Live at the Opry

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Live at the Opry
Live album by
ReleasedApril 4, 1988
RecordedJune 16, 1956 – March 23, 1962
GenreCountry
Length28:34
LabelMCA
ProducerThe Country Music Foundation
Patsy Cline chronology
The Last Sessions
(1988)
Live at the Opry
(1988)
Dreaming...
(1988)

Live at the Opry is a live album by American country music artist, Patsy Cline. The album was released April 4, 1988 on MCA Records and was produced by The Country Music Foundation. The album consists of transcript recordings from several appearances Cline made on the Grand Ole Opry between 1956 and 1962.

Background

Live at the Opry is derived from transcript recordings Patsy Cline made between June 16, 1956 and March 23, 1962 on the

Four Star Records
, such as her debut single, "A Church, a Courtroom, and Goodbye," "There He Goes," and "How Can I Face Tomorrow."

Originally released on a

Billboard Magazine Top Country Albums chart.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Live at the Opry garnered mixed reviews from music critics. David Handelman of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, calling the release "a flawless testament to a career that, though cut short by a plane crash, is sure to endure forever." Handelamn praised the tracks "Walkin' After Midnight" and "I Fall to Pieces," comparing Cline's vocal styles to a waitress who knows "she's pouring the world's best coffee." He further praised her overall performance, stating, "As the Country Music Foundation's Jay Orr points out in the excellent liner notes, on a few numbers Cline sounds pleasantly surprised at her own performance, letting out delighted snarls and yelps."[2]

Live at the Opry also was given a less favorable review by Mike Henderson of

Allmusic, who gave the effort three out of five stars. Henderson begins the review by explaining his criticisms, saying, "Even if Live at the Opry had been extremely disappointing, there would have been an audience for this 28-minute CD. Cline, after all, went down in history as one of country's all-time greats (despite having a much too short career), and her more obsessive fans would have welcomed the arrival of this release regardless of the quality." Henderson, however, did comment that the album was "generally rewarding," even if some of the tracks were "imperfect and brief." The reviewer finally concluded by stating, "Those with a casual interest in Cline's legacy would be better off with a collection of her best-known studio recordings, but for the seasoned Cline enthusiast, Live at the Opry has a lot to offer – imperfections and all."[1]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Church, a Courtroom, and Goodbye"
Freddie Hart
, Ann Lucas
1:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crazy Dreams"Beam, Jiles, Stevenson2:00
2."There He Goes"Durwood Haddock, Miller, Stevenson2:17
3."Lovin' in Vain"Hart1:38
4."I Fall to Pieces"Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard3:03
5."She's Got You"Cochran2:52
6."Crazy"Willie Nelson2:19

Personnel

Technical personnel

  • Milan Bogdan –
    mastering
    , digital transfers
  • The Country Music Foundation – producer
  • Jerry Joyner – design
  • Les Leverett – photography
  • Simon Levy – art direction
  • Jim Lloyd – mastering, digital transfers
  • Glenn Meadows – mastering, digital transfers
  • Jay Orr – liner notes
  • Ronnie Pugh – programming
  • Benny Quinn – mastering, digital transfers
  • Alan Stoker – original disc transfer and remastering

Charts

Chart (1988)[4] Peak
Position
60

References

  1. ^
    allmusic
    . Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  2. ^ a b Handelman, David. "Live at the Opry: Music Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  3. ^ "Live at the Opry Profile". Patsified. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  4. ^ a b "Live at the Opry > Charts". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  5. ^ Allmusic review
  6. ^ Rolling Stone review