George Jones (1931-2013) joined Epic Records in 1972, announcing his artistic rebirth with a self-titled album also sometimes known as We Can Make It after the top 10 hit song.  Make it he did, as Jones stayed with Epic and producer Billy Sherrill for nearly 20 years.  Raven Records has recently collected five of The Possum's prime Epic endeavors on one 2-CD set as The Tour de Force 1972-1980.

This new collection features the following complete albums:

• A Picture of Me (Without You) (1972)
• Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You) (1973)
• The Grand Tour (1974)
• Memories of Us (1975)
• I Am What I Am (1980)
• plus three bonus tracks from The Battle (1976)

By the time he joined Epic, Jones had already recorded prolifically for labels including Starday, Mercury, United Artists, and Musicor. Yet for all of the label changes, Jones' style was always consistent, practically the definition of a pure country vocalist.  Though his turbulent offstage relationship with wife Tammy Wynette at the beginning of his Epic years might have threatened a lesser artist, Jones continued to build a strong and successful body of work at the label - with and without Wynette (the two recorded a series of popular duet albums) but always with the sympathetic production of Billy Sherrill.  The producer even subdued his lush countrypolitan sound to emphasize the power of Jones' natural instrument.

Of this quintet of albums, A Picture of Me (Without You) charted the highest, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard C&W Albums chart.  It featured songs by country stalwart songwriters like Jerry Chesnut, Curly Putnam, and Norro Wilson (who co-wrote the Top 5 hit title track), as well as singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall and former Raider Freddy Weller, writing with Spooner Oldham.  Jones additionally paid tribute to country legend Ernest Tubb with "Tomorrow Never Comes," which Elvis Presley had also recently recorded.  Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You) narrowly missed the C&W Top 10 at No. 12, but yielded two Top 10 singles with Bobby Braddock's title song and Jones, Sherrill, and Earl Montgomery's "What My Woman Can't Do."  Other tunes came from the pens of Tom T. Hall, Dallas Frazier, and Don Gibson.

Like its predecessor, The Grand Tour just missed the Billboard Top 10, this time with a No. 11 placement.  But it memorably included the chart-topping title track (notice the pattern?) co-written by Norro Wilson.  "The Grand Tour" even crossed over to get airplay on pop stations, signaling how effective and accessible Jones' brand of drama could be. The heart-tugging breakup song was accompanied on the LP by Johnny Paycheck's "Once You've Had the Best" as well as a Jones/Wynette co-write, "Our Private Life," which took aim at the gossip-mongers plaguing their soon-to-crumble marriage.  (Note that this album is split between CD 1 and 2.)  Jones' very next album, Memories of Us, came after a second No. 1 ("The Door," included on The Best of George Jones) and after his divorce.  Fans heard much of the album as autobiography; it even included two more co-writes by Jones and Wynette, and the candid admission of "I Just Don't Give a Damn."  Perhaps unsurprisingly, this intensely personal divorce album from an unfailingly honest vocalist only made a No. 43 showing on the chart.  (The album wasn't all dark, though - just see "Have You Seen My Chicken" as Exhibit A!)

Raven then jumps ahead five years to conclude on the high note of 1980's I Am What I Am.  Jones hadn't had a No. 1 in six years and was fighting substance abuse problems and his reputation as "No-Show Jones." The album was a true comeback: Bobby Braddock and Curly Putnam's "He Stopped Loving Her Today" not only reached No. 1, but stayed there for eighteen weeks.  Jones reportedly didn't want to cut the emotional track, but his devastating delivery helped make it a true classic.  The song won Jones a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance; it also won two Academy of Country Music Awards and two recognitions from the Country Music Association.  I Am What I Am was filled out with other songs that seemed plucked straight from Jones' life (and therefore the headlines), with songs of cheating, booze and heartbreak.  The LP peaked at No. 7 on the Country chart, and made the Billboard 200 at No. 132.  The Possum was back.

The Tour de Force 1972-1980 features some of the most timeless country music of its era, or indeed of any other.  It features a color booklet with liner notes by Terry Reilly as well as new remastering by Warren Barnett at Raven.  You can order at the links below!  Note that this title appears to only be available through third-party sellers at Amazon U.S., but is in stock at Amazon U.K.!

George Jones, The Tour de Force 1972-1980 (Raven RVCD-395, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. A Picture of Me (Without You)
2. The Man Worth Lovin' You
3. She Knows What She's Crying About
4. Second Handed Flowers
5. That Singing Friend of Mine
6. She Loves Me (Right Out of My Mind)
7. Tomorrow Never Comes
8. Another Way to Say Goodbye
9. On the Back Row
10. Let There Be a Woman
11. We Found a Match
12. Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)
13. You're Looking at a Happy Man
14. Never Having You
15. Made for the Blues
16. What's Your Mama's Name?
17. Mom and Dad's Waltz
18. You'll Never Grow Old (To Me)
19. What My Woman Can't Do
20. My Loving Wife
21. Love Lives Again
22. Wine (You've Used Me Long Enough)
23. The Grand Tour
24. Darlin'
25. Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)
26. She'll Love the One She's With
27. Once You've Had the Best
28. Borrowed Angel

CD 2

1. The Weatherman
2. She Told Me So
3. Mary Don't Go 'Round
4. Who Will I Be Loving Now
5. Our Private Life
6. Memories of Us
7. Touch of Wilderness
8. A Goodbye Joke
9. What I Do Best
10. She Should Belong to Me
11. Have You Seen My Chicken
12. She Once Made a Romeo Cry
13. Bring on the Clowns
14. Hit and Run
15. I Just Don't Give a Damn
16. He Stopped Loving Her Today
17. I've Aged Twenty Years in Five
18. Brother to the Blues
19. If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)
20. His Lovin' Her is Getting in My Way
21. I'm Not Ready Yet
22. I'm the One She Missed Him with Today
23. Good Hearted Woman
24. A Hard Act to Follow
25. Bone Dry
26. The Battle
27. I Can't Get Over What Lovin' You Has Done
28. Love Coming Down

CD 1, Tracks 1-11 from A Picture of Me (Without You), Epic KE 31718, 1972
CD 1, Tracks 12-22 from Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You), Epic KE 32412, 1973
CD 1, Tracks 23-28 & CD 2, Tracks 1-5 from The Grand Tour, Epic KE 33083, 1974
CD 2, Tracks 6-15 from Memories of Us, Epic KE 33537, 1975
CD 2, Tracks 16-25 from I Am What I Am, Epic JE 36586, 1980
CD 2, Tracks 26-28 from The Battle, Epic KE 34034, 1976