Top 5/Bottom 5: Randy Travis

[Ten Pound Hammer]

TOP

1. The Box
2. Angels (WATZ still plays this every Mother's Day)
3. Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart
4. It's Just a Matter of Time
5. The Hole
6. Before You Kill Us All
7. If I Didn't Have You
8. Three Wooden Crosses
9. Look Heart, No Hands
10. Better Class of Losers
11. On the Other Hand
12. A Man Ain't Made of Stone
13. Pray for the Fish
14. Stranger in My Mirror
15. An Old Pair of Shoes
16. This Is Me
17. 1982
18. Is It Still Over?
19. Whisper My Name
20. Diggin' Up Bones
21. Out of My Bones
22. Too Gone Too Long
23. Are We in Trouble Now (I don't remember this one at all)
24. Would I (…and yet I remember this one plain as day)
25. Honky Tonk Moon
26. Forever and Ever, Amen (at the bottom because I feel it's somewhat overrated, but not nearly to the point of dislike)

…okay, I've probably picked enough.

BOTTOM

1. I Won't Need You Anymore (boring, doesn't seem to go anywhere, a rare misfire from the Barnes-Seals camp)
2. King of the Road (completely pointless cover; WKJC loved it)
3. Four Walls (a bit too old-fashioned for me)
4. We're Strangers Again (just boring)
5. Point of Light (really not that bad, just kinda preachy and dated)

[sabre14]

Top:
1. Angels (oh dear God this song)
2. Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart
3. The Box
4. 1982
5. The Hole
6. Love's Alive And Well
7. Forever And Ever, Amen
8. Three Wooden Crosses
9. He Walked On Water
10. On The Other Hand
11. I Told You So
12. Diggin' Up Bones
13. Look Heart, No Hands
14. Honky Tonk Moon
15. Pray For The Fish
16. A Man Ain't Made Of Stone
17. Faith In You
18. No Place Like Home
19. Is It Still Over?
20. Deeper Than The Holler

Christmas Songs:
1. Old Time Christmas
2. Jingle Bell Rock

Bottom:
1. Promises
2. Would I
3. You Ain't Right

Needed something to put in the bottom.

[tim]

How have we not done one for Randy yet? Thanks Ten Pound Hammer. Growing up with country in the 90's I didn't come around to Randy until sometime around 1991/1992 I think. I remember hearing about his tour with Alan Jackson and writing songs with him, but it probably wasn't until I started seeing his "If I Didn't Have You" and "Look Heart, No Hands" videos on CMT/TNN that I really started to become a fan. I remember going to get his Whisper My Name album at the store the week it came out and have been hooked forever. I always try to limit my lists to ten so let's give it a shot:

1. Are We In Trouble Now (the video was always a favorite of mine, and I still listen to this song now and then)
2. Whisper My Name
3. Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of A Man
4. Before You Kill Us All
5. Look Heart, No Hands
6. Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart
7. If I Didn't Have You
8. Out of My Bones
9. It's Just A Matter of Time
10. I Told You So

Favorite Album Tracks:

from This Is Me
Honky Tonk Side of Town
Runaway Train (live version is great as well)
Gonna Walk That Line

from Full Circle
Highway Junkie
Don't Take Your Love Away From Me
If It Ain't One Thing It's Another
I Wish it Would Rain
Ants On A Log (it still gets stuck in my head to this day)

from You and You Alone
Horse Called Music (I'm partial to the live version...it's a great track)
I Did My Part
Easy to Love You
You and You Alone

from A Man Ain't Made of Stone
A Little Left of Center

from Inspirational Journey
Baptism (live version is even better...duet on Kenny's album is also great!)

from Passing Through
Right On Time (such a great, great song)
My Poor Old Heart
Running Blind

Dislikes:

I don't have any really, but I'm not a fan of songs that get overplayed so you could easily add anything from his mid 80's releases here that I often find myself skipping (but they are still classics).

edit: I didn't have "Angels" on my favorite list if only because there's a special place for that song that is beyond any list...it came around the time my mom passed and I consider it untouchable).

[Andy]

One of the all-time great artists. I'm not even going to attempt to do a strict ranking and just go in chronological order.

TOP
On the Other Hand
The Storms of Life
Diggin' Up Bones
1982
There'll Always be a Honky Tonk Somewhere
Reasons I Cheat
What'll You Do About Me
Old 8x10
He Walked on Water
Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart
A Few Ol' Country Boys (with George Jones)
Point of Light
Before You Kill Us All
Whisper My Name
The Box
Oscar the Angel
The Hole
Out of My Bones
Spirit of a Boy, Wisdom of a Man
Only Worse
I Did My Part
Horse Called Music
Three Wooden Crosses
Baptism
Angels
You Didn't Have a Good Time
Dig Two Graves
Love is a Gamble
Faith in You
Everything I Own (Has Got a Dent)

OVERPLAYED, BUT STILL GREAT SONGS
Forever and Ever, Amen
Deeper Than the Holler

BOTTOM
It's Just a Matter of Time (not bad, I've just always found it a little boring)
I Told You So (see above, I guess Randy's less-country material leaves me indifferent)
Promises (see above, but Daryle Singletary's cover is great)
King of the Road (what Ten Pound Hammer said. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine when an artist covers another artist's signature song. There wasn't another song in Roger Miller's terrific catalog he could cover and give exposure to? Everyone already knows "King of the Road.")

TOP 5 ALBUMS
1. The Storms of Life
2. No Holdin' Back
3. Around the Bend
4. You and You Alone
5. This is Me

I've never listened to his gospel albums, and somehow there are still a few of his secular albums I'm not very familiar with (specifically Wind in the Wire, Full Circle, and A Man Ain't Made of Stone), so I'm sure I'm missing some great songs. I also excluded tracks from his two recent covers albums for obvious reasons.

[Deleted]

I really really really wish I was more familiar with Randy's music. I think he has got a hell of a voice and i've yet to find something i dislike of his. Heres a pretty crappy list of my favs of his i've actually heard.
1. Diggin Up Bones(i sang this a lot with my grandpa when i was little)
2. Three Wooden Crosses
3.1982
4.I Told You So
5.Better Class Of Losers

[someguy]

Not familliar with a lot of his earlier work, but:

Top singles:

1. Whisper My Name
2. This Is Me
3. Forever And Ever Amen (overplayed, but still a very good song)
4. Three Wooden Crosses
5. The Box
6. On The Other Hand
7. I Told You So
8. Angels
9. Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart
10. The Hole

Bottom singles:

1. Promises
2. Would I
3. Four Walls

[kw9461]

Oh boy, limiting this is going to be tough. I fell in love with his music as a child and he's been my all-time favorite ever since.

1. If I Didn't Have You
2. Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart (2-4 are a total coin flip)
3. Look Heart, No Hands
4. Deeper Than The Holler
5. Whisper My Name
6. I Told You So
7. Heroes & Friends
8. Spirit Of A Boy, Wisdom Of A Man
9. Forever And Ever, Amen
10. Is It Still Over?
11. Before You Kill Us All
12. 1982
13. Diggin' Up Bones
14. Out Of My Bones
15. He Walked On Water
16. Better Class Of Losers
17. The Box
18. The Hole
19. A Man Ain't Made Of Stone
20. This Is Me
21. On The Other Hand
22. Three Wooden Crosses
23. Too Gone, Too Long
24. Pray For The Fish
25. Stranger In My Mirror

Album Cuts:
1. Oscar The Angel (This Is Me)
2. What'll You Do About Me (Always & Forever)
3. That Was Us (Passing Through)
4. The Family Bible And The Farmer's Almanac (A Man Ain't Made Of Stone)
5. That's Where I Draw The Line (This Is Me)
6. Tonight I'm Playing Possum (Influences Vol. I)
7. Raise Him Up (Rise & Shine)
8. You Didn't Have A Good Time (Around The Bend)
9. Every Head Bowed (Around The Bend)
10. Small Y'all (This Is Me)


Least Faves:
1. It's Just A Matter Of Time
2. Promises
3. Would I

[matty005]

Best

1. Look Heart, No Hands (this was my second favorite country song ever). I remember buying the cassette at the mall when I was in 5th grade and I saw my 5th grade teacher there too. Always weird to see your teacher out of school. I also had a huge crush on the girl in this video!
2. Whisper My Name
3. Out Of My Bones
4. I Told You So (as much as I love it, I actually love Carrie's version even more)
5. Before You Kill Us All

Worst

1. Three Wooden Crosses
2. The Hole

[Kanenrá:ke]

Top 10

01. Dig Two Graves
02. Three Wooden Crosses
03. Angels
04. Look Heart, No Hands
05. A Man Ain't Made Of Stone
06. Forever And Ever, Amen
07. Deeper Than The Holler
08. Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart
09. Out Of My Bones
10. On The Other Hand

No Bottom lol

[thy4568]

Top:

1. Look Heart, No Hands
2. This is Me
3. Are We in Trouble Now
3. What a Time to be Me
4. He Walked on Water
5. I Told You So (with Carrie Underwood)

Bottom:

1. On the Other Hand
2. Digging Up Bones
3. Honky Tonk Side of Town
4. Would I
5. Baptism

[bjer127]

I am surprised I never responded to this. Randy Travis is probably in my Top 5 favorite country artists ever, and that's a distinguished list. I wish someone would come along now and change the format like he did almost single-handedly in 1985-86 (come on William Michael Morgan or Mo Pitney!). Again, as people have stated, almost impossible to rank his songs, but i'll give it a stab in his honor (get well Randy)

Top Singles
1. I Told You So
2. Look Heart, No Hands
3. The Box
4. Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart (one of my favorite melodies and instrumentation in a country song)
5. Deeper Than The Holler
6. He Walked On Water
7. Honky Tonk Moon
8. Is It Still Over
9. Three Wooden Crosses
10. No Place Like Home

Top Album Cuts
1. The Truth Is Lying Next To You (and one of my favorites of his, period)
2. Good Intentions
3. Tonight, I'm Playing Possum
4. No Stoppin' Us Now
5. Written In Stone
6. Old 8X10
7. What'll You Do About Me
8. Shopping For Dresses w/ Loretta Lynn
9. I'd Surrender All
10. What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana (he did my favorite Haggard song justice, for sure)


Bottom
1. Too Gone Too Long - just kind of meh to me
2. Better Class of Losers

thats about it, on the whole love his late 80's /early 90's material alot better than post-Wind In The Wire era. That concept, made-for-TV album really derailed his momentum. But still he is a living legend

[CoJoFan]

I love all of Randy Travis' music but my 2 favorites are "Deeper Than The Holler" and "Before You Kill Us All". Speaking of Randy, unless I missed it no one has said anything about his album Wind In The Wire. What is everyone's thoughts on it?

[onebuffalo]

Feb 23, 2016 21:05:19 GMT -5 CoJoFan said:

I love all of Randy Travis' music but my 2 favorites are "Deeper Than The Holler" and "Before You Kill Us All". Speaking of Randy, unless I missed it no one has said anything about his album Wind In The Wire. What is everyone's thoughts on it?

After the success of the greatest hits CDs of 1992, Randy Travis went into a Western direction with Wind In The Wire. Not a bad album by any stretch, but was slightly different from the Travis we were accustomed to between 1986-1993. Two singles were released, Cowboy Boogie (#46) and the title track (#65). The only reason why this record sounded different from previous Travis releases is that Steve Gibson produced it instead of Kyle Lehning. Travis came back strong in 1994 with the This Is Me CD. Four top tens were produced between 1994-1995. Here's a video of Cowboy Boogie. Enjoy!

[bjer127]

Feb 25, 2016 11:41:28 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Feb 23, 2016 21:05:19 GMT -5 CoJoFan said:

I love all of Randy Travis' music but my 2 favorites are "Deeper Than The Holler" and "Before You Kill Us All". Speaking of Randy, unless I missed it no one has said anything about his album Wind In The Wire. What is everyone's thoughts on it?

After the success of the greatest hits CDs of 1992, Randy Travis went into a Western direction with Wind In The Wire. Not a bad album by any stretch, but was slightly different from the Travis we were accustomed to between 1986-1993. Two singles were released, Cowboy Boogie (#46) and the title track (#65). The only reason why this record sounded different from previous Travis releases is that Steve Gibson produced it instead of Kyle Lehning. Travis came back strong in 1994 with the This Is Me CD. Four top tens were produced between 1994-1995. Here's a video of Cowboy Boogie. Enjoy!

Correct me if i am wrong, but wasn't "Wind In The Wire" the soundtrack to a TV-movie? I don't think it was just a concept album for Randy, I think there were some sort of movie to accompany it. Either way, I think it did kind of derail his career (albeit very shortly). I can easily seperate pre-Wind in the Wire from post-Wind IN the Wire Randy, with the earlier work being far better.

[onebuffalo]

TV movie.

[thy4568]

When I first heard "Wind" I didn't like it, in fact, I hated it. This is because of the Western theme and also the songs was a deviation from Randy's normal songs.

"Wind" was released during a time when Randy had so many beautiful songs like "Look Heart, No Hands" and "An Old Pair of Shoes" which were so gorgeously meaningful and touching. To follow that up with "Cowboy Boogie" seemed all wrong at that time. "Cowboy" sounded so detached and frivolous. I can't say how disappointed I was when I first heard WIND. I must say I wasn't pleased with the album then and seldom listened to it through.

Now in hindsight, the album is still an oddity, but it has some goregous songs. I don't listen to it much, but I don't hate it that much either.

[thy4568]

Feb 19, 2016 15:05:35 GMT -5 bjer127 said:

I am surprised I never responded to this. Randy Travis is probably in my Top 5 favorite country artists ever, and that's a distinguished list. I wish someone would come along now and change the format like he did almost single-handedly in 1985-86 (come on William Michael Morgan or Mo Pitney!). Again, as people have stated, almost impossible to rank his songs, but i'll give it a stab in his honor (get well Randy)

Top Singles
1. I Told You So
2. Look Heart, No Hands
3. The Box
4. Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart (one of my favorite melodies and instrumentation in a country song)
5. Deeper Than The Holler
6. He Walked On Water
7. Honky Tonk Moon
8. Is It Still Over
9. Three Wooden Crosses
10. No Place Like Home

Top Album Cuts
1. The Truth Is Lying Next To You (and one of my favorites of his, period)
2. Good Intentions
3. Tonight, I'm Playing Possum
4. No Stoppin' Us Now
5. Written In Stone
6. Old 8X10
7. What'll You Do About Me
8. Shopping For Dresses w/ Loretta Lynn
9. I'd Surrender All
10. What Have You Got Planned Tonight Diana (he did my favorite Haggard song justice, for sure)


Bottom
1. Too Gone Too Long - just kind of meh to me
2. Better Class of Losers

thats about it, on the whole love his late 80's /early 90's material alot better than post-Wind In The Wire era. That concept, made-for-TV album really derailed his momentum. But still he is a living legend

i almost forget about Shopping for Dresses, that' a great great great song!!!

[James]

Top 5:

1. Look Heart, No Hands
2. Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart
3. A Man Ain't Made Of Stone
4. Out Of My Bones
5. He Walked On Water

[CoJoFan]

Reading all these posts about Randy Travis inspired to start completing his album collection and I mean the CD copies of his albums too. Doing pretty good as I'm only needing 4 to complete it. Just need Always & Forever, Heroes And Friends, Full Circle and A Man Ain't Made of Stone.