Greatest Songs by Eddy Arnold

Among country hit makers, Eddy Arnold has few peers. His 128 chart singles puts him second only to George Jones, while his 92 Top 10 singles and 145 weeks atop the charts are records no one has yet matched. By the 1980's, however, Arnold's run atop the charts had ended. Undeterred, Arnold turned to others' catalogs for material. The 10 songs included on GREATEST SONGS, recorded in 1984 and released on BNJ Records as SONGS THAT TOUCH MY HEART, include material popularized by Elvis Presley, Don Gibson, and Hank Locklin. Turnabout, it seems, was fair play: every one of these artists could accurately be said to have been hugely influenced by Arnold's many hit records. Arnold's velvety vocals had lost some of their polish by the time these tracks were recorded, but for the most part Arnold makes a game effort throughout. He's at his best on such slow, sedate numbers as "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," while the strain of the material is most evident on showstoppers like "Always on My Mind." Those seeking a tru...