Customer Reviews

Black Oak Arkansas

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first purchased this album on cassette way back in 1971 shortly after it was released. The main reason was AM radio was playing "Lord Have Mercy on My Soul" and it really captured my attention. Back then stuff like "Every Picture Tells a Story", "Abraxas" and Jim Morrison's death were the big thing but there was just something about these guys from Black Oak Arkansas.

This first album is pretty good and offers up some good ole southern rock and roll, but I kept going back to the standout song - LHMOMS. Over 30 years later that song still gives me goose bumps and probably will another 30 years hence...if I don't peel off that is. The song wasn't much more than a minor hit and quickly faded into, obscurity. However, BOA later went on to make piles of money with "Jim Dandy to the Rescue" which put these guys and the town they came from (about 600 people?) on the map. And as they say: "the rest is history."

Shortly after the release of this self titled album I was turned on to the likes of Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, Tull and a host of other prog rock royalty. But for what its worth, this album, pure and simple as it is will always be one of those guilty pleasures that makes rock music such an enjoyable experience.

Have yourself a little fun, its Jim Dandy!

Black Oak was an interesting mix of Hard Rock, Folk, Blue Grass, Southern Rock, Sex, and Religion. They also were a very talented band, Jim Dandy though criticized as a singer has a unique voice that cannot be duplicated by anyone and no one can say otherwise. Rickie Reynolds and Harvey Jett are very good Guitar players, Pat Daugherty a fine Bass player. and Wayne Evens good on drums. These guys laid down [such great] music and Jim Dandy provided the cockiness and showmanship that completed the band (Ask David Lee Roth). This album Black Oak Arkansas was There Debut and is very very good, Highlights are Uncle Elijah Elijah, Hot N Nasty, Lord Have Mercy On My Soul and When Electricity Came To Arkansas. All became concert favorites.

This is Black Oak Arkansas' rookie effort. It is helped by Mike Pinera's and Lee Dorman's (both ex-Iron Butterfly) excellent production -- in fact, given their past experiences, this is a surprisingly crisp and clean mix. This isn't really southern rock -- this is southern boogie. I know Rolling Stone years ago said that they had three lead guitarists which didn't even add up to one, and that lead singer Jim Dandy sang with marbles in his mouth, but, ( ), I like this album. Starts out with an upbeat stomper in "Uncle Lijah", which has the infamous line "...he jumped in bed with his ma and pa, and told 'em that the devil was in Arkansas." Poe it is not, but in the rock context its pretty good. "Memories at the Window" is probably the only tune in Black Oak's career Dandy really tries to "sing". And not too bad at that. The gut of this album comes on side 2. "Hot and Nasty" has that classic drum intro, and the lead guitars effortlessly slide in and out. "Lord Have Mercy" is an eerie, lost rock classic. The intro monologue actually is entertaining more than self-serving. Finally, "When Electricity Came to Arkansas" is a good, rousing instrumental finale. Remember, Dandy played the scrub-board, and it is in full glory here, as the entire group gets into some real wild banchee screaming and boogieing. Overall, not as good as the live "Raunch and Roll", but quite impressive for a rookie effort.

I started looking for Jim Dandy after seeing the movie "Overboard" with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, what I found was Black Oak Arkansas! Raw Rock, bluegrass, unadorned County Rock with an edge to it ... BOA has it! I am now trying to get all of the releases (my old records, yes records have no place to be played)
My recommendation? Listen to "Jim Dandy", if you like it, like it hard and hot and high tension, go for it!
And just for the heck of it, I recommend the movie "Overboard" as well.
Thank you, feedback is welcome anytime!
Mariance (you can find me on eBay)

i am a long haired death metal country boy from arkansas, this is not my kind of music. but, i grew up listening to these guys. yes, Black Oak Arkansas is an actual small town on highway 18 in north east Ark., and as far as i know Jim 'Dandy' Mangrum still lives there. this is the bands' debut album, a great disc of country inspired rock blues, jazzy funk. 'Lord have Mercy on my Soul' is an easy choice for a fave', but i prefer the lively "Uncle Elijah," and the haunting "Memories at the Window." this is a milestone in rock music, don't overlook it.
in the early 70's when this album came out and the band was in they're heyday, BOA was often on television on NBC's "Midnight Special" on friday nights. on spur of the moment one night about 10 years ago i stopped in a local club late one night, a lean blonde haired dude in his late 40's was sitting in on guitar and vocals with a local band. when he came and stood next to me at the bar, i realized it was Jim Dandy Mangrum. here was a man who was once world famous, still looked like a rock star but had none of the arrogance.
get this album and enjoy one of the founders of southern country rock groove and boogie

I grew up in a little town not far from Black Oak Arkansas. I had brothers and a sister much older than me. I used to listen to this record as a little girl...very fond memories. "When Electricity Came to Arkansas" is a classic "Jim Dandy" tune. He was a great singer and a great personality.

Black Oak Arkansas (BOA) caught the Rock world unprepared for thier high decible blend of Rock, Country, Hillbilly, Rock-abilly.... Also BOA added a touch of history and spiritualism to their outstanding lyricism. They paved the way for Charlie Daniels, Leonard Skinyrd, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Marshall Tucker, Alabama..... Well, BOAs contribution to an evolution within the Rock community puts them on the same cloud as Buddy Holly, and the Beatles. Cuts Uncle Elijah, and Lord Have Mercy on my Soul, are but two of the standouts on this album. No production values are missing, or lost. NOTE: BOAs "Singin' the Blues" track is a Rock update from the 1920s. One might say thier style is from all the right places in Hell. The evil sounding vocals - as yet unmatched - sound like Ol' Scratch himself.

If you like Rock and Roll, this is a must own CD. Being thier first release as BOA, it is tops in that Feel Good rock that is scarce today. Play it Loud and Often. Next best bet is Keep the Faith. In memory of Herb, always in my mind when I hear any Black Oak Arkansas,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

From the opening notes of opening cut, Uncle Elijah, it's obvious this is the real deal. This is genuine mountain music, complete with fiddle, banjo and acoustic guitar. When the verses start and that southern gospel drum beat kicks in, you know you're in the rural hills of Arkansas. But wait, there's something different here. The vocals are delivered in the style of a gospel tenor and yet seem to be coming from regions that smell of brimstone. Appealing, but almost frightening, leaving no doubt the singer at some time felt "the hand from hell". Total conviction in the truth of his words. Vocalist Jim "Dandy" Mangrum has stated that this song is based on a real man who was indeed "a Hundred and five". The band put this song together and began performing it in 1969 when they we're still known as The Knowbody Else, but it wouldn't show up on either of the two albums they recorded under that name. It was allowed to age till just the right moment, like a good batch of southern whiskey.

Second cut, Memories At The Window, lets you know that more than electricity made it to Arkansas. Cannabis at the very least has enlightened the minds of these long haired hillbillies, and you can hear it in their music. This song is genuinely progressive music. Nothing had sounded quite like this before. A hauntingly beautiful melody carried by dreamy layered guitars, but also back pedal steel, lest you forget you're in the country. The lyrics empower the music to carry you through your memories and a day dream state of mind. A trip, with or without ingesting mind altering substances. A sad song that tugs at the emotions but slowly builds to a hopeful conclusion.

The Hills Of Arkansas, song number three, is as country as it gets, with steel guitar playing as good or better than any band playing stoner country at the time. The excellent vocal harmonies in between the verses will diffinitely remind you, though, that this is a band of hippies who have just passed out of the 60's, and while moving forward, they haven't forgotten the things that made that decade's music so appealing.

Having proved their rural credentials, the band is ready to rock, and rock they do. I could Love You is a power house! Dual lead guitars supplied by Harvey "Burley" Jett (who also plays banjo when needed)and Stanley "Goober" Knight (who plays steel guitar and organ). Rickie "Ricochet" Reynolds lays down twelve string rhythm guitar on top of powerful bass and drums. This band is good, and they're hear to remind you that Wishbone Ash wasn't the first band to have two lead guitarists, and Lynyrd Skynyrd wasn't the first Southern rock band. Mangrum swaps vocals and harmonizes (in a whiskey voiced kind of way)with bassist Pat "Dirty" Daugherty and drummer Wayne "Squeezebox" Evans lays down hard on his kit, a potent reminder that there was a good drummer in the band before the talented Tommy Aldridge came along. Psyche elements pop up here and there as the song drives to it's unusual conclusion.

Evans starts off Hot And Nasty with an immensely appealing drum pattern. The rest of the band rolls into a countrified bit of powerful rock'n'roll about sex and sexual prowess. Mangrum proudly declares "they say Jim Dandy is my name" for the first time in a BOA song. It's a nickname he says he didn't really care for, but by this point he's come to accept it as part of who he is. This song is a blast from the opening drum to the jubulant conclusion with one of those trademark dual guitar jams the band became famous for. An instant classic the band still perfrms at every show to this day.

Back to straight out country music for the next song, Singing The Blues. This is the one written by Melvin Endsley and taken to the top of the charts by Guy Mitchell in 1957. It is not the 1920's song as stated elsewhere. Killer country guitar plucking and steel playing on this one. If not for Jim's gruff vocal and the band's hair being so long, they could've passed for an excellent C&W group with ease.

Lord Have Mercy On My Soul is one of the most popular of all BOA songs, and not without reason. Mangrum narrates this experience "that might've been real" over a church/funeral organ and whst sounds like maybe water and fire. As he goes on about being torn between good and evil, and the struggle for his soul, you can hear (is it the devil?) whispering, "I want it", and wailing voices, mourners at a funeral, or is it the wailing of tormented souls in hell? Before you can make up your mind, the southern fried boogie rock kicks into gear and you're havin' a good time despite the serious tone of the lyrics. Spiritual themes would frequently turn up on BOA albums throughout their long career, but they never forgot how to have fun either.

The album closer sums it all up best: When Electricity Came To Arkansas. Voices around some campfire, speaking an unknown tounge. Like some holy roller church? Perhaps an Indian dialect? Backwards English? Or just plain gibberish? It doesn't really matter. Jim Dandy starts sliding those thimbles up and down that washboard and the chanting grows more enthusiastic. "Gettin' High!" someone proclaims and the band rolls into a blues boogie with a galloping Native American beat and you just feel great and alive, filled with joy at the elctrified rock and roll from Arkansas that's entering through the ears and permeating your whole body with this blast of musical energy. This is genuine homegrown music as it should be and nothing else matters as those guitars wail on over that thumping bass and primitive drum beat. Who needs lyrics? The music has spoken loud and clear.

One winter when I was about 15, I went out crusin' with a couple of good friends who were a few years older than me. It snowed all day and by that evening it was pretty deep for southwest Missouri. Few ventured out that night, and many that did got stuck. My friend Richard had the foresight to put chains on his tires when it started to snow, and we cruised all night in that gold firebird (just like the one on the 1st season of The Rockford Files). He had an 8 Track tape player (as many did back then) and only two tapes in the car, The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers and the self titled release from Black Oak Arkansas that I'm now reviewing. I'd heard 'em both before, and knew they were good albums, but I was about to become thoroughly aquainted. We cruised for hours and played those tapes over and over, enhanced by Columbian Gold and cans of Coors. We had a blast just puttin' along through the snow packed roads. Well when the adventure was over, one album was going through my head more than the other. I went out and bought it that week, and I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the Stones. I've never regretted that decission and never will.

I fell in love with this band in 71 after listening to this album and for me it contains the essence of who they are and where they came from. I still have my original album and can't wait for the CD