Customer Reviews

Sold American

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If all of the songs on this album had been of the level of quality and/or cutting sarcasm as "Sold American", "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You" or "Ride 'Em Jewboy" (to pick some of the better ones more or less at random), it would be a five-star effort.

As it is, "High on Jesus" and "Top Ten Commandments", among others, drag it down one level -- these are neither truly believable as what they sound like, nor sufficiently satirical to actually make a point.

That said, You Still Need This Album.

You Need It because of "Sold American" and "Silver Eagle Express" -- two perfectly touching country ballads of lost youth, lost innocence and lost dreams.

You Need It because of "Western Union Wire", a classic country honkytonk tear-in-the-beer song with a twist.

You Need It because of "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You", "The Ballad of Charles Whitman" and "Flyin' Down the Freeway", three deadpan sardonic takes on aspects of life from Kinky's twisted perspective.

And You Need It because "Ride 'Em Jewboy" sounds as if it ought to be another piece of black humourous satire... and turns out to be a touching meditation on the Holocaust.

Mostly, You Need It because it's a unique American voice at the peak of his talent, and you shouldn't miss it, no matter what kind of music you usually listen to.

Any serious renegade c & w fans: Add this one to your collection. The Kinxter at his finest, warbling in a true Texas barritone, shows us all the light with such timeless classics as " High on Jesus" and " Top Ten Commandments." Biting social invective reigns supreme with " The Ballad of Charles Whitman" and " We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You". These are the Texas Jewboys at their finest, a wonderfully offbeat, left of center, irreverent tentacle of country music. Long before the "pretty boy look" and "hat acts" were the norm, David Allan Coe, Commander Cody, New Riders, CDB, Kristofferson, and others scared the hell out of all the straights in Nashville. Down Texas way, we were diggin' it with Alvin Crow, Willis Allan Ramsey, Jennings, Nelson, and The Mighty Kinky Friedman! If you must have only one Jewboy selection, let this be the one.

I bought this album (Sold American) by Kinky Friedman after borrowing a tape of it from a friend. It's from the early 1970s and has something from that era for everyone. Whether it is a humorous look at women's lib (Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed) or the simple country anguish of Western Union Wire, Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys bring their own individual style to every song on this cd. The best song, evoking Kinky's Texas Jewish roots, is Ride 'Em Jewboy.

The Kinksta predates most punk bands by several years, but has that attitude that would alienate all the people that deserve to be alienated i.e anyone who takes themselves too seriously. I can't add any comment on the music that hasn't been said on this page already (OK, I'm not much of a music critic....)so just buy it and enjoy it.

How can no one have reviewed this record? I hadn't planned on it, but The People need to know about Kinky and how are they going to know if no one tells them?

Kinky's first record has the funny track with the lengthy title (We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You) at the beginning instead of the end, and it doesn't have one song that quite measures up to Wild Man From Borneo, but other than that it's pretty similar to the self-title album in content and quality. It is alternately poignant and hilarious. It is terrific countrified folk music (or whatever).

My personal favorites are Sold American, Ride Em Jewboy and Western Union Wire, but then that's just me.

If you need to meet a quota on "singin', Texas Jews", then fill it with this album.

Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys are smart and funny and great to listen to. Songs like "They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore" and "Ballad of Charles Whitman," as well as the title track are great and insightful. A real pleasure.

As a musician, Kinky Friedman has always been known for his humorous side. And if that's what you're into, this album contains several of his funniest and most offensive (to the politically correct) songs: "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed" and the immortally deranged "Ballad of Charles Whitman," to name two.

I have the l.p. of SOLD AMERICAN and I listen to it all day long. Every song on this album is great. In some of the songs KINKY sounds a little like Bob Dylan. I would like to find a chat room , where I can chat about KINKY FRIEDMAN.. Can anyone help me..My favorite songs are SOLD AMERICAN, HIGH ON JESUS, WESTERN UNION WIRE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SERVE YOU, SILVER EAGLE, AND THE ONE ABOUT THE TEXAS SHOOTER (FORGOT THE TITLE)