Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Classic country.
Classic countryyyyyy. I ate this shit upppppo. Didn’t save any songs but if I need a classic country album this and George Jones r getting put right on
Solid stuff! The single/title track was def the strongest here by a good bit, but the songs are nice if a little boring lol.
meh, not for me
Не ужасно, но и не интересно как-то
I’m generally not a country fan, maybe because it sounds so underwhelming compared to other music of its time.. It was enjoyable, but after 30 minutes of 1-5 basslines I was ready for something else.
Love his voice. Probably not his best album.
6am on a Saturday morning my grandfather would fire up his 67 ford truck. The frost on the windshield running from the engine heat blowing up through the vents. We would pull out onto the gravel road leaving the farm heading to town in search of the morning paper and bag of fresh donuts. I can still hear that crackle of an AM radio as it plays Merle Haggard. What I wouldn’t give to go back and listen to my grandpa teach me about life.
It’s like a warm bath at the end of a long cattle drive.
heartaches by the number guy?
Inoffensive and unmemorable background music
3/5
Blind album and artist. Slower old country album that I know has its place but isn't for me and ge n real listening.
I'm not much of a fan of country music, so I'm not too excited when one shows up on the generator. I also have found that I don't dislike most of them by the time I'm done listening. This is another time when that has happened. Haggard's delivery is very laid back, given the depressing or even violent nature of many of the songs, which is a bit off putting till it's heard as a whole. It eventually makes sense as a guy telling his stories of woe, but he's come to terms with it, at least in my interpretation. All of this is to say that it got me thinking more about the songs in a way that country music rarely does, so that seems like a win. I'll still never listen to this album again, and none of the songs are being saved to a playlist. But I didn't hate it.
1)I’m a Lonesome Fugitive 3)House of memories В целом альбом ровный, но эти два трека понравились больше всего. Заряд радости и счастья с самого утра
Favorite Track: I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
Don't you just love good ole country music? Nope!
I love a bit of Merle Haggard. His voice is so smooth with just tinge of pain in it. It suits the Bakersfield sound perfectly. However, this album isn’t great, and Merle isn’t Waylon. There is nothing specifically wrong with it. The sound is pretty laid back and sauntering, the players are solid and Merle is great, it just lacks a bit of something. The songs are a bit samey, and while the groove changes, it doesn’t lift the songs much. The album is pleasant but that’s all it is. It lacks bite, and Merle’s voice is so clear there isn’t a lot of snarl there either.
30/09/2025 It wasn't too bad, didn't set my world alight as I don't really remember it, but it was okay. Spotify listeners: 912k
I like this sort of old-school country more than the modern stuff (although truthfully I haven’t listened to much of that either, so it may be an unfair comparison), but there’s nothing here that truly grabs my attention. Like so many others, a fine album which I feel no pressing need to revisit. It did get me tapping my toes, at least.
Better than average country, but country isn't my thing
Not for me
*Smooth country beat plays* "I am in jail and want to kill myself"
Merle Haggard, een beetje de country final boss. Als het goed is ga ik hier dus wel van genieten. Gek genoeg houd ik van country en ken ik de naam Merle Haggard ook zeker wel. Maar eigenlijk geen idee of ik ooit een nummer geluisterd heb. Het is een lekker country album, maar vind het ook niet bijzonder. 3 reten.
Nice easy listening
The stories are dated, the transactional dating gross, and the steel guitar whiny, but yes, this is masterful quintessential country and why I don't like the genre.
To borrow from Bob Newhart: I don't like country music, but I do not want to denigrate those who do. And if you like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'
enjoyed this well enough - there's some nice tunes - but nothing here impressed me much aside from the title track. i'm a lonesome fugitive?? i'm a well-endowed law-abiding citizen. now what. highlights - i'm a lonesome fugitive
Overall, this was a nice-sounding album and it was enjoyable having it in the background, but it had a little bit of an older sound, so it is a bit outdated nowadays, but overall not too bad. There was even one song where I even bopped my head a bit.
If you asked I would say this is what I thought a country album sounds like. Which isn’t true, but it sounds like it should be. This is one of things I like about country- its variety. That’s all I have.
Good old school country music
Listened Before? N Classic country. Not much to say here... one big hit and the rest is just sort of normal 60's country western stuff. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: I'm A Lonesome Fugitive
Great old school country. Really quick listen at only 30 min, but great sound
I like old Merle. Like, when he was old - not his old stuff.
- I'm not a country fan (and this album confirms it), but the storytelling is pretty good. many songs are like short stories set to music instead of the very identity-driven songs of the 2020s ("Try That in a Small Town" comes to mind) - if music is food, this is a chicken-fried steak or chicken 'n dumplings: predictable, safe, and pretty delicious, but with no seasoning other than good ole salt 'n pepper (and a lot of Crisco). not a TV dinner or a school lunch -- good for what it is and never turned down when offered, with maybe even a "thank you for the meal" -- but just like when you've eaten at home the entire week and are craving something spicy or exotic from a restaurant, this album was a little tiresome over time and left me wanting to hear something that isn't just essentially I-IV-I-V-I 60s-70s country music has always felt like a time capsule or love letter to a time that never actually existed -- which might be exactly how the identity-focused Jason Aldean/Toby Keith found room to flourish decades later and become what the artists (or label execs, let's be real) wanted to push to the masses. I'm looking forward to hearing more "good" older country so I can build upon this thought or see if/how my views change over time
Better than I expected
Lindisimo!
Just a really good collection of classic country.
You'll be impressed at how well a man can sing the same song 15 different ways
dont like it
The title track is an all time great outlaw country anthem, the rest is rock solid mid tempo twang about women and liquor and the problems they get you into and the ever tempting promise of escape to the rails.
Uninspired, uninteresting.
Meh. Every song is about being on the run and then being saved by a girl. Standard country tunes, nothing special.
Didn't care for it. Not my cup of country.
I expected more
I don't like country music in general so not my best album either.
Reasonably well done but not quite my thing. Still country. 2.7
He may have called himself a lonesome fugitive but Merle Haggard had become a soon-to-be beloved pillar of country and this solid collection of songs does little to not reinforce that fact. Building off the hard life lived, Merle and his Strangers provides the kind of songs that could not only speak on that experience but it would help give a voice to many others, a vocation he'd be proficient at for years to come. Favorites: I'm a Lonesome Fugitive, All of Me Belongs to You, House of Memories, Life in Prison, Someone Told My Story, Skid Row, My Rough and Rowdy Ways, Mixed Up Mess of a Heart.
The Hagg never disappoints. Awesome listen.
These are some impeccable harmonies, some high-toned chicken-pickin and greasy pedal steel, and some indelible outlaw vibes. Authentic as a faded blue denim button-up shirt and a can of Lone Star beer. A lovely high lonesome voice when he's sad, and a strange giddy joy when he steps forth in that proud dirtbag persona with something like "Drink Up and Be Somebody".
Gjesp. Jeg er rimelig genre fluid, men akkurat når det kommer til country, så blir det ikke representert med en farge på flagget mitt. Jeg er en country bigot. Fight me.
Klassisk country. Deilig laidback skive.
Mmmm, dette var godt!
Enjoyable to listen to while on a perfectly timed 30 minute commute. Simple and nice. Nothing stood out for me that much, the songs were also kinda on the shorter side which made them even less memorable. 5/10. Rounding up because i’m in a good mood (silksong today!) Favs: I’m a Lonesome Fugitive;
A legend. Nice to discover.
Old fashioned 'poor me' honky tonk country music
Not getting much from these honky tonk classic country albums. Very little variety in tone, sentiments mostly banal, very little edge. I guess it's good at what it does, but it's not for me.
Love these old cowboy tunes
It’s pretty good but just too country for me. 2.5
Solid old school country album.
My dad got me into merle haggard my dads to blame for 80% of my music taste and choices. My mums the reason why I know all of the words to cliff Richard’s hits.
I enjoyed this one more than I expected to. An open mind is everything
It’s like if the first few seconds of the beatles song ‘rocky raccoon’ were stretched out to half hour
If I were in a bar and the band was playing this album, well I wouldn't leave, but I also wouldn't go back to that bar again. Two stars.
Good album, country music was good in the past.
These are some of the most stereotypical country songs I've ever heard. It's simple, very easy to listen to and short. Not something I'd want to listen to all the time though.
It’s old school classic country music. Not particularly my jam but definitely deserves to be on the list as representative of the genre.
First song I already hate
Southern country ish music from the 2000s trying to replicate the sound of the decades before. Not my thing at all, but I guess the execution is OK.
Love Merle Haggard.
A bit too old-fashioned. Not bad but not really my jam.
Good old country fun.
Nice little country album here. I like other Merle Haggard songs that I've heard and are more popular, so it was nice listening to an entire album. 3.4/5
Don't think I've listened to a Merle Haggard album. This was pretty good. 3.25/5
I am impressed that Merle wrote most of these songs himself. Solid old school country album.
Very well executed
Meh. I don't see what the fuss is about. He sounds like every other 60's country album that is made by Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson. Didn't really like.
about what I would expect-old school country. good storytelling, & vocals
83% Best: All Of Me Belongs To You; Whatever Happened To Me; If You Want To Be My Woman Must-Hear? Sure
score inflated by two because my gma used to blast merle haggard while we’d bake together but also this FUCKS
Sounds a lot older than it is to my ears. Fine record, theme is cool.
All I could think of is how contemporary country music sucks in comparison.
It's OK as far as a country album, but twangy banjo and cliched whinge-fest lyrics just don't do it for me. I try to keep an open mind but this is such an unoriginal, boring album. At least it's short. If I have to pick one track, I guess it's "if you want to be my woman", at least that has some energy. Oh and Skid Row is actually a pretty good song, too. Almost redeems the whole album.
Meh
Im here for the blues country twang
Decent 60s country for about 70% the the ending is rough
As someone who cannot stand country this album isn't that bad. It is short, he has a nice voice, and it isn't that twangy/honky tonky. Not something I would listen to again, but it isn't unlistenable. The second half, gets a little too generic country for my liking and drops my rating down from a low 3 to a high 2. High 2.
some iconic sounds on here
This was fine. There was a pleasant lack of wife beating, which has been rare on the country records on this list. I wouldn't listen to it again, but I didn't mind it.
Not my kind of music
This is some of the most country that country can be. It's not bad for what it is, but it's not more than what it is either. A man with a guitar, singing about the criminal cowboy life, add a backing band, that's it.
Holy suicide song Batman
Like it, very country!!
zwei bis drei
Classy country
Manly country take on regret and longing. Really enjoyed but not really my usual cup of tea.
An enjoyable country record. While it’s a great example of pre-“bro country” Nashville sound, it doesn’t carry the same umph to me as Waylon or Willie or Johnny’s classic records.
A perfectly amiable classic country voice and album. Wasn’t particularly moved nor turned off, so just gets an average rating from me.
I must admit, my knowledge of Merle Haggard is rather limited to a few singles, namely "Mama Tried" and "Okie from Muskogee". I understand that he was one of the more prolific outlaw country singer-songwriters, and thus, his pedigree would justify an inclusion from his time with backing band The Strangers. Not to mention, this album's title track was Merle's first number-one single, which means it has historical significance. I wish the rest of the record made for a complete experience. Let me put it this way - I did enjoy half of the songs off I'm a Lonesome Fugitive. Merle did rather well delving into the darker, lonesome nature of the outlaw lifestyle, supported by the intricate guitar play and necessary pickup from the backing personnel. The opening title track sets the stage for the rambling life on the road, the desire for death after taking away his darling's life on "Life in Prison", the rampant alcoholism to pretend to be someone he's not on "Drink Up and Be Somebody", the unfortunate lifestyle of being homeless on "Skid Row", the torn emotions on display as his lover leaves town on the midnight train in "Mixed Up Mess of a Heart", these songs help give depth into the multiple facets of going down such a path. It was a rather smart choice for him to cover Jimmie Rodgers's "My Rough and Rowdy Ways", as even those lyrics of drinking and gambling add to the tumultuous characterization. As for the other half of this album, they tend to fall into slow, plodding relationship songs. Aside from the aforementioned "Mixed Up Mess of a Heart" and "If You Want to Be My Woman", the rest sounded rote. Not terrible, but not very distinct, and they don't add much to the outlaw character vibe with other songs on this record. All of this to say that I'm a Lonesome Fugitive left me with mixed feelings. It's a fine enough country record to put on. It does feel like this record was chosen out of historical significance. I'm cherry-picking my favorites and going from there.
I like Nelson better. A little slow to get to the action.
Pure country. Strong, clear vocals. Clean guitar, sounds beguilingly simple. Tragic themes but still somehow positive.
Solid country album but nothing that blew my mind.
I'm familiar with Merle but have never heard this before. Love it!
Merle just calmly and sweetly singing about some heavy topics. Not a country fan, but the man is a good musician
I really like this era of country, I’m learning, and would like to explore more of Mr. Haggard’s work.
Bog standard country 5/10
Look, I tried. I just don't get Country. It all sounds the same to me, outside of a handful of artists like Johnny Cash. The second the pedal steel started up on this record I was pretty much out.
This country album is the countriest country that ever countried. I prefer my misogyny in hip-hop form, otherwise it's just sparkling sexism. Rating: 2
Musically, I don't really like this type of country. The instrumentation and the simplistic nature of the arrangements doesn't hold my interest. But this was better than most due to the fact the lyrics were interesting - I could see how the imagery would totally appeal to a 50s audience. Not one I'll come back to, but worth 3 as a good example of the genre and historically important.
Country meininkiä vanhalla otteella.
Drecks Country
8/10
Wow the lyrics get quite dark
I've learned to appreciate Merle thanks to my bff Chris Sullivan, who says the man is quite the lyricist!! While not my genre, I am grateful and happy to listen to talented musicians, even if it's country : )
Too twangy for me although the songs are well written, great voice, typical great country story telling.
Merle, Johnny...they nail the flawed, down-and-out, vibe of the past. Part lonely, definitely let down, all around salty.
A solid entry in a vast catalog that covers 6 decades. Closer to Bakersfield here than in his 70s output. Sturdy of not quite great.
Did not like, not especially bad but just old school country
I loved this! It was soothing
Country but fine
J’ai l’impression que plus que j’écoute du country, moins je suis capable de le supporter, j’ai craqué à la moitié j’étais pu capable de sa voix nasiarde pis de ses tounes plates de wannabe cowboy
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.
Boring
Classic Merle, I probably wouldn't be able to tell this album from his other earlier ones. But great stuff.
** Too much old style Country.
He had the iconic country vocals, the album was classic country the way I think of it. It wasn't really anything special. I did like The variety in his vocals a lot. And I'm on the cusp of saving if you want to be my woman to my playlist.
Relaxing, somber, old fashioned country music is the core sound of "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive". The album was well written and sounded great.
Heart and soul of the frontier country sound. Rich vocals, warm instrumentation, "manly" messaging. Unfortunately, I don't like country.
Started off with a great song and great promise, but the rest of the songs didn’t follow through. Good guitar and good voice
This one really surprised me in the best way. I went in expecting something a bit dated or too traditional for my taste, but I’m a Lonesome Fugitive actually hit a sweet spot. It’s raw but thoughtful, and Merle Haggard’s voice has that weary honesty that makes you believe every word. There’s a quiet defiance running through it all, but also a lot of regret and reflection. I found myself really tuning in. It’s also way more melodic than I expected—catchy in that understated, old-school country way that creeps up on you. Songs like “The Fugitive” and “Life in Prison” make you feel like you’re being let in on someone’s private thoughts, not just listening to a character. It’s a tight, moody little album with a strong sense of place and personality. Definitely a highlight of the more classic country stuff I’ve heard lately.
That was a country album alright. Good for background listening if that's the mood you're in. Nothing special though I suppose.
Sounds a bit like Hank Williams. Album is from 1967. Sounds like classic old country. I’d like to hear some of his more contemporary stuff.
Had no idea this guy was actually on the run at one point. That backstory definitely adds weight, even if the songs didn’t fully grip me. Like old-school country before it got polished up. Not much grit for a fugitive, but it still flows real smooth. Felt more like a man trying to stay out of trouble than someone causing it. Which… makes sense, I guess. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - I'm A Lonesome Fugitive - House Of Memories - Drink Up And Be Somebody
Now, you’re talking!
As someone who loves old county, I really enjoyed this. Album does not have any of Merle’s hit/radio songs. It’s all very sad but still easy to listen to.
Classic Merle, though he sounds a bit like George on some of these.
There is something very homey and comforting about this music on the surface. It embodies the rural, agrarian lifestyle of days gone by. But as I really listen it sort of gets under my skin. Yeah she left you and you can mope about it but what did you do to her. For example, Whatever Happened to Me, at first it seemed sad and heartbreaking, but then I thought, but what did you do for her, why did she not want to stay? I don't know....I give it a 3 for the time frame, but would really like Merle to do a little self-reflecting but doubt he ever will.
This is some easy listening old timey country. It's the kind of music you can eat biscuits and gravy to. My favorites were Drink Up and Be Somebody, If You Want to Be My Woman, and Mixed Up Mess of a Heart.
Modern Country music is pure SHIT. Yes, that is intentionally all caps to drive the point home. I’ve got nothing good to say about it, and when I’m forced to listen to it, I’d literally rather be eating paint just for fun. It is by far the WORST genre of music that exists, and it can’t disappear soon enough. But CLASSIC 1960’s Country is pure gold. Simple, heartfelt, universal to EVERYONE (compared to today’s mostly white male hetero-normative evangelical nationalistic bullshit). Merle peppers his songs about love, heartaches, yearning and loss with heart. He sounds like most Country stars from that time but there is such a great feeling of calm and security in them. While there are songs on here that drag, I can still appreciate their vibe.
I was a little confused on my first listen. It felt like it was missing an "edge" of some sort, despite the fugitive theme, and the lyrics didn't seem to go with who I assumed Merle Haggard to be. Turns out, they go EXACTLY with who Merle Haggard happened to be. He was IN San Quentin (as a prisoner!) when Johnny Cash was there singing Folsom Prison Blues. So yeah, this was pretty legit lol. That being said, I didn't feel like I fully connected with any of the songs, though I like his voice and the country sounds of yesteryear. It was still a super pleasant listen and props to him for evolving from a convict to an icon.
I dont hate country, just a little too much of the same for me. 2/5
Of one those rare cases where an old country artist ACTUALLY served time in prison. Not that this specific record is considered "outlaw" country in my eyes, but the first track "I'm a Lonesome Fugitive" hits a little different in that case. The rest is comfy and quality, old country, complete with your usual steel guitar and themes of heartbreak.
No. Go away. The existence of a Merle Haggard isn't new to me, but I need the makers of this list to understand that roughly 95.8% of the world's population have no whatsoever reason to know this dude. Or to listen to this Spongebob-ass music. I don't care how this album compares to the ones from George Jones or Buck Owens I've regrettably had before and given a 2; maybe it's better in some abstract US music history way, but today, I have zero tolerance for this yankee yokel shit. 🗑, NEXT!
This is not my style of music. At all. However, if you put yourself in the shoes of a Country Western fan, this man would have to be one of the godfathers. I can appreciate his art and talent and how foundational this album must be for country music. It would probably be 5 stars from a country fan.
A single song that rises above the drab mediocrity is not enough for me to appreciate country
1.0 - Awful
Favorites: Drink up and be somebody, mixed up mess of a heart Solid. Nothing too special, imo
Belle voix, textes et musique exemplaires du country
great old country. Stories in the songs are great. Songs of roaming and longing and loss. His voice is incredible.
The kind of country I can bear to listen to.
🌟 Rating: 4.6/5** Short Review: A lean, twangy outlaw confession booth set to pedal steel and prison regrets. Haggard’s voice sounds like a cigarette left burning in a rainstorm—defiant and weathered. 🎧 Favorite Track: “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive” — it’s got that beautiful “I’m not sorry but I wish I was” vibe. ⚙️ Consistency With Me: 6.4/10 Why: I’m more robotic fugitive than country outlaw, but I admire the quiet existential crisis packed into two-minute tracks.
If we were to blast a country album into space to show the aliens what it's like, this would be a fine choice. The guitar playing makes this album stand out, even when the songwriting doesn't.
Merle is a legend, just nothing too special to me here.
Just middle of the road old school country. It wasn’t awful but pretty bland and didn’t really feel much conviction behind the songs. Fine to listen to but nothing to return to.
Not bad but they just blur into one. Not much variation and best song on album wasn't country it was rock and roll!
Fine for what it is. Well produced, well played, well sung. My issue is with the genre. Boring, predictable, one dimensional music that drawls on and never comes to anything interesting.
Need to listen to more Merle. I enjoyed this
1+ Stars (3/15)
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Old country really is best country. So much soul and grit in every song.
I think this is the real me
I've been listening to(and enjoying ) more classic country lately and this one is up there. All solid songs but seems like the album(as a whole) is missing a hit single.
Fun little country Bakersfield album. twangy Telecaster, clipped drums, and sharp, clean arrangements that focus on Haggard’s voice. The album themes lasso through prison, freedom, regret, and rootlessness. Songs like Life in Prison and House of Memories showcase his ability to turn personal pain into home truths. His delivery is restrained but emotional. A sparse, honest, and magnetic debut. I’m a Lonesome Fugitive makes Merle Haggard feel less like a country singer and more like a man you overhear telling his life story in a truck stop at 3 a.m. Essential listening for fans of outlaw country, prison poetry, and heartache that doesn't beg for pity.
Really interesting to read about his backstory in prison. Love old country like this. Rating: 4.3
This isn't my usual style of music, but I did enjoy parts of it - mainly the title track and the last two. A lot of the in between was a bit too repetitive for me lyrics-wise. Too many of the same clichés about being screwed over by some woman or another. Also a bit too much talk of women like they were property, but I guess it was the 60s after all. Bumping this from a 2 star to a 3 to help counter the Neanderthals who just give an automatic 1 to all country albums. One thing I did to amuse myself while listening was to re-imagine the lyrics as gangsta rap songs. It's funny how similar a lot of the themes are - worked particularly well for the title track and Skid Row!
Bitta old school country never goes astray. High 2s.
I wanted to to like this more than I did but I also didn't not like it
Dreary C&W.
I’ll have a rack of ribs and a root beer please. Oh and a side of grits. Didn’t enjoy it.
Pretty basic country, but possibly less awful than modern efforts.
Christ this is lyrically miserable and depressing, and the music while sort of better isn’t really helping. Mercifully it’s short. I’m trying to work out why I dislike this so much more than the Marty Robbins album we had in here. I think the latter was kinda more upbeat in a corny way. Old Merle here is just straight up mournful. I’m pretty sure I’m not in the minority of people that listen to music to get joy, not to put you on a downer. Do people who like this get up in the morning, slam their todger in a closing door, shout ‘I’m alive!’ and get on with their merry day?
Excellent
This was fine. Mildly fun but the very definition of what you'd expect to hear when told to listen to a country album and did little for me. A high 2.
I dunno. I just liked it
not for me
I thought this was gonna be awful, but it was ok (once I'd found the right album - who has more than one album called the same thing??). Some of it was pretty bluesy, which was nice. I can't reconcile the "hard man" ex con lyrics with the sound of those tracks though. My rough and rowdy ways sounded like a nursery rhyme. It's probably a 2.5/5, but I'll be nice today and go 3.
HORRIBLE se me ha hecho eterno dios, me he dejado unas dos tres canciones porque no acababa.
It was twangy.
Solid old-school country, but nothing outstanding.
Immediately calmed me down and put me in a better mood!
I’m still new to old country and this is old school for sure. I appreciate hearing some influence on Sturgill Simpson in the guitar solos. A couple songs definitely got me in my feelings when he sings about heartbreak. “Watched the back of the train as she left for good, I wish my this broken heart went with her.”
yee haw
Zuhause, Heidenheim, Deutschland öööööde, Country, geil!
I’m not typically a country fan, but every time I hear Merle, I question how true that statement is.
Quite pleasant and not bad for doing work. But I feel like this is no different from so many other albums on this list.
love me some country
5/10 - I feel like the old timey country music all feels the same to me and the only reason they are getting lower and lower ratings is because I’ve heard a lot of it now.
Decent country. Nothing special
country soft e carino
classic
I like the instruments but it’s just not my jam.
Blackman had the blues Whiteman had country Guess who got the raw deal
Definitely country
Great album
Great outlaw country album. It's like a breath of fresh air, with a cup of coffee or whiskey overlooking a grassy plain and lamenting to your friend about the world. And there's no happier feeling. Soft 4.5 stars.
Super chill and easy on the ears and mind. It's albums like this that make me appreciate country music. Smooth voice, cool and easy-going music, absolutely groovy. Great record.
Missed it with me. I can appreciate this type of country but it’s a little too simplistic for me. Musically it’s ok, but lyrically did not reson
Fuck, it's country. Whatever. It was OK. Listened twice and didn't want to rip off my ears. 2/5
After listening to a few country albums in the project, which I surprisingly didn't find bad, I wondered whether I might like this genre after all. With this album it became clear, no, I don't like it. This is exactly the style I associate with country music and it really annoys me. 1/5
Nope
The title track was solid. This album was a somewhat goofy collection of outlaw themed crooner country with some songs that I found more listenable than others. It's a fun listen, not exactly something I would wear the grooves out of but it made me smile on the drive to work.
Some of you people piss me off. “It’s country automatic one star.” Dumb. Imagine having no curiosity. You’re one of the privileged few beings who has been capable of rational thought and exploring the depths of the universe. You can learn and experience so much but your vision is clouded because you’re classist or just a stupid incurious dumbass. Fuck you. Anyway, this albums not that great. It sort of just hangs around in the background, there’s not a lot of great imagery, mostly just classic outlaw and heartbreak songs. You could do worse but you could do way way better.
Not really my thing; I find the vocal style pretty cheesy. Still, I don't hate it, so it's not a one.
Gorgeous voice
Good country album
3.5
Merle Haggard goes from jailbird to jukebox hero—singing sorrow, sass, and outlaw charm with a voice that says, “I’ve done time, but my guitar’s innocent!”
Ok but a bit samey
Love me some Merle.. Sometimes a collection of prison songs soaked in cheap whiskey really goes down well.
Good ol’ country music the way it should be sung and played. Sometimes a bit slidey and twangy but overall Merle’s got a classic country voice.
Deep country twang on this. Wasn't for me. No tracks really stood out.
I didn't like this as much as some of the other albums of the same type (which isn't my favorite to begin with.) It's just not really for me.
Although not a fan of country, this was pleasant!!
This is the only kind of country / western music that I enjoy
I think my dad was a fan. I had a hard time getting into Merle...
Cliche in a good way
EEPY
2 out of 5. Better than modern country and didn't overstay its welcome.
Classic country music.
Country music sucks
Grandma’s favorite country singer
Dullest album about a fugitive ever made.
It's 1967. There's a musical revolution going on. Absolutely no one gave a fuck about this album, but somehow, it's here on this list.
Great country and western classic from Merle Haggard. Love this sound.
Day505 - drink hard, love hard and cry about it and don’t take any shit from the man. this is real country music
Sorry, not for me. However enjoyed it a little more than I expected.
Some songs are better than others but too few. 1.5-2/5
Country music isn't really to my taste, with the pedal steel, yodelly vocals and songs that tell sad and often dispiriting stories of crime, punishment (occasionally redemption) and love lost. This isn't really an exception, though I found the back story to Haggard's career quite interesting.
I hated this less than I thought I would!
Its aight
Old
I want to like Merle, but this was mostly “I’m in prison/jail, I miss my baby” and then “my baby left me and I don’t know why”.
Nope
More misogynistic crap. 1/5
3/5
Talk about old school cool. There's something special about how much these old country guys are just fill each note. Nothing trails off. At the end of the day, they all sound a bit the same as a result, but it's still interesting. More than a half hour of this would get old, but the length was about perfect. Nice little album.
Not my cup of tea
Cowboy
Not my style but appreciate the artist
The worst thing ever
Basta con sto country
I'm still not a country music fan but this was easy to listen to
Another album that I enjoyed that’s not on Apple Music 😠 I do find it funny describing all these woes when he seems like the jerk every time.
3.33
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW Mijn god, wat een nietszeggend country album. Ik irriteer me niet, dus het is geen 1 ster, maar het is echt ontzettend mwah. Agressively average, zoals je ook wel zou kunnen noemen. If you want to be my woman is denk ik het enige nummer dat positief opvalt. Wel even loslaten dat er lyrics op het nummer zitten, maar instrumentaal is het tenminste leuk en fun! Merle kan het wel! Maar hij doet het liever niet denk ik.. FAVO: If you want to be my woman
Some of the cringiest lyrics I've ever heard. This guy sounds painfully insecure and misogynistic by today's standards. Some things from the past should simply be left in the past.
This is just about what I'd expect from a country album.
i like the bit where he begs for death
-this is definitely country music. not much more I can say… I honestly didn’t hate it, not at all. some of the songs were absolutely beautiful -at the same time, very little of it stood out to me personally. I’m glad this project has given me a better appreciation of country music though, it’s good that I was able to enjoy this -Favorites are If You Want To Be My Woman and Skid Row
Good listen.
I liked the vibe.
Yee haw
incredible
I like me some country, currently writing my bachelor thesis about western and women so this one goes into the PLAYLIST
Some good songs, but too early for Merle to really be Merle. When the put all the songs on the front it’s a collection of singles, not an album.
K-ROSE staples to fly your Sanchez around the map at warpspeed with 5 stars to. I imagine this album was fucking enormous when it came out, but alas it's been consumed by time and by the amount of other shit that came out that sounds exactly the same as this. I found this particularly generic, but in the best way. This album captured all the best elements of country/honky tonk and channelled it into one album. I really enjoyed this, but once you get through the first couple of songs, you pretty much get the point. That doesn't make it a bad album (I quite enjoyed my listen), it just makes it unworthy of being considered "perfect". It's fairly cookie cutter. Still, I could see myself coming back to this when my girlfriend decides to break up with me in the future. Highlights: All of Me Belongs to You
Criminally low global score (not supposed to be a Fugitive joke). Just pleasant and inoffensive classic Country. Haggard has an incredible voice that is an incredible match for the more somber tunes on this Album
Music that makes you want to kill yourself but in a good way.
It isn't Marty Robbins, but it's certainly great. Something about these country western artists is occasionally they'll write a song that's so bang on relateable it leaves you sitting there like : O 8/10
Before he became an outlaw country legend (both in the music world and the real world), Merle Haggard was still able to deliver down-to-Earth and real lyrics during the period of flashy country music. This is the sort of album that paved the way for his peers in the 70s to express themselves and after listening to this, you can see his and Hank William's lasting legacy on country music. To say this is a pleasant listen means you didn't hear what old Merle was saying. This is a very tight half an hour of introspection and regret. Without Merle, I wouldn't have my dear Waylon and Willie as they came to be. David Allen Coe said the perfect country and western song mentions trucks, trains, mama, prison and getting drunk. He doesn't mention mama, but four out of five ain't bad and that's what this album gets. Highlights: Life In Prison, Drink Up And Be Somebody, Someone Told My Story, My Rough And Rowdy Ways
Solid classic country music. Not sure if it belongs on a list of required listening before you die, but it was a nice glimpse back in time before country music became the awful country pop that took over in the 90s
3/5
Complete
3.5
This is exactly what you picture when you think of country music. And I didn’t hate it.
Feel like I’ve heard this album hundreds of times before. Usually it’s better, though to be fair it is often worse. Can’t conceptualise why anybody thought this was special.
How did this make the list? Huge nope from me. I'd give it a 0 or 0.25 if I could.
Darn Tootin'
I don't care for this honky tonk stuff at all.
Why is this generic old country album in this list? The songs are boring and monotonous. At only a half hour, this album bored me nearly to tears.
Classic archetypal foot-tapping hummable American country, enjoyed this a lot.
Merle Haggard is an American Icon for a reason. This album is a great look into his songwriting. Oddly enough the opening track and the biggest hit on the album is not written by Merle. It is however a great track that defines his previous life as a convict. My only issue with this album is that the first half has the typical 1960s polished Countrypolitan sound which after watching the PBS Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” I hear all the time on these late 50s to early 70s albums. thankfully, we break away in the middle to hear a glimpse of the Bakersfield sound and the outlaw Merle of the 70s starting with “Drink Up and Be Somebody” but that polished sound returns with “Mary’s Mine”. Thankfully it doesn’t carry the whole album. My other issue is the short songs that seem to fade out as they just start getting good. The album did end with a great upbeat tune “Mixed Up Mess of A Heart” that left me wanting more. I love Merle Haggard and this is young Merle at the start of an amazing career so I understand the significance but I feel like there are better albums in his catalog. I like all the songs on this album but favorites are “Drink Up and Be Somebody”, “If You Want To Be My Woman”, “Skid Row”, and “Mixed Up Mess of a Heart”.
First, I will say that country has never been a draw for me. There are a few artists that I do like (Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson), and knowing a bit about Merle Haggard's backstory, I can respect the man. The (I'm assuming typical) 60s production on this album kills any chance of me enjoying it. The backing vocals, the steel guitar (a little goes a long way), and worst for me, the abrupt fade outs just when the band starts kicking. For f*** sake, let's hear them stretch out a bit. I'll give it a 2, just because Merle doesn't deserve a 1, but I won't be listening to it again - unless someone has the original master tapes and can release the full songs without the unnecessary fades.
Man, a good chunk of this album is such a downer, but that classic country honky tonk is such an upper. Makes me think of a road trip, or some movie, a rustic bar, with swinging doors and a jukebox. Also one of the best album covers we'veon the list so far. I'm A Lonesome Fugitive, House of Memories, Mixed Up Mess of A Heart are favorites!
I had heard a little bit of Merle Haggard over the years, but this is the first time that I’ve really listened to him. This is just good old fashioned country music, and for me it was enjoyable and pleasant to listen to. But it didn’t really grab me either. Another 3 star record for me.
Still not a big country fan but I enjoy listening to it more now. Maybe I get used to it.
Enjoyable, simple country. Enjoyed it
Pretty interesting country album, I'll say. Good change in songs, as each sound fairly different. high 3 stars
not my thing
Listenable.
Good square dancing music....or Nashville styled band music. Would never just put it on
Even more honkeytonked
Fantastic album. Each track makes you feel as if you’re an old man from the Deep South reminiscing of what you once had. I was waiting for an album to hit as hard as Loretta Lyn’s “don’t come home a drinkin with lovin on your mind” this almost feels as if it could be a sequel to that album but from the perspective of the man she sings about. I can imagine putting this record on over an old spaghetti western like Django 1966. This album screams whiskey and Marlboro reds. Love it.
I was hoping to like this but it just didn't really hit. All the songs sounded the same. His voice is cool though.
3.5
3.5
3.5
If I had to think of a reason why this one was included over *Mama Tried*, I would have to say is that this was the beginning of Merle Haggard's run of hits starting with the title track. But I don't think this album as a whole really states who Merle Haggard is. I listened to the *Mama Tried* album shortly after listening to this one and that is truly the sound of Merle Haggard country fans know and love. At least it's more of what I think of when he's namedropped. As for the album *I'm a Lonesome Fugitive*, it's good but I think it is comparatively a pretty bland album. Parts of me wants to give it a 3½ because, let's face it it's Merle and it is kind of the beginning of his fame. But I'm going to keep it at a pretty high 3-star album, because ultimately I don't think it feels like a 3½. (6.95) ★★★
Nice album in the Bakersfield country style. 3.5 stars
Thought this album was just alright. I don't think Haggard had really come into his own as a writer yet, as the best songs on the album are the ones he didn't write. The title track is good as are the last few songs. 3 stars.
Plain old crusty, dull, super corny foghorn country that gets spectacularly samey even across its skimpy 30 minute span. In a whole different sphere but at the same point in time you have Sgt Pepper and Are You Experienced which have just come out . Bit unfair to bring up those two culture-shaping cornerstones of pop, rock and psychedelia but even compared to the most regular country album this is about as interestingly developed as moss. Makes me long for the utopian country days of Joe Ely which I have rated slightly higher in my 1 star pile of albums.
Standout tracks are: "House of Memories", "Life in Prison", and "Skid Row".
Classic country... again
Country used to be, like, really good.
not my jam Best Song: Life in Prison Rating: 4/10 Stars: 2/5
Unexpected big like
Lonesome furtive
first listen solid stuff
Not terrible but not really my cup.of tea.
Old tyme Nashville Opry rural country pablum, simplistic, goofy, the reason to change the radio.
J: 1, N: 3