The Grand Tour

Ok country album. Perry boring to me. 2.5/5

I haven’t heard of George Jones … sounds like proper old school country to me … which makes me think that I should have heard of George Jones … but I haven’t heard of George Jones … so that’s that.

The Grand Tour is another reminder of why George Jones is considered one of country music's greatest vocalists. While the album starts off strong with the heartbreaking title track, I found myself enjoying it even more as it went on. The second half is where the record really clicked for me, with songs like "She Told Me So," "Who Will I Be Loving Now," and "Our Private Life" keeping the emotional momentum going.
Jones' voice is effortlessly expressive throughout the album, and producer Billy Sherrill's polished countrypolitan sound complements the songs without overshadowing them. The record doesn't rely on flashy arrangements; instead, it lets the songwriting and Jones' delivery carry the weight. Even though many of the songs deal with heartbreak and loss, they never feel repetitive because Jones brings a different emotional shade to each performance.
Overall, The Grand Tour is a consistently strong country album that gets better as it progresses. The second half, in particular, left the biggest impression on me, making it an album I'll gladly revisit.

Standard-fare country music of its time. It's better than today's equivalent, but it's nothing special.

Every story you read about George Jones: legendary hellraiser and all-round liability.
Virtually every song on this album: “Aw shucks, I’m just a poor, decent chump pining after some floozy.” And he sings it so sincerely, you kind of believe it.
(At least Our Private Life acknowledges his off-stage reputation.)

Kinda boring, it sounds older than it actually is

2

In the first line of She Told Me So does George confirm he believes in the geocentric model of the universe? I really enjoyed this album. The instrumentation is subtle allowing his voice and lyrics to be the focus. The title track is clearly the main attraction here with the other songs playing in similar spaces. He has a really great voice and I like how he throws it on the more uptempo songs. Favorites were The Grand Tour, The Weatherman, She Told Me So, and Our Private Life.

Netter Country der 70er nicht schlecht aber auch nicht mehr.

I don't think I listened to George Jones before now. Apparently, he was revered as one of the greatest country singers out there, and The Grand Tour certainly gave me a taste of that.

George Jones had such an impressive baritone voice. Whether he sang about longing for someone on the title track, avoiding the temptation of one-night stands on "Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)", pining for someone's affection on "She'll Love the One She's With", or the sweet embrace of a lover on "Once You've Had the Best", George delivered with such an emotive crooning delivery that evoke such sweet sensibilities. His voice worked wonders alongside the gentle acoustic guitar, warm pedal steel, and background vocals nestled in the mix.

That said, for as much as I got an idea of George Jones as a singer, I wish I got more of an idea of him as a songwriter. His only writing credit on here was on the closing track "Our Private Life" with Tammy Wynette, railing against the tabloid-driven celebrity lifestyle. It's a decent song, albeit tonally different from the rest of the record. I certainly wish I had gotten more of his storytelling on here, because for as much as George could sell whatever song other writers in the room had for him, it likely didn't fully speak to what could have been on his mind.

Still, I enjoyed The Grand Tour for what it's worth. It was a nice slice of country music cut by a truly amazing singer. Hard to complain about that.

Solid country album

Yeah, that's country music, with everything I find so annoying. I listened to three tracks and couldn't stand the whining. 1/5

Mixed up this guy with Jim Jones and Charles Manson at the same time. Kind of coloured my perception of the music. Ignoring the murders, the music is just regular schmegular country, nothing to write home about as someone who isn't a fan of the genre

I would rate it high for the genre. Love a short little album, was good to listen to for the time I was listening. Probably not going back to this one but wouldn’t hate to hear it out in public at a state fair or something.

Season: Late Summer
Favorite Song: Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)

I don't think I'll listen to this again. It was fine, but no more than that. Country music doesn't ring my bell.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳 is a straightforward country album, rooted in traditional songwriting and emotional delivery. George Jones’s voice carries the material with ease, giving the songs a strong sense of sincerity.

At the same time, the album stays very close to genre conventions. While it’s clearly well made, it doesn’t offer much that stands out beyond that. It’s solid country, but not something that leaves a lasting impression on me.

Does the photo on the album cover show the best example of sideburns of all time? I mean look at that thing - it looks like someone glued a piece of carpet to his face. Also, I'm immediately put off by any song called or including the word "Darlin'". That's always seemed like such a gross thing for a man to call a woman. Or anyone else for that matter. I'm not a country fan and can tell that this is probably gonna be a chore today. But only 28 minutes so here's hoping it won't be too bad.
I think I lasted about 27 seconds before wanting to turn this off. I just really hate this kind of music. I hate how sappy it is. I hate the way the vocals always sound. I hate the way they build the melodies. I hate the lyrics. I don't know man, if you put me in a locked room and told me I had to listen to either this or hip hop for 2 hours to get out, I think I might just lay down and die in there. 1/5

sure

Back when I was a young slip of a thing, my friends and I used to try and dream up parody Country and Western songs for our dream band - The Hillbilly Cow Pokers - to sing.

If we had heard this album we would have hot the mother lode. Endless heartbreak, marriages split up, an excess of regret and she took our baby and left me her alone with nuttin'. And that's just the first song.

There's one song - Once You've had the Best - that's positive and another - that has a happy ending, although it's about a troubled marriage. But the rest are a compendium of misery.

30 minutes of infidelity and heart ache with overtime on the lap steel. Hot dang!

Grand Tour is a good song. Overall is a very typical country album. It's less than 30 mins so no complaints on length. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.

Weighing in at a mere 28 minutes, this album is short and sweet, a classic example of old-school country. I dig Jones' voice, but the album can get a little repetitive. It's all heartbreak and honky-tonks, perfect for a sad drive or coffee, but it doesn't really break the mold.

It was alright, but it sounded super cliche to me. The pedal steel and the sad lyrics about divorce make it feel a bit dated. "The Grand Tour" and "Once You've Had The Best" are good, but the rest kinda blend together. It's a cool little piece of country history, but it could have used some more variety.