Tied to the Wheel

Bill Kirchen | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 21, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B00005MLWD
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,194 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jam the gears and clean your ears..., December 14, 2001

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tied to the Wheel (Audio CD)

Over the years, bar-band legend Bill Kirchen has certainly racked up plenty of hours on the road, first as the hotshot lead guitarist for Commander Cody's hard-edged hippiebilly bar band, the Lost Planet Airmen, and then as the tireless roadhouse troubadour we know and love today... So when he sings of the lure of the highway on songs like "Roll Truck Roll," and "Hillbilly Truck Drivin' Man," you can tell the guy knows what he's talking about. Kirchen's band is also one of the tightest, most versatile outfits in the alt.country scene today, and this is one of their best albums in years. The trucking theme continues on the title track and on the humorously post-apocalyptic "Truck Stop At The End of The World"... My favorite track may be his perky cover of Merle Haggard's "Prison Band," where a jailbreak is thwarted by a talent show audition. With three decades worth of touring and recording under his belt, Kirchen shows no sign of slowing down or losing his sense of adventure, which is good news for country fans in every town on the Interstate. Check this one out!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific return to roots of Lost Planet Airmen + more, September 6, 2001

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tied to the Wheel (Audio CD)

Kirchen's guitar and musical sensibility (not to mention, sense of humor) first flowered in the late-60s ranks of Commander Cody's Lost Planet Airmen. The band's hippie-country-trucker vibe combined counterculture sentiment with sharply played country, rock and boogie-woogie tunes. Since the Airmen's demise in 1976, Kirchen has played with Nick Lowe, Link Wray and Gene Vincent, recorded as part of The Moonlighters, and, more recently, as a solo artist.

His latest, featuring a band anchored by touring partners, bassist Johnny Castle and drummer Jack O'Dell, is a perfect example of his work. He invokes the 'dieselbilly' eclecticism that fueled the Airmen's earliest records with a vitality that's untouched by nostalgic hangover. The apocalyptic "Truck Stop at the End of the World," penned with Commander Cody in the mid-80s, drives lead, with a loving rendition of the Red Simpson's "Roll Truck Roll" and several new tunes filling out the convoy. "Hillbilly Truck Drivin' Man" cruises the interstates with Elvis on the dash and Bill Mack on the radio, while "Tied to the Wheel" reflects on the difficulties of a life that's literally lived on the road. Kirchen stretches out on the frets for "Poultry in Motion," and ex-Airmen Bobby Black contributes terrific steel guitar on several tracks.

A pair of titles from Blackie Farrell (who penned "Mama Hated Diesels" for the Airmen in 1972) and covers of Joe Maphis' "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," Tommy Collins' (by way of Merle Haggard) "Prison Band," and Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" fill out a superbly crafted album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tied to this CD, December 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tied to the Wheel (Audio CD)

I love this CD! If you are into twangy, truckdriven, cattlepushin' music, then I recommend this great CD. The title song tied to the wheel is truck-drivers lament to bring a tear to your eye. Bill Kirchen is a great musician and song writer, and along with Jack O'Dell and Johnny Castle they form a great band, deserving of much more recognition than they receive. Buy this one and "Raise a Ruckus" Too.