Webb Pierce Albums (32)
'Holiday for Love'
Release Date 5/29/2009
Tracks 22
Label Country Stars
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The back cover of Fuel 2000's Honky-Tonk Hero trumpets the chart position of each of the 15 songs on the collection: "Back Street Affair" (#1 Country); "In the Jailhouse Now" (#1 Country); "Wondering" (#1 Country). Too bad that the chart position, in all but two cases, refers to versions not heard on this collection. Webb Pierce did have a remarkable strings of chart-topping country hits, but those were cut for Decca. The versions here are remakes Webb cut in the mid-'70s for Plantation Records, a fact buried until the very end of Bill Dahl's typically fine liner notes (in fact, the liners are better than this deserves). These remakes aren't bad, necessarily -- they're professional, well-recorded and Pierce is in good voice -- but they don't hold a candle to the originals, a comparison that can't help but be made because so many of the cuts closely adhere to original arrangments, thereby increasing the feeling that this is a bit of a scam. What is noteworthy is the two exceptions -- two largely unheard singles for Plantation that barely scraped the charts in the mid-'70s. Of the two, "The Good Lord Giveth (& Uncle Sam Taketh Away)" is the lost gem, thanks to its post-psychedelic country production, swirling fuzz-tone guitars and funny lyrics, but the loping Tex-Mex beat of "I've Got Leaving on My Mind" (mildly reminiscent of Doug Sahm) is also nice to hear. These two songs aren't found elsewhere and they suggest that Pierce's '70s recordings, while surely tied to the times, would be worth excavating on a real reissue, which this certainly isn't, but it's hard not to wish it was. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
I'm Gonna Be a Swinger is a fascinating album for several reasons. First, it was Webb Pierce's last album for Decca, recorded at the end of a 21-year association, during which he sold a lot of records. Second, it's astounding how little his style changed over the years -- I'm Gonna Be a Swinger sounds like it could have been made ten years earlier. (If you love Pierce, that's not a bad thing). Finally, Pierce's name appears among the songwriting credits on half the songs, most notably on "Someday," which he apparently co-wrote with former Cricket Sonny Curtis. The cover photo shows Pierce in a gaudy suit and tie worthy of a used car salesman, grinning suggestively as the words "I'm Gonna Be a Swinger" float above him. Was this someone's idea of a hip makeover for the '70s? Some of the songs are quite unusual for Pierce, such as the recitation "Daddy's Not Dead" (featuring Koko the Clown from the Webb Pierce Road Show on the spoken word part) and the Bailes Brothers' moralistic "Whiskey Is the Devil (In Liquid Form)," on which Johnny Bailes himself guests. It's a little surprising to receive a temperance message from the King of the Honky-Tonks -- Pierce is, after all, the guy who once sang "There Stands the Glass." "I'm Gonna Be a Swinger" was a minor hit but, with this kind of throwback music, Pierce wasn't about to win many new fans. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Country Favorites is a budget LP that reissues a random selection of mostly album tracks from the late '50s and early '60s, three of which are taken from Webb With a Beat. "Hideaway Heart" is the title track from a 1962 LP and should have been at least a minor hit at the time, and "Honey (Open That Door)" features an excellent vocal performance from Pierce, who sang like absolutely no one else. "How Do You Talk to a Baby" was a Top Ten hit for Pierce in 1961, and is the only hit on the package. "Tennessee Waltz" and "Poison Love" presumably were included to justify the album's dubious "country favorites" billing, but the album is not weighted toward well-known country songs, nor is it hit-oriented. This album may appeal to buyers assembling a collection of Pierce's out-of-print recordings, but it is an inessential and superfluous item in his discography. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
'Love Ain't Never Gonna Be No Better'
Release Date 1/1/1970
Tracks 11
Label Decca
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The title track from Love Ain't Never Gonna Be No Better was Webb Pierce's second-to-last Top 40 hit in 1969-1970, although it is standard (but pleasant) fare that doesn't stand out for that distinction. Pierce's sound had remained practically static for a decade, so he had no chance of weathering the profound changes that country music had already begun to experience in the late '60s and early '70s, but his fans could take comfort in the reliability of his albums. That said, Love Ain't Never Gonna Be No Better has some real highlights, including a wonderful, haunting version of "Faded Love" and a clap-happy inspirational song, "Everyday Will Be Sunday After While." "Send My Love to Me" is based on the melody of "Silver Bells," which Pierce recorded many years earlier. There was a time when ol' Webb Pierce was more adventurous than he came to be during his late period, but he seldom made a bad record. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
'Webb Pierce Sings This Thing'
Release Date 1/1/1969
Tracks 11
Label Decca
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This Thing is exemplary of the consistent quality and sound that Webb Pierce maintained throughout the '60s -- it could be played side by side with one of his records from 1960, and there would be no discernible difference. The title track was his final Top 20 hit, and "If I Had Last Night to Live Over" also made the country Top 40. Half of the songs are credited or co-credited to Pierce's wife, Audrey Grisham (including "This Thing"), and other songs are from the pens of Pierce's longtime confederates Wayne P. Walker and Mel Tillis. Pierce covers Bobby Edwards' hit "You're the Reason," although his arrangement is more similar to Johnny Tillotson's version than the original, and "Lo-Lenna" is a watered-down Cajun number. The album would have benefited from a couple more up-tempo songs, but This Thing is a solid album that is sure to please Pierce's fans. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Country Songs is a collection of previously released non-hit album tracks that concentrates on songs written by Webb Pierce. Pierce, like many big artists of his era, often negotiated for co-writer credit on songs he didn't write so as to obtain a portion of the publishing royalties. As a result, it's hard to know how many of these songs he really had a hand in composing, but nearly half of the songs are credited solely to Pierce. The emphasis on weepers and sentimental love songs suggests that this package was aimed at the older country audience who enjoyed Pierce during his peak years in the '50s, and these '60s album cuts vary little from his early sound. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
