Hot Damn!
Cash Rivers returns with a follow up album to his 2017 hit ep;
“She Laughed I Left”, with his band the Sinners,
featuring Harry Covair, Arlen Rhodes, Dudley Rogers and Ryan Stone,
all good ol’ Nashville players perhaps from the Grand Old Opry… yeah right.
Actually I know that the father of one of the musicians,
actually did play the Grand Old Opry, very recently,
but I digress…
Some GBV fans who appear to be country music fans,
stated that they would hope that the Cash Rivers records
would lead Bob to a future in country music.
Sure the songs on “Blue Balls Lincoln” have more of a musical
aspect to them than the last Cash Rivers release “She Laughed I Left”.
But it seems like the circumstances are the same,
someone threw out a song title and Bob made up a country song
on the spot, using the title.
Except on “Blue Balls Lincoln” it seems like some of the songs were
taken into the studio and had additional instruments dubbed in.
I seriously don’t believe Bob is in anyway serious
about a future in country music,
because he approaches it as a parody.
If perhaps Pollard, or Cash on his next album,
would record songs from the GBV songbook, in a country style,
performed them more seriously, with them clocking in at about 2 and a half minutes,
and released it on the GBV record label in more than a 500 copy run,
then I would say, he does take a future in country seriously,
but this album is obviously done in fun.
There is a version of the Guided By Voices nugget, “Glad Girls”,
which is done in an old country style,
makes me wonder how it would sound if Johnny Cash covered it.
Glen Campbell did a good cover of “Hold On Hope”,
and with his situation at the time it was quite poignant.
So it can be done.
But as far as the music on “Blue Balls Lincoln”,
it’s spot on country,
at least cool country,
Reminds me of the old trucker country music,
that was offensive and politically incorrect,
from decades past.
If country music had songs like,
“70 Year Old Lady”
“I met a 70 year old lady with a Killer Ass”
or
“Man With Clogs”
“I don’t trust a man with Clogs,
I’d rather trust a man with dogs”.
or
“Crooked Balls”
“She’s got me by the crooked balls, she knows it,
she’s got me by the crooked dick, she knows it”.
I might be a fan.
“Bloody Mustard” sounds a county version of “Anarchy In The U.K.”
with Pollard, in a cockney accent saying “Bloody Mustard”.
“Bobby Bare Jr” has his own theme song,
I guess in case he ever gets his own TV show.
“Bobby Bare had a child and he named him Bobby Bare Jr,
and he looked like a bear nobody cared, but he did”.
A lot of the songs sound like if they were more fleshed out
they would be pretty cool songs,
“Didn't Diddy Give Ya”, “Gas Station Hero” and
“Goddamn Lookit My Phone Got Wet” could be real country songs.
“Little Amplifiers”, almost sounds like something Bob may have already done.
The cover of Boston Spaceships “Come On Baby Grace”,
is performed like Elvis.
“Getting High On a Positive Note” is a rock and roll song,
with drums that sound like Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.
Cash Rivers also covers the Sherman Brothers “A Spoonful of Sugar”
from Mary Poppins, which sounds more like the Residents than
country music.
Lots of picking, grinning and laughing.
Sounds like they had as much fun recording it,
as we do listening to it.
Limited to 500 copies on clear blue vinyl.
Love that clear vinyl! |
