16 Biggest Hits does a good job representing the highlights of
Bobby Bare's unwieldy catalog, which ranges from the early '60s to the early '80s and includes a stint with
RCA Victor (1962-1969),
Mercury (1970-1972), a second one with
RCA (1973-1977), and then one with
Columbia (1978-1983). Most
Bare best-ofs round up his
RCA hits, especially those from the '60s. Some even tack on a little of his
Columbia work now that the
RCA and
Columbia vaults both fall under
Sony BMG ownership. In rare cases, a best-of will include licensed
Mercury recordings.
16 Biggest Hits is one such rarity. Granted, it only includes a token
Mercury hit,
"That's How I Got to Memphis," but one is better than none, especially when it's such a fine song. And so
16 Biggest Hits represents all eras of
Bare's career. His first
RCA stint is well represented with seven inclusions:
"500 Miles Away from Home," "The Streets of Baltimore," "Detroit City," "Miller's Cave," "Four Strong Winds," "(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn," and
"It's Alright." The second
RCA stint is fairly well represented with five inclusions:
Billy Joe Shaver's
"Ride Me Down Easy," a trio of
Shel Silverstein-penned songs from the 1973 live classic
Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies (
"Daddy What If," "Marie Lavaux," "The Winner"), and
"Dropkick Me, Jesus." The generally neglected
Columbia era is poorly represented, unfortunately, with only a pair of songs from
Bare's second live classic,
Down & Dirty (
"Tequila Sheila," "Numbers" -- both
Silverstein-penned). Some non-live
Columbia inclusions would have been nice, even if it were only a single song, if only for the sake of representation. On the other hand, there's precious little room on this 16-track best-of for a catalog as deep and wide-ranging as
Bare's. Curiously, the compilers tacked
"The All American Boy," Bare's often-compiled 1958 rarity, onto the end. It's a fun addition, even if doesn't fit in, and it only adds to the wondrous scope of
16 Biggest Hits. ~ Jason Birchmeier
