Customer Reviews

Geronimo's Cadillac

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I honestly did not know "Geronimo's Cadillac" was his song; I first heard it from Bill Miller on his Spirit Songs: The Best of anthology CD. Now I feel like I want to hear every version I can find to see how they compare to MMM's original. This song earned him an honorary membership in the Sioux Nation for its pointed commentary on the treatment of the Indian.

The album, 12 tracks, is a true classic of country-rock, but unfortunately was ignored in the face of higher-visibility records like the Flying Burrito Brothers' Gilded Palace of Sin, the first two Eagles albums, and Poco's output for Epic (those records eclipsed themselves by other bands and their records). It's a limited edition, just 5000 copies, from Hip-O Select, and the packaging is lovely; a miniature gatefold LP jacket, all of the credits and artwork from the original, and even the CD itself gets an inner sleeve, as well as A&M's label design from the mid '70s. There's really not a bad track on this one, and I highly recommend you pick it up before it goes out of print. (Hip-O Select is Universal's answer to Rhino Handmade, reissuing all sorts of neat recordings that may no longer be available once the limited run is sold out.)

I listened to this "album" practically non-stop in the 70's when I lived in Colorado, spent a lot of time travelling around the State and camping. I knew every song by heart. I searched for many years for this album and was told it was out of print. Undaunted, I continued my search and WOW! I found it! Since I got this music back, my heart sings again. It is early Michael Murphy and just really fun, sweet and a blast to listen to! Favorites are "Geronimo's Cadillac," "Calico Silver," "Michaelangelo," "Crack-Up In Las Cruces," who am I kidding - every song is my favorite. Anyone who things Michael Murphy is just a country western singer, should listen! Especially those of you who love a good folk art tale.

Truly an outstanding collection of tunes from a real wordsmith. The title cut is a ripping, but not bludgeoning, critique of the treatment of American Indians. Natchez Trace quickly lets you know that if you're in a hurry, or have to be somewhere, this album is not for you. This is not good background music, though it would probably work for a party. No, this stuff is "good for the soul" music with evocative lyrics and images and enough good and greasy playing to keep you wanting more throughout.

This guy had something to say, and if this and "Blue Sky Night Thunder" were all he ever did, he could live out his days knowing he filled a hole in the world that wouldn't have been filled without him.

In no particular order, a few morsels:

"They took their land and they won't give it back and they sent Geronimo a Cadillac ... "

"You can hear old Hickory's spirit call ... "

"Being recognized when you're dead might be nice ... "

"He loved to call the Earth his mother ... "

"As the rain ruins my alibi ... "

And my personal favorite:

"You may never see your Wanda Lee again ... "

Hint for the reader: I'm a Lyle Lovett fan. I'd be surprised if this album isn't in Lyle's collection.

Fans of Michael Murphey's Austin days suffered through a long dry spell when this and Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir didn't make the transition from LP to CD until just five years ago. That's when an Australian label, Raven, released both. They included a very nice booklet that contained MM's memories of the times and circumstances surrounding the writing, recording, and performing of these songs, and somewhat crude live recordings from Austin's Rubiayat from back in the day. The remastering of those albums was nice, but they lacked the depth and resolution that the vinyl versions had.

Now, Hip-O Select, Universal's equivalent of WEA's Rhino Handmade, has released Geronimo's Cadillac in a gatefold cardboard replica of the original album. Where the Raven version was lacking stage depth, and was grainier than the vinyl version, this Hip-O Select release is closer in those respects to the original vinyl, resulting in significantly improved imaging.

So, from now on, I'll be pulling out both when I want to listen to Geronimo's Cadillac; I'll be browsing the Raven booklet while listening to the Hip-O disc - an almost perfect combination in an imperfect world.

My husband has been carrying around this album on LP, moving from place to place, hoping sone day he could ge someone to copy it to CD so he could listen to it again.

When I gave him the CD to day he was extremely happy.
I had never heard it before.
It is great!!! I am listening to it right now.

Boy from the country has always been a song that I loved. John Denver recorded it years ago. I did not know it was a Michael Martin Song.

I'm a MMM fan from the early Cosmic Cowboy days and have spun the lp's/disks as much as any self respecting fan would. The Geronomo's Cadillac is not studio version I love so much. MMM's voice is strained on the high notes but is still great to listen to once again. So, it's worth the money but left me slightly disappointed.