Customer Reviews

Delusions of Banjer

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The Livers have put out a few albums since Delusions of Banjer, but this is still my favorite. If you're unfamiliar with these guys, don't be thrown off by the "punk" descriptions that consistently appear in reviews of this band. This music has a straight-up, down-home feel to it through and through. From up-tempo romps to soulful gospel ballads, every tune on this disc will put a smile on your face.

Looking more like a thrash metal biker outfit than a Bluegrass trio (yes, that is a Black Flag sticker on Mark Rubin's bass), The Bad Livers shine on their first release. _Delusions Of Banjer_ is an idiosyncratic, but very much traditional offering from some of the more progressive musicians in the Bluegrass scene. You'll find none of Barnes' brave (and perhaps questionable) electronic excursions here, and although there are a few strange minor-key banjo tunings, its mostly nothing but badass bluegrass. Immensely likable and silly songs like "Sh*t Creek" and "The Adventures Of Pee Pee The Sailor" (replete with oom-pah tuba) do not detract one bit from the strong songwriting going on here. "Better Times" is a neat, almost jazzy example, with some fine harmonizing by nasally Barnes and Rubin, who are the active core of the band. (Are there *any* bluegrass musicians capable of singing without a twang ??) Mournful country ballads like the dark "Pretty Daughter" and "Precious Time" are balanced expertly with flat-out burners like "Uncle Lucius" and especially "Ghost Train", which contains some excellent flatpicking from Mr. Barnes. Since a good number of the better songs in their repertoire can be found here, this is a great introduction to this excellent band, and a great record to introduce neophytes to bluegrass with in general.

Sorry about the silly title...

First, this is not really the place to start if you are trying to learn about the Bad Livers' sound... start with Blood and Mood or Hogs on the Highway for the best of thier custom deranged hillbilly-funk-punk-hip-hop fusion. Dust is a very laid back, very sincere collection of ancient gospel songs. Folks that are aquainted with the Livers newer, sort of smart-ass stuff may be surprised at the real reverence and tenderness with which these old treasures are performed. To me, this early record holds the key as to why the Livers don't come off as a novelty band (like Ween for instance). The have a genuine respect and awe for thier sources, so matter how they've twisted and deformed them across the span of 6 albums. This is why thier work all shares a high level of sincerity and overall quality and never seems to get boring. As a blur grass album, it holds up very well... the musicianship is beyond reproach, and it's a very "human" sounding bluegrass album... less about displays of technical virtuosity than about getting to the emotional center of each tune... I've found many modern bluegrass albums to be the opposite. This gets back to the unadorned magic of the Stanley Bros. and Monroe Bros. best recordings from the 50's.