Last of the Breed | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 20, 2007 | |||
Genre | Country, Western swing | |||
Length | 69:44 | |||
Label | Lost Highway | |||
Producer | Fred Foster | |||
Willie Nelson chronology | ||||
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Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
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Ray Price chronology | ||||
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Last of the Breed is a two-disc album by American country music artists Willie Nelson,Merle Haggard and Ray Price,released in 2007. It debuted at number 64 on the U.S. Billboard 200,selling about 13,000 copies in its first week. [1] The album has 100,000 copies in the U.S. as of May 2015. [2] The album was ranked number 33 on Rolling Stone 's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007. [3]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Robert Christgau | A− [5] |
The Music Box | [6] |
Pitchfork Media | [7] |
Slant | [8] |
Mark Demming of Allmusic wrote "...at its best Last of the Breed really sounds the way these things did in the old days,and Nelson,Haggard,and Price achieve something more than nostalgia—they offer a stirring reminder of the strength of this music when country music spoke to something deeper than just a marketing demographic." [4] In his review,music critic Robert Christgau wrote "Not much kidding around here—they're feeling their varying ages. But they ain't dead yet." [5] Steven Deusner writes of the style,"...most of these songs sound like the trio are trying to re-create a style long past rather anchor these songs in the here and now. That retrospective orientation is strange because none of these artists could be accused of being stuck in the past;in fact,their willingness to adapt to new styles without compromising their standards is partly what makes them the last of their breed. So it's a shame Last of the Breed isn't better—not only do they have a lot to say about these old songs,they also have a lot to say through them." [7] While Jonathan Keefe of Slant takes issue with the title,he praises the album,calling it "a collection that's nearly flawless in its execution." [8]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 7[ citation needed ] |
U.S. Billboard 200 | 64[ citation needed ] |
Willie Nelson and Ray Price won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for the song "Lost Highway." [9]
Pancho &Lefty by Townes Van Zandt (1972) became well-known through a honky tonk album by outlaw country musicians Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson,released in 1983. Original vinyl copies from 1983 give the album's title as "Poncho &Lefty" on the cover,as well as on the inner sleeve and the record label;the album's title track is similarly rendered "Poncho &Lefty" on the cover,inner sleeve,and label. Later editions correct the title to the intended "Pancho &Lefty.”They are backed by Don Markham of The Strangers.
Noble Ray Price was an American country music singer,songwriter,and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone is regarded as among the best male voices of country music,and his innovations,such as propelling the country beat from 2/4 to 4/4,known as the "Ray Price beat",helped make country music more popular. Some of his well-known recordings include "Release Me","Crazy Arms","Heartaches by the Number","For the Good Times","Night Life",and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me". He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He continued to record and tour into his 80s.
Chicago Wind is the fifty-eighth studio album by American country singer and songwriter Merle Haggard,released in 2005. It peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. A video was made for the track "America First".
Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again is a studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Merle Haggard,released in 2006.
Going Where the Lonely Go is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers,released in 1982.
Hag is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers released on Capitol Records in 1971. It became his fifth album to top the Billboard country album charts. It also reached number 66 on the pop albums chart.
The Way I Am is the thirtieth studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard,released in 1980.
If We Make It Through December is the sixteenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers,released in 1974. It reached number 4 on the Billboard country album charts. The title track was previously released on Haggard's Christmas release of 1973,A Christmas Present. The single spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in December 1973 and January 1974,and cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. "If We Make It Through December" was the No. 2 song of the year on Billboard's Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart.
Merle Haggard Presents His 30th Album is the seventeenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers,released in 1974. Contrary to the album's title,this was his 17th studio album;however,the number 30 included his six collaborative albums,three live albums,one 'live' gospel album,one Christmas album,and two greatest hits compilations up to that point.
Keep Movin' On is the eighteenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers released in 1975. It reached number one on the Billboard country albums chart. "Movin' On" was a full-length version of a song Haggard recorded as the theme song to the TV series Movin' On.
If I Could Only Fly is the 50th studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard,released in 2000. The album reached number 26 on the Billboard Country albums chart. The title song is a cover of a 1979 song written and recorded by Texas songwriter Blaze Foley. Haggard had previously recorded the song as a duet with American country singer Willie Nelson on their 1987 album,Seashores of Old Mexico,peaking at number 58 on the 1987 Billboard Hot Country Songs singles chart.
Country Music is the 58th studio album by country artist Willie Nelson. The album consists in a compilation of country music standards. Produced by Grammy-winning T Bone Burnett,it was released on April 20,2010,by Rounder Records,and according to Nelson is the first traditional album he has ever recorded. It was his first release in the 2010s.
Roots,Volume 1 is the fifty-third studio album by American country singer Merle Haggard,released in 2001. It reached Number 47 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.
Working in Tennessee is the sixty-third and final solo studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard. It was released on October 4,2011 by Vanguard Records. This is also the second Merle Haggard album released by Vanguard.
Living for a Song:A Tribute to Hank Cochran is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Jamey Johnson. It was released in October 2012 via Mercury Nashville on both compact disc and LP record. The album is a tribute to songwriter Hank Cochran.
A Friend in California is the forty-first studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers,released in 1986.
Amber Waves of Grain is a live album by American country music artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers,released in 1985. It was Haggard's third live album in four years and was recorded at the Hollywood Star Theater. It features a mix of Haggard's big hits and other,more obscure tracks. The title cut,written by Freddy Powers,is a paean to the American farmer,in keeping with the spirit of the Willie Nelson-spearheaded Farm Aid benefit,as does "Tulare Dust" and "The Farmer's Daughter." The LP peaked at number 25 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Seashores of Old Mexico is a studio album by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. It is a sequel to their enormously successful 1983 duet album Pancho and Lefty and was released in 1987. They are backed by The Strangers. The only charting single was a cover of a 1979 Blaze Foley song,"If I Could Only Fly",which peaked at number 58 on the 1987 Billboard Hot Country Songs singles chart.
Like Never Before is the fifty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard. It was released in 2004 on his own label,Hag Records.
Hag:The Best of Merle Haggard is a compilation album by American country singer Merle Haggard,released in 2006.