After years of neglect,
Johnny Paycheck
's catalog finally started appearing on CD in the 2000s, as his early work for
Little Darlin'
was the subject of an excellent reissue series and his latter-day work was subject to a terrific compilation on
Epic/Legacy
, while
Raven
released a two-fer of two of his best '70s albums. However, this modest revival overlooked the recordings he made before
, when he was recording under the pseudonym
Donny Young
. To be fair, these are singles that were never reissued, not even on LP, because they were rare and obscure: they were not hits so they were forgotten to all but hardcore collectors. Happily,
Bear Family
's 2006 compilation
Shakin' the Blues
rectifies this egregious wrong by rounding up 29 sides that
Paycheck
recorded for
Decca
,
Mercury
, and
Todd
between 1958 and 1964, including several unreleased tracks unearthed during research for this project. During these six years
was not only hopping from label to label but he was dabbling in many different styles, most centered in hard
country
but also extending as far as
rockabilly
(as on the excellent title track) and lighter
pop
(
"One Day a Week,"
whose sweet backing vocals and tinkling piano disguise that this is a prison tale). As this compilation starts, it's easy to hear echoes of
Ray Price
and
Faron Young
, but as it rolls along it's possible to hear
synthesize these influences into his own distinctive style even as he dabbles in detours that were a little smoother than the
honky tonk
that's always been seen as his forte. A few of these singles might have arrangements that are just a bit poppier than usual for
, yet even these tunes with the heavier background vocals and light rhythms never veer far from what became
's signature sound, the birth of which is evident here.
This may be formative music, but it is by and large absolutely superb, even on the cheaply recorded sound-alike covers that constitute the last nine songs of this collection. These versions of
Buck Owens
"Above and Beyond"
),
George Jones
"Window Up Above"
), and
"Hello Walls"
) were designed as pure cash-ins -- they're near replicas of the hit versions, designed to create confusion in the stores and on the jukebox -- but
's singing is so strong and supple that these knockoffs are nearly as enjoyable as the rest of the set. But the true worth in
lies in the other 19 songs, none of which were hits, and five of which were never heard before their release here. There are plenty of gems: there's his original
"I Guess I Had It Coming,"
reminiscent of
the Everly Brothers
with a stronger
bent; the lively, melodic
"It's Been a Long, Long Time"
; the
Roger Miller
-written
"I'd Come Back to Me,"
where
first displays the distinctive vocal style that
would later popularize;
"Don't You Get Lonesome Without Me,"
where he expertly reinterprets the lean, skipping
Bakersfield sound
and makes it his own; the
shuffle of
"I'm Glad to Have Her Back Again"
; and such terrific unreleased material as
"Big Swamp Land,"
a galloping carefree 1961 side reminiscent of
the Possum
's
novelty
material; the barroom weeper
"Down to My Last Dime"
; and
"Love Problems,"
where the light tone camouflages the violent undercurrents of the lyric. This music is all so good that it's hard to believe it wasn't successful and that it's never been widely circulated until now. It might have been too long of a wait, but
was certainly worth waiting for: it's not only a historically important release, but after a few listens, many of these unheard tracks feel like classics, which is the highest praise that can be paid to an archival release such as this. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewin