16 Biggest Hits

by Charlie Daniels

Overview

You'd be hard-pressed to find a better single-disc Charlie Daniels Band greatest-hits compilation than 16 Biggest Hits, which indeed lives up to its billing, rounding up a balanced selection of hits that span from 1973 to 1989 -- from "Uneasy Rider" to "(What This World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks." Granted, the Charlie Daniels of the mid-'70s sounds a lot rawer than the Charlie Daniels of the mid- to late '80s, with some listeners no doubt preferring the rowdiness of the former to the polished appeal of the latter, and vice versa. But either way, it's nice to have such a range of music represented here on 16 Biggest Hits, because it showcases how the Charlie Daniels Band -- and, by extension, country music altogether -- evolved over the decades, getting steadily streamlined for broader appeal. The Essential Charlie Daniels Band, released a few years earlier, has a lot in common with 16 Biggest Hits, though at only 14 tracks and non-chronologically sequenced, it's slightly inferior. The chronological sequencing of 16 Biggest Hits is key, for it plays out like history itself, as Charlie Daniels grew from his Southern rock and outlaw country roots -- best exemplified by Fire on the Mountain (1974), represented here by three songs -- to his flag-waving anthems of the '80s like "In America," "Still in Saigon," and "(What This World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks." Of course, there are a lot more Charlie Daniels Band highlights than the 16 here, but few were bigger than these. And if indeed you're looking for a more definitive collection of music, The Ultimate Charlie Daniels Band is recommended, offering 30 songs over the course of two discs, and also Roots Remain, an all-encompassing 45-song triple-disc set including rarities. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	01/18/2011
Label:	Legacy
UPC:	0886978310125

Tracks

1. Uneasy Rider
2. The South's Gonna Do It Again
3. Trudy
4. Long Haired Country Boy
5. Midnight Wind
6. The Devil Went Down to Georgia
7. Reflections
8. The Legend of Wooley Swamp
9. Carolina (I Remember You)
10. In America
11. Still in Saigon
12. Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
13. Cowboy Hat in Dallas
14. Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues
15. Simple Man
16. (What This World Needs Is) A Few More Rednecks

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charlie Daniels   Primary Artist
The Charlie Daniels Band   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Rob Santos   Compilation Producer
Charlie Hayward   Composer
James Stroud   Producer,Original Recording Producer
Mike Rutherford   Photography
Margie Hunt   Project Director,Compilation Producer
Fred Edwards   Composer
Vic Anesini   Mastering
Charlie Daniels   Composer,Producer,Original Recording Producer
John Boylan   Producer,Original Recording Producer
James Marshall   Composer
Jack Marshall   Composer
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Robert Goodman   Design,Art Direction
F. Edwards   Composer
Bob Santos   A&R
Jean Carbain   Design
Stacey Boyle   Artist Coordination
Jack Gavin   Composer
Don Hunstein   Cover Photo
Paul Hornsby   Producer,Original Recording Producer