Customer Reviews

Billy & The Kid

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

 

 

Those already familiar with Billy Joe Shaver's music and the tragic tale of how he lost his mother, his wife, and his only son in the same year will not be surprised that Billy Joe has returned to pay tribute to his son and collaboarator, Eddy Shaver. As a tribute, this is a fascinating project. Much of the CD consists of guitar tracks recorded by Eddy before his death, retrieved from the vaults and fleshed out by the addition of Billy Joe's vocals and other instruments.

However, the result is somewhat unsatisfying. To be sure, it has its moments, but much of the material is weaker than we've come to expect from Shaver's recent projects.

The bottom line is, if you're not familiar with Shaver, I'd suggest starting with one of his truly brilliant projects, such as "Unshaven: Live at Smith's Olde Bar," the 1998 masterpiece "Victory," or 2001's "Earth Rolls On." On the other hand, if you have those CDs and love them, then it would be worth your while to follow Billy Joe with his latest release.

This music is a baring of Billy Joe Shaver's soul. This whole CD is so powerfully raw, real and beautiful that words cannot express the emotions drawn from it. If you have the chance to buy it, do yourself a favor - hurry and get it! I love everything that Billy Joe has put out, but the music, the life story told on this album reached me in depths and places I didn't even know. This man constantly puts into words things that most of us only wish we knew how to express. With that, he allows us to feel and express emotions just waiting to be set free. Listen, cry, and know that life does continue. Then listen to Freedom's child for some good laughs, too! This album is a comforting hug to be enjoyed by all, with your good friend, Billy Joe!

O my God! The first track is easily worth the entire album! It's true that the other songs are a somewhat mixed bag of work still in progress, a progress towards a maturity which we will now never come to witness. However, Billy Joe Shavers' song "Fame" alone is so stunningly beautiful that I rate this CD as an absolute must have!

Eddy Shaver's death from a drug overdose on New Year's Eve 2000 may not have been a shock to those familiar with "the kid." He'd battled various addictions for years and turned to heroin after the deaths of his mother and grandmother earlier that year. Eddy tried rehab, but it didn't take. The demons he'd been fleeing caught up with him at last.

Billy Joe Shaver has battled his share of demons throughout his 65 years. He's managed to beat most of them, but he couldn't stop Eddy's downward spiral. With Eddy gone, all Billy Joe can do is ensure he's not forgotten. Billy and the Kid is the father's final tribute to his fallen son.

The album starts movingly, with Billy Joe alone with his guitar on the heartbreaking "Fame": I look up in the stars and wonder where you are / I owe it all to you, your prayers have all come true…God bless you Eddy.

The other tracks are Eddy's compositions, pieced together by Billy Joe and producer Tony Colton. Lyrics were added in some places; instrumentals were layered in others. The results are as mixed as the processes used to assemble the album.

Eddy's talents are apparent throughout, from his soaring electric guitar riffs on "Baptism of Fire" to his gruff and bluesy vocals on "King of Fools." The whole package is showcased on the closing track, "Necessary Evil." Then again, his talent was a well-known commodity. Not only had he helped lead Shaver through several critically acclaimed albums, he had also played with Guy Clark, Dwight Yoakam, and other icons. And he was scheduled to head into the recording studio on a solo project just weeks after his death.

Yet his songwriting was still a work in progress. And it's clear that he hadn't yet achieved the lyrical mastery of his father. Billy Joe's devastating "Fame" sets a high standard that the other tracks just can't match. Its minimalist production and heartfelt intimacy stand in stark contrast to the electric patchwork that blankets much of the rest of the album.

Billy and the Kid is a good album. But with piecemeal and inconsistent production, it's not a great album. And it's not really a Billy Joe Shaver album. It is a eulogy for Eddy, and in that it succeeds in adding to the kid's curtailed legacy.

For folks that consider themselves Texas Music or Americana fans this is a must have milestone album. Billy Joe has other albums that I would reccomend first for the un-indoctrinated, such as the earth rolls on. However, the pure, real storyline and raw emotion associated with this album make it unique. More of a finishing touch on his dead son's unfinished solo album than a Billy Joe studio album, this album is tough to listen to without dancing or crying or both.

Baptism of fire, sung by Eddy, is worth buying the whole album. I own most of Billy Joe's catalog, and I had held off on this one to pursue studio albums based on reading some of the other reviews (since Eddy plays on them too). I am blown away. Eddy was such an incredible guitar talent.

King of Fools likewise.

Buy this album. Also check out Eddys's guitar on Todd Snider's Songs for the Daily Planet.

As a father, I can't imagine what went through Billy Joe's mind as he completed his son's songs. I do get the overwhelming sense that this was his best tribute to Eddy's legacy. The songs are great and Billy Joe's voice is strong. The Bliiy Joe solo Fame is worth the price alone. Shaver, like Cash or Willie, is a member of a small group of performers that can put a stamp of ownership on any song they choose. If you can find a copy of Eddy's Baptism by Fire, alot of the songs are the same but there is no Billy Joe. We're gonna live forever Billy Joe.