Customer Reviews

Van Go

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

 

 

The reason for only 4 stars is pretty simple. This CD Should have 5 BIG Stars but the production value drops it to the point of "Where did you buy that Mr. Microphone Dude?" - HOWEVER, this is really worth buying just because Country Dick, Buddy Blue, Jerry Raney & Rolle Love do a great job - It's the production team that should have been taken behind the woodshed and beaten until they paid back every cent the band invested. The cut, Riverside has a unique quality and the lyrics are so unique to the S. CA mentality, mainly those souls familiar with the Inland Empire that for me, is and was special. Naturally Blue's Gunsale At The Church is a MUST HAVE song. Why this song has never become the Number ONE hit it should be, is a mystery. Country Dick shines in BIG UGLY WHEELS. We miss Country Dick, God bless him, he died with his boots on. Not the Beat Farmers best but compared to most of the hyped up junk out there, this album should be part of your collection.

For better or for worse, the Beat Farmers are best known for the unique stylings of drummer/vocalist Country Dick Montana (rest in peace, Dick). But to write them off as a novelty band is a big mistake. Van Go contains some finely-crafted roots/rock tunes such as the tongue-in-cheek "Gunsale at the Church"; "Road of Ruin" has a folksey, Byrds-like groove, while "Riverside" and "Blue Cheverolet" are straight-ahead rockers. An upbeat cover of Neil Young's "Powderfinger" blends in well.

A rough production quality gives the album a harsh tone, but the songwriting and musical performances overcome this minor technical setback.

This followup to 'Tales of the New West' and the EP 'Glad n Greasy' gets a lot of discussion among fans of the band. It is different than the debut in that there is less of a roots feel, there are fewer songs by the late genius singer/songwriter/guitarist Buddy Blue, and the production on some cuts is considered murky. While this may be true, the material is still strong throughout. I have compared this disc to the Stones 'Exile on Main St', which had a muddy sound mix, but classic material and is now considered perhaps their best disc. This album lacks a standout group of rockabilly cuts, but there is a great one, 'Gun Sale at the Church', which I consider one of Blue's finest songs. The rock n roll edge is honed with 'Riverside', 'Seven Year Blues', and 'Buy Me a Car', all featuring standout guitar by Jerry Raney. The inclusion of a different cover of 'Powderfinger' (previously done on 'Glad n Greasy') doesn't detract from it, and 'Big Ugly Wheels' featuring the late Country Dick Montana's booming baritone and 'Road to Ruin' add up to a batch of tunes that is just a cut below that of the 'expanded' Tales of the New West disc. The bass and drums of some cuts are buried in the mix and the overall production isn't as uncluttered as Tales, but sometimes, you have an album of material and a band that is good enough to rise above such problems. This is, without a doubt, one of those times.

If you like this band, or spiritual cousins like Mojo Nixon, Country Dick Montana, or The Nebraska Guitar Militia, then this is worth buying, especially at this rather low price. Very enjoyable stuff.

This is the best original album by THE BEAT FARMERS. Their albums tend to be uneven and even indifferent, although the Country Dick tracks are always good. This album is fairly consistent and contains the best non-Country Dick track `Gun Sale At The Church'. The Beat Farmers are a pretty standard bar band, sound wise, stripped down rock and roll with a country flare, sort of like Cowboy Mouth or Credence. That being said, they are not nearly as interesting or lively as those bands, except when Country Dick sings. If you own one Beat Farmers disc (comps excepted) it should be this one. B-