Only Making Believe, Vol. 1

Forty-eight songs that make up Jimmy Work's combined output for Decca, Capitol, Triumph, Album, Dot, and so on. Much of what's here on Making Believe, apart from those early yodel-style numbers, is some of the most pleasing and rousing honky tonk music you can find, unique in sound and style despite the similarities to Lefty Frizzell in the early '50s. The support personnel vary considerably (some of the better bands aren't even recorded for posterity), from complete unknowns to the likes of Grady Martin and Tommy Jackson, but Work's singing is remarkably consistent and attractive regardless of who's playing behind him. Among the highlights from the previously unreleased tracks are two different versions of "Puttin' on the Dog (Tom Cattin' Around)," both of which were considered too risqué to be issued at the time. The released stuff includes the original and re-recorded versions of "Tennessee Border," "Making Believe," and "That's What Makes the Jukebox Play" and the weirdly delightful "Do Your Honky Tonkin' at Home" and "Hospitality," among too many treasures to name.