Duane Eddy - Twangin' the Golden Hits/Twang a Country Song (CD)

All Music Guide

One Way reissued two of Duane Eddy's RCA albums, Twangin' the Golden Hits and Twang a Country Song, on one CD in 1998. Twangin' the Golden Hits is a deceptive title -- it suggests that the album contains nothing but Eddy's greatest hits. Well, it contains one great hit -- "Rebel Rouser" -- in a re-recorded version. The rest of the album is Eddy tackling rock instrumental hits like "Rumble," "Honky Tonk," "Raunchy" and "Tequila," as well as smooth pop instrumentals like "Last Date," "Theme from 'A Summer Place, '" "The River Kwai March" and "More (Theme from 'Mondo Cane')." It's a weird mix, but it is often entertaining, even if it isn't memorable. That's not the case with Twang a Country Song. Lee Hazelwood acted as the musical supervisor on the 12-track album, and he gave Eddy a great, lush Nashville sound production and selected a terrific set of songs, featuring such staples as "Sugar Foot Rag," "Please Help Me I'm Falling," "Crazy Arms," "The Window Up Above," "A Satisified Mind" a...nd "Peace in the Valley." It's a neat little record, since the songs fit Eddy's style perfectly and Hazlewood's productions are warm and inviting. It makes this two-fer worthwhile for dedicated Eddy fans. [One Way added "The Son of Rebel Rouser" and Rachmaninoff's "The Story of Three Loves" as bonus tracks.] - Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read more Less