The Cowboy & the Lady [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [EXTRA TRACKS] [LIMITED EDITION]

Ann-Margret, Lee Hazlewood

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Extra tracks, Limited Edition
• Label: Smells Like Records
• ASIN: B00004SBGF
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #203,358 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Lee Hazlewood is one of modern musics most endearing iconoclasts. Best known for the timeless pop hits he wrote and/or produced for stars and legends ranging from Duane Eddy to Nancy Sinatra to Waylon Jennings to Dean Martin, Hazlewoods own LHI (Lee Hazlewood Industries) imprint issued several sterling solo albums throughout the 60s and 70s that until now have been hard to find even on the original LP format, and have increasingly fallen prey to the baser motives of collectors and bootleggers. These albums are now being released legally on compact disk for the first time.

Product Description
Smells Like Records continues its Lee Hazlewood reissue series with perhaps the strangest of Hazlewood's recordings his album of duets with actress Ann-Margret (star of Tommy, Carnal Knowledge and The Flintstones). This odd gem, originally released in 1969, was the first full-length LP on Lee's fledgling LHI label, following several singles by Ann-Margret & Lee, Honey Ltd. and others.

Taking a break from the frenzied pace of his late 60s songwriting work, Hazlewood recorded this collection of country-tinged and Hollywood-soaked songs about both the sweetness and loss of love. The duo perform cuts such as "Dark End of the Street" and "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line" in their own utterly inimitable style only natural for two personalities as inimitable as Lee and Ann-Margret. In addition, Lee performs Tom Rush's "No Regrets" solo, taking a cold, hard look at the aftermath of love gone wrong, in typical Hazlewood fashion.

Also included as bonus tracks are four extremely rare songs, which constituted the first two singles on LHI. "Sleep in the Grass" and "Chico", a pair of Hazlewood originals performed as duets with Ann-Margret, produced on par with his most baroque masterworks, were first released as LHI-2. "You Turned My Head Around" and "It's A Nice World To Visit (But Not to Live In)", two slices of Nuggets-era psych-pop sung by Ann-Margret solo, are possibly two of Lee's rarest and strangest productions. These four songs have been out-of-print since the time of their release and, along with The Cowboy & The Lady, make their first Hazlewood-approved appearance in 30 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative eccentric genius, November 18, 2000

By	J. Hamilton (Western PA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret as a singing duo is definitely one of the odder moments in pop history. This cd is every bit as crazy as you would think, without sacrificing the music completely to camp.

Lee was a great producer, and his work on these covers really stands out. These renditions of "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line," "No Regrets," and "You Can't Imagine" are infused with a spirit that makes them timeless.

His penchant for the baroque is more evident on the four brilliant bonus cuts. Can you believe they used to release singles that sounded like this, let alone make them? Ann- Margret's voice is a theatrical counterpoint to Lee's world-weary baritone, and together they create nothing short of musical cinema. Check out the harrowing, hilarious "Chico," the pastoral "Sleep in the Grass," and A-M's two psychedelic fuzzbox numbers, "You Turn My Head Around" and "Nice World..."

This album is a rather strange gem, kind of like a tour through old Hollywood backlots of Western film sets, with Lee and Ann-Margret as your drunken tour guides!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am in love again!, December 8, 2006

By	Dr. L "Best In Manhattan!" (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The best ever! Ann Margret can do it all! Great duets here with Nancy's old pal Lee! So glad this was put on CD! Best track? "Sleep In The Grass"!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "NOT THAT EASY TO FORGET!", May 12, 2003

By	Michael G. Batcho (McAdoo, PA (USA)) - See all my reviews

"The Cowboy and The Lady"-- Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret make a memorable combination. This album came out originally about the same time (more or less) as Lee Hazlewood's duet albums with Nancy Sinatra, perhaps just after. Ann Margret was a perfect choice for Lee's "Cowboy" persona. . . she had credentials in the "country music world". She had recorded in Nashville with RCA producer and "country music- Nashville Sound genius" Chet Atkins in the early 60's. Her work with Lee Hazlewood continued to demostrate her skill at delivering "country heart".
My all time favorite track on this album is "Hangin' On" -- when Ann-Margret sings the line "just enough to keep me. . . hangin' on" she leaves you with that melody and verse lingering in your mind for years . . . and maybe you'll never forget it. . . I know I haven't.
Another excellent track on this set is "Am I That Easy To Forget?"-- This is country music at its best.
Ann-Margret also delivers a Waylon Jennings classic with a wallop: "Only Momma That'll Walk The Line" - I guess it proves that Ann-Margret is an "Outlaw" herself.
This is an album that has held up well over the years and continues to sound "fresh" and "new". If you haven't heard it, do it . . . you'll thank yourself for it. And thanks to Ann-Margret and to Barton Lee Hazlewood for giving us this musical trip into the "country".