Customer Reviews

Hot Rod Lincoln

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're gonna throw a party, first ya need the beer, then comes the entertainment. And that would be the dancing girls and this Bill Kirchen "Hot Rod Lincoln Live" cd. If your a fan of Commander Cody, I promise you'll love this. If you've never heard of the ole Commander, think "Hot Rod Lincoln". And you really haven't heard "Hot Rod Lincoln" till you've heard this funky 8 minute version that's played on the same "Coal Burning" guitar that was used on the original tune from 1971. This new version is soooo good that you'll press track 4 over and over again until your dancing feet wear out. I don't think there has ever been anybody around who has as deep of a twangy guitar sound as Bill Kirchen. Not even Duane Eddy, who is just one of the many musicians that Kirchen playfully mimics on Hot Rod Lincoln. But this isn't the only great song on here. Kirchen throws in a couple Commander Cody songs from the good old days. "Lookin at the world through a windshield", and one of my favorites "too much fun". BIll Kirchen isn't any novelty act though. This guy writes great original songs like "secrets of love", "swing fever" and a great rockin tune "rockin' over China". I highly recommend running out and getting this before your next party. You'll definitly want to have this cd handy, just in case the beer runs out.

This album is perfect for anyone looking for a CD's worth of great goodtime music. The Centerpiece of the album is the 8 minute version of Hot Rod Licoln. It shows off Bill's sense of Humor, and his great tele playing. If you're lookin for a good CD to listen to driving down any highway, this will fit the bill (Bill Kirchen that is!)

This is what a Fender Telecaster should sound like. Bill has been doing the roadhouse and truckin' twang since before it was cool and needs to be given fair credit for the influence he had had on other players throughout the years. This is a great "live" recording that puts the listener right behind the wheel. To no surprise, it has a real Commander Cody feel to it which is emphasized by the many songs it contains from the Commander days. Bill's personality, humor and diversity really pop out on his version of Hot Rod Lincoln.

A truly fine performance by a master. I enjoyed the songs, humor and variety. The portion where he imitates a couple dozen other guitar greats is worth the price alone. Sound quality of disc is very good.

If your idea of great music is three musicians rocking a bar until 2 AM, this CD is as good as it gets. Bill's energy, humor and talent for playing his coal burning" guitar are worth travelling a thousand miles to see. The only thing better than buying this CD from amazon is getting directly from Bill at one of his shows.

The first four tracks along are worth the price of admission. With Track 4, "Hot Rod Lincoln", you will understand why Bill Kirchen is known as a "Master of the Telecaster". It wasn't until my middle age that I began to understand the importance of "Live Music". Bill Kirchen is an actual *musician* who sounds as good on the road as he does in the studio, sometimes better. "Rockin' over China" and "The Finger" are good finishers for this set of excellent live music.

I would definitely agree with the previous reviewers. This CD is a keeper.

If you enjoy the genre of "Swamp Rock/DieselBilly/Bang&Twang" then is is an album for your collection.

I'm a big fan of Bill's guitar playing. This is a very good "Live" album. I try and catch his show in DC a couple of times a month and he is even better in person. (I wonder if he is going to let me in for free next time?)

Do you like truck drivin' twang? How about the occasional country shuffle? Or some flat out, butt kicking rock n roll? It's all here in one masterful CD. HOT ROD LINCOLN LIVE features Bill Kirchen's warm appealing singing, his imaginative and funny lyrics, and the best burning Telecaster you'll ever hear. There are too many great songs on the CD to mention them all, but you truck drivin' junkies will get your fix from BIG MACK'S OFF THE BLOCKS, LOOKIN' AT THE WORLD THROUGH A WINDSHIELD, and WOMB TO THE TOMB, which contains the great line, "I was broke down, dead in the water on interstate 10. With a load of frozen fish fillets (pronounced FILL' lettes) that was learning how to swim again."
Kirchen's humor and warmth is also out front on TOO MUCH FUN (featuring some nice and not over-long bass and drum solos), SWING FEVER (featuring some beautiful, jazzy, Western-swing type playing), and the amazing ROCKIN' OVER CHINA.
CHINA is Kirchen's take on Warren Smith's UBANGI STOMP, but instead of rockin' to Africa, "I called up China and reversed the toll, and asked them did they want to hear some rock n roll. They said they'd be delighted cause they were bored to tears with the music they'd been playing for 10,000 years." I met Bill Kirchen briefly last summer at a club he was playing and talked to him about this song. He said that he had taken UBANGI STOMP and made it "slightly more politically correct."

I've been listening to this CD on a regular basis since I got it a month ago, with no end in sight. A must have CD for Kirchen fans and for anyone who likes the kind of music I've described.

If you're a Commander Cody fan and you have all the Cody/Airmen stuff you can find, then get over to the "K" aisle and start picking up on Bill Kirchen.

"Womb to the Tomb" is a neat little "magic reality truck" song.

All of the Cody classics covered here are, as one would expect, excellent -- particularly "Hot Rod Lincoln", which runs eight minutes, and has a middle section wherein Bill demonstrates he can make his Telecaster sound like anything, including Jimi Hendrix's left-handed Strat. (I caught his live show shortly after i bought this album, and the Really Live "Lincoln" ran more like fifteen minutes, with even more messing around, including longer "tribute" segments, including most of a verse of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me").

I could have stood another couple of tracks off the Cody album "Let's Rock", particularly "Rockabilly Funeral" (which was part of the live gig i caught) and "The Home of Rock'n'Roll" (Which wasn't) -- but hey -- what's here is great.

If you like rockabilly or Western Swing; if you like Commander Cody (duh), Asleep at the Wheel or Jason & the Scorchers you probably ought to have this CD.

I bought this for one song and one song only, Hot Rod Lincoln. Simply the best version ever done by a great guitarist. You should buy it. You'll be playing it over and over for your friends.