Mon Feb 08 2021
4
Dang, this is some good ass country music. Makes me want to take a shot of whiskey and punch someone in the face cause I can't give up my rough and rowdy ways.
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I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Merle Haggard
1967
- Album Summary
I'm a Lonesome Fugitive is the third studio album by Merle Haggard and The Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1967.
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Wed Dec 29 2021
4
Of course it's great, it's Merle Haggard. Great music for road trips, especially sections of highway that are less congested so you can just sit back and relax a tad.
Sun Jul 24 2022
1
Oh, it's country. Fuck off then
Mon Sep 14 2020
4
Left me broken inside. Damn, Merle, why’d you have to be so loud. Country music really is the music of pain.
Thu Apr 08 2021
1
Couldn't even finish this garbage. Hate this style of Country music.
Fri Jan 22 2021
5
Toe-tapping music at it's finest. I just wanna two-step around the room. :) Love me some, Merle!
Fri Feb 11 2022
5
Some good, ol' fashioned country music. If there's one thing that I've learned from this album generator, it's that I don't hate country music, I hate modern country music. The songs go down smooth and don't overstay their welcome. Hadn't heard of Merle Haggard before, but I'll definitely be listening to him more from here on out.
Fri Feb 05 2021
4
A country classic and liked it more than I expected to :)
Wed Jun 23 2021
4
Excellent - a true classic of the genre. Good ol' honky tonk Country songs of heartbreak, loneliness, cheatin' women, and running away from responsibilities ;) Haggard's voice sounds great and is well supported by the traditional country sounds of pedal steel et cetera.
Sun Aug 08 2021
4
I prefer Merle a million times more than Buck Owens. Some will draw the line from Buck to Merle to Dwight Yoakam and they wouldn't be wrong. Merle gets major points for "Mama Tried" and "Okie From Muskogee" two all time bangers (both are obvious 5's). Neither song appears on this album, so seek those out if you've never heard them. If you're looking to do a deep dive on the wonders of Merle, fair warning: Spotify separates Merle Haggard from Merle Haggard & The Strangers, which is just annoying. This album just scratches the surface of the Merle legend, but it'll help you understand why Merle Haggard merits consideration for the Mount Rushmore of country music.
Mon Oct 18 2021
3
Grâce à cet album, j'ai enfin pu comprendre où voulait en venir mon camarade d'écoute robnouricière lorsqu'il évoquait le genre musical "Bob l'éponge". Je vais vous révéler ici le secret de ce genre musical. Lancez l'album de Merde, et concentrez-vous sur l'instrument à cordes utilisé. Maintenant, pensez fort à Bob l'éponge, dégustant un Krusty Crab dans l'enceinte de Monsieur Crabe, en compagnie de son camarade Carlos. L'immersion devrait être des plus totales, et des bulles ne devraient pas tarder à sortir de votre bouche. Un grand merci à rob et à l'album de merde du jour pour ce petit secret révélé.
Thu Jul 20 2023
3
A few artists truly pioneered the outlaw country movement in the late 60s into the 70s, and Merle Haggard was certainly among those; this is true outlaw country representation! While a bit of an oxymoron, Merle Haggard is in the outlaw country elite. Even when compared to country outlaw "founders" Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Merle often came across rougher, grittier, grungier, and overall as a stronger example of the outlaw vibe. While I would say that Waylon and Willie have had some success outside of the outlaw country sphere, Merle didn't see his first major success until this album, arguably his first outlaw country album. Essentially, every song on this album is dripping in that folky, bad boy "outlaw" vibe. The impact here can not be overstated, as outlaw country artists like Merle have inspired countless other country artists that have emerged since to sing about grittier, more rebellious, less "polite society" topics. Listen to just about any country song that emerged after this major outlaw period and you can hear Merle's and other outlaw country artists' influence. Hearing this album leaves no doubt as to why Haggard has had a long-lasting, now immortalized place in outlaw country fame. A great inclusion showing a very specific and very popular movement in country music.
Mon Oct 18 2021
2
Un mauvais album de plus dans cette période sombre que certains qualifieraient volontiers de "Crise du Générateur". On réalise très vite que Merle Haggard est un proche de Buck Owens et qu'il va nous servir la même soupe à base de générique de Bob l'éponge. Merde Haggarl.
Fri Jan 27 2023
2
Cowboy prison sadness
Thu May 18 2023
2
I’ve always felt like the term “Outlaw Country” was nothing more than creative marketing. Like…this is just country music except with the occasional reference to being on the run. …and before you get all, “uh, ackshually…”, yes I know Merle Haggard served time and had a criminal past. The phrase “Outlaw Country” gives the impression that it’s gonna be the kind of music that’ll make you want break a beer bottle across someone’s face and then go rob the Circle K down the road. This ain’t that. This is just regular old country music.
Tue Feb 02 2021
5
What a silky smooth voice and backing strings
Sun May 23 2021
5
Good road trip vibes
Sun Aug 29 2021
5
Sorpresota. Otro disco perfecto.
Fri Jan 21 2022
5
Excellent album - very evocative.
Thu Feb 17 2022
5
Je n'écoutais quasi jamais de Country, et c'est une révélation
Thu Mar 17 2022
5
Perfection
Wed Apr 20 2022
5
Classic
Fri Aug 26 2022
5
Hell yeah. This is just good old fashioned country music. Loved it.
Fri Oct 28 2022
5
One of the greats.
Fri Dec 09 2022
5
Fugitive country. The original OG. Brilliant storytelling, influential, charismatic.
Sun Dec 25 2022
5
I have spoken before, during my review of Buck Evans' I've Got a Tiger by the Tail, about the kaleidoscope of reasons why an individual wouldn't like country. But why would an individual like country? Well, country is often simple, unpretentious fun. It fits both a rowdy honky-tonk Saturday night and a contemplative moment with a glass of bourbon. Its best singers have qualities rare in other genres: grit, directness and authority. Someone once told me that country is the only genre focused of expressing the listener's travails: when a country singer wails about being unable to make that month's rent, it is sung for the members of the audience who can't make that month's rent. And perhaps the greatest strength of country is the same as the greatest strength of soul: both genres are unsurpassed in making the listener feel a deeper sense of emotion. With soul, the emotion it conveys most profoundly is love; the emotion that country expresses with similar insight is, of course, heartache. Every cowboy sings a sad, sad song. Merle Haggard is my favourite country singer. I am in no way an expert on country, but I know enough to have a favourite singer, and that's Merle Haggard. Merle Haggard was one of the figures representing the most credible stance of country artists: the troubled, wandering bad boy constantly evading the law, not always successfully, and whose unsettled past provided their songs with authenticity and toughness. This is the tradition of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and the outlaw country movement. Merle Haggard's drifter jailbird country was damn more authentic than most. An Okie from California, Haggard's teenage years can be summarised by the extensive rap sheet he managed. After a few periods of reform school, Haggard got inspired to pursue music, but poverty led him to attempt a robbery, which led him to attend San Quentin. He then changed direction and concentrated on becoming the most adept country songwriter there ever was. Oddly, his most famous song is the rather unrepresentative, conservative protest song Okie from Muskogee, which opens with the line "We don't smoke marijuana in Muskogee"; in later years, Haggard would love himself some blazing up of a fatso JJ (I understand that's what the kids call it nowadays). I'm a Lonesome Fugitive is Merle Haggard's third album, and exemplifies the Bakersfield sound, which was a California-based anti-Nashville style of country that readily took lessons and rhythms from rock 'n' roll. So, I'm a Lonesome Fugitive has real pep, and If You Want to Be My Woman is a straight-up blues number. But it should be noted that, since it's a 1967 country album, the record serves more as a showcase of Merle Haggard's songs from early 1967 than as a coherent album interlaced with themes and leitmotifs. But like Are You Experienced and Wild is the Wind, I'm a Lonesome Fugitive is a really good showcase. We experience most of the standard rounds in Haggard's revolver: convict troubadour numbers, (I'm a Lonesome Fugitive), murder ballads (Life in Prison), paradigmatic love songs (All of Me Belongs to You), juke joint blues rockers (If You Want to Be My Woman), odes to drinking away one's problems (Drink Up and Be Somebody), odes to just drinking (My Rough and Rowdy Ways). Every song here is mighty fine, and every listen so far has just made them mighty finer. But one property of this album worth noting is that this is not an album for teenagers. The audience this album aims for is adult, even middle-aged. The album's humour is wry and drenched in rye. The sorrows of this album are adult concerns of penury and the losses of serious love, not adolescent infatuations. Even resorting to booze to ease a broken heart, while not necessarily a mature response, is by definition an adult one. So, this has set me to thinking if the snottiness against country stems from age. I can understand perfectly if a teenager has no inclination to seek out some Willie Nelson. How would that teenager feel once they hit 35? Does the predilection to country music depend on how close you are to your first prostate exam? NoRadio, signing off.
Thu Feb 23 2023
5
It's 30 minutes of Merle doing his thing. He gets in and gets out, leaving you wanting more. Legend. Best track: Someone Told My Story
Thu Jul 27 2023
5
No country music is more pure than The Hag. One of my favorite artists, always brings me back to memories of being a kid and my dad having this on. I normally just hear the greatest hits albums, so this was great to hear some tracks I'd never heard.
Fri Feb 26 2021
4
Pretty good
Sat Jul 17 2021
4
It only felt very good, not essential.
Thu Jun 03 2021
4
Je m’attendais pas a un album country mais j’aime bien le style. C’est plaisnant de decouvrir un artiste comme cela. A reecouter. 4*
Wed May 12 2021
4
One for one what you would expect a country album to sound like and themed after, enjoyed it despite the genre
Wed May 12 2021
4
very good country
Mon May 31 2021
4
Hi: All of Me Belongs To You, Skid Row, Mixed Up Mess of a Heart If you're tired of Johnny Cash outlaw country, get into so MERLE, you won't be disappointed. I don't think country gets better than this.
Fri Feb 12 2021
4
Original country. Merle haggard was kinda cute when he was young
Thu Jun 10 2021
4
I'm not a huge fan of old country but this has some quality tracks.
Fri Apr 30 2021
4
Great songs. Four chords and the truth!
Mon Apr 26 2021
4
I dig this!
Sun May 16 2021
4
A lot more fun than I expected! I started listening to some of his other stuff, Love Affair With Trains is such a vibe
Fri Jul 02 2021
4
Pretty good country. I like the voice.
Wed Sep 22 2021
4
Die goede old school country hype. love it. geeft me zin om the ranch opnieuw te kijken. Stardew valley hype
Thu Oct 14 2021
4
Really good timeless stuff.
Thu Nov 25 2021
4
This style of country is always such a vibe, and few vibe with it better than Merle.
Wed Dec 01 2021
4
Outlaw country is my jam. Really liked this one
Thu Dec 09 2021
4
The old country lives
Sun Dec 19 2021
4
8/10. Some enjoyable old fashioned country music. I liked that that the songs never really dragged on too much, and thought this was a good length overall.
Sun Dec 19 2021
4
7/10 pretty good country songs with a nice vocal performance. the first song and the last song were easily the best, and unfortunately nothing else lived up
Thu Jan 13 2022
4
Somone who knows their genre and excels in it.
Sun Jan 16 2022
4
Gloriously simple old country.
Wed Feb 02 2022
4
I quite enjoyed this. Hadn’t heard it before, but was what I expected from a Merle Haggard album, in a good way. Am not averse to a bit of country, but I tend to err on the Johnny Cash / rockabilly side, generally. Some great country titles and lyrics here though, and I particularly enjoyed Drink Up and Be Somebody.
Wed Feb 16 2022
4
Mon péché cute
Wed Mar 09 2022
4
gott stuff
Fri Mar 11 2022
4
Aquele episódio do Bob Esponja q a Sandy fica cantando que quer voltar pro Texas 3,5
Thu Mar 17 2022
4
Bless you, Merle. This record is... *Scott Hall high pitch inflection* TOO SWEEEEEEEET! Merle's vocals are like marmalade.
Thu Mar 31 2022
4
MERLE!
Thu Apr 07 2022
4
Old timey country in the best of ways. 4.5
Fri Apr 22 2022
4
Really enjoyed this, surprisingly so considering I know nothing about traditional country music. Will explore more!
Mon May 02 2022
4
4/5. Classic country trope, but done well by one of the greats 👍
Wed May 25 2022
4
Yes.
Thu May 26 2022
4
yes mama!!! I love a 60s cowboy
Fri Jun 10 2022
4
Love me some bittersweet Bakersfield-style country. This is a classic country album, with Haggard in perfect voice. Musically, the Strangers are really tight, with some exceptional guitar work. Fave Songs: Drink Up and Be Somebody, Mixed Up Mess of a Heart, All of Me Belongs to You, Someone Told My Story, My Rough and Rowdy Ways
Sat Jun 11 2022
4
I would call it a classic of the genre.
Wed Jun 29 2022
4
An entirely unexpected treat. A few country albums have already popped up on my list and so far, whatever the reputation, I've not gelled with them. This however, lean and spare, is a great listen. Most songs a little over 2 minutes, very few ballads, almost punktry.
Sun Jul 03 2022
4
swinging!
Mon Jul 11 2022
4
I prefer the Nashville style over the the Las Vegas style of country music any day. Merle is all Nashville.
Fri Jul 29 2022
4
Good support for my theory that the best of any genre is probably pretty good.
Sat Aug 13 2022
4
Clive turned me onto Merle Haggard during one of our many "nothing to do during covid, let's get drunk" sessions. He knew all about this stuff where I only knew of Johnny Cash - Merle Haggard, Hank Williams (multiple), etc etc. He'd gotten into it through his parents so he had knowledge of all this almost-forgotten country from an earlier age. In any case, the lyrics could use some work but the music itself is fantastic. 4/5.
Fri Aug 26 2022
4
I liked this - a ‘proper’ bit of country with all the cheatin’ fightin’ and lovin’ you could ask for.
Fri Sep 09 2022
4
Sad cowboy jams
Thu Sep 15 2022
4
Man, I really hate Country Music, But this album is just great. You know how fast food chains use bright oranges and yellows in their dining areas to subconsciously push you out of the restaurant when you're done eating? I think the two words 'Merle' and 'Haggard' do something to my subconscious and make me rank this album higher than I normally would. Here is how my brain interprets those two words: MERLE = super old, wrinkly, rural, complacent and full of hard-earned life lessons. HAGGARD = downtrodden and full of despair. I think the description of those two words fit this album. I mean, if his name was '(The)Getup Kids' I would hate this album. Well, anything named 'Get Up Kids' I would hate. I think it's just the simplicity, tempo and sweet pipes of ole Merle that gets to me and makes it work. Lonesome Fugitive makes me feel like I lifted a rock and found something interesting that I'll forget about in an hour.
Thu Sep 15 2022
4
I love Merle Haggard so much. Here he is at the peak of his powers. Bakersfield at its best.
Fri Sep 16 2022
4
just looking at the cover i expect road trip country vibes... and i was right! this is just the willies roadhouse radio station in my grandpas truck driving to town from the cabin. the vibes are immaculate, album added 👍
Thu Sep 29 2022
4
The good stuff
Sun Oct 02 2022
4
This country man sure has some good yarns about going to prison and such. I'm a sucker for this exact country sound (and very few other country sounds)
Wed Nov 16 2022
4
Yes! Love this!
Thu Nov 17 2022
4
Classic Merle
Thu Dec 01 2022
4
Music to hop a train and roam the Midwest to. Before he was defined by “Okie from Muskogee,” Merle Haggard and his band spun country gold out of this set of melancholy tunes.
Thu Dec 15 2022
4
Legacy country music here. Sad, sweet, strong, and poignant, sometimes all at the same time. There is something (genuine?) about this one that made me feel connected to the music. Good stuff.
Fri Dec 23 2022
4
4.5 I’ll always be the first to admit that my distaste for country music is mostly due to my own ignorance about the genre. I have really only ever found one country artist that I truly enjoy (Johnny Cash). Otherwise there are a few singles here and there that I like, mostly from Fallout: New Vegas, but I never bothered to discover more country. That’s where this list comes in handy because in the case of “I’m a Lonely Fugitive” I think it’s fair to say I had a great time listening. The subject matter is quite melancholy and I think I only heard one John Deere reference. Surprisingly, I liked Merle’s voice and the guitar work was really intricate and well done. There were times I felt like this is the emo of country with lyrics like “My life will be a burden every day, if I could die my pain might go away” sounding like they were ripped straight out of Devil and God or The Black Parade. I liked just about everything about this album. Favorites: I’m a Lonesome Fugitive, House of Memories, Life in Prison, Someone Told My Story, Mary’s Mine, Skid Row, Mixed Up Mess of a Heart
Fri Dec 30 2022
4
7/10 fun country music but nothing special makes me wanna go fishing from the back of a pickup truck or some shit haha
Wed Jan 04 2023
4
Liked it more than I thought I would. You can tell these are from the heart.
Thu Jan 12 2023
4
So I was quite prepared to say "similar to Johnny Cash" (which I love), give it a 3 star rating and move on, possibly skipping a track or two. But the more I listened the more it wormed its way into my head. Glad to add this to my 4Star+ playlist
Wed Jan 18 2023
4
Wasn’t too familiar with these tunes exactly, but I’m bery familiar with the combination of Merle’s stories and Roy Ernest Nichols‘ guitar playing. There could be 5000 Merle Haggard albums that sound just like this, I’m really not sure, but it hits like this classic form at its peak, and it brings me joy.
Wed Jan 18 2023
4
I really like old school country and this a great album.
Thu Feb 02 2023
4
Classic Merle haggard Excellent outlaw country Definitely a must listen for any country fan
Sun Feb 05 2023
4
Great album - what country used to be.
Fri Feb 10 2023
4
I just like Merle Haggard. Enjoy the Bakersfield sound, and I slightly prefer this album to Buck Owens's I've Got a Tiger By the Tail, but both are great classic country records. Bonnie Owens's harmony vocals are the secret weapon on this album, adding some extra depth to Someone Told My Story and the title track. Drink Up and Be Somebody and If You Want to Be My Woman are both fun uptempo stomps, and Life in Prison is a just a banger of a classic country track.
Thu Feb 23 2023
4
One of the most influential albums Merle ever made, practically creating the Outlaw Country sub-genre. Not a very popular or lasting genre, but it was original for the time. It sure is fun and I enjoyed the album. 4/5
Thu Mar 09 2023
4
rather enjoyable listen. i feel like a cowboy now
Fri Apr 07 2023
4
Way better than I’d anticipated. Some beautiful tracks.
Mon Apr 10 2023
4
I'm so thankful to get a shorter album that I don't even care that it's country. Life In Prison is way sadder than I thought this album would get honestly. It wasn't until the last couple lines until I realized what he was saying.
Wed Apr 12 2023
4
Merle Haggard is a classic. I’m generally not a fan of modern country music but I’ll listen to him any day. 3.5/5, rounded up to 4/5.
Fri Apr 14 2023
4
Country is certainly not my preferred genre, but some music is just undeniably charming. Merle Haggard has a great voice and writes excellent songs. The backing music features his voice well while keeping your toes tapping 4/5
Wed Apr 19 2023
4
Good ol country n western. Sad songs that make you want to drink a few cold ones and hop in a pickup.
Sat Apr 22 2023
4
really good
Wed Apr 26 2023
4
Whenever I think of country, Haggard’s voice is one of the first to pop up. Iconic, warm and with an emotional depth to it. He’s really all you want in a country singer. This quintessential American sound brings back memories of cruising down the lonesome highway, heading West towards the sunset, an arm around my girl, evergreen upon evergreen bursting from the stereo. Memories that aren’t mine, to be honest. But memories that live well within the music of Merle Haggard.
Sat May 20 2023
4
Genuine article. Real feeling, even if a fair amount of winking accompanies several songs (see "Whatever Happened to Me" and "Drink Up and Be Somebody'" and "Mixed Up Mess of a Heart"). The playing is assured and smooth, almost to a fault. And one finds it odd and a bit funny to see how clean-cut some of the outlaws could look?
Wed Jun 14 2023
4
Awesome 💙
Thu Jun 22 2023
4
This is a shining example of the Bakersfield Sound with its use of electric instruments and a steady backbeat as an answer to the overproduced Nashville Sound (Haggard was a consistent critic of Nashville). The Honky Tonk and Rock n Roll influences can be heard on songs like 'If You Want to be My Woman' but for the most part, the album is a slower, more contemplative record that features Haggard taking about his time in prison and his younger more reckless days. Haggard's voice is fantastic here and Ralph Mooney's steel guitar is perfect.
Fri Jun 30 2023
4
Old school outlaw country. One of the genres I love, largely thanks to my dad. A great example