Bare Tracks

Bobby Bare | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: February 16, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Records
• ASIN: B00000I0D8
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,480 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Greasy Grit Gravy

2. The Gambler

3. Sleep Tight, Good Night Man

4. Numbers

5. Tequila Sheila

6. Food Blues

7. Take Me as I Am (Or Let Me Go)

8. Let Him Roll

9. New Cut Road

10. Dropping Out of Sight

11. Appaloosa Rider

12. Willie Jones

13. The Diet Song

14. If You Ain't Got Nothin' (You Got Nothin' to Lose)

15. Rough on the Living

16. No Memories Hangin' Round

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bare Tracks Through Moderate Material, February 20, 2000

By 

"southwesternreview" (El Paso, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bare Tracks (Audio CD)

Bobby Bare is undeniably a legendary songwriter and performer; when he is at his best, as on his classic "Lullaby's, Legends and Lies", he exudes an intelligence and charm that elude most performers today. Over the course of his long and varied career, Bare has recorded for several labels, and this release, "Bare Tracks", attempts to summarize his seven-year stint at Columbia, with mixed results. One of Bare's strengths is his ability to transcend the most mediocre of material and unfortunately, there's plenty to be found on this release. When he and his songwriting collaborator Shel Silverstein are at their peak (as on the two best-known tracks here, "Numbers" and "Tequila Shiela"), Bare is simply unstoppable, with all of his prodigious talent on display. Unfortunately, several of Silverstein's other songs seem unmotivated and careless; Bare fights hard to maintain shreds of dignity in tracks like "Greasy Grit Gravy", "Food Blues" and "Diet Song", but succumbs to the sub-par material. He turns in some stunning work on two Guy Clark cuts, "Let Him Roll" and "New Cut Road", but the album as a whole seems distant and unstable. Personal Favorites: the sharp commentary on gender communication found in "Numbers"; the twisted tale of a fugitive on the run in "Tequila Shiela"; and the rollicking rhythm bouncing down "New Cut Road". Representative Lyrics: "She said, 'Well, another one of those macho 'matican men/ Trying to grade all women on a scale from one to ten!/ Now you give me an eight?/ Well, that's a generous thing to do/ Now let's just see just how much I give YOU.'" ("Numbers"); "Pour me another tequila, Shiela/ Take off your new satin dress/ I crossed the border/ And I beat the dealer/ For all of the gold in Juarez." ("Tequila Shiela")

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superb latter-day recordings from country legend, August 10, 1999

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bare Tracks (Audio CD)

By the time Bare arrived at Columbia in the late 70s, he had a long string of hits behind him, crossing back and forth from country to folk to pop. Luckily, his maturity didn't cramp his spirit of adventure. From rowdy live recordings of Shel Silverstein's "Numbers" and "Tequila Sheila" to his duet with Roseanne Cash on Rodney Crowell's "No Memories Hangin' Round," Bare lent considerable charm to these tales of losers, winos, prostitutes and overgrown good ol' boys.

A pre-Kenny Rogers version of "The Gambler" and a half-spoken, half-sung reading of Guy Clark's "Let Him Roll" are good examples of Bare's storytelling ability. His delivery is hypnotic, fleshing out the characters as he lures the listener in. It's a talent learned in front of live audiences, and rarely reproduced in a recording studio.

Pop culture may tend to revere newness and youth, but Bare proves that the patina of experience can be the more valuable quality.

5.0 out of 5 stars Gift for my uncle, January 4, 2012

By 

Lauren - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bare Tracks (Audio CD)

My uncle had been looking for this CD for over three years and was thrilled that he was finally able to get the CD after so long.