David Allan Coe - Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme CD

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme CD music Long Haired Redneck/Rides Again is the second volume in Bear Family's David Allan Coe two-fer series of his work at Columbia Records from 1974-1981. This pair of albums, released in 1976 and 1977, respectively -- his third and fourth albums for the label -- find Coe aligning himself completely with the Willie, Waylon, and Billy Joe Shaver "outlaw" movement -- as if he ever had to try. Coming on the heels of his first Top Ten hit, a cover of Steve Goodman's "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" from Once Upon a Rhyme, Longhaired Redneck is one of Coe's finest records. He either wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, and the title track became his anthem. In addition, the haunting ballad "Revenge," "Free Born Rambling Man," and "Living on the Run" are hallmarks of his best work as a songwriter and as a performer. Rides Again is an altogether different affair. While Coe once again wrote or co-wrote all but one of the album's ten tracks, it is also the beginning of a darkly cynical period in his work, featuring such tracks as the conceited "Willie, Waylon, and Me" (complete with a reprise six tracks later); "If That Ain't Country (You Can Kiss My Ass)"; his paean to his polygamy, "The House We've Been Calling a Home"; and the bitter "Sense of Humor." There are also excellent songs here, such as "Under Rachel's Wings," "Greener Than the Grass We Laid On," and a cover of Dale Murphy's "Laid Back and Wasted." ~ Thom Jurek Long Haired Redneck/Rides Again is the second volume in Bear Family's David Allan Coe two-fer series of his work at Columbia Records from 1974-1981. This pair of albums, released in 1976 and 1977, respectively -- his third and fourth albums for the label -- find Coe aligning himself completely with the Willie, Waylon, and Billy Joe Shaver "outlaw" movement -- as if he ever had to try. Coming on the heels of his first Top Ten hit, a cover of Steve Goodman's "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" from Once Upon a Rhyme, Longhaired Redneck is one of Coe's finest records. He either wrote or co-wrote every song on the album, and the title track became his anthem. In addition, the haunting ballad "Revenge," "Free Born Rambling Man," and "Living on the Run" are hallmarks of his best work as a songwriter and as a performer. Rides Again is an altogether different affair. While Coe once again wrote or co-wrote all but one of the album's ten tracks, it is also the beginning of a darkly cynical period in his work, featuring such tracks as the conceited "Willie, Waylon, and Me" (complete with a reprise six tracks later); "If That Ain't Country (You Can Kiss My Ass)"; his paean to his polygamy, "The House We've Been Calling a Home"; and the bitter "Sense of Humor." There are also excellent songs here, such as "Under Rachel's Wings," "Greener Than the Grass We Laid On," and a cover of Dale Murphy's "Laid Back and Wasted." ~ Thom Jurek, ...

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme songs David Allan Coe's first two albums for Columbia, THE MYSTERIOUS RHINESTONE COWBOY and ONCE UPON A RHYME, are presented here on one disc, making for a solid 20-track set that finds the hard-living country eccentric bidding for a wider audience without sacrificing any of his outlaw credibility. Although Coe's rough-and-tumble reputation hangs over his entire catalogue, many of these songs are remarkably gentle and melancholy, recasting a highly controversial performer as a guy who, at heart, just wants to sing simple country tunes (see "A Sad Country Song," "I Still Sing the Old Songs," and "Another Pretty Country Song"). This collection also features Coe taking on his own poignant "Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)," originally a hit for Tanya Tucker, and the witty, honky-tonk mainstay "You Never Even Called Me By My Name." For those looking to delve into Coe's early career, this is the ideal first stop. his first two LPs for Columbia, w. lyrics enclosed Recorded at Columbia Studios & Pete's Place, Nashville, Tennessee. Includes liner notes by Bob Allen. 2 LPs on 1 CD: THE MYSTERIOUS RHINESTONE COWBOY (1974)/ONCE UPON A RHYME (1974). Producer: Ron Bledsoe. Reissue producer: Richard Weize.

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme album for sale David Allan Coe's seventh and eighth albums for Columbia (documented here on CD by the illustrious Bear Family label from Germany as the fourth issue in their Coe retrospective series) reveal just how influential producer Billy Sherrill became on Coe's sound, and how completely he trusted Sherrill's instincts. Human Emotions, written and recorded after being left by his wife of two years, had Coe offering two sides of his complex feelings of despondency. There is the "Happy Side," comprised of songs written and recorded before his wife left, and in some cases before they even met. The other side is entitled "Suicide" (also the name of the album's final track, the definitive black metal country song), which is a painful examination of one's shortcomings and bitterness after the divorce. Most notable is the re-recording of "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," which is perhaps even more powerful than the original, done four years earlier. Spectrum VII, issued in 1979, barely a year later, is full of beautiful honky tonk songs and whining pedal steel guitars as well as folky country waltzes and progressive country tunes that have as much in common with songwriters such as Jesse Colin Young and Jimmy Buffett as they do with Nash Vegas' finest. There is a corny track -- characteristic of all Coe outings -- as well as the truly definitive version of Dave Loggins' unintentional pop hit "Please Come to Boston." As with all the Coe reissues, this one is chock-full of session photographs and the sound is spectacular. The liner-note essays -- which ceased to be a part of the packaging after the second Bear Family volume -- are missed, though. ~ Thom Jurek David Allan Coe's seventh and eighth albums for Columbia (documented here on CD by the illustrious Bear Family label from Germany as the fourth issue in their Coe retrospective series) reveal just how influential producer Billy Sherrill became on Coe's sound, and how completely he trusted Sherrill's instincts. Human Emotions, written and recorded after being left by his wife of two years, had Coe offering two sides of his complex feelings of despondency. There is the "Happy Side," comprised of songs written and recorded before his wife left, and in some cases before they even met. The other side is entitled "Suicide" (also the name of the album's final track, the definitive black metal country song), which is a painful examination of one's shortcomings and bitterness after the divorce. Most notable is the re-recording of "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," which is perhaps even more powerful than the original, done four years earlier. Spectrum VII, issued in 1979, barely a year later, is full of beautiful honky tonk songs and whining pedal steel guitars as well as folky country waltzes and progressive country tunes that have as much in common with songwriters such as Jesse Colin Young and Jimmy Buffett as they do with Nash Vegas' finest. There is a corny track -- characteristic of all Coe outings -- as well as the truly definitive version of Dave Loggins' unintentional pop hit "Please Come to Boston." As with all the Coe reissues, this one is chock-full of session photographs and the sound is spectacular. The liner-note essays -- which ceased to be a part of the packaging after the second Bear Family volume -- are missed, though. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide 2 LPs on 1 CD: HUMAN EMOTIONS (1978)/SPECTRUM VII (1979). Producers: Ron Bledsoe, David Allan Coe, Billy Sherrill.

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme buy CD music The pairing of Compass Point and I've Got Something to Say is the oddest of the two-fers issued by Bear Family as volume five in their David Allan Coe Columbia retrospective. On his ninth and tenth albums for Columbia, Coe was still looking for respect from radio program directors in Nash Vegas and nationwide -- and wasn't getting it, despite the ace production team of Billy Sherrill and Ron Bledsoe. Compass Point is the most reflective of Coe's albums in the sense that it seemingly constantly looks back to the previous, and most of that isn't pretty; in fact, it's full of regret and remorse, but the determination to transcend as well. The percussion tracks are straight out of Jimmy Buffett's classic records and the atmospherics are pure Sherrill -- phased guitars and accordions and fiddles shimmering in and out of the mix. Two of the finest songs on the album are "Gone (Like)" and "Loving Her (Will Make You Lose Your Mind)." I've Got Something to Say is Coe's star-guest album -- a blatant attempt for radio airplay (it says so in the liner notes) that doesn't work at all. From the re-recording of "This Bottle (In My Hand)," with George Jones (given that this was recorded in 1980, when Jones was a recently recovering alcoholic, it's tasteless) to the re-recording of "Take This Job and Shove It," done as a reaction to the film of the same name, the songs are more boisterous than inspired. "Take It Easy Rider," with Guy Clark, sounds more confused and lost than anything else, and "Hank Williams Junior-Junior" with the Allman Brothers' Dickey Betts and Kris Kristofferson is a bad -- no, make that terrible -- novelty song. This is the only case in which it is too bad that a very decent outing like Compass Point was paired with such a poor one. ~ Thom Jurek The pairing of Compass Point and I've Got Something to Say is the oddest of the two-fers issued by Bear Family as volume five in their David Allan Coe Columbia retrospective. On his ninth and tenth albums for Columbia, Coe was still looking for respect from radio program directors in Nash Vegas and nationwide -- and wasn't getting it, despite the ace production team of Billy Sherrill and Ron Bledsoe. Compass Point is the most reflective of Coe's albums in the sense that it seemingly constantly looks back to the previous, and most of that isn't pretty; in fact, it's full of regret and remorse, but the determination to transcend as well. The percussion tracks are straight out of Jimmy Buffett's classic records and the atmospherics are pure Sherrill -- phased guitars and accordions and fiddles shimmering in and out of the mix. Two of the finest songs on the album are "Gone (Like)" and "Loving Her (Will Make You Lose Your Mind)." I've Got Something to Say is Coe's star-guest album -- a blatant attempt for radio airplay (it says so in the liner notes) that doesn't work at all. From the re-recording of "This Bottle (In My Hand)," with George Jones (given that this was recorded in 1980, when Jones was a recently recovering alcoholic, it's tasteless) to the re-recording of "Take This Job and Shove It," done as a reaction to the film of the same name, the songs are more boisterous than inspired. "Take It Easy Rider," with Guy Clark, sounds more confused and lost than anything else, and "Hank Williams Junior-Junior" with the Allman Brothers' Dickey Betts and Kris Kristofferson is a bad -- no, make that terrible -- novelty song. This is the only case in which it is too bad that a very decent outing like Compass Point was paired with such a poor one. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide 2 LPs on 1 CD: COMPASS POINT (1979)/I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY (1980). Producers: Ron Bledsoe, David Allan Coe, Billy Sherrill. Reissue producer: Richard Weize.

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme songs Tattoo and Family Album mark singer/songwriter David Allan Coe's fifth and sixth albums for Columbia, respectively, issued in 1977 and 1978. They also make up the third volume of Bear Family's Columbia Records retrospective covering the years 1974-1981. The issue of Tattoo marked the third album Coe issued in 1977. First there was the often-angry Rides Again, where the "Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" made his final recorded appearance; then the self-released Texas Moon, recorded on the road; and finally Tattoo. Tattoo also marks the beginning of Coe's association with Billy Sherrill (though Ron Bledsoe would remain with him until 1980's Invictus Means Unconcquered). Tattoo and Family Album mark a far more sensitive side of Coe. Tattoo features more love songs than most Coe records, and there are some fine ones, such as "Just to Prove My Love for You," "Face to Face," "You'll Always Live Inside of Me," and "Just in Time (To Watch Love Die)." Family Album centers more on the connection to one's roots and connections not only between Coe and his family of origin (raised a Mormon, he was the son of polygamy), but his progeny and the concept of family as a universal concept. Inexplicably, in keeping with his contradictory nature, Family Album also contains the classic "Take This Job and Shove It," which Johnny Paycheck took to number one, and the tasteless "Divers Do It Deeper," which sounds more like Jimmy Buffett than Coe. These albums are generally overlooked in Coe's catalog and shouldn't be; they are consistent, literate, and represent the other side of the outlaw persona Coe worked so hard to create. ~ Thom Jurek Tattoo and Family Album mark singer/songwriter David Allan Coe's fifth and sixth albums for Columbia, respectively, issued in 1977 and 1978. They also make up the third volume of Bear Family's Columbia Records retrospective covering the years 1974-1981. The issue of Tattoo marked the third album Coe issued in 1977. First there was the often-angry Rides Again, where the "Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy" made his final recorded appearance; then the self-released Texas Moon, recorded on the road; and finally Tattoo. Tattoo also marks the beginning of Coe's association with Billy Sherrill (though Ron Bledsoe would remain with him until 1980's Invictus Means Unconcquered). Tattoo and Family Album mark a far more sensitive side of Coe. Tattoo features more love songs than most Coe records, and there are some fine ones, such as "Just to Prove My Love for You," "Face to Face," "You'll Always Live Inside of Me," and "Just in Time (To Watch Love Die)." Family Album centers more on the connection to one's roots and connections not only between Coe and his family of origin (raised a Mormon, he was the son of polygamy), but his progeny and the concept of family as a universal concept. Inexplicably, in keeping with his contradictory nature, Family Album also contains the classic "Take This Job and Shove It," which Johnny Paycheck took to number one, and the tasteless "Divers Do It Deeper," which sounds more like Jimmy Buffett than Coe. These albums are generally overlooked in Coe's catalog and shouldn't be; they are consistent, literate, and represent the other side of the outlaw persona Coe worked so hard to create. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide 2 LPs on 1 CD: TATTOO (1977)/FAMILY ALBUM (1978). Producers: Ron Bledsoe, David Allan Coe, Billy Sherrill. Reissue producer: Richard Weize.

Castles in the Sand/Once Upon a Rhyme album for sale Track Listing of songs: Rose Knows; Ain't It Funny The Way Love Can Do Ya; If You Ever Think Of Me At All; The Purple Heart; London Homesick Blues; Stand By Your Man; As Far As This Feeling Will Take Us; Someplace To Come When It Rains; The Best Game In Town; I Love Robbing Banks; Tennessee Whiskey; If I Knew; I've Given 'bout All I Can Take; Pledging My Love; I'll Always Be A Fool For You; Dock Of The Bay; Juanita; We Got A Bad Thing Goin'; D-R-U-N-K; Little Orphan Annie; Bright Morning Light;