Customer Reviews

Spend a Night in the Box

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Perhaps I'm a bit biased...I saw Rev. Horton Heat at a little club near me a little over a month ago and was rendered speechless...best concert I've ever seen. "Spend A Night In the Box" is perhaps the Rev.'s magnum opus...all of his earlier CD's were integral in turning this punk/metalhead into a rockabilly junkie, of sorts, sending my music buying habits off into all sorts of uncharted directions (Hank Williams, J. Cash, BR5-49, Stray Cats, Elvis, S.C.O.T.S.). Now that I am firmly rooted in my love of all things rockabilly, and most things swing and country, it's only fitting that the Reverend and the boys have put out a disc of pure rockabilly genius this time around. I love it more and more with every listen, but I suppose that's been true of everything put out by one of the only great bands left.

Its kind of hard to get a bad album from the Rev. Like their alter-ego The Cramps, each album they make is a winner. Spend a Night In The Box is a fine example. while it isnt as hard hitting as Liquer In The Front or Even Full Custom Gospel Sounds, the material is top notch. This one is the most swingin' out of all the Revs material. Definitley a 50's swing influence, totally retro! But still hip to todays standard. If you like ANY of the Reverend's material then I suggest you get this one as well. I will say tread lightly on the next two, Lucky 7 and Revival b/c they dont seem to stand out as much as all the other ones. Great driving music and I'm sure great dancing music as well. Always catchy, always good. The Reverend Horton Heat is the way to go! BTW, get ALL of The Cramp's album and you have all the best that rockabilly has to offer.

Tough to say it, but after 4 listens end to end, "Spend A Night In The Box" is the Reverend's best album to date. Catchy, well-written rockabilly. And well-written is the key here. "Girl in Blue","Hand it to Me" and the title song are only a fraction of the stand-outs for me. There's really no weak song here. I too was worried after Space Heater - the heavy AC/DC-like riffing didn't hold up well after a few listens and a few live shows. I saw the Heat in NYC a few weeks ago and this new material had everyone nuts just like "400 Bucks", "Bad Reputation" and his other greats.

This is perhaps the Reverend's greatest album. It is always a bold statement to place one recording from such a great band at the top. However, the more I listen to this one, the more I think it is. This is a bit of a departure from some of the Rev's harder rocking stuff. Much more rockabilly. And I will admit, that there is no one defining song, like you generally have with other Rev albums. However, that is what is so good about this album, every single song is so good, it is hard to pick a favorite. if you want hard Rev, buy "Lucky Seven," if you want good ol' rockabilly, spend a night in the box!

I hate to disagree with all the naysayers who claim the reverend has created a dud here. I own every reverend cd and can easily say this is the rev's most creative guitar work and most solid album. Guitar work aside, the lyrics are more thoughtful with less "Daddy-o" rhetoric. This shows the crew for what they really are hardcore retro rockers who play with the precision of a jazz ensemble, yet don't take themselves too seriously. Great fun!

This record rocks the way I imagine this stuff should, like you come out of your fugue state in some bar in West Texas, $3.57 in your pocket, a bolo around your neck, sawdust on the floor; like some bad John Hughes film, Harry Dean Stanton tapping you on the shoulder, some Dennis Hopper character giving you the voodoo eye.

The Rev started out promisingly but after five records, and, I think, a stab at commercial respectability, what started out as genuine psychobilly suffered at the hands of heavy (and inappropriate) production. This one is so right it hurts (re: the reverb is perfect).

The guitar playing is great, Jimbo's bass playing is as entertaining as ever, and Scott's drumming is right on. Like the other records, they mix up the tempos (getting everything right) and a genuine sense of humor comes through, easing things up just enough.

I'm glad this came out when it did. With the swing revival and the inevitable rockabilly resuragence just around the corner, it's nice to have something so honest and genuine beating everyone to the punch.

Did I mention that the reverb is perfect?

Buy this, Brian Setzer's 68 Comeback Special, and spend the rest of your money on Big Sandy records. You'll be alright.

Being a longtime fan of the Rev, the sound on this album still blew me away. A lot of good stuff that has been said has been said so I'll talk about what I think was one of the strongest elements of this album not mentioned, and that is the producing. The album is clear and rich, something most Rev albums lacked previously, preferring a wall of sound approach. On Spend a Night in the Box the wall remains but now you can actually tell what it's made of. Heath's guitar resonates, allowing you to hear every note with precision as he shreds on a few of his monstrous solos and when he shreds on overdrive the distortion is nothing but total sonic power. Paul Leary from the Butthole Surfers definitely aided in making this band sound as good as they could, with the bass also muddling along under the track more clearly and precisely than ever too, something almost inaudible on previous Rev albums. All in all, this album has amazing songs and it sounds amazing too

This is the best CD I have heard in a long time. It sounds just like the old Reverend Horton Heat used to be. All the songs are great, "It Hurts your Daddy Bad", and" Unlucky in Love" are just a couple of the best songs on the album. If you love Rockabilly, You'll love this album!

This one ranks up there with the first two Reverend CD's, with a lot of the songs very reminiscent of the "Smoke 'em" CD. Liking it more and more with each listen. Rating could improve to a 5 star after a few more listens. Definitely worth buying, if not just for the the title track which is great. The sound is very consistent here. The last few Reverend CD's were very good, but each had some songs that were a little different or didn't really do it for me. Not on this release. Buy it.

This album puts the 'rock' back into rockabilly. Its got those twangy, slide-inflected guitars that scald like a poke of homemade hootch. The album has a warm, live sound with just the right amount of echo. The Reverend really hits his stride in Spend a Night in the Box. Spend a Night in the Box marks the group's return to its classic, amped-up, rockabilly style....one helluva shot of redemptive moonshine. Get on the dancefloor, cats and kittens, and give the man an 'Amen'.