Patsy Cline - The Patsy Cline Collection

The Country Music Foundation offers 104 songs--more than four hours of music--even though Patsy Cline died at 30 after less than a decade of recording. Given the wavering quality of her later string-laden work, four CDs might be excessive, but this set comprehensively follows Cline from upstart country boomer to pop diva. She could take charge of a song from day one, as the two 1954 radio transcriptions prove. On her vibrant late-1950s work, she moves from honky-tonk and rockabilly to soft ballads in commanding fashion. "Walkin After Midnight," her first hit, features Don Helms's gentle steel guitar while her vocals blend raw power with emotional vulnerability. By 1957, vocal groups had entered into the mix, and in 1961, hits such as "I Fall to Pieces," "She's Got You," and Willie Nelson's "Crazy" brought her pop stardom. --Marc Greilsamer Amazon.com essential recording

Stellar box set with nearly all of her studio recordings.

Before I start my review, let me just say that I've not yet really fully listened to this set. I've only listened to disc 1 in full and am listening to disc 2 now, and I've skimmed over the other two discs, just to get an idea of sound quality and such.

I was never a big Patsy Cline fan growing up. I never really knew much of her material or anything like that. She just wasn't an artist I was exposed to much until just a few years ago, when I saw the 2003 reissue of her Greatest Hits album at the library and decided to check it out. 35 minutes and twelve songs later, I was a fan. The way she could wrap her rich emotive voice around those twelve songs, most of which were classic songs of heartbreak, captivated me, and I was a bit frustrated at the brevity of the collection and wanted more. Just about a month ago, I finally got my wish.

Whereas Greatest Hits gives you twelve songs that total under 35 minutes and is great for the casual fan or as a start to discovering her catalogue, this set, which gives you nearly four and a half hours of music on four CDs and a total of 104 recordings spanning an all too short eight and a half years between her first radio performances to her final studio sessions and concluding with a priceless live recording of Just A Closer Walk With Thee, with everything in chronological order, with the exception of the aforementioned live performance, in which the date of performance is unknown.

This set does something that Greatest Hits doesn't - it contains much of her work for Four Star Records, which includes the original hit version of Walkin' After Midnight. (The version included on Greatest Hits is a remake she recorded for her 1961 Decca album Showcase which turned her original more country-fied mono hit into a more pop-styled stereo recording. That version is also included on this set.) It also shows her progression from more of a pure country sound, which included plenty of honky tonk and even material bordering on rock and roll, to the pop crossover sound she's best known for today.

In addition to most of her studio recordings, this set contains several priceless treasures. Ten performances from radio programs are included on here, most if not all taken from 12 or 16 inch vinyl records. Some live concert performances are also present, as well as a few alternate takes. These live concert recordings and radio performances offer us a chance to hear some songs that Patsy never recorded in a studio or just hear how she interpreted some of her own singles when performing on radio or live in concert.

The sound quality of this set, for the most part, is outstanding. For a box set released in 1991, when digitally remastering music for release on the compact disc format was basically in its infancy and a lot of CDs of classic music were still being released with lousy sound despite the engineers and producers doing the best they could to improve it, (See the 1988 CD issue of the soundtrack to the 1954 film version of A Star Is Born for an example of this.) this sounds like it was just released last week. Excessive noise is removed, but never to the point to where the audio quality is compromised. Whether taken from mono master tapes, two or three track stereo master tapes, or vinyl records, the best possible care was taken to make sure that these songs sound the best they possibly can for an outstanding listening experience.

The loving care given to this set does not stop with the actual music, but also spills over into the packaging. Inside a nice large white box, with a gorgeously color-tinted photo of Patsy on the cover, houses a plastic tray which holds a FANTASTIC 60+ page book with photos, friends and famous fans giving their thoughts on Patsy, essays on her career, and information on recording sessions. Much of the material included in this book is as priceless as the music itself. A foldout page inside includes a reproduction of the front page of The Nashville Banner the day that Patsy's life was ended by a plane crash on one side, and a tinted photo of Patsy in cowgirl garb riding in a car during a 1955 parade on the other side. Wire service bulletins sent out during the night after the fateful plane crash giving incoming info are also included, giving a sense of the anxiety that fans were experiencing that night as more and more details were being reported. Photos of Patsy recording, performing, at home, with friends, etc. make the book a priceless addition to this set. Underneath this book lies the CDs themselves, each one housed in its own jewel case, each one with a different gorgeous tinted photo of Patsy on the cover. When you open the case, on the other side of the front cover is a nice black and white photo of Patsy performing for radio or fans...or in the case of disc 2, just relaxing in a chair wearing a fabulous fur stole.

Sadly, this box set is now out of print, and depending on when you check, used copies can be a bit pricey now, or they can be very reasonable. Whatever you decide to pay for this collection, it's absolutely worth it for the vast array of music you get, as well as the fantastic book that comes with the set. If you're wanting to get a taste of her material outside the 12 measly tracks from Greatest Hits and discover how varied her style actually was, I can't think of anything better to do that with than this set. Almost any Patsy Cline recording you could ever want is in this lovingly packaged and remastered set. Don't hesitate to own it and discover the best of what Patsy had to offer us. Like many of the greats, such as Judy Garland and Karen Carpenter, Patsy's life and career were all too short, and it's saddening to think of what more they could have contributed to entertainment had life not ended so soon for them. However, just like Judy and Karen, as long as there are people to listen to these precious recordings, Patsy will never truly be gone. March 18, 2008

Absolutely the Best You Can Buy

I bought this a long time ago when it first came out in the tape form. I played it so much, I wore them out. I miss not listening to that voice, that perfect, one of a kind voice. Now, this is an ANTHOLOGY that has everything ever done by her, unlike the Selena Anthology. If you can get it, get it. It deserves a 10 star rating. I miss not listening to her, as this was my only collection of Patsy Cline. February 23, 2008

Never No more

Of course, its the voice! This set does a tremendous job of showcasing a set of pipes that probably will never be heard the like of again. MCA thru the 80s had a reputation of really doing a horrid job of releasing back catalogs. They had a graveyard reputation. All of the sudden that changed and this set is a case in point. Besides the incredible amount of archival material, the remastering of these recordings ARE STELLAR! Also, the booklet is amazing. I am sure the casual fan would find this set TOO much. For her real fans, this is a fitting tribute to roots American music. THis set cements her in our collective memories. TOO bad this set has NOW gone out of print. December 11, 2007

Patsy Cline Collection

There are a total of (4) CDs that contain 105 songs of Patsy Cline's.
GREAT selection, we have really enjoyed it. October 5, 2007

The Patsy Cline Collection

I'm really happy with this purchase. I enjoy all the CD's in the package and the booklet that came with it. I love Patsy's music and some of the songs I didn't even know that she sang, I wasn't born whine Patsy was alive. Her songs are timeless and never out of style. Her style of singing really draws you into the song and when she sings she's living the words in that song. She really did sing from her heart. May 7, 2007

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