Hank Thompson – Vintage Collection (Capitol); At the Golden Nugget (Capitol)

HANK THOMPSON died Tuesday (11/6/07) of lung cancer. His combination of Honky Tonk singing and sentiments with Western Swing backing made him a country music superstar. I’ve done an obituary for CultureCatch; in the process of putting it together I discovered something I want to point out as forcefully as possible: because country albums from the 1950s and ‘60s are short and undervalued by the mainstream, they are often out of “print,” but great values on iTunes.

These two albums, favorites of mine ever since I discovered his music in the mid-’90s, are great examples. Vintage Collection offers 20 tracks (50 minutes), and the CD has remained in print ever since it was compiled in 1996 because it’s a great value at a list price of $6.97. On iTunes it’s even cheaper at $5.99. You can get a cultural treasure for six bucks without moving from your house. The material here is from his period on Capitol (1947-65 or so), by far his best stuff. Highlights: the witty heartbreak song “(I’ve Got a) Humpty Dumpty Heart,” the not-really-dirty-despite-the-title “Swing Wide Your Gate of Love,” his first #1 single (on the country chart, of course) “The Wild Side of Life” with its famous line “I didn’t know God made honky tonk angels,” the hot pedal steel licks on “Cryin’ in the Deep Blue Sea” and many tasty solos on an instrumental rendition of “Wildwood Flower” (including Hank’s pal MERLE TRAVIS, who’s all over the post-’53 tunes), the funny Tex Williams-style “Total Stranger” with its spoken verses, the drinking classic “A Six Pack to Go,” and his intense cover of “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” (the flip side of “Six Pack”).

The 1961 concert album At the Golden Nugget, reissued in 1995, has lapsed from CD but can be found at iTunes for $7.99. Recorded in Las Vegas (replete with the sounds of roulette wheels and clanking chips) with his longtime backing band, the Brazos Valley Boys, cutting loose and augmented by Travis, this is 36 minutes of pure fun, alternating hard-riffing swing and mid-tempo items. “John Henry” is totally hot and finds Travis at his flashiest, while Travis’s “Nine Pound Hammer” gets a distinctively jazzy arrangement complete with trumpet, while “Steel Guitar Rag” is positively explosive (all hail BOBBY GARRETT). While the slower items may be less thrilling on the surface, they’re still great, including a fine “Lost Highway.” And it’s all in good sound, because this was recorded for commercial release – the first live country LP by a single artist where that was the case.

Anybody who’s not already familiar with Hank Thompson will understand his greatness after listening to either of these albums.