| | David Allan Coe Penitentiary Blues CD David Allan Coe Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
David Allan Coe is perhaps the most frustrating figure in the history of country music. An undeniable talent who has written some of the most sensitive and gripping `70s country ballads this side of Townes Van Zandt and some of the most rabble-rousing outlaw recordings, Coe also phoned in cloying cheese and, more repugnantly, subsidized his sometimes flagging career with unofficial recordings of extremely racist material.
The latter fact is what makes PENITENTIARY BLUES so oddly compelling. This is not a country record, not even remotely. Rather Coe emerged from his time in an Ohio penitentiary playing full-on, African American-influenced electric Chicago blues. Hearing Coe yowl clichés like "sho' `nuff make you lose your mind" can be off-putting, to say the least, if not stomach-turning. Political correctness aside, though, Coe--perhaps toughened by his time in the clink--does lend a believable grit to this material and for the most part pulls it off. Completists will rejoice, but neophytes are advised to stick with his fantastic mid-70s outlaw albums.
David Allan Coe is widely known as one of the poster boys for 1970s Outlaw Country, and on PENITENTIARY BLUES, his debut album, Coe's patented bad-boy image was already fully formed. Musically, however, he was entrenched firmly in an urban blues mode, as opposed to the honky-tonk infused sound of his best-known albums. Nevertheless, his lyrics espouse his trademark themes of prison, trouble, and hard living.
Personnel: David Allan Coe (vocals); Teddy Paige (guitar, harmonica); Mac Gayden, Charlie McCoy (guitar, bass guitar); Ed Kollis (harmonica); David Briggs (piano); Billy Linneman, William C. Sanders (bass guitar); Kenneth Buttrey, Karl Himmel (drums).
Recording information: Singleton Sound Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.
Uncut (p.127) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]hese songs rail like the spooked soul of a man with nothing left to lose."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.130) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he record makes its mark, raw and rugged, and punctuated with bouts of crazy loon laughter." David Allan Coe Penitentiary Blues Songs | 1. | Penitentiary Blues |
| 2. | Cell #33 |
| 3. | Monkey David Wine |
| 4. | Walkin' Bum |
| 5. | One Way Ticket to Nowhere |
| 6. | Funeral Parlor Blues |
| 7. | Death Row |
| 8. | Oh Warden |
| 9. | Age 21 |
| 10. | Litlte David |
| 11. | Conjer Man |
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Penitentiary Blues Music Review Average Rating: (4.7 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews DAC First Album is the Blues
This is the first album that David Allan Coe put out and it is Rythm and Blues, people may be looking for a bit more country twang but aint going find it here this is gutsy BLUES and I love every minute of it. Will be ordering copies for gifts.
Submitted by ed_engelmann (minnesota) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Wasting your time
If your a DAC fan your wasting your time reading this. It's superb get out and buy NOW.Deffinitly top draw
Submitted by frank (Euxton,chorley uk)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Peniteniary Blues
Hacktone Records and Shout Factory have brought back David Allan Coe's first masterpiece. From the gatefold front cover to the back cover and everything in between, this cd is a must for any true Coe fan. Opening this reminded me of opening the original album. Remastered in stereo and sounding great, one can only hope that David's second masterpiece, Requiem For A Harlequin, may not be far behind for re-release.
Submitted by johnsonfam4 (Minnesota)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Roots of DAC's "wilder side"
The album is essential for the serious David Allen Coe enthusiast. It reveals in it's purest form the hard edged blues rock undertow for the edgy country wave that DAC mysteriously rides to stardom, and "Rides Again" and again.
Submitted by Joseph (Houston, TX, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Penitentiary Blues
Hacktone Records and Shout Factory have brought back David Allan Coe's first masterpiece. From the gatefold front cover to the back cover and everything in between, this cd is a must for any true Coe fan. Opening this reminded me of opening the original album. Remastered in stereo and sounding great, one can only hope that David's second masterpiece, Requiem For A Harlequin, may not be far behind for re-release.
Submitted by Craig Johnson (Minnesota)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Penitentiary Blues CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Darrell Nulisch Just For You CD (2009)
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