Two-thousand eighteen was a big year for Cash Rivers and the Sinners.
After releasing a seventeen track 7” record “She Laughed I Left” the prior year,
the band returned to make two more albums in 2019, “Blue Balls Lincoln”;
which had the band making full band recordings,
rather than the “on-the-spot”, “under 30 second” tracks from “She Laughed, I left.”
The band’s music at this time was basically country.
For their next album, the Monumental double album,
“Do Not Try To Adjust Your Set I Am The Vertical And The Horizontal”,
the band goes from all styles of country, but this time they move into
Rock, Punk, Disco and even Reggae.
Then it was announced on Robert Pollards website,
“Do Not Try To Adjust Your Set I Am The Vertical And The Horizontal”
is Cash’s last record and will be commemorated in 2019 with the
“10 Month Anniversary” deluxe double CD package of Cash’s entire ouvre (sic),
including the She Laughed, I Left 7”, Blue Balls Lincoln LP and lots of bonus
Vertical/Horizon outtakes.
Then it’s R.I.P. Cash and the Sinners.
To me,
it’s a loss, not quite on the level of the end of Circus Devils,
but still a Bummer.
Anyway, I’ve been checking Rockathon every day ever since.
I had bought all the vinyl releases,
even digitized the vinyl that didn’t come with a download card.
But I still wanted the records on cd,
I even planned on buying a couple to give away as gifts.
But the release of “Loose Shoes” changed all that.
The original release info notes for “Loose Shoes” claimed:
“While searching through the various bits of detritus left behind from
the Horizontal and the Vertical, the crew at Rockathon Records uncovered a fully formed
album of unheard Cash Rivers and the Sinners material.”
“See Alice” starts off the record, which Cash claims is the only song
he’s ever recorded NOT under the influence of alcohol.
The lyrics go,
“Wake me up, when you See Alice,
I’m taking her to Viagra Falls”.
That same Double Entendre comes up later when Bobby Bare Senior returns
to do another promo.
“Whenever I visit Viagra Falls, and you know I do,
I always make sure to See Alice,
and you should too.”
“Shemaho” is a great rocker that goes into what sounds like the
backing track of Bad Company’s “Burning Sky”,
I may be wrong, but that’s what it sounds like.
The horse sounds on the intro and through-out are a cool touch,
ala “Pet Sounds”, “Sgt. Pepper reprise.”
“What?” is a cool little jam, sounds like Circus Devils, swirly and psychedelic.
“2 Fisted Drinker” starts with Cash saying;
“Hey this is Cash Rivers, I’m at Tacoma Washington,
when I’m in Tacoma, I’m usually in a coma”.
Then goes into a spacey little ditty.
“Wanna Do A Shot?” and “Party Hearty” are a grunge rock songs.
“Better About Myself” is a cool rock song that makes a short return
later in a different form on “Better 2.”
“White Wine Woman, Red Wine Man” is sort of a mini rock opera of sorts,
stitched together with “Little Bottle of Wine”, then into a reprise of the title.
“We’ve Been Drinkin’” would be a great song for Guided By Voices to cover,
It would be great show ending.
“9:49” is damn great for the guitar solo.
“Green Beans”
“Their Green, Their Beans, How can you fuck it up?” LOL
“Tickle And A Twenty” is apparently Cash looking for love on-line.
“Brown Bottle Flu” is another mini rock opera about alcohol.
“Dick In A Knot” is really going into Ween territory.
“Holding Hands With Barry Gibb”, I’m very good, I’m very Glib,
cause I’m hold hands with Barry Gibb.” LOL
“Walking On Clown Shoes” is a remake of “Walking On Sunshine”
by Katrina and the Waves and “Sundown” is a cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s
song of the same title,
except Cash changes the lyrics to:
“Sundown you better take care,
If I find you’ve been sleeping in my underwear.”
“Athman” like “Shemaho” is a play on words “Athman” is “Ass Man”
“I’m an Athman!”
On “Too Much Makeup”, Cash rants about Gene Simmons of
the “Punk Rock” group Kiss:
“I may have dated her, but she wears too much make up.”
And of course, another Guns and Roses rant.
In a funny moment,
Cash is asked if he is going to see (jazz keyboardist) Chick Corea,
he responses,
“I don’t want ever want to see her again.”
Lol
“She’s A Lesbian Now” sounds like a country R.E.M.
by the way Cash is singing it,
it sounds like he thinks it’s gonna be good for him.
Sounds like he’s too into it.
The album closer, “Strong Lion”,
is a cover of Guided By Voices lead singer, Robert Pollard’s
single, “I’m a Strong Lion”.
But Cash croons it with a Las Vegas type band.
Don’t be mistaken, “Loose Shoes” does not sound like a thrown together record,
of leftovers and seconds that weren’t good enough.
To me it’s a nice follow up to the double album,
“Do Not Try To Adjust Your Set I Am The Vertical And The Horizontal”.
it could be sides five and six.
I just wish it wasn’t the last album from Cash.
Along with the release info for “Loose Shoes” was the following statement:
“The commercial release of this material is explicitly forbidden by Mr. Rivers and his representatives.
However, due to ongoing disputes, Rockathon will be issuing this new album as an unauthorized
bootleg in open defiance of Mr. Rivers.”
“*needless to say, this turn of events has prompted the cancellation of the 10 month anniversary CD box-set.”
Ok so that means no box set,
but there is one Glaring Fact here that I believe is
the Elephant in the Room.
I’m sorry,
but major SPOILER ALERT for all of those who don’t know,
but Cash Rivers and the Sinners are
Robert Pollard and the current line-up of Guided By Voices.
Yes I know, many of you are saying “DUH” but some may not know.
Judging from the limited quantity of their four records,
which by now are sold out and never released on cd,
some hard core GBV fans might have completely missed out on these
incredible recordings.
The four Cash Rivers releases are another jewel in the crown
of this current line-up of Guided By Voices.
The six albums they have released in the past three years
stand firmly with the past albums and greatest releases.
GBV’s latest album, “Sweating The Plague” is up there with their best,
if not their best.
The seventh studio album for this line-up, “Surrender Your Poppy Fields”
comes out next month, Feb 2020.
With another “Mirrored Aztec” coming a little after.
with all this stuff flowing out,
each release stands firmly alone as its own piece,
and I’m sure GBV will only get better,
even though they have always been great.
The double live album “Ogre’s Trumpet” shows that this version
of GBV can fully reproduce what they do on record,
the band performs flawlessly, from the looseness of the early stuff,
to the more complicated later material.
While never losing the gritty GBV sound.
What the Cash Rivers releases proved is,
“These Suckers Can Play!”
You throw any form of music to them
and they can do it.
You want them to play country?
What kind?
Country Swing, Trucker Country? Hillbilly? Outlaw?
They pull it off perfectly.
Punk, Hard Rock, Dub, Disco, Pop, Las Vegas?
They did it all with Cash Rivers and the Sinners.
So I really think Bob could easily release the Cash Rivers “10 Month Anniversary”
deluxe double CD package,
I’m ready to send my money.
Anyway “Loose Shoes” is a great record,
A+
And I’ll close with this,
Any Guided By Voices fan who missed out on ANY of the Cash Rivers releases,
you are missing out on a major step for GBV.
Don’t be fooled that just because it’s a very limited release and only on
vinyl, that it’s not a big step for the band.
Sure, we all love GBV in their usual context,
but the Cash Rivers releases really show the bands talent and
politically incorrect sense of humor.
Brilliant and Fun!! |
