Gold: Loretta Lynn

Certain expectations arise when an artist's first recordings are repackaged and resold after they have made it big. Often a listener expects nothing from such a release and is pleasantly surprised. Such a reaction would be expected with this particular set, because, after all, Lynn's first recording sessions for the Vancouver Zero label created the material that, along with a hundred-thousand miles or so of tire tread, got her started along the road to becoming the country legend she is today. But repeated listenings to this material will result in the appraisal going up a few notches. For a debut effort no doubt done under a lot of pressure with not so ideal conditions, this material is pretty impressive. One striking thing about this recording is that all the songs were written by Lynn, not a common thing for a country artist, especially when they are going into the studios for the first time. The songs are really very good, rich with detail and, needless to say, convincing in emotion. Lynn is already coming into her own, but there is more of a Kitty Wells influence. The backup is of a more standard variety, with none of the showboating, breath-stopping pedal steel, and lead guitar interplay that makes her later recording career so exciting. The band does surprise, though, coming up with a near B.B. King sound for the cute "Heartaches Meet Mr. Blues." Session men are uncredited, but, since this was recorded in Los Angeles, the listener can assume for sure that they weren't Nashville cats.