(New West; 52 minutes)

www.NewWestRecords.com

At the time of this 1978 show Merle Haggard was 38 and already a seasoned veteran who had made a 180 degree turn from the kind of life he sang of in songs like "Sing Me Back Hone", the last request lament of a death row inmate. His band the Strangers - especially longtime guitarist Roy Nichols and steel player Norm Hamlet - was a fully meshed unit that got its kicks from topping its own last effort.

It's clear from every minute of the show that Merle Haggard loves making music and The Strangers love making music with him. Haggard grins and jumps and whoops with barely controlled glee from beginning to end of a show that almost didn't come off on the first place. The date came up on short notice and the taping was scheduled for 10:30 in the morning - an inconvenient time of day for most musicians, particularly for a band in the middle of a road trip. It worked out for the very best though; everything - material, performance, audio - is in place, everyone operating at their peak; a tribute to their professionalism and their ability to wring every bit of fun out of their music and pass the good times on to the audience.

It's such a fine performance - "Silver Wings" will leave you breathless - that it's hard to believe there's no particular legend connected with it like with James Brown's Live At The Apollo or Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison. Maybe that's because, for all its excellence, it's pretty much typical of the shows Merle Haggard has been putting on for years. Don't let not being a Merle Haggard fan (yet) keep you from this one. This DVD - recorded and re-mastered with quality equal to the performance - captures someone who does something irresistibly well doing it to the very best of their ability and having a blast doing it.

Special Features: audio CD of the concert. RICK ALLEN