I Don't Care

I like all the songs and is very satisfied.

This 1964 release was the first of several albums on which Owens deferred much of the LP's space to his band, and his band ceded most of the songwriting to others. Of the original twelve tracks (this reissue includes a pair of bonus sides), only three are Owens originals, and of these, one is an instrumental ("Buck's Polka"). The only original tracks that capture the classic Owens/Rich sound are the monster title hit, "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)," and an Owens co-write with Don Rich, and Owens' ex-wife Bonnie, "Don't Let Her Know." The latter developed over the years into one of Owens' most dramatic live songs.For those who've heard the Buckaroos live, the covers that fill out the album are the sort that fill the dance-floor at their shows. A few benefit from the Buckaroos treatment, but several do not rise above the originals. Deep-voiced Buckaroos bassist Doyle Holly takes the lead on Johnny Cash's "Understand Your Man" and George Hamilton IV's "Abilene." Holly's an adequate vocalist, but neither turn will make you forget the originals. Tom Brumley's steel on the "Abilene" is perhaps the most memorable element of this pair. Brumley also shines on a cover of Bud Isaacs' "Bud's Bounce."Don Rich takes the lead, with Owens singing harmony, for Roger Miller's "Dang Me," and Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man." Both show how much better the singing equation balances with Owens singing lead and Rich singing harmony -- not that Rich isn't a fine singer, but the power of their regular pairing isn't matched by the reverse. "Dang Me" shows off Rich's funny side, and "Louisiana Man," shows off his fine fiddle playing in duet with Jelly Sanders.Rose Maddox and Owens reprise their 1961 duet of Carl Smith's "Loose Talk," and Owens sings solo on "Playboy," originally recorded by fellow Californian Wynn Stewart, and later picked up by Dwight Yoakam. The song's authors (Bob Morris and Eddie Miller) also gave Owens' "This Ol' Heart," and Buck and Don apply their classic harmonies to "You're Welcome Anytime."Sundazed's reissue adds instrumental versions of "I Don't Care" and "Don't Let Her Know," conducted by Don Rich for "The Buck Owens Songbook LP," and substituting Rich's guitar and Brumley's steel for the lead vocals.While this probably isn't the best place to begin a collection of Owens' original LPs, the excellent originals and worthwhile covers makes it an essential member of a complete Buck Owens' collection.3-1/2 stars, if Amazon allowed fractional ratings.

This Buck Owens album was originally released on November 2, 1964. It centered around the smash hit title song, of course, but there were a couple of other hits from the album. "I Don't Care"'s b-side, "Don't Let Her Know" was a minor hit. And Buck's duet with Rose Maddox, "Loose Talk", was a hit three years before this album came out. Most of the rest of the album is filled out with covers of other people songs. This is the first album where Buck lets members of the Buckaroos handle lead vocals. Guitarist Don Rich and bassist Doyle Holly each have two lead vocals here, and they both do a good job. There are also two instrumentals on the album, with "Buck's Polka" being the better of the two. The CD includes two bonus track, which are instrumental versions of "I Don't Care" and "Don't Let Her Know" from a Buckaroos album where they played instrumental versions of Buck Owens hits. I recommend this album to Buck's fans.

This album sounds like a group of guys having a great time, sharing stories with hard-working guitars. It's a party you want to go to. It's got some swinging songs and although it's mostly uptempo, the variety of harmonies and vocals makes it a disc that you don't get tired of. I can't believe it was almost forty years ago when I first heard it. If you're a Buckaroo fan, I think this is for you. This is one of the three top Buckaroo showcases (the others being, IMHO, I've Got a Tiger By the Tail and Together Again/MHSAB). There's serious guitar work here from Buck and the band on almost every track, with Buck's Polka being the obvious standout. As the other reviewers pointed out, it's not all Buck on the lead vocals, but after hearing Don Rich so much on harmony it's cool to hear him on the lead. And there's a duet with the awesome Rose Maddox. And every track has Buck's Bakersfield stamp on it.

If this CD isn't in your collection you're missing out on some great tunes.Not only do Buck and Don harmonize on some fantastic tunes but you'll here Doyle Holly on a couple of the tracks.Great deep voice with some awesome steel guitar work here by the one and only Tom Brumley.Rose Maddox is featured in a duet with Buck and Ralph Mooney and his steel guitar make it work.This CD is with me all the time and it gets played.Chalk another one up for Sundazed.Keep 'em coming.

GREAT PRODUCT!