Texas Cookin

Guy Clark | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: May 29, 2001
• Label: SBCMG
• Copyright: (P) 1976 BMG Music
• Genres: Country/Alt-Country & Americana, Country/Bluegrass, Country/Compilations, Country/Outlaw & Progressive Country, Folk/Compilations, Folk/Contemporary Folk
• ASIN: B001C74BSW
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two of Clark's best records on one GREAT CD, January 13, 2000

By 

Jeff Delfield - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old No. 1 / Texas Cookin (Audio CD)

Guy Clark is, with out a doubt, one of the greatest songwriters out there still doin' his thing. These two records, rereleased on one cd, consist of his earliest recordings, and they're great - I'd say his best. The 20 highly crafted songs found here are just as humorous as anything written by John Prine, just as down-to-earth as Hank Sr, and just as potent as Dylan. Anyone interested in folks like Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Lyle Lovett, even y'allternative types like Wilco and Son Volt, will want to check this out.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put on another record..., December 3, 2002

By 

Jeff Potter "outyourbackdoor" (Williamston, MI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Old No. 1 / Texas Cookin (Audio CD)

It's not like this record needs more recommendation than it has already gotten here, but I'll chime in. Once you start playing this CD, you'll have a hard time stopping. It's dangerous. I just got it a week ago. I miss it when I'm away from it. My wife and I look at each other when we're off doing other things and we chuckle because we're both still grooving on it. Our kids, too. At 2 and 5 they're both into this record as well. Pity me, I never knew of it until just recently. I've just started exploring what I guess you might call the heart of Texas music. I've heard it said that it's a world of its own. They seem to have a special relation with the 'writers.' It's what singer/songwriter is all about. This is my first stop. If you already love Willy and Jerry Jeff, you owe it to yourself to take the next step up and in and check out this particular CD. It's the real thing. It's hard to imagine that Guy Clark isn't as well known as anyone. But if we gradually get a million raves up here... Maybe he's like the finest wines--give em a lot of long, slow years and they eventually end up on top. --JP

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seventies country-rock, May 16, 2005

By 

Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Old No. 1 / Texas Cookin (Audio CD)

Better known as a songwriter, Guy's always-brilliant albums never sold in big quantities. Maybe Guy's voice didn't appeal to mainstream country radio, or maybe his lake of stage presence when performing live counted against him. Although he never became a major star, Guy built up a significant fan base in Britain and America. More significantly, other singers appreciated the quality of his songs and have recorded many of them as well as lending their support on Guy's own recordings. Thus, even if you've never heard any of Guy's own music, you may well have heard some of his songs. This twofer contains Guy's two albums for RCA - the first two albums of his career.

Guy's debut album (Old No 1) occupies the first ten tracks here and is generally regarded as the best album of his career. Among the stars providing harmony vocals are Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Sammi Smith. It is extraordinary to think that Steve Earle (whose own music was influenced by Guy's to some extent) didn't make his own breakthrough until more than a decade after this album was recorded. The set opens with Rita Ballou, later covered by Vince Gill (you can find it on his breakthrough album, When I call your name). The most famous songs here are LA freeway (a minor American hit for Jerry Jeff Walker), Texas 1947 (covered by Johnny Cash) and Desperadoes waiting for a train (covered by many different artists).

Following the critical acclaim of his debut, Guy followed it up with the almost equally brilliant Texas cooking, which occupies the last ten tracks here. Rodney and Emmylou again provide harmony, this time joined by Jerry Jeff Walker, Nicolette Larson, Waylon Jennings, Hoyt Axton and Tracy Nelson among others. Further classic songs are to be found here including The last gunfighter ballad (later covered by Johnny Cash).

Subsequent albums provided further songs for others to record including Heartbroke (Ricky Skaggs), She's crazy for leaving (Rodney Crowell) and Old friends (Lacy J Dalton). Guy's versions of those songs can be found elsewhere.

Whatever the reasons for Guy's lack of commercial success, he has proved his worth as a songwriter while there are enough people (including me) who appreciate his music to warrant record companies re-issuing his old material.