Customer Reviews

Countrypolitan Favorites

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Few artists can achieve what SCOTS have done with this release: present a genuine sense of spontanaity and flat-out joy while maintaining an unbelievable level of musicianship and creative fury. This is music made by people who have been doing it so long together that they know exactly what they're doing and challenge themselves to reach higher -- all while having more fun than white trash has a right to.

There's no call for a track-by-track breakdown here -- all you need to know is that it feels as if every little masterpiece this band has produced over the last decade has come together in one package that is likely to monopolize your ears for the coming summer and beyond. If there is a comparison to be made, Robbie Fulks' recent "Georgia Hard" comes to mind -- an album that needed to be made by musicians who were ready to make it.

And not unlike Robbie Fulks, SCOTS gets dismissed by many "No Depression"-types for not taking the scene seriously enough, or for being too clever, or for possibly being just too darned entertaining. Maintain that viewpoint at your peril, or succumb and scream your lungs out in the car to "Wolverton Mountain," "Life's a Gas," and "Oh Lonesome Me" -- ALL better than their originals. And if Mary Huff's "Rose Garden" doesn't poke you in the chest, see your cardiologist -- something ain't working right.

A covers album should breathe new life into familiars, but Countrypolitan runs the source material through the cotton gin that is SCOTS and weaves its thread into a quilt crazy enough to hang in any museum of modern art. These aren't just tunes: these are songs with life that howl -- and if you know what's good for you, you'd best howl back.

Who knows WHERE this trend started, of bands suddenly doing a disc of cover songs. What can be of interest when this happens is to see how the band got its roots (one that jumps to mind is The Ramones' _Acid Eaters_, where they showed that one of the roots of punk was actually acid rock), but a lot of the time the album proves to be little more than a mediocre artist trying to revive a dead career by recording songs that are proven hits (i.e., Michael Bolton), or just a lazy way of getting a new album out, by getting to avoid the whole annoying process of actually writing songs.

Fortunately, Southern Culture on the Skids is of the brilliant category. A staple of cover songs on other SCOTS albums has been their element of surprise--either they cover songs I've never heard before, or they surprise me by how they choose that may seem rather alien to their sound at first, but makes perfect sense once you hear it (I'm thinking of the brilliant cover of "House of Bamboo"). Yes, there are some familiar names and titles here, and though The Who cover doesn't thrill me as much as I wanted it to, "Oh Lonesome Me" and "Funnel of Love" and "Rose Garden" are sheer classics, before and after the rochabilly trio got their hands on it. This is without doubt a nicely toe-tapping, clog-dancing disc, and the wallet-sized autographed photos of the band is a sweet addition. I hope someone takes this for an old country classic--SCOTS deserves the most varied fan base imaginable.

An early candidate for album of the year. The selections on this collection of cover version by S.C.O.T.S are inspired, and the performances are even more inspired. Switching seamlessly from country classics to 60s Psychedelia to 70s Glam Rock, the record jumps off the needle on the first note of the first track and never quits. My favorites are their takes on T. Rex's "Life's a Gas" and "Fight Fire," a pre-CCR song included on the Nuggets box set. But every song is good, and in all cases the Skids find a way to put their own personal stamp on a classic song.

Sure,I've heard SCOTS do straight on covers,like "Merry Christmas Baby",I've even heard them do odd covers like The Swinging Medallions "Double Shot of My Baby's Love" & Slim Harpo's "Scratch My Back" in Espanol...but I must admit,these latest covers show the SCOTS still have a lot of tricks up their sleeves! Some of the choices have that honky-tonk appeal,that seems obvious for them to cover,like,"Oh Lonesome Me","Wolverton Mountain","Rose Garden" and "Engine Engine #9". But they add a little something to them that make them their own! "Wolverton Mountain" now has yodellers on it! Mary Huff's upbeat,slightly bouncier version of "Rose Garden" is a highlight!

Then there's the other stuff,among them: The Kinks "Muswell Hillbilly" gets the countrified kick it needs! T.Rex's "Life's A Gas" - my fave track on this album - is presented as an Acid-Rockabilly duet! Guitarist/Ring Leader Rick Miller can't do a covers album without some John Fogerty/CCR material,and SCOTS cover "Tombstone Shadow" and "Fight Fire" (Super cool version!).And just when you think it's all souped-up modern rockabilly,they take it down a notch and present The Who's "Happy Jack" as a sort of Country Bears Jamboree.

This is easily one of SCOTS smoothest and most listenable albums! ( Not that I don't love the ORIGINAL material. But a break every now and then is absolutely acceptable!)

After releasing a live album in 2006, this all-covers album could be a sign of creative roadblock. Instead it's a novel way for Southern Culture on the Skids to display their musical ethos and capture the zeitgeist of the times from which it sprung. The band's rockabilly, pop, country, blues, surf, swamp rock and roadhouse roots are served up here in both song selection and style, revealing something much deeper than a mere collection of songs from their record collections. Listening to cross-pollinations of The Kinks and Sir Douglas or Creedence and the Allman Brothers reveals how the band's influences grew into an overall musical approach, and at reinvents many of the classic songs they cover.

This is a really fun album, from the rockabilly twang given to Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" and Spanish touches on Wanda Jackson's "Funnel of Love" to the raucous bar-rock take on Onie Wheeler's (by way of George Jones') ode to partner swapping, "Let's Invite Them Over." Guitars dominate on rock tunes from T. Rex's ("Life's a Gas") and The Byrds ("Have You Seen Her Face"), but not as you'd expect. The former is shoe-gazery, while the latter substitutes reverb for 12-string Rickenbacker. And though you might expect guitars on The Who's "Happy Jack," what you get is a superb banjo-and-fiddle hoedown. Throughout the album, the rhythm section kills, from the Creedence-styled workout of "Tobacco Road" to the driving rockabilly-countrypolitan arrangement of Roger Miller's "Engine Engine #9."

The song list is anchored by several true countrypolitan gems, but the album's theme - as was countrypolitan's - is about the merging of cultures, high and low, town and country, and so on. The band's deep investment in the music, playing and production makes this anything but a novelty; it's a tribute to their heroes and a reflection of their deepest musical selves. The effortlessness with which they expound upon this vision is breathtaking, and the cohesiveness of the album is impressive. The greatest compliment I can give these CD is that the covers are interesting enough to keep me from reaching for the originals. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

I have collected this for years, I picked up my first Skids CD off the rack in a music store in Wimington NC and have continued enjoying their music ever since.

I've been a SCOTS fan a long time. I've seen them many times live, and have purchased most of their music. I get a little frustrated with their "White Trailer-Trash" persona because I think it detracts from the fact that their a great rock and roll band. Rick's surf'n swamp guitar work just gets better along with the rest of the band.

Thats why I dig this new album so much. I seems like the band really put some time and effort into this disc. Hearing them play The Kinks 'Muswell Hillbilly' and making it their own is a beautiful thing. Rick Miller tearing into 'Tombstone Shadow', awesome. Makes me wish they would do a whole album of Creedence covers! The whole band is really on the same wave-length playing each one of these diverse tunes. Its a shame that 'Walk Like a Camel' was their biggest hit. They deserve a much wider audience. Great Disc.

Fun CD to listen to. Lyrics are humorous. Similar to B-52's only with a rock-a-billy sound.

These guys (and Gal) just keep on coming with good music. They do an excellant job on a number of great cover tunes and the recording is very good. If you like the Skids you will like this one. If you have not heard the Skids it is a great start.

And I thought Liquored Up & Lacquered Down was the unrequited anthem to an undiscovered piece of myself.... Muswell Hillbilly and Funnel of Love are just a few more precious memories to sing along to on the way to Happy Jack! A good time had by all once again! Only the Scots can so masterfully express the essential place that moonpies and aqua net play in any good southern girl's arsenal.... in a song! Love the SCOTS!