For the record the albums included in this three CD/six album set are Love of the Common People, Hangin’ On, Folk Country, Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan, Waylon, Singer of Sad Songs and they are first six albums that Jennings released in the mid-to-late sixties.

Those years are important to realize in these albums, because they have less to do with the 1970s Outlaw country version of Waylon that became famous.  Instead, these albums have a polished country/folk music feeling of Glen Campbell’s golden era.

Much like Campbell, Jennings finds himself doing country hits (“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”) as well as the popular songs of the day (“You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”). The result is a pleasing album that is neither the nasally hillbilly country of George Jones nor the white bread folk-inspired stuff of John Denver.

Jennings’ powerful baritone voice helps things out also. Each album’s sound is centered around his voice and helps create a thematic bridge between all of the different material featured.

Also of note is how smart and economical the arrangements are. Nothing about the song selections feels forced or like they are pandering to a particular audience. Instead, the songs are played straight and at times feel like the result of a jam session instead of a recording session.

Each album has its strength, and there really isn’t a weak one in the bunch, although Waylon Sings Ol’ Harlan just isn’t as strong as some of the others. While these albums may not be to everyone’s liking (especially those expecting the bearded story teller from The Dukes of Hazzard), they are still a pretty impressive document showcasing what Jennings was before he became Waylon Jennings.