Lost in the Music

Bear Family's second triple-disc collection of Dick Damron recordings rounds up the latter-day recordings of the country singer, opening in the year 1978 and closing with tapes from 1989. Damron continued to record into the '90s but this represented his last stretch of real commercial success, with 1978's LP Lost in the Music reaching 12 on the Canadian country charts and 1984's Last Dance on Saturday Night peaking at 18. Those records are here in their entirety, along with the hit singles he had during this stretch — most notably the Top Tens "Silver and Shine," "Reunion," "Honky Tonk Angels and Good Ole Boys," and "Good Ol' Time Country Rock 'n' Roll." More than anything else, this set illustrates the quickly shifting tides of country fashion during the '90s, as the earliest recordings here are slick but warm yet by the end of the set there's an efficient precision that's at odds with Damron's inherent low-key likableness. Despite his polished surroundings, he still can pull off some amiable straight-ahead country — it helps when the tempo is a little quicker, as the proceedings don't get stuck in sap (although they certainly can get silly) — but the real jewels in this collection arrive during the first disc and a half, the span of time when Damron was one of the biggest Canadian country stars and he made country-pop that rolled smooth and easy.