Originally Released August 25, 1998
Re-Released as 'The Essential Alabama' on May 17, 2005
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: RCA/Legacy's 2005 double-disc release Essential Alabama should not be confused with RCA's 1998 single-disc release The Essential Alabama, which may have had the same title but boasted a different track listing. However, the 2005 Essential Alabama should be confused with the 1998 double-disc set For the Record: 41 Number One Hits, since it has the same track listing as that album. At least the back cover of Essential acknowledges that it was "formerly available" as For the Record, so most fans will likely not be duped into buying the same album a second time. For the rest of us, Essential Alabama keeps everything good about For the Record: 41 Number One Hits and eliminates its one flaw: the misleading subtitle that claimed all of the songs on the album hit number one, which was not true (it also implied that the album had 41 songs when it really had 44). Which means that Essential Alabama is now the definitive Alabama collection, containing every one of their big hits -- including such contemporary classics as "Tennessee River," "Mountain Music," "The Closer You Get," "Forty Hour Week (For a Livin')," "Jukebox on My Mind," and "Down Home" -- in one concise, entertaining package. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine
AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Even though the title should be taken with a grain of salt -- an enormous number of these 44 songs did reach number one, but a handful only peaked at two or three -- there's no denying that For the Record: 41 Number One Hits is an impressive achievement. Spanning two discs and two decades, For the Record contains nearly every great song Alabama recorded, plus three new tunes. If any single album provides definitive proof as to why Alabama is the most popular country band of all time, this is it -- they make this appealingly polished, hook-heavy, radio-ready mainstream pop sound easy as pie. Alabama may have had a couple of album cuts every now and then that were quite good, but they were at their best turning out hits as a singles band, as such contemporary classics as "Tennessee River," "Mountain Music," "The Closer You Get," "Forty Hour Week (For a Livin')," "Jukebox on My Mind" and "Down Home" illustrate. Consequently, it's hard not to view For the Record, with its virtual cornucopia of hits, as the definitive Alabama collection, maybe even the definitive Alabama album. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Amazon.com
Alabama epitomizes the term "people's band." Never a critic's favorite, the quartet from Fort Payne, Alabama, presents slick, sentimental songs that unerringly catch the ear of fans yet mystify those who don't hear the appeal. This two-CD career retrospective, which presents all 41 of the group's number-one hits, underlines just how successful they've been. The strengths are there: Randy Owen's clear, deep, intimate vocals; the focus on accessible melodies and musical hooks; and the straightforward song sense that plainly celebrates love, family, and home with all the simplicity of homilies stitched into a framed kitchen doily. Some might argue about Alabama's artistic value, but the band's 18-year track record offers a convincing retort. --Michael McCall
USA Today:
Only a blindly devoted fan would believe there couldn't be a better Alabama compilation, though few could argue for a more comprehensive one.
CD Connection Review:
Includes liner notes by Robert K. Oermann.
"How Do You Fall In Love" was nominated for a 1999 Grammy for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
In 1980, country bands that played their own instruments and wrote their own songs were almost unheard of. Enter Alabama. 58 million records later, they're still going strong, and this two-CD set collects every single one of their 41 (!) number one hits. The key to Alabama's success is their versatility--as FOR THE RECORD illustrates, they've recorded Southern rock raveups ("Tennessee River"), hard country ("Jukebox In My Mind"), slick pop ("Love In the First Degree") and love ballads ("Once Upon A Lifetime"), and all of them have hit number one.
Chalk it up to lead singer Randy Owen's distinctive, emotion-packed voice, the band's harmonies and their knack for choosing first-rate material. A quarter of this collection consists of Alabama's signature proud-to-be-from-Dixie anthems, like "Southern Star," "High Cotton" and "Born Country," but there's also a generous helping of their romantic numbers, like "Face to Face" and "Feels So Right." The band's flair for detailing the struggles of the everyday working Joe is illustrated in tracks like "40 Hour Week," "I'm In A Hurry" and "Roll On." And for fans who already have everything the band ever recorded, there are three new songs, including the outstanding ballad "How Do You Fall In Love."
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