Ultimate Collection in Bloomington, MN

Michael Martin Murphey
presents great challenges to anyone trying to construct a one-disc compilation of his work. For one thing, he has recorded for several record companies, all of which have catalogs now controlled by different major labels:
A&M
(
Universal
) 1972-1973;
Epic
Sony
), 1973-1981;
Liberty
EMI
), 1982-1983; and
Warner Bros.
Warner
) (1986-1997). (He has recorded independently since 1998.) For another, he has had at least three different careers, one in the 1970s as a
pop
singer/songwriter
, another in the 1980s as a
country
singer, and a third as a Western artist. The least likely label to assemble a compilation would seem to be
, which possesses only two of his albums. But
Hip-O
,
's reissue arm, is nothing if not ambitious, and so we have this
Ultimate Collection
. You've got to admit that they've made an effort. No less than 12 of the 79-minute disc's 21 tracks have been licensed from other labels, including the major
hit
"Wildfire"
and the number one
hits
"What's Forever For?"
and
"A Long Line of Love."
They've even dug up
"I Feel Good (I Feel Bad),"
the 1967 chart single by
Murphey
's early group,
the Lewis & Clark Expedition
. That said, the disc will not entirely satisfy any of
's constituencies. Necessarily, there is a focus on his early solo work, with seven tracks drawn from
's
Geronimo's Cadillac
, while the rest of his career is presented very selectively. Only five tracks cover the
years,
's peak as a
, and his period as a mouthpiece for Nashville songwriters is represented by only his biggest
hits. But as of the appearance of this set, neither
nor
had bothered to issue a
best-of, which makes this miscast but well-intended effort by far the best
collection ever released. ~ William Ruhlmann