For The Good Times

This is a strange collection of Bobby Bare tunes. Its hardly a best-of, as "Detroit City" and "Streets of Baltimore" are not in the contents. And the tunes seem to come from his Mercury and Camden periods with the possible exception of "Sunday Morning Comin Down," from his last RCA set. The other strange thing is the copyright date on the back of the CD, which claims its first release (as if it were a real album) was in 1962, when the earliest tracks here date from 1970. Strangeness aside, it is a pretty choice collection of Bare versions of tunes by Kris Kristofferson -- "Lovin Her Was Easier," "Me and Bobbie McGhee" and "For the Good Times" -- and a slew of Tom T. Hall numbers including "Thats How I Got to Memphis" and "The Year Clayton Delaney Died" among others. Also included are readings of Joe Souths "Dont It Make You Want to Go Home," and a completely sincere and moving take on John Denvers "Leavin on a Jet Plane." This is Bare at his level best, the early 70s, out from under Chet Atkins oppressive countrypolitan mandate and paving the way for the outlaws like Willie and Waylon to do their own thing as well. Recommended.