Ojai Sam
Staff member
Hank Williams - On Stage Vol. II (1963)
Vinyl Spin of the Day.
Looks great, doesn't it? A tall, thin man strolls onto the stage and mesmerizes the audience with his songs of heartbreak and honky tonkin'. Unfortunately, that's not what we have here. Like many artists, Hank recorded a large number of shows in the studio sans audience that were sold to radio stations. This album (and its predecessor) originated with the "Health and Happiness" shows transcribed in October 1949. Ten years after Hank's death, MGM Records dusted them off, overdubbed some instruments to liven up the sound and padded each side with a commercial recording. At least they did leave in some of the chatter and Audrey's dubious vocals. Years later, the complete set of shows was released on CD, so this album is of interest today as an artifact of the infinite capacity of the label to monetize their gone but not forgotten superstar.
Vinyl Spin of the Day.
Looks great, doesn't it? A tall, thin man strolls onto the stage and mesmerizes the audience with his songs of heartbreak and honky tonkin'. Unfortunately, that's not what we have here. Like many artists, Hank recorded a large number of shows in the studio sans audience that were sold to radio stations. This album (and its predecessor) originated with the "Health and Happiness" shows transcribed in October 1949. Ten years after Hank's death, MGM Records dusted them off, overdubbed some instruments to liven up the sound and padded each side with a commercial recording. At least they did leave in some of the chatter and Audrey's dubious vocals. Years later, the complete set of shows was released on CD, so this album is of interest today as an artifact of the infinite capacity of the label to monetize their gone but not forgotten superstar.
