This features 28 radio broadcast transcriptions from the mid- to late '40s of
Merle at arguably the peak of his strengths. These loose,
Cliffie Stone-produced broadcasts capture
Merle at his most relaxed and musically imaginative. His version of "Cannonball Rag," which features a bridge not found on the better-known Capitol version, is absolutely mind-boggling in its effortless technique, while his coughing spurt in the middle of a duet with wife
Tex Ann is loaded with simplistic charm. In between the solo guitar pieces are a great a cappella "Churchy Time," some of the early band hits like "Divorce Me C.O.D.," and the trial run (from The Grand Ole Opry) of "When My Baby Double-Talks to Me." Transfer quality varies wildly, but nothing sounds horrible, and the performances are worth every nick and pop. A marvelous collection.