Best by Request | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album (re-recording)by | ||||
Released | March 1970 | |||
Recorded | September 1967 | |||
Studio | Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
Genre | Country [1] | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Producer | Billy Graves | |||
Jean Shepard chronology | ||||
|
Best by Request is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in March 1970 by Capitol Records and was her fifteenth studio album. The songs were re-recordings Shepard revisited, which were considered her best known songs such as "A Satisfied Mind" and "Beautiful Lies". Best by Request made the US country albums chart following its release and received a positive review from Cash Box magazine.
Jean Shepard had been on Capitol Records since the 1950s. She topped the country music charts in 1953 with "A Dear John Letter" and would go on to have 20 years of commercial success, continually returning to a traditional country sound. By 1970, Shepard had a series of collaborative and solo singles make the top ten such as "A Satisfied Mind", "Second Fiddle (To an Old Guitar)", "I'll Take the Dog", "If Teardrops Were Silver" and "Then He Touched Me". [2] Capitol continued releasing a regular output of Shepard's material, including 1970's Best by Request. The album was recorded by producer Billy Graves three years prior, specifically in September 1967 at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. [3] The 12-track collection [1] consisted of re-recordings that had Shepard singing some of her most well-known material. Shepard revisited songs re-recorded from the 1950s like "A Satisfied Mind", "Beautiful Lies" and "The Other Woman". [3] [4]
Best by Request was released by Capitol Records in March 1970 and was Shepard's fifteenth studio album. Capitol distributed the disc as a vinyl LP, with six songs on each side of the record. [3] In 1972, the album was released in Australia in a vinyl LP format by the World Record Club. [5] Best by Request received a positive response from Cash Box magazine, calling it a "strong album". The magazine also believed that fans of Shepard's would enjoy the re-recordings of her most familiar songs and highlighted some of them in the review. [4] Best by Request reached number 23 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It was her highest-charting album on Billboard since the release of 1967's Your Forevers Don't Last Very Long and her last to chart until 1973's Slippin' Away. [6]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "A Satisfied Mind" | 2:37 | |
2. | "I Learned It All from You" | Tommy Collins | 2:37 |
3. | "Under Suspicion" |
| 2:07 |
4. | "You're Calling Me Sweetheart Again" |
| 2:20 |
5. | "I Love You Because" | Leon Payne | 2:26 |
6. | "The Other Woman" | Beverly Small | 2:14 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beautiful Lies" | J. Rhodes | 2:51 |
2. | "Take Possession" |
| 2:57 |
3. | "You're Telling Me Sweet Lies Again" |
| 2:23 |
4. | "I'd Rather Die Young" |
| 2:20 |
5. | "Why Did You Wait?" | Bettie Westergard | 2:33 |
6. | "Don't Fall in Love with a Married Man" |
| 2:36 |
Chart (1970) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [7] | 23 |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
North America | March 1970 | Vinyl LP (Stereo) | Capitol Records | [3] |
Australia | 1972 | World Record Club | [5] |
Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard, was an American country singer who was considered by many writers and authors to be one of the genre's first significant female artists. Her early successes during the 1950s decade were said to influence the future careers of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.
The discography of American country singer Jean Shepard contains 29 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, two live albums, 1 box set album, 72 lead and collaborative singles, four promotional singles, two other charted songs and nine album appearances. Her first singles were released by Capitol Records in 1953, beginning with "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz". Her next two releases featured vocals by Shepard and a recitation by Ferlin Husky. The first was "A Dear John Letter", Shepard's only number one single on the US Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached number four on the US pop chart and number three in Australia. The second was "Forgive Me, John", which reached the US country top five, the US pop top 30 and the Australia top 20. In 1955, her solo singles "A Satisfied Mind" and "Beautiful Lies" both reached number four on the US Hot Country Songs chart. Their B-sides also charted on the US country chart: "Take Possession" and "I Thought of You". The latter peaked in the US country top ten.
"I Thought of You" is a song composed by Jimmy Rollins that was recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. Released as a single in 1955, it became a top ten song on the US country chart in 1955, becoming Shepard's fourth top ten recording in her career. It was given positive reviews by publications following its release.
"If Teardrops Were Silver" is a song written by Don Wayne that was originally recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released as a single by Capitol Records in 1966, reaching the US country top ten that year. It received positive responses from Cashbox and Record World magazines. It was included on her 1967 studio album of a Heart, We Did All That We Could.
"Heart, We Did All That We Could" is a song written by Ned Miller that was originally recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released as a single in 1967 and reached the top 20 of the US country songs chart. It received positive reviews from music publications was included on Shepard's studio album of the same name. The song has been performed routinely in the Country Bear Jamboree entertainment attraction at Walt Disney World.
"Your Forevers (Don't Last Very Long)" is a song originally recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was written by Wes Buchanan, Cliffie Stone and Scott Turner. Released as a single by Capitol Records in 1967, it reached the top 20 of the US country songs chart. It received a positive review from Cash Box magazine and appeared on a studio album of Shepard's with a Your Forevers Don't Last Very Long.
"Then He Touched Me" is a song originally recorded by American country singer Jean Shepard. Written by George Richey and Norro Wilson, it reached the top ten of the US country chart and was nominated by the Grammy Awards. It was Shepard's ninth top ten single in her career and was included on her 1970 album A Woman's Hand.
The Best of Jean Shepard is a compilation album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1963 by Capitol Records and was her second compilation released in her career. The album featured 12 tracks, four of which were top ten singles on the US country chart: "A Dear John Letter", "Forgive Me, John", "A Satisfied Mind" and "Beautiful Lies". The compilation received positive reviews following its release.
Lighthearted and Blue is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in October 1964 by Capitol Records and was her fifth studio album. It was the first studio project released following the death of Shepard's husband in a plane crash in 1963. The album was a collection of 12 cover songs that was reviewed positively by both Billboard and AllMusic. It was her first album to make the US country chart as well.
Many Happy Hangovers is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in July 1966 by Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. The album's concept was centered on songs about an evening out followed by songs about the morning after. Among them was the album's title track. Released as a single, it reached the top 20 of the US country chart in 1966. The album was given a positive reception by Billboard, Cashbox and AllMusic.
I'll Take the Dog is a studio album by American country artists Jean Shepard and Ray Pillow. It was released in November 1966 by Capitol Records and was a collection of duets between the duo. The album's songs focused on marital conflicts and other themes. Its title track was a top ten single on the US country chart in 1966. The album itself reached the top 20 of the US country chart. The album was met with positive reviews from Cash Box and Record World.
Heart, We Did All That We Could is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in March 1967 by Capitol Records and featured 12 tracks. The album's material centered on heartbreak and despair. Six of the tracks were originally singles released between 1963 and 1967. Both "Second Fiddle " and "If Teardrops Were Silver" reached the US country top ten, while the title track reached the top 20. The album itself reached the US country top ten in 1967. The disc received positive reviews from both Billboard and Cashbox.
Your Forevers Don't Last Very Long is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1967 by Capitol Records and consisted of 12 tracks. The album was both a collection of new recordings and cover tunes. Of the new recordings was the album's only single "Your Forevers ". The title track reached the top 20 on the US country chart in 1967. The album itself also reached the US country top 20 and received a positive review from Cash Box magazine.
Heart to Heart is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by Capitol Records in February 1968 and contained 12 tracks. The album's material mixed ballads with uptempo material. Many of the album's songs were cover tunes. Its lead single was "I Don't See How I Can Make It", a top 40 entry on the US country chart. The album received positive reviews from publications following its release. It was the eleventh studio album in Shepard's career.
A Real Good Woman is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in October 1968 by Capitol Records and was her twelfth studio album. It consisted of 12 tracks, two of which were originally singles: "An Old Bridge" and the title track. The latter was a top 40 single on the US country chart. A Real Good Woman received positive reviews by music publications following its release.
Seven Lonely Days is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1969 by Capitol Records and was her fourteenth studio album. The ten-track collection featured several covers, including the title track. Released as a single, the title track reached the top 20 of the US country songs chart. The album itself also reached the US country albums survey. Seven Lonely Days received reviews from both music magazines and music websites following its release.
A Woman's Hand is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in September 1970 by Capitol Records and was her sixteenth studio album. The collection of ten tracks featured a series of cover tunes by male country artists. Some of the songs were new material. Among them were its three singles: "Then He Touched Me", "I Want You Free" and the title track. Of the three, "Then He Touched Me" was its highest-charting, reaching the top ten on the US country chart. A Woman's Hand was reviewed positively by both Billboard and Cash Box magazines.
Here & Now is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in March 1971 by Capitol Records and was her seventeenth studio album. The album consisted of ten tracks, most of which were covers of songs from the era. Among them were recordings first made popular by Conway Twitty and John Denver. Its only single was a new recording titled "Another Lonely Night". The single reached the top 20 of the US country chart in 1971. Here & Now received positive reviews from both Billboard and Cash Box magazines.
Just as Soon as I Get Over Loving You is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by Capitol Records in September 1971 and was her eighteenth studio album. The project consisted of ten tracks featuring new material and cover tunes. Of its new recordings were two singles: the title track and "With His Hand in Mine". The latter was a top 25 US country single in 1971. The album was met with positive reviews from publications following its release.
Slippin' Away is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by United Artists Records in September 1973 and was her twentieth studio album. The album was named for Shepard's top five US and Canadian country single of the same name. The album itself was Shepard's first for United Artists after many years with Capitol Records. It received a positive response from both Billboard and Record World magazines.