Memories of Us / Battle
The years 1975 and 1976 mark a hard turn in the life and career of George Jones. After an extraordinary commercial and artistic run, Jones's marriage toTammy Wynettecollapsed for good, his substance abuse verged on the deadly, and most of his singles charted poorly. At the same time, Jones collaborated with Billy Sherrill for two emotionally potent, incessantly graceful albums. Recorded in the immediate aftermath of Jones's divorce,Memories of Usis relentlessly dark, distinguished by the unbearably sad "A Goodbye Joke" and "What I Do Best," in which pathos becomes great art. Surrounded by Sherrill's often-breathtaking production, Jones's voice never sounded so plangent, so aching. The original album cover ofThe Battleis itself high theatre--a white bed, empty white boots, a framed portrait of Jones, spilled red roses--and the music inside is even more dramatic. "Love Coming Down" represents the perfect marriage of a grand confessional lyric and vocal genius, whileDavid Allan Coe's "I Still Sing the Old Songs" seems to have been tailor-made for Jones's hard-country persona. Then there's the remarkable title track. The extended metaphor of "The Battle," in which satin gowns become armor and tears deadly weapons, would be absurd in most hands; yet the story of a marriage disintegrating into war, but somehow finding peace, becomes transcendent in the hands of Jones and Sherrill. That track, indeed the entire album, stands among the most moving and enduring work in the history of country music.--Roy Kasten