Guitar Pickin' Man in Bloomington, MN

Prior to 2000, when
Sundazed
assembled the wonderful and revelatory compilation
Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology
,
Don Rich
could claim only one album to his name:
That Fiddlin' Man
, an album that came and went in 1971.
Omnivore
reissued that LP in 2013, beginning a streak of
Rich
records that fattened his catalog.
Guitar Pickin' Man
is the first strict
compilation
has put out -- 2013's
Sings George Jones
was a scrapped 1970 album -- and it's a good one, selecting
-fronted tracks from
Buck Owens & His Buckaroos
albums from the '60s, along with highlights from LPs released by
the Buckaroos
on their own. Only the title track, recorded for Hee Haw in 1972, is unreleased, so this isn't especially enticing for anybody who has diligently collected
Owens
reissues (particularly the three big
Bear Family
boxes that have appeared over the years), but this is still a snappy, fun collection that spotlights
the performer over
the picker. If you want six-string theatrics, dig out the
set. This offers cheerful streamlined Bakersfield country -- a warmer, sweeter version of
Buck Owens
, and that's enough. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine