Truth be told,
Hank Williams, Jr. wasn't particularly popular during the period covered by Polygram Special Markets' American Legend: The Best of the Early Years, nor was he at the peak of his creativity. He was simply trying to find his sound in the '60s, occasionally succeeding and occasionally failing. There's some good material to be found in his numerous recordings, and
American Legend does a nice job of rounding them up, giving space to his four Top Ten singles of the time -- "Standing in the Shadows," "It's All Over But the Crying," "Cajun Baby," "I'd Rather Be Gone" -- plus selecting six other solid entries. All told, it's a worthy overview of Williams' first decade of recording and worth its budget price. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine