Hank Williams on Vinyl?

Have there been any audiophile-type LP reissues of the Hank Williams catalog? I know the old MGM LPs are fairly easy to come by, but is there anything that stands head and shoulders above the rest as far as sound quality and content?

 

Good question, I've been looking into his LP catalog on Discogs lately too. My thoughts were to go for the earliest mono LPs but I'm not sure how great MGM pressings were. I can't think of any sonic marvels among the ones I have. There are so many pressings on budget labels, it's hard to know if any are good. It would be great if there were some audiophile options for some of the better classic country stuff like Hank, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker etc.

 

I prefer the earliest mono yellow label MGM LPs. Just remember that most Hank Sr. material was recorded pre-tape, and to my ears the yellow label originals capture these recordings as they were meant to be heard and before they were messed with including added compression and such.

 

I think the UK LP set of this sounds really good. All original mono.

 

To the OP, it's a really great question!

 

Another vote for the original yellow label MGM's. I bought all but one of them not too long ago. They sound good even compared to the 78's I have.

 

Did you compare it with the MOV 40 greatest hits or any other recent mono reissue?

 

I have the US version of this release - it’s a record club pressing, BMG or RCA or Columbia House, but it sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, my copy was found in the bargain bin and is heavily worn. If this is a recommendable pressing, however, I can track down a better copy - these are pretty common and I see them frequently.

 

Yes. It seems Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash soak up all of the audiophile-reissue-country-music-love.

 

I have The Immortal Hank Williams 10 lp set. This was made in Japan on the MGM label. I highly recommend it. Sounds fantastic to me.

 

These are not audiophile recordings, nor were all of them from tape sources to begin with. These are 1947-1953 recordings, some direct to disc 78 RPM recordings, some from full track 15 or 30 IPS mono tape. Original MGM Yellow Label 10" and 12" LP discs of these are not easy to find, nor cheap to find in Very Good Plus or better condition. They're very rare in original issue even on 78 and 45 RPM in truly good condition. These recordings are what they are. Some are better than others.

 

Kent is right on the money. If yellow label LPs in decent shape are not within your budget, look for later MGM mono LP pressings for vinyl or you can stick with CD when it comes to this stuff.

 

And also, there's a superb Japanese box set of Hank if you can find it, which has a comprehensive selection of Hank. This set has these recordings as originally issued by MGM, meaning some later records will have drum/rhythm instrument overdubs, but no string overdubs. The MGM recordings in mono are best as first released by MGM. Also, MGM Golden Circle 45 RPM singles are as originally issued, and a good easier to find option.

 

back in the 80's there was an amazing Hank 10? LP Box set from Japan...with amazing sound

 

Which is what I was discussing.

 

I wish i would have kept it, but as of today I couldn't even play it...the best ever!

 

: )

 

Sounds great to me as well.

I'd think that, for the hard-bitten Hank fan, the original 78s would sound best but this set is a great option. For the more casual fan, 40 Greatest Hits sounds real nice (vinyl and CD).

 

the Hank Williams Singles Collection on CD sounds better than 40 Grts Hits...IMO.

 

It blows my mind that Hank died at age 29. One of the all-time greats.

 

This is wonderful and thank you for @chacha for turning me on to it. Pretty much all you need.

 

The franklin mint did an audiophile pressing of the 100 greatest country recordings of all time, and they dedicated 2LPs to Hank Williams, all in mono and from the original master tapes. Sounds amazing

 

What is this series?

 

When trying to choose between “all you need” and “all there is,” I’ll go for all there is. I snagged a copy of the Japanese box set - it’ll be more than I need, maybe, but at least I won’t be missing out on anything. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

Since we are talking albums, of course Hank recorded before the lp. But if you take the songs he cut over a given year and make albums out of them, they are incredible. And you can make a Luke the Drifter album too! He actually did not record very many years due to the war.