George Jones: My Very Special Guests (Epic)
Ariel Swartley, Rolling Stone, 21 February 1980
ON MY Very Special Guests, a different celebrity sits in with George Jones on every song — and "sittin' in," contrary to what Nashville would have you believe, is not a state of grace. In that great rehearsal complex in the sky, maybe all the stars have to do is greet each other for the halls to ring with harmony. But down here, listening to George move over on the sofa for Tammy or Linda or Elvis (Costello) is about as exciting as a night at the talk shows. It's all here but Johnny: the insincere thanks, the false camaraderie, the profit motive.
Total word count of piece: 390