Customer Reviews

Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods

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4 star:		(2)
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I love Bill Kirchen. He is the coolest telecaster player around. If you like real Honky Tonk music, western swing, a little rockabilly, some truck driving songs and just some great guitar pickin' then this and all his albums are a must. Bill was with Commander Cody for several years and wrote a great country song titled, "I ain't never had too much fun", this particular cut is on his Live album which has the most outrageous version of Hot Rod Lincoln you will ever hear. This newest album is just more of the same great music. The title song "Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods" is a tribute to the Fender Telecaster with some clever lyrics and hot picking. The second cut "Rocks into Sand" reminds one of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits, "Get a Little Goner" is classic country about wanting your woman to just leave and leave you alone. "Skid Row in My Mind" is a slow country tune reminiscent of vintage Willie Nelson. "Working Man" is a swampy, twangy mid temp rocker. "Soul Cruisin'" is a soulful look at life and love. "Devil With A Blue Dress On' is a slow shuffle reworking of the old Mitch Ryder tune, this is one cool tune. "One More Day" is pure Western Swing and would have been right at home on an old Bob Wills album. "Heart Of Gold" is a honky tonk rocker in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis, I would love to hear the Killer tear this one up himself. "If It's Really Got To Be This Way" is Bill's version of an old Arthur Alexander tune about love gone wrong and not being able to let go. Give Bill a try, I'm sure he could use the money.

I've been a Bill Kirchen fan since Commander Cody and his Airmen first waxed their good-time, country/rockabilly vision. He's been churning out telecaster madness since then and made a number of great solo albums and superb guest appearances, many behind one of Pop's best songwriters, Nick Lowe. Kirchen has finally decided to enlist Lowe and his band of outstanding musicians to help put together his latest album: Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods. The result is Bill's finest album by far. There's much less telecaster twang than usual but the songs are ones of real substance. His voice (rather than his Tele) is front and centre and the album is better for it. The band of Lowe (bass), Geraint Watkins (keys), Austin Delone (keys) and Robert Trehern (drums) are augmented by steel, fiddle and a bevy of backing vocalists. Together they give a subtle but superb performance on each and every song; much in the manner of Lowe's own album Gig My Mood. Superb musicianship, superb originals and a few lovely covers, excellent production values and attention to detail make this Bill's finest album; one that actually may break him into the mainstream of the "roots/Americana" scene.

Those who love Bill's Telecaster ripping through a brace of dieselbilly and rockabilly tunes may be disappointed with this album. There's still plenty of great guitar work here but the emphasis is more on presenting well-crafted songs that will stand the test of time. If you are lover of fine roots music then this album will be gracing your "turntable" for a long, long time.

Well done, Proper Records (responsible for those fine, value-for-money box-sets of older roots music) for giving Bill Kirchen the chance to realise his vision and for fans to truly appreciate one of music's lasting gems.

It's ironic that Kirchen named this release after a lead track that extols the impact of the Telecaster, if only because his hot-picking talents aren't really the album's focus. Not that he's laid down his six string, there's plenty of twang here, but the songs, singing and arrangements are balanced with the solos, rather than created as window dressing for a guitar showcase. That too isn't completely unusual for Kirchen's recordings, but his vocals and lyrics get a touch more focus here than his more honky-tonk oriented dieselbilly records.

The opener lives up to the album's advertisement, providing a twanging, rhyming history of a guitar "born at the junction of form and function." You'd almost think it was a product of the Bauhaus rather than Fender. Kirchen keeps up the honky-tonk two stepping on "Get a Little Goner" and the Jerry Lee Lewis styled "Heart of Gold," but the rest of the album hits the dance floor at a lower speed. "Skid Row in My Mind" (from the songwriter who brought you the Commander Cody classic "Mama Hated Diesels") is a '70s styled country ballad, and "Rocks into Sand" melds a smooth Mark Knopfler guitar tone with a dusty clip-clop Western trail rhythm.

The blue-soul original "Working Man" sounds like something Dave Edmunds might have dug out of his record collection for one of his early solo albums, and "Soul Cruisin'" hits the same twangy-soul groove that Dave Alvin and The Hacienda Brothers have successfully mined. A cover of Mitch Ryder's "Devil With the Blue Dress" is played slow and slinky, and the closing rendition of Arthur Alexander's magnificent "If It's Really Got to Be This Way" is appropriately heartbroken, if not as fatally wounded as the author's own versions.

The only way you'll be disappointed by this album is if the title baits you into expecting guitar pyrotechnics. Kirchen picks his Telecaster, even stepping out front for a solo here and there, but he never forgets there's a talented combo (Nick Lowe, Geraint Watkins and Robert Trehern) providing support. Kirchen's a guitar god, but with his Telecaster giving up a bit of the spotlight here, his singing and songwriting more of their due. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

I've known of Bill Kirchen's music for nearly thirty five years - and this album tops all previous albums combined. The music is just plain awesome. The production qualities are superb. The lyrics are up to date - with a bit of politico thrown in. IF you love rock, country, country-rock, americana, and great guitars and lyrics give this album a spin.

Being a big Kirchen fan from way back, I had to have this... Sadly, for me, it's got a little more of a pop/lounge/R&B feel than the trucker twang and country stuff I love most. Still, there's good material, Bill's great voice, and his guitar mastery. You won't be disappointed...
It's just ironic that the CD actually referencing "Honky Tonk" and featuring pix of Bill's axe, seems less full of honk and tonk and less of of a guitar chop show case...

Except for this disc's title song, Bill shows off his voice more than his wizardry on the Telecaster on this CD and the songs are more reflective and moody than hard rockin'. His voice here has the admirable rough resonance of Willy Nelson's. I've been a Bill Kirchen fan for over twenty years, and although Hot Rod Lincoln may always be Bill's signature and showiest piece, the songs on this disc resonate more with my current stage of life as I'm sure they will with most of his contemporaries.

Bill is one of the best honky-tonk guitar players ever. This album shows that he is a lot more. I agree this album is not a showcase of his twang but I think that makes it even more interesting. I've seen Bill play many times including at a hole-in-the-wall called The Half-Moon BBQ in Silver Spring MD where he hosted an open mike. He is just a great guy and a huge talent.

If you are only buying one Kirchen to start, this might not be the one. That is especially true if you want to sample his tele-twang. Only the title song is signature Kirchen twang. But if you already know and appreciate Bill this is a great addition to your collection. It ranges from Knopfler like to R&B. In addition to the title cut, my favorites are "Rocks into Sand", "Working Man" and "Heart of Gold."

So if you are a fan, buy it. If you are new to him, get some of the other recommended albums. And for all, and most important, see him LIVE!

Excellent recording featuring a broader variety of styles than previous efforts while retaining Kirchen's wit and of course superb guitar work. Production seems smoother, kudos to Nick Lowe, who has been featured with Kirchen backing Elvis Costello on a number of recent performances.

Being a fan for over 30 years, this may not be a totally subjective review. I love it. I was introduced to Bill Kirchen's music through his work as a Lost Planet Airman; however, this solo effort is outstanding. I saw him play more than half these songs live in Greenville, SC last night. I listened to the CD since then and am much impressed with the talent he has brought together on the studio version.

It's beautiful to see artists evolve, grow, interpret, and create. I'm glad the sixties and seventies didn't scorch either of us because I'm grateful for his music and thankful to be enjoying it ... many years down the road.

i didnt buy this cd but i did go see bill kirchen perform his new cd live in its ENTIRETY on 1.28 @ the iron horse in MA. it was amazing. not only are the songs amazing but bill is an amazing performer. remember the days with the ol' commander? he is soooo much better now. def worth the money to see him live or pick up the new disc or better yet, both.