The Best of Hank Locklin

The Best of Hank Locklin is a compilation album by American country singer–songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in August 1966 via RCA Victor Records and contained 12 tracks of re-released material. The album was a collection of Locklin's biggest hit songs up to that point. It was his second compilation record for the RCA Victor label. The album received positive reviews following its release.

The Best of Hank Locklin
Compilation album by
ReleasedAugust 1966 (1966-08)
Genre
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerChet Atkins
Hank Locklin chronology
The Gloryland Way
(1966)
The Best of Hank Locklin
(1966)
Send Me the Pillow You Dream On and Other Great Country Hits
(1967)

Background, release and reception

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After Hank Locklin signed with RCA Victor Records in the late 1950s, he had his greatest commercial success. He had several major hits with songs like "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On," "Geisha Girl" and the crossover hit "Please Help Me, I'm Falling". RCA released a series of studio recordings during the 1960s following his success.[2] The Best of Hank Locklin was his first compilation release for the label.[3]

The compilation contained a total of 12 tracks.[1] Contained on the album were Locklin's previous hits "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On", "Geisha Girl", "It's a Little More Like Heaven", "From Here to There to You", "Happy Journey", "Flying South", and a remake of 1953's "Let Me Be the One." Other tracks on the album were not originally released as a singles, with the exception of "I Was Coming Home to You".[3]

The Best of Hank Locklin was released in August 1966. It was Locklin's second compilation album issued in his career and his second with RCA Victor. The album was issued as a vinyl LP, containing six tracks on both sides.[3] It received a 2.5 star rating from Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic, who considered some of the album's tracks to be "bloated by choruses and string sections." Nonetheless, he concluded the review positively by saying, "Some listeners may find the Locklin repertoire a bit on the sentimental side; the point is, he had both the voice and the passion to pull off this kind of material – even "Danny Boy." This is a nice collection; the four Locklin collections advertised on the back cover are even better bets."[1]

Track listing

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Side one[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Help Me, I'm Falling"
2:20
2."I Was Coming Home to You"
  • Kendall Hayes
  • Jimmy Rule
2:29
3."Danny Boy"Frederic Weatherly2:24
4."Happy Journey"
2:31
5."Fraulein"Lawton Williams2:32
6."Flying South"Cindy Walker2:02
Side two[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Send Me the Pillow You Dream On"Hank Locklin2:26
2."Geisha Girl"Williams2:07
3."From Here to There to You"Pete McKinlay2:20
4."It's a Little More Like Heaven"
  • Hoyt Atkins
  • Jimmy Atkins
2:32
5."The Old Bog Road"Teresa Brayton2:57
6."Let Me Be the One"
  • Paul Blevins
  • Joe Hobson
  • W.S. Stevenson
2:17

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Canada August 1966 Vinyl RCA Victor [4]
United States [3]
United Kingdom 1972 [5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Chadbourne, Eugene. "The Best of Hank Locklin: Hank Locklin: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Michael. "Hank Locklin: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Locklin, Hank (August 1966). "The Best of Hank Locklin (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records. SP 3559.
  4. ^ Locklin, Hank (August 1966). "The Best of Hank Locklin (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records (Canada). LPM-3559.
  5. ^ Locklin, Hank (August 1966). "The Best of Hank Locklin (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor Records (United Kingdom). LSA 3099.