AMG Review of 16 Biggest Hits

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

One could easily get the impression, just perusing the front and back covers of this album, that it contains the original recordings of some of Merle Haggard's most popular recordings -- this is, as a sleeve note puts it, a "unique, chronological collection." In fact, 13 of the 16 tracks are re-recordings made by Haggard in October 1994; only "Big City," "Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)," and "Going Where the Lonely Go," three of the 12 number one country hits Haggard recorded for Epic Records in the 1980s, are the original recordings. Don't be fooled.