Customer Reviews

The Best of

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Doug Sahm was a treasure and the pleasures of his music have been documented extensively so I will not do a lengthy analysis. Most agree that his early period was his best. This is the first SDQ album, (I think), and - because the SDQ 's music in this period is a timeless piece of 'Americana', (I don't like that 'label' but it provides easy shorthand in a quick comment), - it sounds as vital today as it did when I bought my 'BoyHowdy' vinyl lp upon its release. I play it still. Even if you were to buy the complete Mercury recordings box set - an excellent, if expensive, idea - you should buy this. You can stop after Mercury: you will have the best and enough.

(But you might like to check Mott the Hoople's cover of "At the Crossroads".)

I'm delighted I bought this album, particularly for the first track She's about a mover. This was a new sound to a young Dublin guy and it was great! Track 4 is another gem. The whole album has a simple sound that the kids nowadays might scoff at but the memories of the 60's and early "blues" clubs come flooding back when you play this CD. Good value for money- it's already on my ipod!!

This is the one to own. Forget about "Complete Singles, 1964-1966", a 2009 release on Varese Fontana. While that set boasts remastered sound, these primitive recordings sound best, as is. Even worse, that release's version of the original quintet's one bonafide hit,"She's About a Mover" is an imposter, a full 35 seconds longer, and not the nugget we know. Also, the other set's completeness is questionable. If you acquire this set and it's sister volume, "The SDQ is Back !", you'll have 28 tracks, 10 more than the imposter set. This is clearly the way to go, more music, original versions, mono glory. The quintet was resurrected in 1968 and that, relatively, cleaned up sound is beautifully documented on the five disc Complete Mercury Recordings, or Sundazed recent Mono Singles offering, but this is where you come for the early raunch. Accept no substitutes.