Customer Reviews

Last Of The Jewish Cowboys: The Best Of Kinky Friedman

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Don't get me wrong here. I love Kinky's music. But this CD is a disappointment, as most of the tracks on it are live cuts, not original studio cuts.

Kinky classics like "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed," "We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You," "Homo Erectus," and (gasp!) "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" are not present in their original versions, but rather inferior live cuts. This collection has other cuts from the Sold American and Kinky Friedman albums; why couldn't the above songs be included in their original versions?

Overall, this CD could have been great, but it's a disappointment.

Back in the 1970's I used to go see Kinky Friedman and his Texas Jewboys at the Lone Star Café in New York City. He was a pretty entertaining performer. Let's face it, Kinky Friedman can't really sing for beans, but he is one hell of an interesting, funny, and politically interesting songwriter (he was also recently seriously in the race for the governorship of Texas) and there is something appealing about his voice.

Kinky's songs are much like the film Borat (come to think of it Kinky looks a little like Sascha Baron Cohen): you're not always quite sure what he intends, and the lyrics can be pretty offensive, but, they are also funny as hell. Examples: "Waitret [waitress] please waitret come sit on my fate." Or The Ballad of Charles Whitman, a comedy song about Charles Joseph Whitman, the Texas Tower Sniper who in 1966 killed 15 people and wounded 31 "all the while he smiled so sweetly then he blew them out completely...he was settin' up there with his 36 magnum, laughing wildly as he bagged `em." Then again, there is also Sold American, which is about...well, I'm not quite sure what it's about, but it is actually a lovely song.

If you don't know Kinky and his work, then this is a great place to start, and if you do, then this fairly complete collection will bring back a lot of (hopefully good) memories from the 70s.

A great collection from a multitalented singer, composer, writer and politician. Kinky for President!!!