Customer Reviews

Hillbilly Deluxe

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was Dwight's second album (after Guitars Cadillacs). It contains seven original songs, all written by Dwight, and three covers. The overall feel of the album is upbeat, yet the lyrics are generally sadder than the rockabilly-styled musical backing would suggest. Most of the songs here are up-tempo or mid-tempo. The only ballads are Please please baby, Johnson's love and 1,000 miles. It occurs to me that 1,000 is a number that Dwight seems to find significant because he later recorded a song titled A thousand miles from nowhere as well as including the number in the title of one of his compilations.

The album yielded four major country hits - Little sister (a cover of the Elvis Presley classic from the early sixties), Always late with your kisses (a cover of a Lefty Frizzell country hit from the fifties), Please please baby (one of only two ballads on this album - the other being Johnson's love) and Little ways. The third cover here, Smoke along the track, is a train song that was originally recorded by Stonewall Jackson in the fifties.

This is, as I would expect, a high quality album from Dwight. By his own very high standards, it is not his strongest album but if you're serious about Dwight's music, this is essential. If you only want one or two of Dwight's albums, go for one or both of the compilations, Just lookin' for a hit and Last chance for 1,000 years.

Singer, songwriter, guitarist, actor, Yoakam is a huge talent, and shines on every track of this CD.
The musicianship throughout is stupendous. The "Babylonian Cowboys" consist of Pete Anderson (who also produced this CD) on electric guitar and 6 string bass, J.D. Foster: electric bass, Jeff Donavan: drums, Brantley Kearns: fiddle...and how I love that fiddle !

Yoakam wrote 7 of the 10 tracks, and all of them are winners, as are the other 3. The Alan Rose/Don Helms "Smoke Along the Track" is wonderful, and the Lefty Frizzell/Blackie Crawford "Always Late with Your Kisses" and the Doc Pomus/Mort Schuman "Little Sister" (the early '60's Elvis Presley hit), are given rousing renditions.

There are only 2 ballads on the CD...Dwight's "Johnson's Love", and "1000 Miles", both of them touching and well told stories of love gone wrong.
Even with these 2 slower songs, it's a great dance CD, as well as a housekeeper's aid. Your dusting will be a breeze with this as a soundtrack.
The small booklet insert includes lyrics, but not much else, and the total time is an all to short 34'17.
This is a tight, razzle-dazzle recording, and if you like Dwight, and his very special brand of rock-a-billy, it'll be a terrific addition to your collection.

Dwight Yoakam out-did-himself...I love this CD...Dwight is pure country...any fan of rockabilly...or Bluegrass...should try this CD...I believe Dwight enjoyed the songs he sung on "Hillbilly DeLuxe" that's what makes this album so natural...The words are heart-felt...and the music is just amazing...Dwight wrote a couple of the songs on this album fer family...which makes em special ta him as well as the fans...Dwight did an outstandin job on this one...I Love it !!!

Do yourself a favor & get this cd right away!

Some 20 years after it first came out, this has lost none of its' luster.

I played this for a friend of mine from Kentucky when "Hillbilly DeLuxe" first came out. He said then that it was the best Country & Western album he had ever heard. I couldn't agree more.

Amazon.com has been running specials on this cd recently for about $5.
This is money well spent. There isn't a weak entry on any of the 10 songs.

Dwight Yoakam's masterpiece, if you ask me.

His video, "Always Late," from this cd is also a lot of fun to watch, if you ever get the chance to see it.

---"Cowboy" John Paul, Oklahoma City, January 2009

There's just no getting around it (for me anyway): this album simply does not have the electricity of *Guitars, Cadillacs, etc.*, the overall range of *If There Was a Way*, or the depth of the great *This Time*. Having said that, what's here is still very good and certainly worth having in your collection.

Both "Little Ways" and "Smoke along the Track" are good but are pretty much standard country fare. The same is true of "Always Late with Your Kisses", "Throughout All Time", and "This Drinkin' Will Kill Me". They're all good songs but there's nothing extra special about them. However, the remake of the Elvis standard "Little Sister" is reminiscent of the remake of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" from the first album. Both recall the old adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The real strengths of the album lie in "Johnson's Love", a great ballad, "Please, Please Baby", an electric country-rocker, "Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23", and the best of the bunch, "1,000 Miles", not to be confused with "A Thousand Miles from Nowhere" from the *This Time* album. Enjoy.

I love Hillbilly Deluxe. I'm a Dwight fan from the get-go! These songs makes a bad day better! I have this on vinyl and CD, when something new comes along, trust me I will be buying it on that! It is always on my ipod. I never tire of it. If I could listen to only a few CDs, this would be one of my 1st choices!

Of all the songs Dwight Yoakam has done, this is the one that most touched my heart. He described it perfectly. I rarely hear this song mentioned but it's a terrific song.

If you're a Dwight fan, you already own this classic,
probably on vinyl, but if you're just getting started, you should pick this up, right after you buy his debut disc "Hillbilly Deluxe"
Filled with Classic Country sounds, Hillbilly, High, and Lonesome, fiddle, and great guitar work from Pete Anderson.
Even at this stage Dwight's a fine song writer, but rounds out this disc with some great covers like "Always late with your kisses" and
the Elvis Gem "Little Sister"
A highly recomended Disc that only hints at the genius that lies ahead.

I love this album, I have owned it before and am escited and glad to have it again!

Dwight Yoakam is the only real country artist out there. The rest are imitators, but Yoakam delivers the real thing. Hillbilly Deluxe is one of the best country albums ever made. It is just a shame that he had to put up with the imitators he competed with when this album was originally released. HB is a five star masterpiece. If you never buy a country album, buy this one.