Customer Reviews

Poor Little Critter in the Road

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If I was exiled to a desert Island with only ten CD's- this would be one of them. The Knitters (a.k.a, John Doe, Exene, and D.J. from the band 'X'... with Dave Alvin and Jonny Ray Bartel) do some inovative old covers of traditional roots songs with some countified 'X' songs thrown in for good measure. I got this on vinyl when it came out 15 years ago and it's only gotten better with time. A must for any audiophile into American music!

Very few people believe that I am a fan of country music because I'm rarely ever found listening to it. That's mainly because I find so much country music nowadays unimaginative, redundant and just plain boring. One paradigm I have long held onto is that great country music (just like great blues music) sounds like something you could imagine playing yourself on a back porch.

There are probably music purists who could pigeonhole my tastes into one aspect of country music (bluegrass or hillbilly, say), but I contend that my tastes are simply for Country Music.

With all of that said, it seems a shame to say that one of my all-time favorite country albums comes from a conglomeration of members from bands often categorized and punk and rockabilly. X and The Blasters are also bands I am quite fond of, so when I found out that members of both joined together to do some old country-blues tunes and even revise a little X, I was all over that record like white on rice.

This is fun music. Too much country nowadays just isn't fun, or if it pretends to be fun, it does so with a sour pretention of acting like everyone should act this way, but The Knitters nailed an album here that has such a come-along, sing-along feel, that I feel shame that the CMAs haven't nailed a copy of this album to the procemium of every awards show as a reminder of where the REAL heart of country music lay.

This is a great collection of songs. Songs about heartache or jail sung in a way that sounds genuine, not pretend. Like true country music, or the blues, songs of despair sit next to songs of love and joy. These are the emotions of life, told through charming and direct performances. Some of my favorites here are the title track (roadkill as a metaphor for life), Walkin' Cane, and if you aren't slapping your knee during Call of the Wreckin' Ball, you just don't have a pulse.

An added note: whenever I play The Kniters' version of "Rock Island Line," my 8 year-old can't help but just dance around the kitchen table. That's my hillbilly boy!

Finally back in print after several years in limbo, this delightful disc is an ad hoc collaboration between Exene Cervenka and John Doe of X, and a couple of Blasters. More country-oriented than the former group, more rocking than the latter, the folksy songs here give ample evidence that much fun was had by all involved, and the fact that this album inspired two tribute albums in its wake is a testament to its ultimate influence. Especially good are the title tune, the violently humorous "Call of the Wrecking Ball", and the closer, a light-speed rendition of the classic "Rock Island Line".

I've tried to explain this album to people for years; Redneck Idgits just don't get it.
However, true Country/Rock-a-Billy music wasn't meant to sound like Garth or Sheniwa (or however you spell it).
If anyone has heard a combo play such textured music this past decade let me know.
Link Wray, Dave Edmonds, and the city of Denver (who bought out the tickets for the last X show in under two hours), know good tunes.
Thank you for for your attention.

You think it's one of those records that you buy to round out your collection of X and Blasters and lo and behold it is one you can't remove from rotation. Poor Little Critter of the Road, Wrecking Ball, Silver Wings are songs that immediatly come to mind when I'm driving on the highway, at a county fair, and am waiting in an airport. I've owned the vinyl since it first came out, and it's still in the stack I play every third Sunday (don't ask).

Just saw the Knitters on Jay Leno last night and they blew my mind, again, John Doe and Exene's killer vocals on top of Dave Alvin's guitar is a classic American roots sound. (I've given up Rock/Abilly/Bluegrass/Country/Blues/Ragtime/Folk distinctions because so many artists have blurred the boundaries. I think "American roots" is the best description of this genre.)

There's a softness to the sound that implies the praries, a twang that implies the south and a desert sensibility that makes you want to install it as the theme tracks to your Airstream as you drive out of Las Vegas into the desert, leaving behind the bright lights, your love, and any hope of water.

I own all of X's records,seen them in concert,gotten Billy Zoom's autograph even have an X tattoo. So when i heard about this album, i was immediately interested. I had this record playing for days,it is just a great sounding rockabilly album. The album has reworked X standards,not to mention some great humorous songs like Poor Little Critter, and Poor Old Heart Sick Me, plus some great slow tunes like,Someone Like you, Silver Wings, and my favorite Walking Cane. For any X fan, this is simply a must own, but i would recommend it for any music fan as well.

this band is great both live and on cd. the songs get in your head and haunt you. they are all hillbilly bluegrass inspired and they mean all the more if you are a john doe and exene fan or a dave alvin fan or a fan of the 80's hollywood punk scene. Hear john and exene mention l.a. band cohorts the rhythm pigs. hear the tearful songs of broken hearts made all the more poignant by the fact that they were breaking up their long time marriage. its an incredible timeless cd. buy it.

This is a country album plain and simple, without any sort of proto-smirkiness that would later follow by lesser yuppie ivy- leaguers pretending to be po' white trash.Its like a little party and only you are invited.I can barely imagine what anyone made of it in 1985.

This one-off effort from members of X and Dave Alvin of the Blasters is a country/bluegrass hoot. John Doe has a voice of gold (who knew he could croon so well?) and really shines on songs like "Crying but my Tears are Far Away." Exene is a bit off-key as usual on solos, but her strength is sounding like a slightly boozy Patsy Cline, and as usual she sounds great harmonizing with John. Dave Alvin does some great pickin' guitar work. The whole thing has an irreverant, casual quality to it, and yet shows the band members' reverance for such classic groups as the Weavers (Weavers...Knitters...get it?) The one weak song on the album is surprisingly the X song "The New World." It has a pretty weak melody that doesn't really stand up to being countrified, and just sounds the best as a revved-up X song. "Call of the Wreckin' Ball" is the most subversive song on the album, about a guy that loves to stomp chickens to death. It's a crack-up, though, in its sick way. I like the slow numbers the best. John Doe is actually a darn good country singer.

This mid-80's one-off project from John Doe & Exene (from the great band 'X') and Dave Alvin is a delightful surprise. Packed with country and folk gems such as Merle Haggard's "SIlver WIngs." This album showcases JOhn Doe's vastly under-rated vocal skills. Die-hard fans of X might not appreciate this, but anyone with an interest in classic folk and country should give this a listen. Wonderful!