This is almost rockabilly; the stuff that drove crowds wild for legendary performers like Elvis Presley, Marty Robbins, and dozens of other ''music greats'' who acknowledge that they owed as much to Country Music as they did to Rhythm and Blues for their success.
Jones' later work with Tammy Wynette and Epic records was more commercially succssful, and it is also excellent. But his early work has a level of intensity and energy that the later work is missing. So his best work with Tammy Wynette and on his own is no less essential for a complete collection of good music. But unlike the later music, this early material just sounds like "must-own" material. Listening to it makes one realize why Jones has been such a success for so long: HIS talent, not engineering and production talent, is at the core.
Many fans of today's country & western radio might find this a bit too close to rock and roll. But people who think too much of today's radio-format-friendly Country and western is just "velveeta music" (not only cheesy, but also synthetic and artificial), who want more upbeat cover-songs by Alan Jackson, Dwight Yoakam, or Brooks & Dunn will find this to be a breath of fresh air.
