Customer Reviews

Best Of The Beat Farmers

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

 

 

This is a great album. The production quality is excellent. They are/were a hot bar band. The second track Blue Chevrolet with its Elmore James lick is a classic. The third track Gunsale at the Church evokes lyrics that could have been written by John Fogerty. The final track their anthem HAPPY BOY is a Sing along that is beyond description. The song is pure country. The standard country beat, but it rocks. These guys are awesome musicians well schooled in country, rock and blues. The essential elements for a great bar band. This music will not attract many youngsters into Hip Hop, Rap and the like . Thank God. Put on your Levis, get a pair of cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, grab a cold long neck and enjoy.

Although this CD has a few good highlights (Buddy Blue on a wonderful cover of Neil Young's Powderfinger, and some awesome slide guitar work on Blue Cheverolet) it seems to be bogged down with some "filler tunes" that most Beat Farmer fans can live without. Why leave out such classic tunes like Lost Weekend, or Texas? It seems this disc was hastily put out by their record company (supposedly without their permission). If you want to experience the true grit of the band, check out "Loud, Plowed, and Live". This is a far better "greatest hits" compilation, and a must have to truly appreciate the band.

This is not exactly what I'd call 'paltry' but then again, I'm doing this for free and I actually bought the album. Admittedly eleven tracks leaves you wanting more and if sheer volume of good music is your aim you might want the band's live album which weighs in with 21 tracks.

But these are eleven very good tracks, some of which are not on the larger album. Gun Sale At the Church and Girl I Almost Married are a good reason to get this one, as are the excellent studio versions of Riverside, Blue Chevrolet and God Is Here Tonight.

If you already have the live album, this one is a nice addition. If you don't, it's a nice start. Either way, you're likely to end up getting both.

And that is "California Kid"! Their best, and funniest, song - and the one that caused me to race out and buy Tales of the New West back in '85. It's not listed here. Is it a typo? Is there some kind of record company conflict like the Replacements or the Call had? Without that song, this is all their 2nd best.

I live in San Diego (where The Farmers are from too) and was going to The Beat Farmer shows almost every night they played here in town starting back in about 83 at a little dive bar called The Spring Valley Inn.All of there albums were great but NEVER did them justice of a live Beat Farmer show.(so forget getting "The Best Of cd here) There was two lives to The Beat Farmers,the first was in those early days and they put out 2 studio albums (with Buddy Blue) then 4 more studio ones and Loud and Plouwed and LIVE! with Joey Harris replacing him.So...Go get Loud Plowed & LIVE! It was recorded on New Years Eve (and I was there too)BUT also...about 2 years ago a guy found a tape he made from the Spring Valley Inn days,Buddy mixed it and put it out as a cd that you can get too.(I was at that show too)That one was from the Buddy Blue era,Loud & Plowed is from the Joey Harris era.If you want to see them at thier best (I think) The Buddy era,go to the website "You Tube"I recorded a tv show they were on,gave it to the band,and one of them,gave it to a guy who posted the whole show on there.There was actually a "3rd era'in thier legacy when after Country Dick died about 10 years ago (on stage if you can believe that!)Buddy Blue rejoined the band and they put out a cd as just The Farmers.BUT...a few months ago Buddy died too,so they are back in limbo again.But I'm tellin' ya'll...watch those "You Tube" vids,go get "The Beat Farmers Live at The Spring Valley Inn 83" & Loud,Plowed and LIVE! and you will be (as Country Dick would sing) a HAPPY BOY!

Not even close to being a best of album. Whoever chose these tracks could have done a much better job.

Excellent album. The songs and lyrics fit happily right into life today as they did then.I originally heard the song "Happy Boy" years ago on the radio, and then found it recently on the 'net which led to my discovering all the other Beat Farmers songs and albums. I play it all the time. DJ.