Hank Williams - Original Singles Collection 3xCD

what do y'all think of the sound on this collection?

i used to have the "40 greatest hits" 2xCD which has received much praise on this board. but the absence of "honky tonkin" and many other great hits was difficult for me to deal with. so i ditched that release for the "original singles collection" 3xCD a few years back - it seemed to be the best compromise between the numerous single/double disc collections and the 10 disc (i think) box set.

unfortunately, i didn't hold on to "40 greatest hits" long enough to do a/b comparisons with "original singles collection." any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

I can't give you any good comparisons with other titles soundwise, but I think the "Original Singles" set is outstanding. It's one of the most played box sets in my collection. It's possible that some other releases may have better sound quality, but I doubt the difference is huge.
However, IMO you need the "Beyond the Sunset" set (with Hank's "Luke the Drifter" recordings) also, to get a complete picture of him.

 

I took the same route you did and eventually sold the singles collection. I wasn't crazy about the sound of the singles collection but I don't have a strong enough opinion about it. One key thing about the singles collection, is that it doesn't include the singles released as Luke the Drifter.

 

The Singles Collection is mastered by one of my favorites...Dennis Drake!..(IMO), it's the best sounding HW out there...even better than the Complete Box Set...I presently own EVERY HW release on compact disc...

 

I used to have the Singles Collection but I found it was hard to listen to all the way through which is probably typical of a lot of box sets. Anyway, I had also picked up the first 2 volumes of the 8-CD set released in the 80's I believe which I liked a lot better both sound-wise and in terms of the songs flowing better. I eventually found a used copy of the whole set and love it (and it wasn't hard, just long, to listen to 8 CD's in a row).

 

...interesting, I have that 8 disc set and find the exact opposite...with all the included demo's, alternates (I quite enjoyed the alternate "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy"), etc...the sound quality is all over the map...the Singles Box is quite consistent in sound quality and overall a better listen for the popular songs...

 

The Luke The Drifter singles can be found on "Beyond The Sunset" and on the Complete boxed set.

 

And how does the Complete 10 CD box set sound
compaired to these other releases?

 

I was thinking about getting the 4 CD box set "Hillbilly Hero" on the Proper Records (UK?) label. It's got 116 tracks, including singles, demos, "Luke the Drifter" stuff, "Health & Happiness Shows" stuff, etc. I've got one jazz box on this label and the sound is fine. Anyone here able to comment on the sound of this Hank box, especially compared to "40 Greatest Hits" or "The Original Singles Collection"?

 

For Health & Happiness Shows stuff, I have the Mercury Chronicles 2 CD set that's now out of print.

 

I've A-B'd the Singles Collection with the Complete box, and I can't for the life of me tell them apart (in the material duplicated by the Complete box, of course). I've got to think they used the same digital masters in the preparation of the Complete box. The stuff not included in the Singles Collection sounds different in the Complete box: more high end, a bit crisper--actually preferable to my ears. Would that they'd done all new transfers for the Complete box, but it doesn't sound like it to me.