Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Incredible Hulk and the Real Bojangles, April 27, 2002
This is early Jerry Jeff (1968), part country/bluegrass, part rock and part folk, from back in the days when musical experiments across genres were newsworthy and important. The sound is stripped down and intimate, as if the band were performing in your living room. Today's recordings lack this relaxed spontaneity. Jerry Jeff's songwriting is as good as he ever got, his singing is gimmick-free and straight-up, and the band, led by bluegrasser David Bromberg, has an appealingly loose, rolling sound. The drummer Bill LaVorgna gets credit for a lot of the punch offered by this music, with his off-tempo whacks at the canvas, especially on "The Ballad of the Hulk". The mood shifts from song to song, including gorgeous ballads and up-tempo country rockers. There are two standout songs, the world-famous "Mr. Bojangles" and "The Ballad of the Hulk." "Bojangles" is the only truly well-known song Jerry ever wrote, but his own version - the best - is not one of those more often played. Only Sammy Davis Jr. did another version really worth listening to. The song actually appears twice on the CD - in it's album version (without strings) and the single version (with). Jerry himself disparages the strings, but I think they are done nicely and it's great to be able to choose to hear one or the other. "The Ballad of the Hulk" (based on the comic strip character The Incredible Hulk") is no ballad. It is an humorous-angry epic of social commentary, set to rollicking drums, fast acoustic picking and a snappy organ - 7 minutes long and well worth a careful listen. The line about a "twisted priest advising me how to raise a home and family" rings a bell given today's (and I do mean TODAY's) headlines. Any fan of Jerry Jeff Walker should have this, and even those who don't care for the "outlaw" Texas troubador he has been since the 70s might find this appealing - even compelling music.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage Jerry Jeff, October 11, 2002
This is a great listen. Bojangles and My Old Man are favorites. I saw Jerry Jeff some yrs back at a small club. Just him and 3 guitars. Near the end of the show, I asked Jerry Jeff for "My Old Man" he put down his Ovation Electric and picked up his D28 saying "This is the right one that one." He started singing the song and I could see it was a very personal song for him. He filled to the brim of his hat with raw soul and got through it. After the last note he set the guitar back on it's stand dipped his head and said "Train Time" and he was gone. One of the greatest performances I ever saw.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Early Jerry Jeff at its best, April 20, 1999
You can definately tell, in listening to this album and more recent ones, how Walker's voice has matured and his music progressed. The CD contains many early Jerry Jeff essintials, including the original Little Bird, I Makes Money Money dont Make Me, and my favorite, Maybe Mexico. A number of the songs reflect Walker's discontent with his place in life as a young musician--this is Jerry Jeff Walker's music before he found his click singing songs about Texas.
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~ Jerry Jeff Walker
~ Jerry Jeff Walker
~ Jerry Jeff Walker
~ Jerry Jeff Walker
by Jerry Jeff Walker 
