Hank Williams LP Collection — MGM & Diplomat Tributes, Set of 5

Five Hank Williams-related LPs spanning original MGM pressings and budget-label Diplomat tributes. The group includes MGM's The Very Best of Hank Williams, Volume 2 (E/SE 4227) and The Spirit of Hank Williams (E3955), the latter with a striking blue-toned cover portrait signed in the plate by the artist "eagle." Three Diplomat Records titles round out the set — Dedication to Hank Williams (D 2607), A Tribute to Hank Williams (2252), and In Memory of Hank Williams (2273) — the tribute discs performed by Rusty Harris with the Diplomat Orchestra rather than Williams himself.

The two MGM titles carry genuine Williams performances drawn from his 1947–1953 catalog. Volume 2 includes liner notes by Paul Ackerman, then Music Editor of Billboard, and was engineered by Val Valentin. The Spirit of Hank Williams collects deeper catalog cuts — gospel, weepers, and early radio material less commonly anthologized. The three Diplomat pressings are sound-alike tributes manufactured by Synthetic Plastics Co., Newark, N.J., a common budget-label practice of the era. Single-owner collection, most acquired in the 1960s and 1970s. The Dedication jacket bears a handwritten "11-25-64" date and price notation to the verso.

CONDITION

Good overall as a group. All discs playable and from a single owner, most acquired in the 1960s and 1970s; no unpleasant odors. Jackets show edge and corner wear, ring impressions, and toning consistent with age; the Dedication jacket has ink notation to the back. Vinyl shows light surface marks under raking light.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

The Very Best of Hank Williams, Vol. 2 — MGM E/SE 4227

• Label: MGM High Fidelity
• Format: 12" 33⅓ RPM
• Side One: My Heart Would Know · Settin' the Woods on Fire · Lost Highway · Window Shopping · Howlin' at the Moon · Honky Tonk Blues
• Side Two: Mind Your Own Business · May You Never Be Alone · Mansion on the Hill · They'll Never Take Her Love from Me · You Win Again · Half as Much

The Spirit of Hank Williams — MGM E3955

• Label: MGM High Fidelity
• Format: 12" 33⅓ RPM
• Cover art signed in plate: "eagle"
• Side One: Window Shopping · Wearin' Out Your Walkin' Shoes · A Teardrop on a Rose · Lost on the River · Jesus Died for Me · A Home in Heaven
• Side Two: Fool About You · The Pale Horse and His Rider · If You'll Be a Baby (To Me) · Mother Is Gone · Dear Brother · When You're Tired of Breaking Other Hearts

Dedication to Hank Williams — Diplomat D 2607 (Mono)

• Label: Diplomat Records (Synthetic Plastics Co., Newark, N.J.)
• Format: 12" 33⅓ RPM Mono
• Performer: Rusty Harris
• Jacket verso: handwritten date "11-25-64" and price notation
• Side One: Window Shoppin' · My Bucket's Got a Hole in It · Love Sick Blues · Rosewood Casket · Bury Me Beneath the Willow
• Side Two: Careless Love · Can I Sleep in Your Barn, Mister? · Letter Edged in Black · Red River Valley · Carry Me Back to Old Virginia

A Tribute to Hank Williams — Diplomat 2252

• Label: Diplomat Records (Synthetic Plastics Co., Newark, N.J.)
• Format: 12" 33⅓ RPM
• Performer: Rusty Harris with the Diplomat Orchestra
• Side One: Window Shoppin' · My Bucket's Got a Hole in It · Lovesick Blues · Rosewood Casket · Bury Me Beneath the Willow
• Side Two: Careless Love · Can I Sleep in Your Barn Mister · Letter Edged in Black · Red River Valley · Carry Me Back to Old Virginia

In Memory of Hank Williams — Diplomat 2273

• Label: Diplomat Records (Synthetic Plastics Co., Newark, N.J.)
• Format: 12" 33⅓ RPM High Fidelity
• Performer: Rusty Draper with the Diplomat Orchestra
• Side One: Your Cheating Heart · Half as Much · Cold Cold Heart · I'll Have a New Body · Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
• Side Two: Down in the Valley · Joe Clark · Bill Chetam · Streets of Laramie · I Won't Live and Love Always