Harris, who had known Gosdin on a social, but not professional level. Her vocal contributions to both were substantial enough to score Gosdin a deal with the Nashville, TN branch of Elektra Records. As this album attests, the results were uniformly strong and unanimously lauded as the long-player yielded the U.S. Country Top 40 singles "Mother Country Music," "It Started All Over Again" featuring Janie Fricke, the aforementioned "Hangin' On" and "Yesterday's Gone" with Emmylou Harris, as well as the title track "'Till the End." Plus, not only did half of the ten-song platter -- via five Top 40 Country singles -- make it onto the charts, the entire effort would garner a deserved spot in the Top Ten LP survey. Considering the upscale countrypolitan hybrid that began to flood the sounds coming out of Nashville during the late '70s, it is little wonder why Gosdin is an icon of the genre. In fact, even the tunes relegated to the B-sides and deep cuts are truly exceptional. The Harlan Howard-penned "Chokin' Kind" earns its place beside the likes of Waylon Jennings and Freddy Fender's versions, with the smooth delivery heard here leaning towards Joe Simon and Allen Toussaint's respectively soulful '60s interpretations. To the same end, the rich sonorous delivery of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is as striking in its simplicity as it is heartfelt in sentiment. Till the End firmly cemented the triumphant return of Vern Gosdin, whose run on Elektra continued, ultimately producing another two albums in as many years. In 2008 Collectors' Choice Music reissued the disc with an essay from noted author Colin Escott. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The 1980s were the beginning of a run of fine albums for Vern Gosdin that continued into the 21st century. It's true that he wasn't always as popular as he was in the late '60s and mid-'70s, but from his period on Compleat through his signing with Columbia and on into American Harvest Recordings in the late '90s, Gosdin has made solid, tough, and aesthetically beautiful country records. The new traditionalists, led by Dwight Yoakam, were the very movement that helped Gosdin regain popular acceptance for a time from the mid-'80s through 1993. Chiseled in Stone ranks as arguably his finest moment of that period. Produced by Bob Montgomery, the album features a deck of tunes from Gosdin and co-writers Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon; if Gosdin didn't co-write, Dillon and Cochran did. What's more, these songs were all written for Gosdin's wonderfully worn yet astonishingly versatile voice. "Do You Believe Me Now," the darkest and most wrenching song on the album, opens it. It's the story of a man on skid row who is suddenly and unexpectedly visited by his ex, and he convinces her by his very ravaged existence that he cannot live without her and asks the question in the title. As Sonny Garrish's steel winds out underneath Gosdin's vocal, all of the pain and pathos in the song comes at the listener full force, yet with the softness of Gosdin's voice, it is believable as a tender revelation as well as a song of unremitting darkness and surrender to the "road of no return." He is punishing no one but himself, but it's important she knows he wasn't lying when he said he was nothing without her. But the very next cut is one of those that Gosdin owns. With the fiddles and steel shuffling along in dance time, "Tight as Twin Fiddles" is a solid, authentic update on the Texas Playboys' sound. The truth is, there isn't a weak track here, from the honky tonk blues of "Set 'Em Up Joe" to the lonesome ache of "I Guess I Had Your Leavin' Comin'" and "Is It Raining at Your House" or the title track. For fans of George Jones' I Am What I Am and Merle Haggard's "Going Where the Lonely Go," this is a reward in and of itself. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Time Stood Still'
Release Date 4/21/1998
Tracks 11
Label American Harvest
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What The Critics Say
On his second outing for American Harvest, Vern Gosdin put himself in the producer's chair with Robert John Jones and hired some of the finest musicians in Nash Vegas -- musicians fine enough to interpret his idea of traditional country music -- to accompany him. Cats like Pete Drake, Weldon Myrick, Jerry Douglas, Buddy Spicher, Vince Gill, Kenny Malone, Randy Scruggs, and others signed up for duty on a typically stunning Gosdin set. Interestingly, though a little less than half of the material was written by Gosdin, all of it could have been. The songs seamlessly segue into one another; whether it's the mid-tempo love song "It's Only Love Again," the shimmering elegance of a ballad like "For a Minute There," or a swinging country honky tonker like "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)," Gosdin goes deep into each lyric, pulling from it every ounce of emotion and story and placing it firmly in the listener's mind. And then there's Gosdin's pumpin', bumpin' barroom strutter "Two Lonely Hearts (Out of Hand)," with its killer Vince Gill harmonies and Scruggs' stuttering Telecaster in the verses popping through the mix, making it nearly transcendent in its seeking of the pleasure principle. The set closes with the country gospel tune "What a Price I've Paid." There are stunning moments of flatpicking and Gosdin's voice soars through the lyrics backed by Gill and Beverly Gosdin; it is positively rousing. As usual, Gosdin turns in a winner. He is one of the greatest ever. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'24 Karat Heartache'
Release Date 7/22/1997
Tracks 11
Label American Harvest
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What The Critics Say
On his second album in 1997 and his first for the American Harvest Recording Society after leaving Columbia, Vern Gosdin enlisted Ron Oates as co-producer. This is the most melancholy and dark record he's ever issued. It's also the most beautiful and tender. In fact, given how many albums he's issued, this is one of the true classics in his catalog. Having written everything here, Gosdin claims they were written for one woman who left him; he also says quite honestly that when she left these songs became hard to sing, and he did the best he could. Damn! Gosdin's protagonists take full responsibility for their folly in losing the women they love. This is plain on "The Number," where two men meet in a bar -- one claims to know the best lover in town and the protagonist gets his number from the boaster, only to find it's his own and blame himself for her going bad. And this is just the beginning. The title cut, in classic Gosdin ballad style, is about a woman whose wedding ring becomes a "24 Karat Heartache" 24 hours a day. "Three or Four Times a Day" is the silky Gosdin honky tonk trademark. Without the slickness of his Columbia productions, the true depth of Gosdin's voice comes bursting forth from the mix in pure country-soul grandeur. "All the Way Through" is a midtempo love song with a dynamite chorus, accented rhythm section, and backing vocal by Dennis Wilson. The hard-driving "Wettest Dry County" is badass outlaw country with kicking guitars and pedal steel. "What I Threw Away" is the most devastating, self-incriminating confession Gosdin's ever written. On the last two tracks, "I'm Where a Memory (Can Die for a Night)" and "Where Do We Take It from Here," Gosdin shows listeners both sides of the coin of escapism and the wish to transcend the present state of separation and resolve it all one way or another. But in the grain of Gosdin's voice, it feels like this is a futile exercise, whispered by a ghost. There are few records as consistently fine in country music. There are few singers who could pull off a set like this without sounding forced or hackneyed, but then, Gosdin is the Smokey Robinson of country music, and what else would you expect? ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'There Is a Season'
Release Date 4/29/1997
Tracks 11
Label American Harvest
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What The Critics Say
Now here's an oddity if there ever was one, but it also proves that Vern Gosdin is capable of anything if he sets his mind to it. There Is a Season is a direct quote from the Byrds' version of Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn," which is also the first track on the album. In addition, there is a familiar 12-string and vocal on the set that belongs to none other than Roger McGuinn. Issued on the short-lived Compleat [sic] label, which was distributed by Polygram, the set dates from 1984, when country music was looking for itself again after the fade of the outlaws and just before Dwight Yoakam changed everything again with his return to Bakersfield honky tonk. This is a curiosity in Gosdin's catalog in that it openly reveals his restlessness in seeking a new direction. Gosdin seemed to be revisiting many of the moments in his past rambling days from California to Chicago to Nash Vegas to Texas, from street to honky tonk to concert hall and recording studio. He is accompanied by Emmylou Harris in a very prominent backing-vocalist role. Gosdin takes "Turn, Turn, Turn" and transforms it into a song that looks forward; it doesn't sit in the present tense, a reflection on the changing nature of the times. But in tracks like "How Can I Believe You (When You'll Be Leavin' Me)," Jim Rushing's "Slow Healing Heart," and Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon's "What Would Your Memories Do," Gosdin reaches deep into that golden throat of his to pull out every conflicting emotion that presents itself in the lyrics. Whether it is a ballad or a honky tonk waltz or a pop song, Gosdin holds them all in equanimity and delivers them as if they are the only songs in the world. In addition to his literally stunning performances here, Gosdin co-wrote over half of the record, making it one of his most inspired efforts. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Silver Eagle Cross Country Presents Live: Vern Gosdin'
Release Date 4/15/1997
Tracks 10
Label Silver Eagle
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What The Critics Say
Silver Eagle Cross Country Presents Live captures a concert Vern Gosdin gave in Colmesneil, TX in 1983, when he was at the height of his popularity. Gosdin is in fine voice and the set is thoroughly entertaining, featuring such staples as "Way Down Deep," "Today My World Slipped Away," "Til the End" and "If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)," making it a small gem for devoted Gosdin fans. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
'If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong (Do It Right)'
Release Date 1/1/1996
Tracks 10
Label American Harvest
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'Set 'Em Up'
Release Date 12/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label Sony Special Products
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'The Gospel Album'
Release Date 6/20/1995
Tracks 11
Label American Harvest
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