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Amazingly great early material George recorded for Mercury – filled with great tunes that sometimes get lost amidst the reissue market, a very nicely done 2 CD set that contains a total of 48 tracks in all! The cuts are drawn from the period when George was still nursing his Hank Williams influences more than the lost loves he became famous for, but there's still plenty of great weepers here to go along with the classic honky tonk. Titles include "Cup Of Loneliness", "Too Much Water", "Just One More", "No Money In This Deal", "Why Baby Why", "Flame In My Heart", "Window Up Above", "I Love You Because", "Tender Years", "Your Old Standby", "Glad To Let Her Go", "Big Harlan Taylor", "I'm Gonna Burn Your Playhouse Down", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", "If I Don't Love You", "Mr Fool", and "Who Shot Sam". CD

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Probably the best package of Hank's work we've ever seen! The set collects 42 of Hank's tracks from the late 40s and early 50s on 2 CDs, along with a thick book of biographical notes and photos. Pretty much all of the essential tunes are here, including "I Saw The Light", "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey, Good Lookin'", ""Your Cheatin' Heart", ""There's A Tear In My Beer", "Lost Highway", "Lovesick Blues", and the rest. As with so many other repackaged sets, the biggest excuse to justify spending even more money on old Hank are the rarities – which include several tracks he recorded early on as Luke The Drifter – including "Ramblin' Man", "I Dreamed About Mama", and "Please Make Up Your Mind". You also get several rare versions, included a couple of live captures from the Opry. We're eating our hat here, but we just can't deny that Mercury managed to churn out another essential Hank set! CD

Stunning early sounds from the legendary George Jones – material recorded in the years before his bigger fame on the Musicor and Epic labels – and tracks that show that Jones was already a hell of a well-developed talent right from the start! The cuts here sparkle with that trademark George Jones vocal sound – but also have a nice sort of an edge, as George hasn't settled down into that totally smooth approach of later years – and instead here moves between rocking moments and more twang-heavy tunes – served up on an assortment of singles and rare tracks recorded for the Mercury, Starday, and Dixie labels. Titles include "Too Much Water", "Seasons Of My Heart", "Gonna Come Get You", "I'm Ragged But I'm Right", "Eskimo Pie", "No No Never", "Play It Cool", "Take The Devil Out Of Me", "Just One More", and "No Money In This Deal". A hell of a collection – 29 tracks in all! CD

Tremendous early work from George Jones – the full White Lightning album for Mercury Records, stacked here with a huge amount of bonus tracks too! George is wonderful throughout – already a standout in the shifting country scene of the 50s – with one ear that understands the sharper edges of the rock generation, but another that brings out all the sentiment in the tunes he touches – material that's delivered with this magical approach that few other singers could touch. If you only know George as a blue-tinged singer of ballads from his later years, you'll really be stunned here – as lots of the tracks have a sound that's quite different, and a lot more vibrant. Titles include "White Lighning", "Give Away Girl", "Wandering Soul", "Life To Go", "Flame In My Heart", "What Am I Worth", "I Take The Chance", "Settle Down", "I'm A One Woman Man", "Revenooer Man", "Sparkling Brown Eyes", and "Color Of The Blues". CD