Country Club

The Sadies, John Doe

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 14, 2009)
• Original Release Date: April 14, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B001TN1EFW
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,149 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #11 in	Music > Indie Music > Country > Alt-Country & Americana
  #37 in	Music > Country > Neotraditional
  #49 in	Music > Country > Alt-Country & Americana

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In true honky tonk style, Country Club is the bastard child of a drunken
promise. A post show hang-out between X & the Knitters John Doe
and The Sadies produced the idea to join forces to a make an album of country songs. Both rock n roll and country music are littered with the ghosts of broken promises, but this one was destined to become reality. Timeless sounds abound on Country Club, driven by Doe s gorgeously rough-hewn vocals, the dueling thousand pound chops of the guitar-wielding Good brothers and The Sadies world class rhythm section of Mike Belitsky and Sean Dean. Here,
the Countrypolitan sound of late 1960s Nashville is filtered through the telecaster-based honky tonk of Bakersfield, CA and the results are simply stunning. Classic tunes by Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings stand alongside corkers by Tammy
Wynette and Roger Miller, all of them getting unique treatments by Doe and The Sadies. The album also features four originals - three from The Sadies and one courtesy of the timeless pairing of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. On Country Club John Doe and The Sadies find the perfect blend of the reverent and the experimental, resulting in a slightly psychedelic
brew that just might pass for straight if you re not lookin .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes it takes an outsider..., April 14, 2009

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

There's been a trend lately in country music: All of the best country albums have been created by non-country artists. I won't go into what this says about the state of contemporary country music (I could rant all night); I will merely point out that John Doe and The Sadies have crafted a superb country album that is everything country music is supposed to be about: sorrow, heartbreak, and the struggles of the everyman in a world gone crazy.

Granted, they do this mostly through covers. Actually, if there were more original tunes on here, the album might not fare so well (nothing against the songwriting abilities of either artist; the original tunes are all well-written and stand up against the covers). The fact that these are traditional country tunes revisited suggests a merging of old and new that is endearing and, quite simply, "right." The artists cover songs written or made famous by such legends as Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Mel Tillis, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash (not to mention all the other artists who had hit versions of these songs; these are indeed classics). The result is an album--aptly titled COUNTRY CLUB, and we'll ignore the mediocre Travis Tritt hit of the same name--that merges a punk/alternative air with traditional country heartbreak. It's masterful, it's original, and it's a unique way of re-imagining these standard tunes, and is a welcome addition to the collection of anyone who thinks genuine country music has died. Hopefully, COUNTRY CLUB will inspire most of today's country stars to get their butts in gear and start writing/recording songs like they used to--straight from the heart, no chaser.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - John Doe follow's up 'Silver Wings', May 7, 2009

By	Tahoe Rich (Lake Tahoe) - See all my reviews

After hearing John Doe's cover of 'Silver Wings' on the Knitters' debut album I've been waiting for more. I've patiently waited and purchased every CD, hoping for more of what I fell in love with. Well, here it is!!! An entire CD of incredible country tunes performed with purity and taste.

This CD takes Country & Western from the 50's & 60's and brings it up to date, without loosing the purity of the original music, and completely ignoring the past 30 years of Nashville noise.

John Doe delivers with incredible feeling, the Sadies accompany with energy and sensitivity.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What The Knitters was to X, this is to The Knitters., May 31, 2009

By	William P. Davis "Snowballthrower" (So. Lake Tahoe, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a soft spot for some country music covers. This is interesting. John Doe is Americana. The songs are taken seriously. It's not a parody. These songs are given their due in a heartfelt manner. Might I suggest, if you like this, Robbie Fulks' "13 Hillbilly Giants" is awesome and Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers "Sleepless Nights" is the best.