The mid-to-late 60s may be my favorite country era; these songs are polished but still rootsy, elegantly constructed without skimping on personality. Buck Owens is a phenomenal songwriter, period (and you can hear why Creedence name-check him on “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”) “Amos Moses” is addictively structured, and “King Of The Road” is a lackadaisical bop. Kicking this chapter off is the unsolvable mystery of “Ode To Billie Joe.”