Originally released in December of 1969, Merle Haggard’s Okie From Muskogee is one of country music’s best live recordings. Capturing a specific period in both politics and country music, the LP was recordd in Oklahoma, and won the Academy Of Country Music awards for Album Of The Year, Top Male Vocalist, and Single Of The Year for its titular track.
Okie is getting a 45th anniversary release this year, and the Okie From Muskogee Anniversary Edition comes packed with a copy of Haggard’s long out of print 1970 record The Fightin’ Side Of Me. The sought-after LP has long been a gem for collectors, and this is the first time the record will be available in CD format ever. To celebrate not only that elusive record’s release, but also Okie, The A.V. Club is streaming one of the very best tracks from Fightin’, “When Did Right Become So Wrong.” Recorded live in Philadelphia in 1970, the track (like all the others on this release) serves as a reminder as to why Haggard is one of the greatest country recording acts of all time.