180 Gram Vinyl. Merle Haggard is so proud of his many appearances on Austin City Limits since 1978 that he once said Its like a scrapbook of 25 years of my music. This performance, recorded on October 30, 1985, best captures the man and his music. Its all here, from the classic Mama Tried to his poignant, newer songs, as well as his rousing tribute to the immortal King of Western Swing, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. He not only sings about lifes experiences, whether heartbreak or doing time at San Quentin, hes been up and down that road and every other. Someone once called him the poet laureate of American music.