Rare Demos: First to Last
Hank Williams scattered just 66 songs along the Lost Highway of his brief life, and so it's natural that even his scratch demos might be resurrected and preserved--especially when the best of them thrill with a blend of genius ("There's Nothing as Sweet as My Baby") and madness (a spooky version of "A House of Gold"). This CD, a compilation of two memorable LPs,Just Me and My GuitarandThe First Recordings, sounds brighter than the vinyl incarnations and gives new life to old favorites ("Jambalaya," "Honky Tonk Blues"). Otherwise, this collection offers many of Hank's lesser-known songs, almost all of them haunting ("Lost on the River"), grim ("Neath a Cold Gray Tomb of Stone"), and set to the tempo of tears. Whew! No wonder Hank drank.--Alanna Nash