Customer Reviews

Bang Bang Bang

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is Nashville's best-kept secret. Had I not been a Dirt Band fan to begin with, I wouldn't have known this album existed, which is a shame. The Dirt Band blends tight harmonies and flawless musicianship with creative and humorous lyrics, with the best examples being the title track (what's a double watusi, anyway? ) and Ibby's "Monkey Song." "Dry Town" should not go unmentioned, as it is a perfect example of patented Dirt Band humor. Other favorites include "Nickel in the Well" (somebody tell me why I didn't hear that one on the radio) and "Singing to the Scarecrow." If you want a good, entertaining, pick-me-up CD, buy this one. I really enjoy it.

. . . as opposed to Shelley's Blues. I'm one of those followers whom Ibby calls dirtheads, as I've seen this group too many times to count, beginning in 1971. Anyone who follows the band that closely knows that Jeff Hanna is the group's leader even though a majority of the songs are sung by Jimmy Ibbotson. On this particular effort, Hanna's vocals take front stage, especially on strong ballads like "It's About Time"; "Singin' to the Scarwcrow"; and "Nickel in the Well." Bob Carpenter, who will always be considered the new guy even though he's been with the band since 1976, gives a great contribution on "Forget the Job (Get a Life)." "Rent, Groceries and Gasoline" and "Dry Town" are also memorable. This effort was unfortunately buried due to the dismantling of the band's label, and by the time it got out, the songs were already old. It reminds me of the Dirt Band's Jealousy, which had numerous spectacular Hanna songs on it (due to Ibby being on sabbatical), but no record label support and hence, went nowhere.
There's some truly great material here, which the band may never resurrect in concert due to the lack of promotion of the cd. It's as good as anything the Eagles ever put out.

Before buying the CD of Bang Bang Bang a couple of years ago, I hadn't bought a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album in six years. This record was a long time in coming, but I think it's worth playing over and over.

The title song, in which Jimmy Ibbotson sings about the girl in the leopard skin body suit coming to pick the guy up for a night of dancing, is a bouncy, rocking, feel-good tune that's fun to listen to as well as dance to. Indeed, most of the songs are positive, uptempo songs. Besides "Bang Bang Bang", the highlights are "If This Ain't Love", which has some awesome steel guitar and sax playing; "Forget The Job(Get A Life)", NGDB's funny take on our workaholic culture; "Rent, Groceries And Gasoline", NGDB's celebration of the simple life(Chorus: "I'm a man of simple means/Just rent, groceries and gasoline"); the thumping, amusing "Dry Town", which prominently features Ibbotson's mandolin and Bob Carpenter's accordion; Ibbotson's upbeat "The Monkey Song", the only song on the record which was written by a Dirt Band member; and "Southbound Train", the concluding song, which features some bluesy harmonica playing by Jimmie Fadden. These are all fun, upbeat songs.

Bang Bang Bang isn't without its ballads, though. Jeff Hanna contributes his vocals to three excellent slow songs: "Singing To The Scarecrow", "Down The Road" and "It's About Time". All these songs are well-done, and Hanna's wife, songwriter Matraca Berg, helps him in the singing of "It's About Time".

All in all, I think this album is well-made and powerful. Bang Bang Bang is a delightful record by one of music's best and best-known groups.

First off, I'm a huge NGDB fan. I've seen them in concert three times--including twice during their peak period in the early 70s. I own every album from Uncle Charly on--I even picked up a used LP copy of Ricochet from their jugband days.

But the Dirt Band went into a tailspin in the late 70's after Dirt, Silver and Gold when they couldn't decide whether to stay the course and continue in a progressive bluegrass/country-rock vein or turn themselves into a mainstream country band. All too often they have chosen the latter and Bang Bang Bang sadly is pretty much indistuingishable from most of the country radio fodder Nashville churns out these days.

To be sure, everything on Bang Bang Bang is listenable. "If This Ain't Love" kicks things off with a sharp horn section and some steel guitar shadings. "Bang Bang Bang" keeps things jumping before slowing down the proceedings with the nastalgic "Singing to the Scarecrow." And so goes the rest of the album. A couple more uptempo songs, another slow song. But there's little here that really sticks in your ear. It's all pleasant enough, but after repeated listenings none of the songs stand out as truly memorable. Even the lone original, Jimmy Ibbotson's "The Monkey Song," is a lightweight ditty. (Chorus: Here we go 'round the dry thistle/Monkey can climb but I whistle/He can't sing and I can't dance/ And the monkey don't have to wear no pants.)

Overall, the music is too slick and too polished. This is for completists only.

This is a fun, lively, and shamelessly Twangy recording. The songs are catchy and energetic, and anything but mainstream radio-fare. If you are looking for a more polished and center-of-the-road sound from NGDB, it would be better to look elsehwhere. The songs Dry Town, Bang Bang Bang, and the Monkey song are so over the top you can't help but love them. This CD always makes me smile, and sticks with me all day when I hear it first thing in the morning.

I hadn't bought a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band album in six years before buying the CD of Bang Bang Bang. This album was a long time in coming, but it's worth playing over and over again.

The title song, in which Jimmy Ibbotson sings about the girl in the leopard skin body suit coming to pick the guy up for a night of dancing, is a bouncy, rocking, feel-good tune that is fun to listen to. Indeed, most of the songs, with the exception of three Jeff Hanna-sung ballads, "Singing To The Scarecrow", "It's About Time", and "Down The Road", are positive, uptempo songs. On "It's About Time", Hanna is helped by his wife, songwriter Matraca Berg, in the singing.

Additional highlights are "Dry Town", a fast, amusing song that prominently features Ibbotson's mandolin and Bob Carpenter's accordion; Ibbotson's upbeat "The Monkey Song", the only song on the record which was written by a member of the Dirt Band; and "Southbound Train", the concluding song, which features some bluesy harmonica playing by Jimmie Fadden. The whole record is well-made and powerful.

All in all, this is a delightful album by one of the best and best-known groups in music today.

I loved absolutely every song on the record. The whole thing is up-beat, feel good music, that is unique to the NGDB,every time.

Great I heard some of these songs at a Dirt Band concert last year, and have been waiting for the album. Well worth the wait the band has never sounded better and what a great mix of tempos, Dry Town is one of those can't be sad when you listen to it. Having Martraca sing with Jeff is great.

I loved most of the cuts on the album, which is much more country-sounding album than their last (non-Christmas) effort, Acoustic. I notice that only one of the songs was written by a band member, The Monkey Song, by Ibby, again, unlike Acoustic where all but one of the songs was written by or collaborated on by one of the band. I especially loved "If This Ain't Love" and "Bang Bang Bang" for the uptempo beat, and found "Down the Road" and "Singing to the Scarecrow" very touching, along the same lines as "Dance Little Jean". "Dry Town" and "The Monkey Song" are a lot of fun. I missed having a cut or two featuring Bob Carpenter on lead vocals as most of their albums have. Overall, however, the Dirt Band has never sounded better and it was well worth the wait. Keep up the great Dirt!

After more than 30 years in the business, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band knows a thing or two about making great music. The release of "Bang, Bang, Bang" was delayed by a year because of the demise of Rising Tide Records, but you don't have to be a die-hard Dirt Head to see that this collection is well worth the wait! "Rent, Groceries and Gasoline," "The Monkey Song" and the title track are already road-tested, having been part of the NGDB concert set list for several months while the band closed a deal with the DreamWorks label. Whether it's a pure-fun novelty song like "Monkey" (written and sung by NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson) or a sweet, romantic ballad like "It's About Time," featuring band member Jeff Hanna in a duet with his wife, Matraca Berg (who co-wrote the Deana Carter smash "Strawberry Wine"), this album is chock-full of soon-to-be-classic Dirt. Aside from the great singing, Bang is also a showcase for the fine instrumental musicianship of Ibbotson, Hanna, keyboard/accordion player Bob Carpenter and drummer/harmonica virtuoso Jimmie Fadden. These "Partners, Brothers and Friends" have long been one of the country/pop world's best kept secrets. They're back and better than ever. Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.