Buck Owens’ Late-Sixties Work Assembled on New ‘Complete Capitol Singles’

By early 1967, Buck Owens, backed by his mighty band, the Buckaroos, had already scored 13 Number One country hits. But the next three years would prove a crucial turning point in Owens’ career, honing the vibrant Bakersfield sound and taking his charismatic talents to the small screen as he and Roy Clark began co-hosting Hee Haw in 1969.

Owens released some of the finest 45 r.p.m. singles of the late Sixties, an era when the format remained a vital promotional tool. With Buck Owens and the Buckaroos’ The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970, out May 11th on Omnivore Recordings, all 18 of the legendary musician’s A- and B-sides are collected for the first time on a deluxe two-disc set. See the complete track list below.

The second in a series compiling every one of Owens’ Capitol singles from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies in their original, chronological form, the upcoming collection will be available on CD and via digital outlets and culls material from the original mono and stereo masters. The second volume, opening with the Number One hit “Sam’s Place,” represents an impressive chart run of 14 Top Ten hits, six of which were chart-toppers – including late Sixties smashes “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” and Owens’ distinctive cover of the Chuck Berry classic “Johnny B. Goode,” featuring iconic Buckaroos guitarist Don Rich. Grammy-nominated producer Patrick Milligan compiled and produced the collection, mastered from original analog master tapes by Grammy-winning engineer Michael Graves.

“The reason my Capitol records sounded the way they did – real heavy on the treble – was because I knew most people were going to be listening to ’em on their AM car radios,” Owens is quoted in the liner notes penned by Scott B. Bomar. “At the time, nobody else was doing anything like that, but it just seemed like common sense to me. And it was one more reason that you knew it was a Buck Owens record as soon as it came on the radio – because it just didn’t sound like those other records.”

Buck Owens and the Buckaroo’s The Complete Capitol Singles: 1967–1970 track listing:

Disc One

“Sam’s Place”
“Don’t Ever Tell Me Goodbye”
“Your Tender Loving Care”
“What a Liar I Am”
“It Takes People Like You (To Make People Like Me)”
“You Left Her Lonely Too Long”
“How Long Will My Baby Be Gone”
“Everybody Needs Somebody”
“Sweet Rosie Jones”
“Happy Times Are Here Again”
“Let the World Keep on a Turnin'” (With Buddy Alan)
“I’ll Love You Forever and Ever” (With Buddy Alan)
“I’ve Got You on My Mind Again”
“That’s All Right With Me (If It’s All Right With You)”
“Christmas Shopping”
“One of Everything You Got”
“Things I Saw Happening at the Fountain on the Plaza When I Was Visiting Rome or Amore”
“Turkish Holiday”

Disc Two

“Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass”
“There’s Gotta Be Some Changes Made”
“Johnny B. Goode”
“Maybe If I Close My Eyes (It’ll Go Away)”
“Tall Dark Stranger”
“Sing That Kind of Song”
“Big In Vegas”
“White Satin Bed”
“We’re Gonna Get Together” (With Susan Raye)
“Everybody Needs Somebody” (With Susan Raye) 
“Togetherness” (With Susan Raye)
“Fallin’ for You” (With Susan Raye)
“The Kansas City Song”
“I’d Love to Be Your Man”
“The Great White Horse” (With Susan Raye)
“Your Tender Loving Care” (With Susan Raye)
“I Wouldn’t Live In New York City (If They Gave Me the Whole Dang Town)”
“No Milk and Honey in Baltimore”