16 Biggest Hits in Bloomington, MN

16 Biggest Hits
does a good job representing the highlights of
Bobby Bare
's unwieldy catalog, which ranges from the early '60s to the early '80s and includes a stint with
RCA Victor
(1962-1969),
Mercury
(1970-1972), a second one with
RCA
(1973-1977), and then one with
Columbia
(1978-1983). Most
Bare
best-ofs round up his
hits, especially those from the '60s. Some even tack on a little of his
work now that the
and
vaults both fall under
Sony BMG
ownership. In rare cases, a best-of will include licensed
recordings.
is one such rarity. Granted, it only includes a token
hit,
"That's How I Got to Memphis,"
but one is better than none, especially when it's such a fine song. And so
represents all eras of
's career. His first
stint is well represented with seven inclusions:
"500 Miles Away from Home,"
"The Streets of Baltimore,"
"Detroit City,"
"Miller's Cave,"
"Four Strong Winds,"
"(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn,"
"It's Alright."
The second
stint is fairly well represented with five inclusions:
Billy Joe Shaver
's
"Ride Me Down Easy,"
a trio of
Shel Silverstein
-penned songs from the 1973 live classic
Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies
(
"Daddy What If,"
"Marie Lavaux,"
"The Winner"
), and
"Dropkick Me, Jesus."
The generally neglected
era is poorly represented, unfortunately, with only a pair of songs from
's second live classic,
Down & Dirty
"Tequila Sheila,"
"Numbers"
-- both
Silverstein
-penned). Some non-live
inclusions would have been nice, even if it were only a single song, if only for the sake of representation. On the other hand, there's precious little room on this 16-track best-of for a catalog as deep and wide-ranging as
's. Curiously, the compilers tacked
"The All American Boy,"
's often-compiled 1958 rarity, onto the end. It's a fun addition, even if doesn't fit in, and it only adds to the wondrous scope of
. ~ Jason Birchmeier