Roger Miller's sly, carefully nuanced hits were classics of a unique sort, as much pop as they were country, and their "aw shucks" veneer only partly concealed
Miller's inherent cleverness and wit. What a lot of folks don't know is that
Miller was also a consummate musician, skilled on several instruments including guitar, piano, drums, fiddle, and banjo, and he was a thoroughly professional songwriter. This set is actually his earliest recorded material, done for RCA Records between 1961 and 1963, after which
Miller left for Smash Records, recording the impossibly infectious "Dang Me," and when that song became a left-field hit in 1964, RCA bundled up what they had and released it as the
Roger Miller LP (it has also been released under the title Tunes That Launched the Roger Miller Career). Fervent fans might want this, but it lacks
Miller's most famous sides like the elegant "King of the Road" and the jaunty "England Swings," so casual listeners would be better served with one of the many "best-of" collections out there. ~ Steve Leggett