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Most listeners know Johnny Paycheck from "Take This Job and Shove It" -- a song so popular and so iconic that it overshadows everything else Paycheck did, not just for pop fans but for country listeners. Couple that with a reputation for being a roughneck hellion and you have somebody who is known as a persona, not as a musician. And that's a real shame, as Epic/Legacy's The Soul & the Edge: The Best of Johnny Paycheck proves. As the first comprehensive CD collection of Paycheck's hit-making peak years of the '70s and '80s -- his early years are documented on the stellar The Real Mr. Heartache collection -- this collection is a revelation, offering definitive proof that he was one of the very greatest hardcore country singers. He could do it all: blue-collar rage ("Take This Job and Shove It," "Me and the IRS"), barroom weepers ("Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets," "I Did the Right Thing") and barroom ravers ("Fifteen Beers"), lush country-pop (the Billy Sherrill-produced "She's All I Got") and gritty country-soul (a George Jones duet on "You Better Move On"), tough-guy laments ("I'm the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)") and tough-guy bravado ("Ragged Old Truck," "The Outlaw's Prayer"). Plus, there's a wicked, bizarre sense of humor, evidenced clearly on the neo-talking blues "Colorado Cool-Aid," illustrating that he didn't tame his wildness even at his popular peak. Then there's that voice -- a resonant baritone with impeccable phrasing that some claim was an inspiration for George Jones' style (and listening to this and Mr. Heartache makes those claims quite credible). It all adds up to a collection that not only captures Paycheck at his peak, but also lays claim as one of the great country albums of its era, if not all time. It's the kind of collection an artist the stature of Johnny Paycheck deserves.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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D.A Coe, Composer - D.A Coe, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 Sony Music Entertainment
J. Paycheck, Composer - J. Paycheck, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - B. Sherrill, Composer - B. Sherrill, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1976 Sony Music Entertainment
W. Kemp, Composer - W. Kemp, Lyricist - M. Vickery, Composer - M. Vickery, Lyricist - B. Borchers, Composer - B. Borchers, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 Sony Music Entertainment
Wayne Carson, Composer - Wayne Carson, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Margie Hunt, Executive Producer - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Johnathan Russell, 2nd Engineer - Carlos Grier, Edited By - Eric Conn, Edited By - Richard Lescallette, Mastering Engineer - Denny Purcell, Mastering Engineer - Donn Tankersley, Composer - Donn Tankersley, Lyricist
(P) 1977 Sony Music Entertainment
Johnny Paycheck, Performer - J. Williams, Jr., Composer - J. Williams, Jr., Lyricist - G. Bonds, Composer - G. Bonds, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1971 Sony Music Entertainment
Phil Baugh, Guitar - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Tommy Cogbill, Bass - Barry Chance, Guitar - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - Jim Vest, Steel Guitar - Reggie Young, Guitar - The Nashville Edition, Background Vocal - Tommy Allsup, Guitar - B.J. Shaver, Composer - B.J. Shaver, Lyricist - Dwight Yoakam, Harmonica - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Piano - Cliff Parker, Guitar - Barry Walsh, Piano - James Allen Smith, Piano - Jerry Kroon, Drums - Pete Wade, Guitar - Lou Bradley, Engineer - Weldon Myrick, Steel Guitar - Jimmy Murphy, Steel Guitar - Jimmy Murphy, Dobro - Jimmy Murphy, Saxophone - Bobby R. Wood, Piano - Tommy Jackson, Fiddle - JOHNNIE WINTER, Drums - Jim Isbell, Drums - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Michael McBride, Bass - Billy Sanford, Guitar
(P) 1979 Sony Music Entertainment
P. Thomas, Composer - P. Thomas, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 Sony Music Entertainment
B. Davis, Composer - B. Davis, Lyricist - S. Davis, Composer - S. Davis, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1979 Sony Music Entertainment
R. Lane, Composer - R. Lane, Lyricist - Lou Bradley, Engineer - D. Morrison, Composer - D. Morrison, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1976 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
B. Rice, Composer - B. Rice, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - J. Foster, Composer - J. Foster, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1972 Sony Music Entertainment
B. Rice, Composer - B. Rice, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - J. Foster, Composer - J. Foster, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1974 Sony Music Entertainment
M. Haggard, Composer - M. Haggard, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1981 Sony Music Entertainment
Phil Baugh, Guitar - Henry Strzelecki, Bass - Tommy Cogbill, Bass - Barry Chance, Guitar - Terry McMillan, Harmonica - Jim Vest, Steel Guitar - Reggie Young, Guitar - Tommy Allsup, Guitar - Dwight Yoakam, Harmonica - Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Piano - Cliff Parker, Guitar - Barry Walsh, Piano - James Allen Smith, Piano - Jerry Kroon, Drums - Pete Wade, Guitar - Lou Bradley, Engineer - Weldon Myrick, Steel Guitar - Jimmy Murphy, Steel Guitar - Jimmy Murphy, Dobro - Jimmy Murphy, Saxophone - Bobby R. Wood, Piano - Tommy Jackson, Fiddle - JOHNNIE WINTER, Drums - Jim Isbell, Drums - Johnny Paycheck, Composer - Johnny Paycheck, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Michael McBride, Bass - Billy Sanford, Guitar
(P) 1980 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Phil Thomas, Composer - Phil Thomas, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Gladys Scaife, Composer - Gladys Scaife, Lyricist - Don Scaife, Composer - Don Scaife, Lyricist - Ronny Scaife, Composer - Ronny Scaife, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1980 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
F. Dycus, Composer - F. Dycus, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - L. Kingston, Composer - L. Kingston, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1976 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Johnny Paycheck, Performer - A. Alexander, Composer - A. Alexander, Lyricist - George Jones, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1980 Sony Music Entertainment
Johnny Paycheck, Performer - B. Braddock, Composer - B. Braddock, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Lou Bradley, Engineer - The Nashville Edition, Background Vocal - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - G. SUTTON, Composer - G. SUTTON, Lyricist - B. Sherrill, Composer - B. Sherrill, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
D. Tankersley, Composer - D. Tankersley, Lyricist - Lou Bradley, Engineer - W. Carson, Composer - W. Carson, Lyricist - The Nashville Edition, Background Vocal - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1977 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
B. Rice, Composer - B. Rice, Lyricist - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - J. Foster, Composer - J. Foster, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1976 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
M. Haggard, Composer - M. Haggard, Lyricist - M.C. Rather, Mastering Engineer - Don Markham, Trumpet - Don Markham, Saxophone - Don Markham, Horns - Roy Nichols, Electric Guitar - Ronnie Reno, Acoustic Baritone Guitar - Dennis McCracken, Acoustic Bass - Jim Williamson, Engineer - Ron Reynolds, Engineer - Gordon Terry, Fiddle - Merle Haggard, Electric Guitar - Mark Yeary, Piano - Ronnie Dean, Engineer - Russ Bracher, Engineer - Norm Hamlet, Steel Guitar - Biff Adams, Drums - Ken Suesov, Engineer - Johnny Paycheck, Performer - Billy Sherrill, Producer - Steve Pouliot, Engineer
(P) 1981 Sony Music Entertainment
Johnny Paycheck, Performer - G. SUTTON, Composer - G. SUTTON, Lyricist - B. Sherrill, Composer - B. Sherrill, Lyricist - Billy Sherrill, Producer
(P) 1978 Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Most listeners know Johnny Paycheck from "Take This Job and Shove It" -- a song so popular and so iconic that it overshadows everything else Paycheck did, not just for pop fans but for country listeners. Couple that with a reputation for being a roughneck hellion and you have somebody who is known as a persona, not as a musician. And that's a real shame, as Epic/Legacy's The Soul & the Edge: The Best of Johnny Paycheck proves. As the first comprehensive CD collection of Paycheck's hit-making peak years of the '70s and '80s -- his early years are documented on the stellar The Real Mr. Heartache collection -- this collection is a revelation, offering definitive proof that he was one of the very greatest hardcore country singers. He could do it all: blue-collar rage ("Take This Job and Shove It," "Me and the IRS"), barroom weepers ("Slide Off of Your Satin Sheets," "I Did the Right Thing") and barroom ravers ("Fifteen Beers"), lush country-pop (the Billy Sherrill-produced "She's All I Got") and gritty country-soul (a George Jones duet on "You Better Move On"), tough-guy laments ("I'm the Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)") and tough-guy bravado ("Ragged Old Truck," "The Outlaw's Prayer"). Plus, there's a wicked, bizarre sense of humor, evidenced clearly on the neo-talking blues "Colorado Cool-Aid," illustrating that he didn't tame his wildness even at his popular peak. Then there's that voice -- a resonant baritone with impeccable phrasing that some claim was an inspiration for George Jones' style (and listening to this and Mr. Heartache makes those claims quite credible). It all adds up to a collection that not only captures Paycheck at his peak, but also lays claim as one of the great country albums of its era, if not all time. It's the kind of collection an artist the stature of Johnny Paycheck deserves.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 23 track(s)
- Total length: 01:14:09
- Main artists: Johnny Paycheck
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Epic - Legacy
- Genre: Country
(P) 2002 Sony Music Entertainment
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