Written by Alex Biese
The leading ladies of pop music have gone country.
Chappell Roan is turning heads with her Southern-fried new single, “The Giver.” Beyonce found monumental Grammy success with her “Cowboy Carter” LP. And Sabrina Carpenter received a co-sign from no less than Dolly Parton on a recently released reinterpretation of “Please Please Please.”
So now, it turns out, is the perfect time to get reacquainted with one of country music’s original queens – and a vital new collection is here to demand your attention.
Imagine That: The Lost Recordings (1954-1963) is a grand, 52-track compilation spotlighting the work of iconic country singer Patsy Cline, set to be released as a limited edition two-LP set for Record Store Day on April 12 via Elemental Music/Deep Digs, followed by a two-CD and digital download edition on April 18.
Pulling from radio broadcasts, television shows and demo recordings and produced in association with and with the endorsement of the Patsy Cline Estate, Imagine That includes 48 previously unissued tracks that have been transferred, mastered and released officially for the first time. Including 15 new songs, “Imagine That” features offerings ranging from Cline’s earliest known recordings to performances dating to mere weeks before her death in a plane crash at the age of 30 in 1963.
That history and context is important, but what is so striking about “Imagine That” is how insistently immediate and present the whole thing sounds. Cline had one of the most captivating voices in the history of American music, full stop. And her legendary studio recordings are staples for a reason, placed atop the apex of both pop and country, but they are lush, handsomely orchestrated affairs. By contrast, the performances captured on “Imagine That” are intimate and raw, unvarnished documents of a pure talent at work.
The set – co-produced by archival producer Zev Feldman, Cline discographer and authority George E. Hewitt and sound restoration engineer Dylan Utz – showcases the depth and breadth of Cline’s abilities, with the selections here ranging from straightforward country to gospel to blues-influenced numbers and even Christmas carols, each delivered with striking beauty.
Take a pair of 1957 recordings found early in the collection – a live version of “Walkin’ After Midnight” conveyed with a strut and swagger, immediately followed by the tender “A Poor Man’s Roses,” with Cline’s velvety voice navigating the jazzy melody with grace and complete tonal control.
The single released from the set, a firecracker performance from 1960 of “Lovesick Blues,” is a great example of what’s contained here; it’s a stunning vocal display accentuated with high and lonesome yodels and and overall vocal command that is still stunning to the ear 65 years after it was recorded.
Cline’s signature numbers are here – including Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran’s “I Fall to Pieces” and Cochran’s “She’s Got You” – in rich, lovely alternate versions that more than stand up to their tried-and-true counterparts.
By the time the listener hits a 1958 rendition of Hank Williams’ “You Win Again” – a classic that’s been covered by everyone from the Grateful Dead to Social Distortion’s Mike Ness – here rendered with with poise and grace before transitioning to the peppy devotion of the traditional “That Lonesome Valley,” it is clear that this is a set to be cherished, deserving a place in pretty much any curious listener’s record collection.
